Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s dad “Soul Man” Rocky Johnson made history in 1983, teaming with “Mr USA” Tony Atlas to defeat the Wild Samoans. In the process they became the first African-Americans to win the World Tag Team Championship.
Johnson enjoyed a lengthy career which saw him compete between 1964 and 1991, before being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2008. Rocky Johnson sadly passed away on January 15, 2020, at the age of 75.
The Rock uploaded a video on his Instagram where he wished his late father, a happy birthday. He went on to talk about how his father inspired various athletes, including boxing legend Mike Tyson:
“Mike Tyson, for example. My boy Mike Tyson told me a long time ago when I first met him. ‘Man your dad is my inspiration.’ That sh*t blew me away because Mike was my inspiration.
I got a lot of love and respect for him. My brother Mike. He was one example of many great athletes who looked at my dad that way and it really illuminated my dad’s worth ethic.”
Dwayne Johnson has confirmed that he’s spoken with WWE CEO Nick Khan about the possibility of a WWE role while promoting his Teremana tequila brand. The pair are lifelong friends and the WWE CEO’s sister Nahnatchka Khan created the show Young Rock, which chronicles Johnson’s journey to WWE and his life growing up with wrestler Rocky Johnson as his father.
The former WWE Champion explained that while he might not end up with a seat on WWE’s board anytime soon, he could be involved with the company in other ways. With regards to the rumours that WWE could soon be up for sale, Johnson added that anyone looking at buying or investing in the company would need to love the wrestling business.
Dwayne Johnson also revealed that the experience of being a heel in WWE helped him embrace the less-than-moral characteristics of Black Adam even when some may see the character as a risk.