Rocky Johnson (born Wayde Douglas Bowles; August 24, 1944 – January 15, 2020) was a Canadian professional wrestler. Among many

National Wrestling Alliance The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion and former professional wrestling governing body operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc. Founded in 1948, the NWA ...

titles, he was the first Black Georgia Heavyweight Champion as well as the NWA Television Champion (

2 times "2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside ...

). 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 Dwayne Douglas Johnson (born May 2, 1972), also known by his ring name The Rock, is an American actor and former professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he was integral to the develop ...

.Foley, Mick. Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks (p.36)

Early life

Johnson was born Wayde Douglas Bowles in

Amherst, Nova Scotia Amherst ( ) is a town in northwestern Nova Scotia, Canada, located at the northeast end of the Cumberland Basin, an arm of the Bay of Fundy, and south of the Northumberland Strait. The town sits on a height of land at the eastern boundary of th ...

, where he was raised, the fourth of five sons of Lillian (; 1919–1996) and James Henry Bowles (1888–1957). A Black Nova Scotian, he was descended from

Black Loyalists Black Loyalists were people of African descent who sided with the Loyalists during the American Revolutionary War. In particular, the term refers to men who escaped enslavement by Patriot masters and served on the Loyalist side because of the Cro ...

who immigrated to Nova Scotia after escaping from a plantation in the United States after the American Revolutionary War, and also had part- Irish ancestry. 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 Boxer most commonly refers to: * Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing *Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

and eventually sparred with greats such as

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...

and

George Foreman George Edward Foreman (born January 10, 1949) is an American former professional boxer, entrepreneur, minister and author. In boxing, he was nicknamed "Big George" and competed between 1967 and 1997. He is a two-time world heavyweight champio ...

, but 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 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.Levenson, Michael
"Rocky Johnson, Pro Wrestler Who Trained His Son the Rock, Dies at 75"
'' The New York Times''. January 15, 2020. In the late 1960s to mid 1970s, he was a major star in California. In Los Angeles he took on Freddie Blassie, The Destroyer and John Tolos. He was a top contender in the

in the 1970s, receiving title matches against then-

World Champions A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

Terry Funk and

Harley Race Harley Leland Race (April 11, 1943 – August 1, 2019) was an American professional wrestler, promoter, and trainer. Race wrestled in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), the American Wrestling Association (AWA), the World Wrestling Federatio ...

. 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 Paul Robert Perschmann (November 27, 1952 – April 28, 2009) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Playboy Buddy Rose. He wrestled primarily for the AWA, WWF, and for promoter Don Owen in Pacific Northwest ...

, and Adrian Adonis. He was then paired with Tony Atlas as a tag team. They defeated the Wild Samoans ( Afa and Sika) for the Tag Team Championship on the December 10, 1983 episode of ''Championship Wrestling'' (taped November 15). They were the first black men to hold a WWF championship. Together, they were billed as "The Soul Patrol".

Later career (1985–1991)

After leaving WWF in June 1985, Johnson went to Central States, Tennessee, Hawaii, Portland, Puerto Rico and the independent circuit. In Hawaii, he teamed with his brother Ricky Johnson.

Retirement

After retiring in 1991, Johnson, along with

Pat Patterson Pat Patterson (born Pierre Clermont; January 19, 1941 – December 2, 2020) was a Canadian-American professional wrestler and producer, widely known for his long tenure in the professional wrestling promotion WWE, first as a wrestler, then as ...

, 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 would not go easy on him. Johnson was instrumental in getting Dwayne (later dubbed "Rocky Maivia" after both Rocky Johnson's and Peter Maivia's ring names) 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 heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower Human leg, leg. Structure To distribute the compressive for ...

, 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 Mabel is an English female given name derived from the Latin ''amabilis'', "lovable, dear".Reclams Namensbuch, 1987, History Amabilis of Riom (died 475) was a French male saint who logically would have assumed the name Amabilis upon entering th ...

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 Fitisemanu 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. Peter Maivia disapproved of their relationship because Johnson was a wrestler. Their son

Dwayne Dwayne or Dewayne is a traditionally male name. It is Gaelic in origin, deriving from the Irish saint Dubhán. History St. Dubhán was an Irish monk who established an abbey in Hook Head, Ireland during the 5th century. As a surname it is O'Dubha ...

was born May 2, 1972. Johnson stated that, in order to provide for his two families, he adopted a frugal lifestyle on the road; he subsisted on beer, sliced cheese, and bologna, and was not a "partier"."Chapter 27: Bubba Von Dougas"
''Soulman: The Rocky Johnson Story'' by Rocky Johnson with Scott Teal;

ECW Press ECW Press is a Canadian book publisher located in Toronto, Ontario. It was founded by Jack David and Robert Lecker in 1974 as a Canadian literary magazine named ''Essays on Canadian Writing''. They started publishing trade and scholarly book ...

(2019). Via Google Books Retrieved January 16, 2020 He did 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. By marrying her, he became a member of the famous Samoan

Anoa'i family The Anoaʻi family ( ) is a family of professional wrestlers originating from American Samoa. Family members have comprised several tag teams and stables within a variety of promotions. Famous members of the family include Rosey, WWE Hall of Fam ...

. They divorced in 2003. During his wrestling years, Johnson was known for his extra-marital affairs. Johnson was married to Sheila Northern, a speech pathologist, at the time of his death. In 2019, Johnson co-wrote an autobiography alongside Scott Teal, ''Soulman: The Rocky Johnson Story'', released October 15 of that year. The book was recalled by the publisher shortly after release, due to payment disputes between Johnson and the co-author. In 2022, '' Sports Illustrated'' published an article stating that Johnson had five other known children, in separate relationships, via genealogical DNA testing in the 2010s which connected them to Rocky's brother Ricky: Paula Parsons (b. 1964 to Thelma Parsons in Lucasville, Nova Scotia), Trevor Edwards (b. March 23, 1967 to Doreen Edwards in Montreal), Lisa Purves (b. Oct. 26, 1968 to Vera Pinter in Vancouver), Adrian Bowles (b. April 24, 1970 to Carolyn Bowles in Truro, Nova Scotia) and Aaron Fowler (b. June 17, 1970 to Jackie Fowler in

). All five were refused in-person contact by Rocky in his lifetime (and have not been contacted by Rocky's three other known children), but have reunited personally with Ricky Johnson and each other.

Legal issues

In 1987, Johnson was arrested and charged for rape of a 19 Year-Old Tennessee woman. He claimed he was "set up" by rival wrestlers. The charges had him blacklisted from wrestling, leading him to alcoholism and a strained relationship with his son until several years later when he became sober. In 2000, while working at the Pine Island Community Center in Davie, Florida, Johnson was investigated for several cases of misconduct, including unwanted groping of female coworkers. He later faced charges of battery and theft after he allegedly took home a piece of athletic equipment, as well as allegedly inappropriately grabbing a female coworker. The Broward State Attorney's Office, while noting there was "sufficient evidence" that Johnson had groped his coworker, declined to prosecute because the woman feared the publicity it would bring her.

Death

On January 15, 2020, at the age of 75, Johnson died of a pulmonary embolism at the home his son bought for him in Lutz, Florida; the embolism was caused by a blood clot that traveled from a deep vein thrombosis in his leg.

B. Brian Blair Brian Leslie Blair (born January 12, 1957) is an American retired professional wrestler and politician. He is best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) under the ring name B. Brian Blair as one half of the tag te ...

told the Associated Press that Johnson "thought he had the flu or something" but refused to see a doctor. Dwayne Johnson paid tribute, stating, "I'm in pain. 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 Terry Eugene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is widely regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide and the most popular wrestler of the 19 ...

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, his son Dwayne, known at the time by his ring name The Rock, portrayed his father in a season 1 (1999) episode of '' That '70s Show'' titled "That Wrestling Show". He is portrayed by Joseph Lee Anderson in the show '' Young Rock'', based on his son's life. The series, which was green-lit for production by NBC four days before Johnson's death, dedicated the

pilot episode A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie), in United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television network or other distri ...

in Johnson's memory.

Championships and accomplishments

* Big Time Wrestling ** NWA World Tag Team Championship (

4 time 4 (four) is a number, numeral (linguistics), numeral and numerical digit, digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is tetraphobia, considered unlucky in many East Asian c ...

) – with Ben Justice * Championship Wrestling from Florida ** NWA Brass Knuckles Championship ''(Florida version)'' ( 1 time) ** NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship ( 6 times) ** NWA Florida Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) – with Pedro Morales ** NWA Florida Television Championship ( 1 time) *

Continental Wrestling Association Continental Wrestling Association (later the Championship Wrestling Association) was a wrestling promotion managed by Jerry Jarrett. The CWA was the name of the "governing body" for the Championship Wrestling, Inc. promotion which was usually ref ...

** AWA Southern Tag Team Championship (

) – with Jimmy Valiant (1) and

Soul Train Jones Michael Jones (born June 13, 1962), better known by his ring name Virgil (a reference to Dusty Rhodes' given name), is an American former professional wrestler and actor. He is best known for his eight-year tenure in the World Wrestling Federation ...

(1) * Georgia Championship Wrestling ** NWA Georgia Heavyweight Championship (

) ** NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) – with

Jerry Brisco Floyd Gerald "Jerry" Brisco (born September 19, 1946) is an American retired professional wrestler. Brisco is best known for his time in the wrestling promotion WWE, where he was a backstage producer, and, during the 1990s, an on-screen character, ...

** NWA Macon Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) – with Danny Little Bear *International Championship Wrestling Alliance **ICWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Crash the Terminator * Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling **

NWA Television Championship The WCW World Television Championship was a professional wrestling television championship owned by the now-defunct World Championship Wrestling (WCW) promotion. The title was created in 1974 by Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling (MACW) as a s ...

(

) * NWA All-Star Wrestling ** NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship ''(Vancouver version)'' ( 1 time) – with Don Leo Jonathan * NWA Big Time Wrestling ** NWA Brass Knuckles Championship ''(Texas version)'' ( 1 time) ** NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship (

) ** NWA Texas Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) – with Jose Lothario * NWA Hollywood Wrestling ** NWA Americas Heavyweight Championship ( 1 time) ** NWA Americas Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) – with Earl Maynard ** NWA "Beat the Champ" Television Championship (

) * NWA Mid-America /

** CWA/AWA International Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) – with Bill Dundee ** NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship ''(Memphis version)'' ( 1 time) * NWA San Francisco ** NWA United States Heavyweight Championship ''(San Francisco version)'' ( 1 time) ** NWA World Tag Team Championship ''(San Francisco version)'' (

4 times "4 Times" (stylized as "4 TIMES") is the 50th single by pop/ R&B singer Koda Kumi. It was released on August 17, 2011 and debuted at No. 6, remaining on the Oricon charts for nine consecutive weeks. In commemoration of it being the fiftieth singl ...

) – with

(3) and Pepper Gomez (1) * NWA Polynesian Wrestling **NWA Polynesian Pacific Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Ricky Johnson *

Pacific Northwest Wrestling Pacific Northwest Wrestling (PNW) (also known as Big Time Wrestling and Portland Wrestling) is the common name used to refer to several different professional wrestling companies, both past and present, based in Portland, Oregon, United States. T ...

** NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship ( 1 time) ** NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship (

) – with Brett Sawyer (1) and Iceman Parsons (1) *'' Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' **Ranked No. 258 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the '' PWI 500'' in 1992 **Ranked No. 211 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003 * St. Louis Wrestling Hall of Fame **( Class of 2008) * World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment ** WWF Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) – with Tony Atlas ** WWE Hall of Fame ( Class of 2008)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Rocky 1944 births 2020 deaths 20th-century professional wrestlers Anoa'i family Black Canadian sportspeople Black Nova Scotians Canadian emigrants to the United States Canadian expatriate professional wrestlers in the United States Canadian male professional wrestlers Canadian people of African-American descent Canadian people of Irish descent Deaths from pulmonary embolism NWA/WCW World Television Champions People from Amherst, Nova Scotia People from Cumberland County, Nova Scotia People from Davie, Florida People from Lutz, Florida People with acquired American citizenship Professional wrestlers from Florida Professional wrestlers from Nova Scotia Professional wrestlers from Toronto Professional wrestling trainers Stampede Wrestling alumni WWE Hall of Fame inductees NWA Florida Heavyweight Champions NWA Florida Tag Team Champions NWA Florida Television Champions NWA Brass Knuckles Champions (Florida version) NWA "Beat the Champ" Television Champions WCWA Brass Knuckles Champions NWA Americas Tag Team Champions NWA Americas Heavyweight Champions NWA Georgia Heavyweight Champions NWA Georgia Tag Team Champions