Pro wrestler Rocky “Soul Man” Johnson, the father of Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson was an iconic figure in the pro wrestling business. So much so, that the Hall of Famer is still often talked about in the wrestling business. And one of his biggest admirers is his son, The Rock.

The Soul Man was an insanely hard worker in the ring. Something that made him the global star that he was. But a particular rule in Vince McMahon’s WWE also caused him to exhaust himself, a rule recently criticized by the Rock. But what was the rule? Let’s find out.

The Rock criticizes the inner workings of the old wrestling scene

In a recent podcast appearance, Dwayne ‘the Rock’ Johnson talked about all things wrestling. From his experience in the ring to the experiences of his family members who too were pro wrestlers. And during the conversation, the host and Johnson came across the topic of how back in the day wrestlers had to work over three hundred shows in a year. And that is when the Rock shared the personal experience of when his father was being booked to fight over three hundred days in the WWE. He said, “My old man was a wrestler back in the 80’s. It’s almost like, remember the wrestler Mickey Rourke in that movie. Like that. Had it not been by the grace of god, that I was able to take care of my mom and dad. We would’ve ended up like that. My point wass, those guys were doing over 300 dates a year like you guys. And running into the ground. And twas f**kin nuts back then.”

For those who didn’t get the Mickey Rourke reference, the movie they were talking about is the 2008 movie ‘The Wrestler’. In the film, Rourke plays a pro wrestler way past his prime who still tries to wrestle despite not being medically cleared because of his health. Old and suffering from a heart condition, Rourke cannot stop wrestling as it becomes an addiction. Similarly, Rocky Johnson and other wrestlers had to wrestle way more than it was safe, just because it was their passion. In fact, Rocky Johnson even ended up with some backstage duties after retiring.

Rocky Johnson’s passion for wrestling extended to handling backstage affairs

Rocky Johnson wrestled most of the 70s in the NWA. There he managed to win several championships. Later in the 1980s, he came to the WWF. And there he won the World Tag Team Championship along with Tony Atlas. Finally, in 1991, he decided to retire from the ring for good.

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But that wasn’t all for him. Soon he was in charge of training his own son. Moreover, he also coached young prospects like his son at Ohio Valley Wrestling. WWE’s former developmental territory found itself a worthy coach in the form of Johnson for a short period of time in 2003. Eventually, WWE decided to induct him into the Hall of Fame in the class of 2008. Where his own son, The Rock, was in charge of introducing him. What did you make of The Rock speaking about the conditions of wrestling in the past? Let us know in the comments section below.

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