HOLLYWOOD—The Oscars are now over, however, roughly 23.6 million viewers tuned into the awards ceremony, according to the US broadcaster ABC, citing Nielsen. The ratings fell sharply from last year when 29.5 million people watched, amid an industry-wide decline in linear TV viewing.
In contrast, when “Titanic” swept the board at the Oscars back in 1998, the ceremony was watched by a record 57 million viewers. What a huge difference. South Korea’s “Parasite” made history, becoming the first non-English language film to win Best Picture since the awards began 92 years ago. Renee Zellweger won Best Actress for playing Judy Garland in “Judy.” Joaquin Phoenix was named Best Actor for “Joker.” Despite the ratings slump, the Oscars, which had no host for the second year running, remains the most-watched awards show.
Besides awards show, wrestling shows have always been interesting to watch. From house shows to Monday Night Raw, Thursday Night Smackdown, WWE Superstars, and pay-per-views there are live shows every week. Not only that, but they travel across America so every fan has a chance to see their favorite WWE star live. From the good guys to the bad guys WWE has many stars.
Divas, individuals who run the show, families who fight together and they all own the stage. You can’t watch WWE and not like one of the many stars. There’s a wrestler for any fan no matter what your taste there’s at least one guy or girl you will like and root for the whole time. One wrestler that will be missed is Rocky Johnson.
The Wrestling World has lost a great one. Rocky Johnson, a former professional wrestler and father of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, passed away last month at the age of 75. His death was confirmed in a statement released by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). No cause of death was given. Johnson, whose real name was Wayde Douglas Bowles, rose to fame with WWE in the 1980s. He was known as the “Soul Man,” he was part of the first black tag team to win a WWE championship. Following his retirement in 1991, Johnson helped train his son Dwayne, now a Hollywood star who became a WWE wrestling icon in his own right.
In 2008, Dwayne inducted him into the WWE Hall of Fame, where “he will be forever enshrined as one of sports-entertainment’s most influential performers”, the WWE said. In its statement, WWE said it was “saddened” to hear of his death and “extends its condolences to Johnson’s family, friends and fans.”
Wrestling stars have paid tribute to Johnson, described as a “barrier-breaking performer” by fellow hall of fame member Triple H. So who was Rocky ‘Soul Man’ Johnson? He was born on August 24, 1944, Johnson grew up in Amherst, Nova Scotia, Canada before moving to Toronto in his teens, when he began wrestling. In his teenage years, Johnson trained to be a boxer, sparring with the likes of Muhammad Ali and George Foreman. But he would choose wrestling as his profession, entering the industry with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) in the mid-1960s.
Adopting the ring name “Rocky Johnson,” he wrestled for 18 years with the NWA, winning tag team championships. More success would follow when he joined WWE in the 1980s.”He found his greatest success when he teamed up with Tony Atlas as The Soul Patrol,” WWE said in its statement.
No surprise that the daughter of wrestling legend, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, is set to continue her family’s legacy. Simone Johnson, 18, has started training with WWE – following in the footsteps not just of her dad but her grandad, and her great-grandad too. She will be the first fourth-generation superstar in WWE history.
“It means the world to me,” Simone said in a statement. “To know that my family has such a personal connection to wrestling is really special to me and I feel grateful to have the opportunity, not only to wrestle, but to carry on that legacy.” Her training has already started alongside other future wrestling stars at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.
“Simone Johnson’s unbridled passion and incredible drive has earned her a coveted spot training with the elite athletes from around the world at the WWE Performance Centre,” said Paul “Triple H” Levesque, Executive Vice President.
Following the announcement, The Rock posted on his Instagram: “Dreams ain’t just for dreamers… So proud. Live your dream. Let’s work.” Although she might feel like she has a lot to live up to – her parents are keen to make sure she feels no pressure. In his post, The Rock wrote that Simone’s journey “will always be [hers] to create, earn & own.” Her mom, Dany Garcia, echoed that view, saying: “Your future will be uniquely yours to earn.”
Rose’s Scoop: Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! Hopefully, everyone has a date on February 14 and wasn’t dumped by their boyfriend or girlfriend prior to Valentine’s Day, which is so cruel.
