From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Rocky Johnson (born Wayde Douglas Bowles; August 24, 1944 – January 15, 2020) was a Canadian professional wrestler. During his wrestling career, he became a National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) Georgia Champion and a NWA Southern Heavyweight Memphis Champion, as well as winning many other championships. Along with his partner Tony Atlas, Johnson was part of the first black tag team to win the World Tag Team championship in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). He was the father of American actor and former professional wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.