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Rocky Johnson
Canadian professional wrestler (1944–2020) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the Canadian professional wrestler. For the American professional wrestler also known as Rock Johnson, see Dwayne Johnson.
Rocky Johnson (born Wayde Douglas Bowles, August 24, 1944 – January 15, 2020) was a Canadian professional wrestler.[1] Among many National Wrestling Alliance titles, he was the first Black Georgia Heavyweight Champion as well as the NWA Television Champion (2 times). He won the World Tag Team Championship in 1983, along with his partner Tony Atlas, to become the first black champions in WWE history.[4] He was the father of actor and current WWE wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and the grandfather of Simone Johnson (Ava Raine).[5]
Quick Facts Birth name, Born ...
Rocky Johnson | |
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![]() Johnson, c. 1983 | |
Birth name | Wayde Douglas Bowles |
Born | (1944-08-24)August 24, 1944 Amherst, Nova Scotia, Canada |
Died | January 15, 2020(2020-01-15) (aged 75) Lutz, Florida, U.S. |
Spouse(s) |
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Children | 8, including Dwayne |
Family | Anoaʻi (by marriage) |
Professional wrestling career | |
Ring name(s) | Sweet Ebony Diamond[1] Drew Glasteau[1] Rocky Johnson[1] |
Billed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[2] |
Billed weight | 243 lb (110 kg)[2] |
Billed from | Toronto, Ontario, Canada[3] Washington, D.C., United States |
Trained by | Peter Maivia[3] Rocky Bollie[1] Kurt Von Steiger[1] |
Debut | 1964[1] |
Retired | 1991 |
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