Dwayne Johnson has posted a heartfelt tribute to The Iron Sheik.
The WWE Hall of Famer sadly passed away on June 7th, as announced by the close family of the former WWE Champion. Multiple names in the wrestling world have sent their condolences to the family and friends of The Iron Sheik at this difficult time.
Dwayne Johnson Records Tribute Message For Uncle Sheiky
Rest in Power, Uncle Sheiky ❤️
Thank you for paving the way 🙏🏾
Love, light and strength to Caryl & the ohana x pic.twitter.com/p9c9wwQz6U— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) June 7, 2023
Johnson recalls the close bond that he had with the family of The Sheik, referring to the wrestling legend as “Uncle Sheiky” and recalling how The Sheik’s wife Caryl used to babysit him at an early age:
“We lost a pro-wrestling legend today, The Iron Sheik. I want to say a few things. Most importantly, I want to send my love and my support, my strength, my light, my mana, and my condolences to The Iron Sheik’s family, who I consider ohana, they are family of ours, too,”
“As I think a few of you may know, I grew up calling The Iron Sheik ‘Uncle Sheiky.’ And when my dad and The Iron Sheik used to wrestle together not only in WWE, but also before that, when we were living in North Carolina … Uncle Sheiky would come over to the house, and his wife would babysit me. And I was about eight years old at that time, and I was a pain in the ass even then. So God bless that woman, his wife, Caryl, thank you, Caryl, for putting up with all my s**t as a kid. I hope you guys are staying strong, and again, I’m so sorry to hear the news.”
Johnson continued, stating that if were not for the world of pro-wrestling, he would not have the life he has today, then going on to acknowledge the accomplishments of The Iron Sheik.
The Rock then recalled a story of The Sheik imparting some valuable words of wisdom to him early in his wrestling career. The Hollywood star was told that when he entered the locker room, he should just sit down and shut his mouth, then learning who are the good guys and who are the Jabronis.
The Great One would finish by explaining that the iconic Jabroni catchphrase was created by The Iron Sheik, with The Rock being lucky enough to use it and often being mistaken as the creator of the word.
H/t to Wrestling Inc. for the use of transcription.