5 The Rock Moments That Have Aged Well (& 5 That Haven't)
The Rock was one of the most important reasons for WWE’s success in the Attitude Era. WWE loved the potential of Rock as a third-generation wrestler with all the natural tools needed to thrive. The accomplishments of Rock allowed him to help define the WWE product with his fascinating feuds, hilarious promos, and great matches.
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Much like anyone else in the era, Rock had some moments that don’t hold up as much with society and wrestling changing throughout the decades. However, the legend would have been a success in any era as some of his best moments are even better today.
10 Aged well: This is Your Life
The comedic moments between The Rock and Mick Foley always had a timeless charm to it. Foley’s celebration of Rock with the infamous “This is your life” segment led to massive ratings that showed how much fans loved them.
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Some of the jokes towards the guest are hit or miss today, but the timing between Rock and Foley was magical. WWE let them have enough creative freedom to play off each other in fun fashion. The segment is still good for a few laughs thanks to the charm of the Rock and Sock Connection.
9 Did not: Throwing Steve Austin off a bridge
The more over the top moments from prior eras saw WWE having segments that just seem ridiculous today. One memory featured The Rock making his feud with Steve Austin personal by throwing him off a bridge during their feud to add more intensity for their PPV match.
The ludicrous nature of Rock doing something that could have killed Austin and just having them continue feuding the following week would raise eyebrows today. WWE has strayed away from the soap opera atmosphere that existed in the ‘90s.
8 Aged well: Impersonations of other wrestlers
Comedy was a strong suit of The Rock when cutting promos to build up storylines. Rock often came up with impersonations of other wrestlers that left the audience laughing hysterically. One memorable promo featured Rock delivering his impressions of five other wrestlers in an upcoming Hell in a Cell match.
Steve Austin, Kurt Angle, Triple H, Rikishi, and The Undertaker were all mocked by Rock with the fan reaction to each impersonation louder than the prior. Rock’s jokes in this promo still provide the same delight watching back today.
7 Did not: Insulting Stephanie
Stephanie McMahon became a top WWE heel from 2000 to 2002. Fans heckled Stephanie with rude chants and boos every single week. Faces like The Rock and Chris Jericho delivered savage insults to get the crowd going.
Rock specifically saved his rudest jokes for Stephanie. The segments added to his legendary feud with Triple H, but they look bad today. Anyone making sexual or sexist jokes would likely be in hot water delivering those lines in 2020.
6 Aged well: Returning to WWE during the Invasion
The Invasion storyline in 2001 missed the mark with many disappointments, but fans still invested in the WWE vs ECW and WCW concept. Steve Austin jumped ship to The Alliance leaving WWE without an obvious main event leader.
The Rock returning from his time family filming The Scorpion King saw both sides trying to win him over. Fans were stunned when Rock attacked WWE’s Vince McMahon before celebrating. However, it was a huge fake-out with Rock going after Shane to ultimately reveal he was Team WWE.
5 Did not: 2000 Royal Rumble win
The Rock winning the 2000 Royal Rumble match was another huge accolade added to his career. Controversy followed the match with the last eliminated Big Show complaining that Rock’s feet touched the floor first in a photo finish.
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WWE moved forward with Rock as the winner, but he did put his title shot on the line vs Big Show. The real-life botch took away from the Rumble match and would be a huge issue today with fans watching closer. Rock did joke about Big Show being right many years later in a hilarious backstage segment that saw him imply that win started his Hollywood career.
4 Aged well: Gifts to the Nation of Domination
The Nation of Domination allowed The Rock to get over on his own as a rising star. WWE fans hated his face run and this turn opened the door for the company to continue utilizing him in a sustained push from the other side.
Rock’s best segment in the Nation showcased the real scenario of him passing Faarooq as the leader. The hilarious moment saw him gifting expensive watches to The Godfather, D’Lo Brown, and Mark Henry. Faarooq received a giant picture of Rock to showcase his arrogance in hilarious fashion.
3 Did not: First WWE Championship coming in Montreal Screwjob parody
The first WWE Championship win of The Rock came at Survivor Series 1998 in a stacked one-night tournament. Rock was a face entering the finals against Mankind representing Vince and Shane McMahon in The Corporation’s early stages.
The swerve saw the bell ringing when Rock had Mankind in a sharpshooter to mimic the Montreal Screwjob of Bret Hart losing in the same fashion. Rock’s first title win getting overbooked would be disappointing today even though it worked out at the end of the day.
2 Aged well: WM matches with Steve Austin
Two of the three WrestleMania matches between Steve Austin and The Rock took place during the Attitude Era. Both matches summarized how great the appeal of having your two biggest stars face off on the biggest stage could be.
WrestleMania 15 featured Rock reaching the top of the mountain as WWE’s best heel facing the beloved Austin. Their rematch at WrestleMania 17 saw both playing the faces of the Attitude Era with Austin turning heel to win at the end. Both moments set a new standard for what fans want from the biggest show of the year.
1 Did not: Hitting Mick Foley 11 times with chair
The rivalry between The Rock and Mankind in 1999 saw Mick Foley getting to show more sides of himself outside of the three gimmicks. Foley became a top face when going into his “I Quit” match vs Rock at Royal Rumble 1999.
The violence was a huge selling point for WWE at the time, but unprotected chair shots are banned today. Rock hitting Foley in the head 11 times with a chair while his hands were cuffed behind his back remains one of the most uncomfortable moments to watch in WWE history.
