Wrestling's 13 Greatest African-American Stars

3. The Rock

WWE Dwayne The Rock Johnson
WWE

In 1983, Rocky Johnson and Tony Atlas proudly hoisted the WWF World Tag Team championships above his heads, the first all African-American duo to ever do so. 14 years later, a crowd in Rochester, NY vociferously chanted "Die, Rocky, die!" at his son.

Things didn't look especially promising for the Intercontinental Champion at the time. Trading on his father's legacy had fell flat; fans had a chip on their shoulder about the antiquated Blue Chipper being forced down their throats. It seemed inevitable he'd join the growing number of stars who failed to follow in the footsteps of their forebears.

We all know how this ends. The chants petrified Rocky, but only in the most literal sense. Dwayne Johnson embraced the hate and transformed into The Rock, eventually (skipping a bit) becoming not just the biggest name in wrestling, but a mainstream icon who'd outgrow the business. To this day, he remarkably remains the only man of African-American ancestry to have held the company's top prize.

In this post: 
The Rock
 
Posted On: 
Editorial Team
Editorial Team

Benjamin was born in 1987, and is still not dead. He variously enjoys classical music, old-school adventure games (they're not dead), and walks on the beach (albeit short - asthma, you know). He's currently trying to compile a comprehensive history of video game music, yet denies accusations that he purposefully targets niche audiences. He's often wrong about these things.