Rocky Johnson


Rocky Johnson was a Canadian professional wrestler. Among many National Wrestling Alliance titles, he was the first black Georgia Heavyweight Champion. He won the World Tag Team Championship in 1983, along with his partner Tony Atlas, to become the first black champions in WWE history.
He is the father of actor and former WWE wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.

Early life

Rocky Johnson was born Wayde Douglas Bowles in Amherst, Nova Scotia, where he was raised, the fourth of five sons of Lillian and James Henry Bowles.. A Black Nova Scotian, he was descended from Black Loyalists who immigrated to Nova Scotia after escaping from a southern plantation in the United States after the American Revolutionary War. At the age of 16, Johnson moved to Toronto, where he began wrestling and worked as a truck driver. Initially, he trained to be a boxer and eventually sparred with greats such as Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, but he was always fascinated by wrestling.

Professional wrestling career

National Wrestling Alliance (1964–1982)

Johnson began his career as a professional wrestler in 1964, in Southern Ontario; soon after his debut, he legally changed his name to his "Rocky Johnson" moniker. He chose the name Rocky Johnson as a tribute to two of his favorite boxing greats: Rocky Marciano and Jack Johnson, the latter being the first black heavyweight boxing champion.
He was a top contender in the National Wrestling Alliance in the 1970s, receiving title matches against then-World Champions Terry Funk and Harley Race. He was well-suited for tag team wrestling, winning several regional tag team championships in the NWA. Johnson wrestled off and on in the Memphis promotion, often feuding with Jerry Lawler, winning Lawler's crown at one point. He also wrestled under a mask as "Sweet Ebony Diamond" in the Mid-Atlantic area.

World Wrestling Federation (1982–1985)

In 1982, Johnson feuded with Don Muraco, Greg Valentine, Mike Sharpe, Buddy Rose, and Adrian Adonis. He was then paired with Tony Atlas as a tag team. They defeated the Wild Samoans for the Tag Team Championship on the December 10, 1983 episode of Championship Wrestling. They were the first black men to hold a WWF championship. Together, they were billed as "The Soul Patrol".

Retirement

After retiring in 1991, Johnson along with Pat Patterson, trained his son Dwayne to wrestle. While he initially resisted his son's entry into what he knew to be an extremely difficult business, Johnson agreed to train him on the condition that he wouldn't go easy on him. Johnson was instrumental in getting Dwayne signed to a WWF developmental deal. Initially, Johnson had an on-camera presence at his son's matches, and jumped into the ring on his behalf after he was attacked by The Sultan and The Iron Sheik at WrestleMania 13. Johnson was not seen on-camera again after the Rocky Maivia character flopped, and soon Dwayne achieved crossover popularity as a cocky heel, The Rock.
In early 2003, Johnson was hired as a trainer for the WWE developmental territory, Ohio Valley Wrestling, but was let go in May. He made a return to the ring, and defeated Mabel in a boxing match at Memphis Wrestling on November 29, 2003. On February 25, 2008, Johnson was announced as an inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame along with his father-in-law, "High Chief" Peter Maivia. Both Johnson and his father-in-law were inducted into the Hall of Fame on March 29, 2008 by his son, The Rock.
On December 20, 2019, Johnson joined the Board of Directors of the International Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Personal life

Johnson recounted in his autobiography Soulman that he met his first wife Una Sparks at a dance while he was training to become a boxer. Una was from Cherrybrook, Nova Scotia and a devout Jehovah's Witness. They had two children, Curtis and Wanda, whom he thanked at his 2008 WWE Hall of Fame induction. While married to Una, he became romantically-involved with Ata Maivia, daughter of wrestling legend "High Chief" Peter Maivia. Ata met Rocky after Maivia and Johnson were tag team partners in a match on the independent circuit. Maivia disapproved of the relationship - not because of anything personal against Johnson - but because of his chosen profession, as he knew first hand how hard it was for wrestlers' families who were at home while they were constantly on the road. Their son Dwayne was born May 2, 1972. Johnson stated that in order to provide for his two families, he adopted a frugal lifestyle on the road, subsisting on beer, sliced cheese, and bologna, and "unlike most of the other boys, I wasn't a partier". He does not reveal if Una knew about Ata and Dwayne, but stated that she gave him an ultimatum to quit wrestling or they would have to separate as Jehovah's Witnesses "didn't believe in blood sport". He stated that he and Una parted amicably, and remained good friends. He obtained a divorce in Texas, then filed for a marriage license in Florida on December 21, 1978 to marry Ata; they divorced in 2003. He was married to Sheila Northern, a speech pathologist, at the time of his death.

Death

On January 15, 2020 at the age of 75 in the Lutz, Florida home Dwayne bought for him, Johnson died of a pulmonary embolism caused by a blood clot that travelled from a deep vein thrombosis in his leg. B. Brian Blair told the Associated Press that Johnson "thought he had the flu or something", but refused to see a doctor. Dwayne paid tribute, stating "I'm in pain" and "You lived a very full, very hard, barrier breaking life and left it all in the ring. I love you dad and I'll always be your proud and grateful son." Hulk Hogan tweeted condolences, describing Rocky as "a great man, great friend" and "one of only a few that was kind and helpful when I first broke in."

In popular culture

In his first television acting job, Dwayne Johnson portrayed his father in a season 1 episode of That '70s Show titled "That Wrestling Show".

Championships and accomplishments