7 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Jan 17)

Ups...

7. A Touching Tribute To The 'Soulman'

Rocky Johnson
WWE.com

If there's one thing WWE do better than any company on the planet, it's video packages.

The production team deserve a pat on the back for the sensitive, heartwarming and classy way they handled Rocky Johnson's tribute vid. It was emotional, informative to younger fans who know nothing of his career, managed to include The Rock as a reference point to those fans and was a lovely tribute to a real industry trailblazer.

Johnson came across as a doting family man who worked hard to tear down barriers for African Americans in pro wrestling. His WWF Tag-Team Title run with Tony Atlas was shown, and so was his pride upon being inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame by his son in 2008.

In another classy touch, Rocky's message about inspiring people regardless of their skin colour, religious background or upbringing was as hard-hitting here as it was 12 years ago.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.