Rock says jabroni not his, cites Iron Sheik, recalls famed insult

Dwayne Johnson, known professionally as The Rock, revisited two of his most enduring contributions to wrestling vernacular during a recent appearance on the New Heights podcast with brothers Travis and Jason Kelce, saying he does not claim ownership of the word jabroni and recounting the origin and reaction to what he called his greatest insult. On the episode, Johnson credited an earlier wrestler for popularizing the term and delivered a vintage on-air line he first used in WWE, drawing laughter from the hosts.

Asked whether the word jabroni belongs to him, Johnson said, "I do not own the word Jabroni. I think it's just out there. I own the name The Rock, not Jabroni." He then acknowledged another performer for the term's spread, saying, "Let me give him props. The Iron Sheik made that word famous. He used it, especially in the locker room. Oh this jabroni, that jabroni. He would call people jabroni. That's where I got it from." Johnson also noted that jabroni has entered mainstream recognition via its inclusion in Webster's Dictionary and observed how the term and others from his WWE run have circulated beyond wrestling.

On the same podcast, Johnson identified what he called...