Dwayne Johnson has paid tribute to his father, Rocky Johnson, ahead of what would have been his 77th birthday.
The 49-year-old Hollywood star shared an emotional video detailing how the late wrestler made him the man he is today.
In the post, the star can be seen as a young man on the field playing American football, while news footage shows his father saying he could show his son “a few things” if he ever decides to go into wrestling.
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In the post, Johnson explains that he grew up dreaming of playing in the NFL but that dream did not come true.
He said he now credits the disappointment with setting him on the path to where he is today, as he became a WWE superstar known as The Rock before breaking into acting.
He wrote: “Man I look at life these days with deep gratitude, humility and a little grace – thankful for those dreams that didn’t come true.
“That’s the irony of life sometimes where the thing we want most – is sometimes it’s the best thing that never happened.
“I failed at becoming an NFL player.
“And as complicated as my relationship was with my old man, he was the one who eventually trained me to become a pro wrestler.
“And the rest is history.
“My dad would’ve turned 77 years old this coming week.
“Rest In Peace Soulman and cheers to those dreams that don’t come true.”
Rocky Johnson was a WWE hall of fame wrestler, known as Soulman, and was a trailblazer in the ring as the first African-American WWE tag team champion.
He died at the age of 75 in January 2020, when his son said the loss had left him “in pain”, but he promised to carry his father’s “mana and work ethic” with him always.
