What did The Rock borrow from Muhammad Ali? Exploring a little-known incident

The Rock has gained several monikers in his time in WWE, but one was inspired by Muhammad Ali. Interestingly, the history between both men doesn't just stop and begins with the nickname the boxer lends to the superstar.

The Brahma Bull, The Great One, and The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment are just some of the titles The Rock gained in WWE and beyond. However, his most notable and used is The People's Champion, a nickname also used by Muhammad Ali. However, it seems like the legendary boxer has already crowned Dwayne Johnson as the new owner of the name.

On a past appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience, The Rock revealed he began calling himself "The People's Champion" when he turned heel to anger fans. At one point, Muhammad's family attended a WWE show in Kentucky and met up later backstage.

Dwayne shared that once he met Ali's family in the back, he inquired to them to ask Ali if it was okay to use the nickname as a way to pay homage. If he doesn't, he will stop using it. Ali's wife answered that the moniker was already Johnson's.

"I say hello to the family, his wife, and say, 'Hey, I just want you to know, if you could let Muhammad know, I call myself The People's Champion in a way to pay homage, out of respect.' And I'm going across the country and people are shi*ting on me because that's what you want as a heel. I say, 'If you could please tell him, if he doesn't want me to use this, because I know what it meant to him to be People's Champion, I won't. She said, 'He told me to tell you it's yours,'" [H/T Wrestling Inc.]

How did The Rock and Muhammad Ali meet?

Muhammad was involved in the first-ever WrestleMania event

Although Muhammad had some memorable moments in wrestling, he was still more involved in boxing. Despite the difference in sports, Johnson and Ali connected during the former's early life.

In a past appearance on Jimmy Kimmel, Dwayne revealed that he met Muhammad due to his father Rocky Johnson. While Rocky was wrestling in New Zealand, he crossed paths with the boxer and sparred together. When Dwayne's mother took him to the hotel, Muhammad met The Rock and took pictures together. Since then, Muhammad Ali has become the WWE star's hero.

What major achievement did WWE recently give to Muhammad Ali?

Although it has been decades since The Greatest's last match and has been years since his passing, he continues to influence many people, and his past contributions remain relevant to this day. Due to this, WWE recently announced Muhammad as one of the inductees for the 2024 WWE Hall of Fame.

It was interesting to see how Dwayne Johnson took inspiration from the great boxer, just like many had before him.