Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson won't label Hulk Hogan a racist

Former pro wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson says he was "surprised" and "disappointed" when he learned that Hulk Hogan had come under fire for making racial slurs.

Hogan, whose real name is Terry Gene Bollea, was terminated by World Wrestling Entertainment last week after a recording surfaced that had him repeatedly using the N-word.

During a session with the critics to discuss his HBO show “Ballers,” Johnson was asked about the racially tinged remarks that led the WWE to sever its ties with Hogan, who had long been a face of the organization.

"I was pretty disappointed with what I heard, like all of us," Johnson told reporters at the TV critics press tour Thursday. "I've known Terry for a lot of years, and my dad helped train him in Florida in the '70s when he was breaking into the business ... I had not known the man to be racist."

Unlike their days in the wrestling ring, The Rock refused to body slam his former opponent.

"I'm not justifying what he said. We've all talked trash, especially in private," Johnson remarked. "He said what he said, and he's paying the price."

Professional wrestling legend Pat Patterson reveals that he's gay (VIDEO)

In an emotional confession to some of his fellow wrestlers, WWE legend Pat Patterson came out and revealed that he was gay.

Patterson came out during a scene in the WWE reality series Legends' House, while seated at a table with wrestling royalty like 'Hacksaw' Jim Duggan, 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper, 'Mean' Gene Okerlund and Jimmy 'Mouth of the South Hart.'

They all teared up while the Canadian-born Patterson shared his long-held secret.

The 73-year-old wrestling star said he'd kept his sexuality a secret for the last 50 years, but now says "for the rest of my life, I want to be happy."

"From where I come from, when I had nothing, no family, no money, and I ended up with Vince [McMahon], working in the office, to me that was the biggest achievement of my life," Patterson told his fellow former wrestlers.

Patterson began his career in the ring during the fledgling days of pro wrestling in the 80's and, during the twenty year span, his matches with Sgt. Slaughter became the stuff of legend.

But Patterson knew that his life outside of wrestling was more complicated than any of his opponents could fathom — and it included a "friend" of 40 years, who recently died from a heart attack.

"Sitting here tonight I'm going to say something and I would never want to say publicly, but being here with you guys, for once in my life, I'm going to be me now," he continued. "I survived all this being gay."

Many of the macho former wrestlers appear to wipe their eyes when they recognize how hard being gay in the wrestling world at a time when homosexuality wasn't nearly as accepted as it is today — especially given the industry's testosterone-fueled persona.

"I survived the business. I did, I'm so proud of me," he said while wiping away tears. "It's tough guys, it was tough."

Patterson's announcement comes as homosexuality in professional sports is becoming increasingly accepted.