Home

Boxing

Dwayne Johnson’s Father Rocky Johnson Took a Page From Muhammad Ali’s Book to Intimidate His Opponents

Published 06/06/2023, 3:45 PM EDT

Follow Us

Kids following in their parent’s footsteps is not new in the world. The wrestling universe is no exception to this tradition. In fact, Dwayne Johnson was also one of the ‘star kids’ when he debuted in WWE. His father, Rocky Johnson was also a superstar during his time. It is safe to say that Johnson’s father helped him build his wrestling skills and character significantly.

To add to his legend, we have brought a trivia about Rocky that will interest you. The late wrestler brought the crossover between wrestling and boxing to life. This IMDb fact is sure to leave you amazed.

Dwayne Johnson’s father’s favorite move

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

There’s a page on IMDb that holds interesting trivia about Dwayne Johnson. On that page, there is a trivia that held a detail about Rocky Johnson’s in-ring action as well. It said that in between performances, Rocky used to do the ‘Ali shuffle’ to intimidate his opponents.

Even if you’re not a ‘boxing’ fan, many of you would still be aware of the amazing boxer that Muhammad Ali was. Several boxers over time have also tried his move the ‘Ali shuffle’ but to see it during a wrestling match is a different thing altogether.

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest Boxing stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

During his reign, Ali would often use this shuffling move to intimidate or confuse his opponents. In this, he would move both of his legs back and forth at an excellent speed, making it difficult for an opponent to predict his move. Although this move tempted a lot of people to change and adapt it to their own combat style, it lives in our hearts to date.

This was clearly an inspired move, away from the original. However, not all of what Johnson did was inspired by others. Rocky Johnson made his way into the wrestling industry and became a superstar.

‘Free Agent’ Brock Lesnar Is Just One Match Away From Breaking a 21-Year-Old Drought

Let’s learn more about him.

Dwayne Johnson’s father’s career

Rocky Johnson wasn’t the only ‘wrestling father’ in the family. In fact, The Rock’s maternal grandfather, Peter Maivia was also a wrestler during his time. So, with the help of him and his father, Johnson was able to eventually set a career in wrestling. Wayde Douglas Bowles renamed himself ‘Rocky Johnson’ in 1964 while making his in-ring debut.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

After working a great deal of time around the world and for the NWA, Rocky Johnson joined WWE in 1983. There, he won his first-ever world title, a tag-team title, sharing it with Tony Atlas.

In 2008, Dwayne Johnson did the honors of inducting his father into the Hall of Fame. Just like Muhammad Ali, Rocky was also a sportsperson due to whom several African-Americans felt encouraged to show their talent to the world.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

WATCH THIS STORY:- Ranking The Biggest Survivor Series Betrayals Of All Time

Stay tuned for more interesting trivia about your favorite stars.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Kaif Ali

1,373Articles

One take at a time

Kaif Ali is a combat sports writer at EssentiallySports, known for his coverage of UFC and WWE. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree in the English language from a top university. He is a passionate fan of legendary UFC fighters Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor, as well as a dedicated supporter of WWE icon Steve Austin.
Show More>

Edited by:

Sherjeel Malik