Sports Illustrated reports that one of wrestling’s families just got a lot bigger, as a series of DNA tests have revealed 5 children sired by “Soul Man” Rocky Johnson, the father of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. The lengthy profile details the five adults, and their journey discovering their bond, through various DNA tests, phone calls, and even documentaries.
All of the children of Rocky Johnson make it clear that they have no qualms with their half-brother. “Dwayne has nothing to do with the decisions that his dad made,” said Adrian Bowles. “He doesn’t even know who we are.” Another child of Johnson, Lisa Purvis, has said “Dwayne owes us nothing.”
Despite this, the Rock’s new siblings do note that despite Rocky and Dwayne’s tempestuous relationship, they are somewhat envious of the support that the former gave the latter. When the Rock came to her city of Vancouver to film the 2017 film “Skyscraper,” Purvis said she couldn’t escape pictures, stories, and news reports of her famous half-brother. It led to a massive depression for the filmmaker, saying that she doesn’t see Dwayne Johnson, “I only see that our dad loved him and not me.” It was Lisa who arranged for the DNA tests to confirm that all five were half-siblings.
Bowles said he would find himself “standing in a mirror, looking into my eyes, having a conversation with myself about why [he left].”
While Rocky Johnson reached out occasionally to his children, it was his brother, Ricky, who did much more for his nieces and nephews, according to the profile. Ricky met most of his brother’s children through Facebook, and he holds regular zoom meetings for the family. “I keep reinforcing that I love them,” he told Sports Illustrated. “I tell them that all the time, all the kids.”
