On November 17, 1996 at Survivor series, Dwayne Johnson followed in his father’s footsteps and debuted in the WWE by teaming with Jake Roberts, Marc Mero, and the Talker Barry Windham.
They faced off against Crush, Goldust, Jerry Lawler, and pre-Triple H Hunter Hearst Helmsley, and when the dust settled Rocky was the sole survivor.
The Rock Looks back on his WWE Debut 26 Years Ago
In homage to his family, his ring name, Rocky Maivia, was a combination of his father, Rocky Johnson, and grandfather, High Chief Peter Miavia. He came out strong as a face with colorful ring attire and nearly fell flat on his face despite a solid push.
It wasn’t his fault, but the Rocky Maivia character didn’t get over with fans, though I’m happy to say I’m one of the minority that liked it.
Chants and signs of “Die Rocky Die” filled the arenas when he’d wrestle. Few besides Ken Shamrock and Bret Hart saw the star he would become, and once he changed his gimmick to the Rock, nothing could stand in his way.
Wow 26yrs ago 🤯
What a fateful night in Madison Square Garden having my first ever wrestling match for @wwe.
That big kid who was willing to be the hardest worker in the room would go on to only become famous for wearing a fanny pack.
Seriously tho, what a grateful journey🙏🏾 https://t.co/5VoMB5qER0— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) November 17, 2022
Looking back
On the Rock’s 26 year anniversary on November 17, 2022, Boardroom tweeted a breakdown of his accomplishments to celebrate.
“He would eventually go on to become @TheRock.
— 10x world champ
— 2x Intercontinental champ
— 5x Tag Team champ
— 2000 Royal Rumble winner
— WWE’s 6th Triple Crown champ”
The Rock retweeted it and shared his thoughts on his anniversary.
“Wow 26yrs ago What a fateful night in Madison Square Garden having my first ever wrestling match for @wwe. That big kid who was willing to be the hardest worker in the room would go on to only become famous for wearing a fanny pack. Seriously tho, what a grateful journey”
Changing the landscape
There’s no denying the Rock changed the game for the WWE and the future of professional wrestling as he, Steve Austin, and others revitalized the WWE in the Attitude Era to win the Monday Night Wars.
He brought a new level of entertainment that few can match both in and out of the ring as he’d cut blistering promos that would make us go from loving him to hating him and back again with only a couple of sentences.
He helped raise the standards for what fans expected to see and he had many memorable matches against Austin, Triple H, and Hulk Hogan before he headed to Hollywood to become the biggest star there.
It’s been a great ride, and with rumors that he’ll return to face Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39 it’s a ride that’s not over yet.
What are your favorite Rock memories? Let us know in the comments below.
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