This week the wrestling community lost a true legend in “Soulman” Rocky Johnson. A lot of modern era fans may know Johnson as the father of entertain icon “The Rock”. Johnson was a pioneer in the wrestling business and was a force in any territory he landed in.
Rocky was born in Amherst, Nova Scotia and is a descendant of Black Loyalists who moved to Canada after the Revolutionary War. His birth name was Wayde Douglas Bowles. He began his career in pro wrestling at the age of 16 in the early 1960s. He started out in Toronto where he legally changed his name to Rocky Johnson. He was a staple in the various NWA Territories and was popular everywhere he went winning various territory titles.
Johnson’s most famous achievement in the ring came in 1983 when he and partner Tony Atlas who were known as the “Soul Patrol” defeated The Wild Samoans to become the first ever African American tag team champions in the WWF. There were actually the first blacks to wins any titles in the WWF.
Johnson began training other young aspiring wrestlers down at OVW until he retired in 2013. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2008 by his son. Rocky Johnson was a trailblazer and will be missed by fans worldwide.
Written By
Keith B. Holt
Follow on Twitter @KholtJr
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