Rocky Johnson

Who they were

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 Cherry Brook, Nova Scotia and a devout Jehovah's Witness . [ 1 ] 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 . [ 2 ]

Rocky Johnson was a Canadian professional wrestler. Among many National Wrestling Alliance titles, he was the first Black NWA Georgia Heavyweight Champion as well as the NWA Television Champion. He won the WWF Tag Team Championship in 1983, along with his partner Tony Atlas, to become the first black tag team champions in WWE history. He was the father of actor and wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and the grandfather of wrestler Simone "Ava" Johnson.

Early life

Early life Wayde Douglas Bowles was born in Amherst, Nova Scotia , the fourth of five sons. His parents were James Henry Bowles (1888–1957) and Lillian ( née  Gay ; 1919–1996). [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ] As a Black Nova Scotian , he was descended from Black Loyalists who immigrated to Nova Scotia after escaping from a plantation in the United States after the American War of Independence . [ 2 ] Another ancestor, Dembo Sickles,

Path and career

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. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ] 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. [ 4 ] In the late 1960s to mid 1970s, he was a major star in California.

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. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ] [ 4 ] B. Brian Blair told the Associated Press that Johnson "thought he had the flu or something" but refused to see a doctor. [ 5 ] Dwayne Johnson paid tribute, stating, "I'm in pain. You lived a very full, very hard,

Why this date

Rocky Johnson appears on our January 15 calendar for 2020 as a death entry.