Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has honored his legendary father, Rocky Johnson, in a post on social media. WWE put together a special tribute video with help from the former WWE Champion as part of Black History Month.
The Rock wrote the following in the caption of the Instagram post:
“This one makes me emotional to watch, but man I’m smiling with goosebumps of gratitude, mana and pride. My dad, Rocky “Soulman” Johnson was a trailblazer and became the first black @wwe tag team champions w/“Mr. USA” Tony Atlas. As a little boy, my dad was always the hardest working man I knew. Now as a man, I understand where many of my old habits come from. Shared DNA. I miss my old man and wish I had a chance to say goodbye. Thank you dad for paving the way for me. For all of us. I will forever be proud of who and what I am. I love you.
* a special thank you to my entire WWE family who worked very closely with me to create this powerful tribute to The Soulman in honor of #BlackHistoryMonth.”
He started his pro wrestling career in the mid-1960s in the NWA and later became a star in WWE when he joined the promotion in 1983. He had memorable rivalries with the likes of Greg “The Hammer” Valentine, Don Muraco and Adrian Adonis. The “Soul Man” retired from the ring in 1991.
Rocky Johnson passed away on January 15, 2020 at 75 years old.