Dwayne Johnson Posts Loving Tribute to Late Father and WWE Star Rocky Johnson: ‘I’m in Pain’
Dwayne Johnson said he’s “in pain” following the death of his father Rocky Johnson, a WWE Hall of Famer who died on Wednesday at age 75.
“I’m in pain. But we both know it’s just pain and it’ll pass. Now I’ll carry your mana and work ethic with me, as it’s time to move on because I have my family to feed and work to accomplish,” Johnson said on Instagram post about his father on Friday. “Finally, I want you to rest your trailblazing soul, Soulman. Pain free, regret free, satisfied and at ease. 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. Go rest high.”
Johnson also posted a video of his father being introduced in the ring as part of the first black championship tag-team, and in the video you can see a young Dwayne Johnson sitting ringside.
*Also Read:* Rocky Johnson, WWE Hall of Famer and Father of Dwayne Johnson, Dies at 75
Born Wayde Douglas Bowles in Nova Scotia, Canada in 1944, Rocky Johnson began his wrestling career at the age of 16 and became a top star in the National Wrestling Alliance in the 1970s. He won multiple regional NWA titles, traveling through the territorial system and wrestling against legends like Harley Race, Terry Funk and Jerry Lawler.
Johnson retired from wrestling in 1991 and trained his son to be a wrestler, at which point Dwayne Johnson took the name Rocky Maivia in his 1994 WWF debut.
See The Rock’s tribute below.
View this post on Instagram
I love you. You broke color barriers, became a ring legend and trail blazed your way thru this world. I was the boy sitting in the seats, watching and adoring you, my hero from afar. The boy you raised to always be proud of our cultures and proud of who and what I am. The boy you raised with the toughest of love. The intense work. The hard hand. The adoring boy who wanted to know only your best qualities. Who then grew to become a man realizing you had other deep complex sides that needed to be held and understood. Son to father. Man to man. That’s when my adoration turned to respect. And my empathy turned to gratitude. Grateful that you gave me life. Grateful you gave me life’s invaluable lessons. Dad, I wish I had one more shot to tell you, I love you, before you crossed over to the other side. But you were ripped away from me so fast without warning. Gone in an instant and no coming back. Im in pain. But we both know it’s just pain and it’ll pass. Now I’ll carry your mana and work ethic with me, as it’s time to move on because I have my family to feed and work to accomplish. Finally, I want you to rest your trailblazing soul, Soulman. Pain free, regret free, satisfied and at ease. 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. Go rest high. #ripsoulman #rockyjohnson ????
A post shared by therock (@therock) on Jan 17, 2020 at 8:01am PST
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