It may be tough to recollect Dwayne Johnson’s humble beginnings as his wrestling alter ego, The Rock. Making his debut at Survivor Sequence 1996, The Rock rapidly turned one of many breakout stars of WWE’s Angle Period, an influential interval that noticed the rise of fellow WWE skills like “Stone Chilly” Steve Austin, Triple H, and Kurt Angle.
Portraying his smack-talking jock character, The Rock created an untenable place for himself in WWE programming by the late Nineties, his coarse (typically hilarious) promos successful favor amongst audiences on the time. Removed from being a easy mouthpiece alone, The Rock had the spectacular in-ring skill to again up every part he mentioned on the mic, participating in wonderful rivalries in opposition to mainstay WWE faces like Austin, Triple H, The Undertaker, and Hulk Hogan.
From The Most Electrifying Man in All of Leisure’s era-defining matches in opposition to Steve Austin to his later dream matches in opposition to John Cena and CM Punk, listed below are a few of the biggest matches to characteristic The Rock, ranked from finest to worst.
The Rock vs. “Stone Chilly” Steve Austin (WrestleMania X-7)
When folks take into consideration The Rock’s wrestling profession, they sometimes consider the Brahma Bull’s biggest rival: “Stone Chilly” Steve Austin. Having constructed a profession and repute off of his rivalry with the Texas Rattlesnake, The Rock battled Austin in a trilogy of matches at WrestleMania, the second (and finest) of which befell at 2001’s WrestleMania X-7.
One of many few WrestleMania foremost occasions to have two firm faces clashing in opposition to each other, The Rock and Austin’s match at WrestleMania X-7 is storytelling completed proper. Kicking it off with intense brawling the minute the bell chimed, Rock and Austin beat one another mindless and sanguine for the subsequent 20 minutes. Add in a number of vicious chair pictures, a sudden look from Vince McMahon, and a surprising heel flip from Austin, and you’ve got the makings for a licensed traditional at WWE’s flagship present.
The Rock vs. “Stone Chilly” Steve Austin (WrestleMania XIX)
In 2003, the Angle Period as followers knew had formally ended, the rising stars of WWE seizing management of the corporate and steering it in the direction of its Ruthless Aggression Period. As WWE started its gradual transition to the Angle Period’s succeeding interval, one final gasp of breath from WWE’s “Uncooked is Battle” period got here when two of the ‘90s standout stars – The Rock and Stone Chilly – met one last time within the higher undercard of WrestleMania XIX.
In a bout that might’ve been dubbed “The Last Match of the Angle Period,” The Rock and Austin concluded their trilogy of matches in the easiest way potential. With The Rock at his peak Hollywood gimmick, the Nice One lit up the gang as his narcissistic, trash-talking prima donna character, trying to avenge his previous WrestleMania defeats by the hands of the Texas Rattlesnake. Lastly pulling one over on Stone Chilly, The Rock beat his longtime rival with three consecutive Rock Bottoms and a Folks’s Elbow, the match bidding a proper farewell to the Angle Period followers had grown to like within the years prior.
The Rock vs. Triple H (Judgment Day 2000)
Other than Austin, The Rock’s finest recurring opponent must be Triple H, a relentless thorn in Rocky’s aspect since their early days in WWE’s higher midcard. A super rival for each other, Triple H and The Rock graduated from feuding over the Intercontinental Championship to tousling for the WWF Championship by the top of 1998 – a rivalry that lasted all through most of The Rock’s tenure in WWE.
Initially of 2000, The Rock discovered himself reverse a McMahon-backed Triple H in a collection of noteworthy matches, battling the Recreation and his goons for many of the summer season. After assembly Triple H in a Deadly 4-way elimination match at WrestleMania 2000 and in a singles rematch at Backlash, the Folks’s Champ as soon as once more confronted off in opposition to the Cerebral Murderer, this time in a 60-minute iron match for the WWF Championship at Judgment Day 2000. For the subsequent hour, the 2 males proved to the world that they had what it took to headline WWF programming, the match serving as the one finest bout of their almost decade-long feud from the ‘90s to the mid-2000s.
The Rock vs. “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan (WrestleMania X-8)
Legend versus legend matches are a staple of WrestleMania, with a slew of dream bouts topping the WrestleMania match card from decade to decade. In 2002, mentioned match got here when The Rock discovered himself reverse a returning “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan, the foremost persona of WCW tv till Vince McMahon purchased out the promotion in 2001.
Taking part in to the keenness of the gang, Hogan masterfully performed the larger-than-life face whereas The Rock enacted the disrespectful heel, clobbering Hogan along with his personal belt and doing his finest to beat out the chief of the n.W.o. any method he might. Although The Rock ended up victorious, each males ended the night time trying like absolute giants, preventing off Hogan’s former stablemates Kevin Nash and Scott Corridor and displaying mutual respect in the direction of each other within the middle of the ring.
The Rock vs. Kurt Angle vs. The Undertaker (Vengeance 2002)
If there’s one trait anybody can at all times affiliate with The Rock, it’s his skill to work with any opponent he’s put in opposition to, whether or not it’s a comedic technical wrestler like Kurt Angle or a straight-laced demonic biker like The Undertaker. Within the case of Vengeance 2002’s foremost occasion, it occurred to be each – The Rock battling his recurring Angle Period rivals Angle and ‘Taker for the WWF Undisputed Championship.
Highlighting the wonderful chemistry every man had with one another, the Triple Menace match between Rock, Angle, and Undertaker made for an thrilling foremost occasion, the wrestlers taking turns buying and selling finishers and even stealing each other’s signature maneuvers. Because it occurred, this match marked the ultimate time The Rock met Undertaker or Angle in a match, ending his feud along with his two Angle Period counterparts on a fittingly terrific excessive word.
The Rock vs. Mankind (Royal Rumble 1999)
On the tail finish of 1998, The Rock had totally adopted his position because the crown jewel of Mr. McMahon’s Company, successful the WWF Championship from Mankind at Survivor Sequence 1998 with some essential assist from Shane and Vince. For the subsequent a number of months, The Rock fought in opposition to the likes of anti-Company faces like Triple H and Mankind in a collection of unbelievable matches, the boiling level in The Rock and Mankind’s rivalry going down at 1999’s Royal Rumble.
In what remains to be one of many hardest matches to take a seat by way of in its entirety, The Rock met Mankind in an absolute struggle of an I Stop match, the 2 males brawling throughout the ring, by way of the gang, and close to the doorway ramp. After cuffing Mankind’s palms behind his again, The Rock then proceeded to bash Mankind’s head in with a complete of 11 unprotected chair pictures, leaving Mankind a bloodied and unconscious mess. Such unequalled violence serves as a testomony to Mick Foley’s toughness and willingness to take riskier bumps, establishing The Rock as a authentic world champion for the primary time in his profession.
The Rock vs. Chris Jericho (No Mercy 2001)
From early summer season into the autumn of 2001, the WWF discovered itself within the midst of its prolonged Invasion, a storyline that noticed the WCW-ECW Alliance waging struggle in opposition to the WWF superstars. Because the battle between WWF and the Alliance raged on, the WCW Champion The Rock encountered a number of up-and-coming challengers for his title, his most unrelenting contender being fellow WWF loyalist Chris Jericho.
In a match that helped Jericho proceed his ascent by way of the ranks of WWE, Jericho and The Rock confronted one another within the first of a number of matches from late 2001 into early 2002. Benefiting from their mutual face reserving, the match had an air of unpredictability to it, particularly when Alliance co-owner Stephanie McMahon sauntered all the way down to ringside. Making the most of a momentary distraction from Steph, Jericho hit his new finisher (the Breakdown) on The Rock, permitting him to realize a pinfall victory over the Nice One, successful his first world title within the course of.
The Rock vs. John Cena (WrestleMania XXVIII)
After a protracted absence from WWE to forge his profession as an actor, The Rock returned within the spring of 2011, serving because the host for that yr’s WrestleMania XXVII. Inside weeks, The Rock had come throughout his WWE successor, John Cena, resulting in a match between the 2 at WrestleMania XXVIII one yr later.
In a bout that echoed The Rock’s personal 2002 brawl with Hulk Hogan, The Rock and John Cena had an in any other case magnificent showdown in a match that followers had solely ever dreamt of seeing within the years prior. Bearing little signal of ring rust, The Rock dialed his efficiency as much as 11 in opposition to the chief of Cenation, pulling an abrupt Rock Backside out of his arsenal to attain a victory over Cena. Their later rematch on the following yr’s WrestleMania 29 can be a gem in itself, nevertheless it lacked the theatricality and drama of the 2’s first WrestleMania foremost occasion collectively.
The Rock vs. Triple H (Summerslam 1998)
Mirroring one another’s rise to stardom within the late ‘90s, The Rock and Triple H went from being burgeoning younger skills with mediocre gimmicks into licensed future stars by 1998. The leaders of their very own distinct stables (the Nation of D*mination and D-Era X, respectively), the 2 males discovered themselves within the middle of a feud over The Rock’s Intercontinental Championship in the summertime of 1998, culminating in a ladder match at Summerslam 1998.
On paper, nobody would suppose a ladder match made for a really perfect stipulation for both The Rock or Triple H’s particular sizes or offensive kinds. However therein lies the genius of this bout: the ladder match leveling the taking part in area for each wrestlers concerned, permitting for some thrilling spots and inventive utilization of the token ladders. Although Triple H emerged victorious over the Nation’s chief, this match served as a dramatic precursor to each later bout between the 2 wrestlers, foreshadowing the form of palpable matches the 2 had within the years forward.
The Rock vs. Brock Lesnar (Summerslam 2002)
In 2002, the Angle Period started its inevitable decline, the faces of WWE’s previous being changed by the brand new technology of expertise who’d rise to the entrance of WWE tv by the mid-2000s. In a symbolic gesture, The Rock discovered himself going through one in every of these new skills in the principle occasion of 2002’s Summerslam, squaring off in opposition to WWE’s Subsequent Large Factor, Brock Lesnar, for the WWE Undisputed Championship.
Although The Rock discovered himself in entrance of a hostile crowd, the Brahma Bull nonetheless managed to thrill viewers in his conflict in opposition to Lesnar. With shades of Hogan-Warrior, The Rock helped Lesnar appear like an unstoppable monster within the ring, meting out suplexes, spinebusters, and Rock Bottoms to the younger upstart – all of which did not preserve Lesnar down. Passing the torch all the way down to his counterpart, The Rock helped construct Lesnar into the world title contender he turned out to be, all of the whereas laying the seeds for his personal villainous character arc in early 2003.
The Rock vs. CM Punk (Royal Rumble 2013)
Returning to WWE within the early 2010s, The Rock sporadically reappeared on WWE tv from 2011 to 2013, competing in a handful of matches in opposition to the likes of John Cena, The Miz, R-Reality, and CM Punk. Within the case of the latter, The Rock pined after Punk’s WWE Championship, difficult the Voice of the Unvoiced to a title match on the 2013 Royal Rumble.
Making the most of each stars’ unequalled charisma, the 2 traded chic insults of their promo work earlier than their match on the Royal Rumble, laying the groundwork for an unimaginable match right here. When you might debate the logic of getting Rock go over on Punk, there’s no denying how unbelievable this short-lived rivalry had been, kicking off 2013 with a major growth.
The Rock vs. Chris Benoit (Totally Loaded 2000)
After wrapping up a feud in opposition to Triple H that lasted all through the primary half of 2000, The Rock discovered himself going through a slew of formidable new challengers for his WWF Championship, together with Kurt Angle, The Undertaker, and Chris Benoit, going through every of those wrestlers at completely different factors within the latter half of 2000.
At Totally Loaded 2000, The Rock engaged in what could be probably the most technical match of his profession in opposition to the Canadian Crippler, Chris Benoit. In a testomony to every wrestler’s drastically completely different kinds, the match alternated between Benoit’s penchant for mat-based wrestling and The Rock’s smash-mouthed offensive assaults. Whereas it appeared Benoit may emerge victorious with the assistance of Shane McMahon, some well timed intervention from The Rock’s previous tag staff associate, Mick Foley, allowed the Brahma Bull to retain his title.
Crew WWF vs. Crew Alliance (Survivor Sequence 2001)
At Survivor Sequence 2001, the Invasion storyline that had lasted for many of 2001 got here to an finish, paving the way in which for a climactic winner-take-all 10-man tag staff match that pitted the very best WWF needed to provide in opposition to the Alliance’s foremost members.
In what may very nicely be the best Survivor Sequence elimination tag staff match in historical past, every participant on this match had their probability to shine: Shane consistently interfering, a jealous Chris Jericho stabbing The Rock within the again, a defecting Kurt Angle saving the WWF within the nick of time. As the ultimate two males within the match, The Rock and Stone Chilly reignited their WrestleMania feud from earlier within the yr, including a layer of theatricality to the whole affair. No matter criticism you could have in the direction of the Invasion, there’s no denying this match concluded the storyline in the very best method.
The Rock vs. Triple H (Backlash 2000)
After getting screwed out of a title victory in the principle occasion of WrestleMania 2000, The Rock confronted Triple H in a singles rematch on the following WWE pay-per-view, Backlash. With the playing cards stacked in opposition to him, the Nice One discovered himself reverse an oppressive McMahon-Helmsley regime, Shane McMahon serving because the particular visitor referee, and Vince and Stephanie within the nook of the defending WWF Champ, Triple H.
Regardless of fixed interference from the McMahons and their Stooges (Pat Patterson and Gerald Brisco), The Rock prevailed over the joint efforts of the McMahon-Helmsley faction, thanks largely to some essential intervention from Stone Chilly. With the whole McMahon-Helmsley regime laid out by metal chair shot from Austin, The Rock hit an electric-looking Folks’s Elbow on the Recreation, with Linda McMahon’s hand-picked referee, Earl Hebner, counting the one-two-three on Triple H, incomes The Rock his coveted world title.
The Rock vs. “Stone Chilly” Steve Austin (WrestleMania XV)
The Rock and Austin’s first official match-up at WrestleMania XV has the excellence of being the weakest of their three bouts in opposition to each other on the grandest stage of all of them.
Don’t get us flawed, the ensuing brawl at WrestleMania XV had all of the makings for an ideal match, full with a number of referee bumps, run-ins from McMahon and Mankind, and quite a lot of near-fall covers. Nonetheless, the build-up to the occasion itself centered extra round McMahon and Austin’s feud than it did The Rock and Austin, the Company Champ performing as a proxy for the Diabolical Proprietor of the WWF reasonably than a severe star in his personal proper. Not solely that, however the match lacked the identical sense of drama inherent within the two stars’ later rematches at WrestleMania X-7 or WrestleMania XIX, therefore its comparatively low placement right here.
