We are sad to report that Rocky Johnson, former WWWF star and father of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, has passed away. The news first broke on Twitter via Dave Meltzer.
Rocky got his start in professional wrestling in the National Wrestling Alliance in 1964. He legally changed his name from his given name of Wayde Douglas Bowles to Rocky Johnson at the start of his wrestling career.
Johnson won championships in every promotion he worked for including in the CWA as the 2-time AWA Southern Tag Team Championship, the NWA TV Championship, and the WWF Tag Team Championship with Tony Atlas.
He wrestled for the World Wrestling Federation from 1982 to 1985 and he was seen on WWF television in 1997 when he helped his son, as Rocky Maivia, to fend off The Sultan and The Iron Sheik at WrestleMania 13. Several years later, he was hired as a trainer at Ohio Valley Wrestling.
Rocky was inducted into the WWF Hall Of Fame in 2008. We send our deepest condolences to the Johnson family.
