Two days following the death of his father, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson shared an incredibly touching, heartfelt tribute to his dad with his followers on Instagram. Johnson's father, WWE Hall of Famer Rocky Johnson, died this past Wednesday at the age of 75.
"You broke color barriers, became a ring legend and trail blazed your way thru this world," Johnson wrote in the post. "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 post included nostalgic video footage of Johnson being introduced during a WWF match while son Dwayne sat ringside watching his father perform.
As Johnson pointed out, his father did break color barriers. Johnson teamed with Tony Atlas to win the WWF tag team championship as The Soul Patrol, the first African American duo to win the titles. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by his son in 2008. Johnson was also a singles star across various promotions during the territorial era of pro wrestling.
"The Rock" was trained by his father and Pat Patterson, leading to the rapid ascension of one of the biggest stars in the history of wrestling, adding to Johnson's legacy and bringing a new generation of eyeballs to the work of the charismatic legend.