Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson had a huge impact on the wrestling industry at different points in four different decades. As an actor, Rock became an even rarer sight in WWE than the older part-time wrestlers, but he did enough to create a legendary legacy. WWE even benefited from Rock returning to the company and getting an official role on the board, as the new TKO owners wanted him on board.
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The Rock is possibly the most quoted wrestler in wrestling history; here are his funniest quotes from his WWE career.
However, fans don’t get everything right when it comes to Rock’s past, present, and future of his wrestling career. Rock can be misunderstood in certain contexts, despite being arguably the most famous name to ever come out of professional wrestling. Each misunderstanding highlights what fans misunderstand about Rock.
Heel Rock was his most successful run
The Rock had a more successful tenure as a babyface before Turn
- Hollywood Rock is often the favorite gimmick of die-hard fans
- Heel characters enjoy more respect in the long run than face runs
- Babyface run in 2000 was more important than the top superstar
The entertainment value of The Rock’s “Hollywood Rock” chapter made it a legendary aspect of his career. Rock’s 2024 heel run continues in WrestleMania 40 channeled this character to generate more conversations about it being his best version.
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Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is one of the biggest stars in WWE history and “The Great One” has made many friends during his career as a professional wrestler.
However, this takes away from Rock’s epic run from 1999 to 2001 as a top face. Rock made a lot of money and helped WWE continue to grow during the popular Attitude Era. The Hollywood version of Rock received more critical acclaim as it was unique and unexpected at the time.
Wasn’t a great in-ring bell-to-bell performer
The Rock’s incredible promo skills made his matches secondary to some
- Rock’s larger than life personality caused fans to overlook her work in the ring
- Had many classic games, although the running time was shorter than most
- Deserves more respect for his skills in the ring compared to a variety of opponents
The various qualities of a great wrestler are often discussed in ring skills and character traits to define wrestlers. One can argue that The Rock was the greatest talker in wrestling history, but that led some fans to overshadow his wrestling skills.
There are rumors that Rock was weak in the ring compared to other top stars like Steve Austin and Triple H. However, Rock delivered many classics during his shorter time at the top than most. Great performances against the likes of Hulk Hogan, Kurt Angle, Brock Lesnar and others showed Rock’s all-around greatness.
His family background put too much pressure on his debut
Bad trick was bigger reason for early flop than family ties
- Rocky Maivia’s tenure as a rock musician almost ruined his career
- Family pressure was not the reason why his early run did not work
- Removing the dead-end gimmick showed his obvious skills
After The Rock’s immediate foray was a flop, WWE made less reference to family with second-generation wrestlers like Randy Orton. Rocky Maivia was the name used for Rock’s early appearance as a generic babyface, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather.
The assumption that family pressure was the reason the babyface character took over was not accurate in retrospect. Rocky had an entertaining debut match, but the lame gimmick was what made fans turn against him as a lame duck.
Mankind was his only notable tag team partner
Won WWE tag team titles with several wrestlers during his career
- Rock & Sock Tag Team Run was The Rock’s only long tag team appearance
- Fans forget that Rock’s tag team title coincides with other main eventers
- The Undertaker and Chris Jericho have teamed up with Rock for storylines
The Rock and Sock Connection were very successful and fans viewed Mick Foley aka Mankind as The Rock’s only tag team partner, as Rocky was known for his singles successes and that one special tag run.
It’s worth noting, however, that The Rock has won WWE Tag Team Championship gold with two other partners over the course of his career. The Undertaker and Chris Jericho have teamed with Rock to win tag belts in multi-layered storylines that focused on other things and pitted them against common enemies.
The infamous feud with John Cena was a disappointment
Box office results overshadowed critical complaints about Feud
- Rock & Cena dominate three World Championship seasons in a row and anger many die-hard fans
- Buy Rate Records proved that Feud was a success as casual fans bought the show
- On a very short list of the most financially successful feuds in WWE history
WWE has put over two years of storytelling into the back-to-back main events of The Rock and John Cena WrestlingMania Events. WrestleMania 28 set a record for most PPV buys in company history, particularly due to overall fan interest that exceeded the average weekly viewership.
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Fans often complained that WWE booked the first match a year in advance and didn’t come back to it until the following year. However, Rock’s fame as a major Hollywood movie star helped him make a lot of money against WWE top dog Cena.
He was rude to Shawn Michaels backstage
The dispute behind the scenes was more political than confrontational
- The tensions from the time before Rock was a star made them enemies
- Rock refused to work with Michaels in the Dream Match in the 2000s
- The duo had never reported interactions that went beyond demonstrations of power
One of the few wrestlers who had personal issues with The Rock was Shawn Michaels. Rumors circulated that in the 2000s, Rock demanded that WWE refuse to face Michaels ever again.
The drama dates back to the early years of Rock’s career, when Michaels allegedly tried to damage his career because he was competing with Triple H as an up-and-coming mid-carder. However, there were never any reports of personal altercations between the two, although fans acted as if they almost came to blows.
He is accused of having buried more talent than he used
Rock’s promos distorted how much he put other talents in the foreground
- Rock’s temporary World Cup spot led to fans questioning him
- Hilarious promos that put others down could be defined as burying others
- Rock still tried hard to accept clean defeats to strengthen other wrestlers
The Rock almost took Cody Rhodes’ place as Roman Reigns’ challenger at WrestleMania 40 led to some flippant comments about him upstaging others throughout his career. Some fans genuinely believe this, as Rock’s promo style belittled others and caused audiences to laugh at them.
Rock was actually more selfless than previous big-name stars like Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels in this role. Chris Jericho, Kurt Angle, Brock Lesnar, Goldberg and others achieved major victories in their careers because Rock outdid them. Even a lower-middle-class comedy act like The Hurricane defeated Rock because Rock wanted to boost his career.
He never overtook Steve Austin as the No. 1 superstar
Rock proved he was “the guy” in 2000 when Austin was injured
- Rock was a strong number 2 behind Steve Austin in 1999
- Austin’s injury required Rock to get over it even more
- Rock remained the top face even when Austin returned
The Attitude Era remains a unique time in WWE history with two faces of the company at the same time. Steve Austin was the top dog from 1998 to 1999, while Rock became a permanent main eventer, moving from heel to face roles. Fan commentary often claims that Rock never reached the same level as Austin during his peak.
Due to an injury to Austin, Rock became the company’s figurehead in 2000 and continued the incredible momentum. Due to Rock’s excellent performances, Austin’s absence was not a problem for WWE. After Austin’s return, he eventually became a villain after a few months as Rock had overtaken him as the top contender.
