The Rock reveals how Pat Patterson urged Vince McMahon to sign him
The Rock shared a heartwarming post in tribute to the late great Pat Patterson on his official Instagram account. The Great One spoke about the impact Pat Patterson had on his career and even recalled how he played a role in getting him signed to WWE. The Rock would later thank the WWE Legend for everything towards the end of his video.
The Rock would start off by stating that Pat Patterson was instrumental to his career, and even believes he would not be where he is if it wasn't for the influence and mentorship of the WWE Hall Of Famer.
"He was so instrumental in my career. I'm not quite too sure if I would be where I am at today had it not been for Pat Patterson."
The Rock says Pat Patterson insisted that Vince McMahon come watch him train
The Rock also shared the story of how Pat Patterson got him his first WWE contract. He reveals that he was hardly three months into his training when Patterson called Vince McMahon and insisted that the boss come down to watch The Great One.
"When I was a punk kid at 23/24 years old, I had seven bucks in my pocket back in those days. The infamous seven bucks days. He was the one who called Vince McMahon and said, "I just watched this kid, Dwayne Johnson workout in the ring, and you've never seen him before wrestle. He's only been training for three months. Vince you've got to see this kid". Vince said "Great, I'll see him when he's done training in another three months," and Pat said, "You've got to see him now," and the rest is history."
The Rock even spoke light-heartedly of Patterson's skills as a singer, and recalled numerous occasions on which, he would give his co-workers his rendition of Frank Sinatra's 'My Way'. He would end the video by pouring himself a drink and giving a fitting toast to his former mentor and friend.
"To Pat Patterson, I love you and thank you for the wisdom. I thank you for the journey. I thank you for having faith in making that call on this punk kid and saying hey, you wanna take a look at this kid and you want to take a look at him now."
The Rock's tribute to Pat Patterson is a fitting example of just how influential and important the WWE Hall Of Famer was to the wrestling business.