WWE Hall of Famer Tony Atlas recently disclosed details on how Rocky Johnson did not educate The Rock about the realities of the wrestling business.
In 1983, Atlas and Rocky Johnson won the WWE Tag Team Championship to become the first black champions in the company’s history. Johnson’s son Dwayne, aka The Rock, later went on to become one of wrestling’s biggest stars.
In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda Wrestling Senior Editor Bill Apter, Atlas said Rocky Johnson did not want his son to know wrestling was scripted:
“No, he wasn’t,” Atlas replied when asked if The Rock was “smart to the business” as a child. “I think he didn’t get smart to the business until he actually got in it. Kayfabe wasn’t just for the fans, it was for family too. I was married to women that I never smartened up (…) We didn’t know how long we were gonna be with this woman, so we didn’t want this woman to get p****d off and go and expose the business and destroy our money.” [4:20 – 4:52]
