The Brahma Bull, The People’s Cham, The most electrifying man in all of the sports entertainment and above all Jabroni beating, pie eating, eyebrow-raising trailblazer. Do the words sound familiar? Aren’t they synonymous with Dwayne ‘The Rock Johnson’?. He is more than just a Hollywood star. One of professional wrestling’s most unique performers, The Rock sure does carry some of the WWE’s most famous and iconic moments. In today’s article, we will run down the list of Dwayne The Rock Johnson’s best WWE moments. Of course, this will be a sweet trip down the lane of nostalgia for the wrestling fans who have grown up seeing The Rock inside the squared circle.
Born on May 2, 1972, The Rock started his WWE/WWF career with the name Rocky Malvia. The third-generation Wrestler from the Anoa’i family, The Rock was tipped as the Blue Chipper in his starting days. With over multiple world championships and some of the most iconic feuds with the likes of Texas Rattlesnake Stone Cold Steve Austin, Hulk Hogan, Mankind/Mick Foley, and some of the greatest Wrestlemania (WWE’s biggest annual pay per view event.) bouts, The Rock is surely a future Hall of Famer (He is a legend. Only thing remaining is his official nomination in the HOF class). So without any further delay, let’s move on and discuss the best WWE moments of the most charismatic Wrestler of all time, The Rock.
The Rock wins his first WWE title (Survivor Series 1998)
Every Wrestler’s finest moment comes when they are finally the top man in the company; when they win the prestigious WWE title. Having already won the Intercontinental Championship in a match against HHH, Rocky Malvia has changed into The Rock. Having entered the tournament to determine the next WWE champion (the title was vacant at that time), The Rock faced Mankind in the final determining match at Survivor Series. The Rock defeated Mankind and was crowned the WWE Champion. The win was the first step for The Rock in his pursuit of stardom. Fun fact-The Rock also defeated the chairman and owner of the company Vince McMahon or referred to as Mr. McMahon, down the line to win the WWE title.
Rock n Sock connection
During the 90s, Mankind was a huge fan favorite. Having fought The Rock in the past and having a significant feud with him, The Rock sided with Mankind to form a tag team. Eventually, they both won the Tag Team titles. The team gained huge popularity as a fan favorite, and the most charismatic star both came together. The tag team phase of The Rock was fun and made him more famous among the fans.
2000 Royal Rumble Winner
Although, the result was not something he would have wanted, in the year 2000, The Rock entered the Royal Rumble event in the final stages and won the match by eliminating The Big Show. For those who don’t know, Royal Rumble is an annual WWE event (also a PPV) where 30 wrestlers enter at different pre-decided intervals where the only way to win is eliminating other wrestlers via throwing him outside of the ring via top rope. The sole survivor earns a title shot at the biggest event of all in WWE, Wrestlemania.
Becoming the Undisputed Champion (Royal Rumble 2001)
The Rock won the Undisputed WWE title at Royal Rumble in the year 2001 by defeating Chris Jericho. Earlier on, Chris Jericho had won both the titles (World Championship and WWE title). Hence he was the undisputed and only top champion in the company. The Rock eventually not only captured back his WWE title but also became the company’s 2nd Undisputed Champion.
WWE vs. WCW and ECW
The early 2000s was a fun time for a wrestling fan. Because there were already Monday Night Wars between WCW and WWE, two of the biggest wrestling promotions in the country. After years of rivalry, WCW was bought by Mr. McMahon. But in kayfabe, WWE ran an invasion angle where WWE had to fight with WCW and also ECW (ran by Paul Heyman.). The storyline culminated in a 5vs5 traditional Survivor Series match where The Rock was the sole survivor, and WWE had finally won the battle of the companies.
Rock vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin trilogy (Wrestlemania 15, 17, and 19)
When it comes to Wrestlemania, The Rock has lit up the events several times, and each time, it was iconic. Just like there is David for every Goliath, there was a certain Stone Cold Steve Austin for certain the Rock. Both were incredible, both were unique. Both had their USPs.
One was a beer-drinking careless ruthless wrestler, and the other was the most charismatic, the smoothest talker on the mic. They both crossed each other’s paths several times. And it gave us some moments. Like when The Rock threw Austin in the river or when Stone Cold returned and smashed The Rock with a chair enabling Mankind to win the WWE (then WWF) title. Battling out each other thrice on the grandest stage of all, these two first locked heads at Wrestlemania 15.
The Rock represented the corporation at that time and was also the champion. Eventually, Stone Cold beat him to win the title. The same happened at Wrestlemania 17. But this time, it was Stone Cold who joined hands with his biggest enemy, Vince McMahon. The Rock finally got his revenge when he beat Austin at Wrestlemania 19 as WWE decided to run down the steam of the rivalry one last time. The feud gave moments for the fans to remember.
The Rock vs. Hollywood Hulk Hogan (Wrestlemania 18)
Part of The Rock’s legacy is the fact that he was always in the headlines. In the main event. At Wrestlemania.NWO as a faction was WCW’s biggest attraction. When WWE decided to regroup the likes of Nash, Hall, and Hogan for popularity, the fans immediately started looking for the dream match-Hogan vs. The Rock. The original WWE star vs. the modern-day star. And what took place in the city of Toronto (Canada) at Wrestlemania 18 was nothing short of a masterpiece.
Although and understandably enough, Hogan was no way near his prime and could be expected to deliver a perfect match, the match made up for everything with the story of the match. With the flow of the match. The crowd is rallying up before the kick-off, the underlying history. Everything lit the stage up. The Rock defeated Hogan in a match that can be termed as nothing but a classic. The handshake after the match passed on the torch and encapsulated and applauded the geniuses at the helm of it.
Rock vs. Cena ‘Once in a Lifetime Match’ (Wrestlemania 28)
We cannot possibly compile The Rock’s best moments in WWE and leave this one out. One can understand the importance and significance of the event by knowing that the match, announced as Once in a Lifetime match, was, in fact, announced in a year advance. The Rock returned in 2011 and straight on went one on with Cena. The company’s poster boy, Cena is synonymous with WWE.
You might now know what WWE is, but you know who John Cena is. And the feud was fire and electric. Both guys never held back, taking shots at each other. Cena brought his A-game to the mic when it came to promos, and The Rock picked up the guitar to insult Cena. The match was hyped to the skies, and rightly so. A non-title match main event of the Wrestlemania 28 event and The Rock stood tall when the dust settled down. Although Cena got his win next year, the original match, its anticipation, the stakes, the verbal duals are yet to be matched.
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