Warren Sapp: Ed Orgeron inspired The Rock's WWE smack talk
LSU head coach Ed Orgeron apparently had a hand in shaping Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's WWE persona.
Orgeron was a defensive line coach at Miami during Johnson's time at the school, and according to his former Hurricanes teammate, Warren Sapp, many of the phrases Johnson used during his WWE career came from Orgeron.
"Rocky Johnson was his daddy and the flying Snuka brothers (were) his uncles, so (wrestling) was in his blood. He just took all those sayings - that was Ed Orgeron," Sapp said during an appearance on the "Club Shay Shay" podcast with Shannon Sharpe. "That 'candy-ass' and 'shoving it sideways,' oh my God, that's what Ed Orgeron used to (say) to us if we had a bad practice or a bad game. That's how he used to talk to us, just like that."
.@WarrenSapp ranks Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s football skills as a 6:
— Club Shay Shay (@ClubShayShay) January 12, 2021
“Dwayne was the type of player who wasn’t going to dominate a game or take it over. But he was good enough to where he wasn’t going to lose the game for you.” pic.twitter.com/M8vwhqYER2
Sapp admitted he was in awe when he saw Johnson wrestle for the first time.
"My mouth hit the floor," he said. "I was watching my teammate, and he was no longer the guy that was behind me. He was up front and center, the stage was his, and he was giving it to 'em."