Conflicting Report Emerges About Vince McMahon, Pat Patterson's Behavior At Rocky Johnson's Memorial
A different view...
It was reported previously that at the memorial service for Rocky Johnson on Tuesday, that Vince McMahon and Pat Patterson had acted inappropriately before the assembled mourners.
Superstar Billy Graham wrote in a since-deleted Facebook post that Patterson, while speaking at the podium, referred to Johnson as a "motherf**ker", and also called him "worthless", before he was forcibly dragged from the podium. McMahon was reported to have done his trademark billionaire strut while walking up for his turn to speak.
Harry Smith (the son of Davey Boy Smith) attended the service, and confirmed this account to fellow wrestler Devin "Hannibal" Nicholson, saying McMahon and Patterson were, "really strange or drunk or a bit of both, probably."
Al Rosen, a close friend of Johnson's, attended the service as well, and was quoted in the original story as saying that the family weren't offended by any of the antics.
Rosen has since clarified some of the reports, softening the idea that McMahon and Patterson were in any way disrespectful.
Speaking to Nicholson, Rosen said that McMahon was "short, but he was direct", and praised Johnson in his remarks. McMahon's speech included him saying that the best thing Johnson ever did was marry Ata and have Dwayne, which, according to Rosen, is something that Johnson himself apparently admitted many times, and thus didn't see McMahon's comment as being out of line.
As for Patterson, Rosen claims that his language may have been a bit salty, but there were no uses of "motherf**ker". At worst, according to Rosen, Patterson said "goddamnit" but dropped it casually as part of apparently-light anecdotes regarding Johnson.
The preacher on hand (Johnson's service took place inside a church) reportedly had the microphone turned off, perhaps due to Patterson's word choices, and Patterson is said to have calmly walked off after that.
Superstar Billy Graham wrote in a since-deleted Facebook post that Patterson, while speaking at the podium, referred to Johnson as a "motherf**ker", and also called him "worthless", before he was forcibly dragged from the podium. McMahon was reported to have done his trademark billionaire strut while walking up for his turn to speak.
Harry Smith (the son of Davey Boy Smith) attended the service, and confirmed this account to fellow wrestler Devin "Hannibal" Nicholson, saying McMahon and Patterson were, "really strange or drunk or a bit of both, probably."
Al Rosen, a close friend of Johnson's, attended the service as well, and was quoted in the original story as saying that the family weren't offended by any of the antics.
Rosen has since clarified some of the reports, softening the idea that McMahon and Patterson were in any way disrespectful.
Speaking to Nicholson, Rosen said that McMahon was "short, but he was direct", and praised Johnson in his remarks. McMahon's speech included him saying that the best thing Johnson ever did was marry Ata and have Dwayne, which, according to Rosen, is something that Johnson himself apparently admitted many times, and thus didn't see McMahon's comment as being out of line.
As for Patterson, Rosen claims that his language may have been a bit salty, but there were no uses of "motherf**ker". At worst, according to Rosen, Patterson said "goddamnit" but dropped it casually as part of apparently-light anecdotes regarding Johnson.
The preacher on hand (Johnson's service took place inside a church) reportedly had the microphone turned off, perhaps due to Patterson's word choices, and Patterson is said to have calmly walked off after that.
Written by Justin Henry
In addition to writing lists and commentaries for Cultaholic, Justin is also a features writer and interviewer for Fighting Spirit Magazine, and is co-author of the WWE-related book Titan Screwed: Lost Smiles, Stunners, and Screwjobs.
