Rocky Johnson passed away recently and was the father of WWE star The Rock

The WWE Universe lost one of its greatest members with Rocky Johnson passing away recently.

Johnson, the father of The Rock, was one of the pioneers in the wrestling world before it went big with the WWE.

The Canadian won several titles during his time with NWA and its various promotions around the United States.

Johnson also lifted the WWF Tag Team title with Tony Atlas and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2008.

The former champion was part of the WWF till 1985 and retired from wrestling in 1991. He and Pat Patterson trained Dwayne Johnson, Rocky’s son, as the star-to-be prepared for a huge career in WWE.

Rocky also made a few appearances when The Rock started his career in WWF with the Rocky Maivia character, but he slowly faded away as Dwayne Johnson started to change his persona.

Tributes pour in for Rocky

Many WWE stars shared their tributes to the former champion and it was because of Rocky that we got to see Dwayne Johnson in a WWE ring.

Stars such as Mick Foley and Road Dogg posted their tributes while WWE also did the same.

https://twitter.com/RealMickFoley/status/1217583251545522176?s=20

@TheRock Grew up watching your dad in on Ch. 6 in Miami, not many African American stars back then, could cut a promo, great shape, great fire & dropkicks..

Also watched him on Ch. 23, when he wrestled in LA from the Olympic…

Thank you for the memories..

— Konnan (@Konnan5150) January 16, 2020

Praying for the strength of @TheRock and his family. I have no words my friend! God bless y’all!

— Brian G. James (@BrianRDJames) January 16, 2020

NXT pays tribute to WWE Hall of Famer Rocky Johnson before the Jan. 15 edition of #WWENXT at @FullSail. pic.twitter.com/eerzae6uWe

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) January 16, 2020

Johnson was married twice and passed away in his home at the age of 75. He also featured in an episode of That ‘70s Show which highlighted the world of wrestling.

More WWE news

• Bayley comments on becoming the longest combined reigning WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion

• From Taxi driver to WWE star: Rusev tweets his incredible journey over the past decade

• Who was ‘Mean’ Gene Okerlund? The WWE legend that passed away in 2020

The former champion was also inducted into the St. Louis Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2008 and joined the board of directors at the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame too.

Follow our dedicated WWE page for instant WWE news and updates