Father of 'The Rock,' WWE Hall of Famer Rocky Johnson passes away
Rocky "Soul Man" Johnson, born Wayde Douglas Bowles, a WWE Hall of Famer, former World Tag Team Champion, and father of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, has passed away at 75. (Courtesy: WWE via CNN Newsource)
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX/WTTE) -- Rocky "Soul Man" Johnson, born Wayde Douglas Bowles, a WWE Hall of Famer, former World Tag Team Champion and father of wrestler/actorDwayne "The Rock" Johnson, has passed away at 75.
The wrestling legend passed away Wednesday but there's no word on the cause of his death.
Johnson's career in wrestling began in the mid-1960s after he made an impression in the National Wrestling Alliance.
From there, Johnson would go on to achieve his highest levels of success when he began his tenure with WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment, in 1983. He had notable rivalries with the likes of Greg "The Hammer" Valentine, Don Muraco, and Adrian Adonis.
As a tag team competitor, Johnson found great success when he joined the likes of Tony Atlas and the duo became known as the Soul Patrol. The duo would go on to become the first African-American World Tag Team Champions in WWE history.
Johnson retired from the ring in 1991 and had a hand in training his son Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. The Rock would go onto become one of the biggest, global stars in sports entertainment.
In 2008, Johnson was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by his son.