The Rock Praises WWE's Montez Ford

WWE star Montez Ford has made no secret of the fact that he looks up to Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, having referenced his love and appreciation of The Great One in various interviews during recent years.

The Rock has now responded to Ford's admiration by praising the Street Profits member in a post on Instagram.

Accompanied by a clip of Ford talking about his hero on the Out of Character with Ryan Satin podcast, Johnson shared the following with his 299 million followers:

"Just taking a moment to tell this man @montezfordwwe how much I appreciate his kind and beautiful words. We’ve never shared the ring together, but pro wrestlers all have a very special bond.

"Pro wrestling is a very unique, intense and wild culture that’s not for everybody. When you love the wrestling business, you become very respectful about the wrestling business. And when you’re respectful about the wrestling business, you become PASSIONATE about the wrestling business. It seeps deep into your DNA.

"Fans can always sense who’s passionate inside that squared circle ~ and who’s not. This man is passionate. We share that DNA. (And he flys like the Superfly).

"Keep kicking ass brother and give my love to your family. And when you become world champion one day, I’ll be right there rooting ya on."

In mid-September of last year, Ford was put into a main event match with Universal Champions Roman Reigns on SmackDown. Reports at the time suggested the bout was a 'trial' to see how the 31-year-old would perform as a top-level singles star.