“Always Claimed Credit..” – Top Journalist Argues That Dwayne Johnson Picked Up the Iconic People’s Elbow From Former NWA Heavyweight Champion

There are only a few things about The Rock that aren’t iconic. From his entrance, to his matches, to his catchphrases, Dwayne Johnson made sure to leave his mark on the industry. But one thing that arguably got people the most excited was his finisher, The People’s Elbow. Seeing The Rock run around the ring, and then throw his elbow pad to the audience, and ending the match with one elbow was amazing to watch.

But it has never been clear who inspired Johnson to pick up this finisher. While an elbow isn’t something new to wrestling, The Rock’s way of hitting it while cheering up the audience was unique. So, people have speculated over the years what inspired The Rock to perform it in that way. Don’t worry, Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer cleared up all the other rumors.

Dwayne Johnson took The People’s Elbow from this WWE legend

On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer was discussing Keiji Muto, offering his last match to The Rock, which failed. But talking about it, he revealed the history of The Rock’s People’s Elbow. “Well, he [The Rock] grew up on Dusty. Dusty was one of his heroes growing up. Dusty always claimed credit it came from him.”

READ MORE: Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Gives Nostalgic ‘ELECTRIFYING People’s Elbow’ Tribute to UFC Star

His co-host, Garett, also mentioned that Muto thought that his elbow move inspired The People’s Elbow. Moreover, Garett also thought that the move was a variation of Greg Valentine’s elbow. But Meltzer’s logic makes more sense as Johnson might have seen Dusty Rhodes in the ring live as his father was heavily involved in the indie scene and WWE as well.

But that aside, Johnson has also mentioned that he took his finisher from Dusty’s Bionic Elbow. Dusty not only helped Johnson during his formative years in WWE, but a lot of superstars during his time wrestling and in management. In a video, Johnson even quoted Dusty himself, when the great legend helped him beat his procrastination.

While not prominent on TV, the bond between Dusty and Johnson was a strong one. Could we see this bond coming full circle if Johnson comes back to WWE to help Cody Rhodes win the WWE Universal Championship?

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Tell us who you think about Dusty inspiring The Rock to invent the most iconic finisher in wrestling in the comments below.