Dwayne Johnson exemplifies the idea that even a brief professional wrestling career can award one a legendary status. Wrestling talent typically gets passed down from generation to generation. The Rock’s father Rocky Johnson and grandfather Peter Maivia were both professional wrestlers, therefore he followed in their footsteps. After just a decade of professional wrestling, he is already considered one of WWE’s all-time greats.
A WWE icon at the time, The Undertaker, had a different perspective of The Rock in his early days. Even with his scary reputation, The Undertaker didn’t think Brahma Bull would remain long in the business.
The Undertaker’s early doubts on Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
The Rock’s first performance in the WWE at MSG wasn’t as stunning as the rest of his career. He paid homage to his family by masquerading as Rocky Maivia and entered the arena to a hostile throng. The Undertaker himself remembers that the audience didn’t respond well because Dwayne Johnson’s persona was off.
The DeadMan mentioned The Rock’s 1996 debut as Rocky Maivia during an interview with Gary Vaynerchuk in the year 2020. He hated the moniker and felt it stifled The Rock’s potential in WWE. If the MSG audience didn’t like what they witnessed, they may not be very forgiving.
The Undertaker said in the interview, “He came into Madison Square Garden, and they’d given him the name of Rocky Maivia. Oh my gosh, it was awful. I had no clue to how charismatic he was. I was like, “Such a shame, he’s not gonna be here long!”
Because of his rocky beginning, The Undertaker predicted that The Rock wouldn’t survive long in WWE. His career, however, took off once he joined The Nation of Domination. Then the Hall of Famer started seeing The Rock as someone with enormous potential.
When did Dwayne Johnson debut in WWE?
Actor and former WWE star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson got his start in the business in the 1990s. He was born into a family of wrestlers, but it was in the ring that he made his name legendary.
At the Survivor Series 1996, Dwayne Johnson made his first appearance for WWE. WWE put him into the ring without any preparation for this major event. He had a shaky start, but he persevered and eventually became the greatest of all time.
Dwayne Johnson recently returned to the WWE arena, sparking predictions of a big match at WrestleMania 40. Whether the assumptions will come to fruition for The Rock in the ring, remains to be seen.
Cody Rhodes or Roman Reigns? Who do you think would be the toughest foe for The Rock? Leave a comment and tell us what you think.
