- Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson shared the tribute as part of Black History Month
- His father Rocky and Tony Atlas were the first black WWE champions in 1983
- The Rock explained his emotional reaction to seeing his father’s photo last year
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson was brought to tears as the WWE legend shared a tribute on social media to his father Rocky.
The Rock shared a four minute video discussing his father’s legacy as part of Black History Month.
The video included footage of The Rock being moved to tears during a tour of WWE headquarters last year, when he saw a photo of his father and Tony Atlas winning the world tag team title for the first time in 1983.
Johnson and Atlas became the first black WWE champions by claiming the title.
The Rock explained his reaction to the photo had been due to the challenges his father faced breaking into the industry.
He highlighted how his father had helped to change perceptions in 1960s America, having gone from being turned away by some hotels and other wrestlers due to being black, before being changing audience behaviour to become a star in the sport.
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson was brought to tears as he paid tribute to his father in a video
The Rock explained his emotional reaction to seeing a photo of his father at WWE headquarters
The photo showed Rocky, right, lifting the WWE tag team title with Tony Atlas, left
‘When I saw the picture, the reason it moved me so much, because it was just this amazing picture as they had just won the tag team titles, him and Tony Atlas.
‘They became the first black tag team champions in the history of the WWE.
‘In that moment there was just this unbridled joy and pride that my dad had, I saw it on his face.
‘I thought man, I would have loved to have, I would love to have given him a hug and just say “I’m proud of you” and ‘you did it”.
The Rock was brought to tears during his explanation of the moment, with the video then showing an old clip of him hugging his father.
Rocky, whose real name was Wayde Douglas Bowles, died at the age of 75 back in 2020.
Known as ‘Soul Man’, Rocky had previously sparred with legendary boxers Muhammad Ali and George Foreman but earned his fame in the wrestling ring.
After retiring from wrestling he would go on to train his son, with The Rock later inducting his own father into the WWE Hall of Fame.
The Rock added a further tribute to his father to his video, hailing him for helping to pave the way in the sport for people of any colour.
Rocky Johnson, pictured, and Atlas became the first black WWE champions with the title
The video tribute included an image of The Rock inducting his father into the WWE Hall of Fame
Rocky Johnson, right, trained his son to become a WWE star following his own retirement
The Rock had given a eulogy at his father’s funeral after he had died at the age of 75 in 2020
‘My dad was a strong, tough guy, and hardened by all the different kind of beatings life gave him, but I know he ALWAYS appreciated (and smiled!) receiving “his flowers” for all the challenges he overcame and road he paved for all of us of color, and all of us of ANY color,’ The Rock wrote.
‘I get emotional in moments like this because it’s the great reminder to always be as present as possible with your loved ones, because we just never know what’s around the corner and when, just like that — they’re gone.
‘My old man wasn’t a big “I love you” guy, but he would always say three things to me as a kid that always stuck with me.
‘A day without pain, is like a day without sunshine. Respect is given when it’s earned, so go out and earn it. The show must go on.
‘Love you dad, see you down the road and thank you for paving the way.’
