< Dwayne Johnson

Dwayne Johnson/Awesome

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  • For a year, Rocky Maivia was massively pushed as a babyface. However, the fan reaction was very negative to the point he was seen as a Creator's Pet. Rocky returns after an injury and turns Heel, joining the black supremacist group the Nation of Domination. Rocky opens his Face Heel Turn promo with this.

"Die, Rocky, Die." That’s the gratitude I get from you pieces of crap? For all my blood, my sweat and my tears?!

  • His ladder match with Triple H at Summer Slam 1998 for the Intercontinental Title. At Wrestlemania XIV, Rock was wrestling in the midcard for the Intercontinental belt, and Triple H was in Shawn Michaels's corner during the main event. This 26 minute match helped change the way ladder matches were fought and catapulted both men to the main event. Rock got his chance at Survivor Series, and Triple H's time came at Wrestlemania XV. This also shows just how much the IC title was worth in those days.
  • Anytime he and Mick Foley team up, it's going to be a Crowning Moment of Awesome. Their first team-up against Undertaker and the Big Show where they pulled off a double People's Elbow certainly counts as one.
    • In many ways, the entire "Rock and Sock Connection" storyline not only served as a CMoA for both men, but its heartbreaking ending when they lost the tag titles was a greater CMoA in itself, for Mankind's betrayal of the Rock and his leaving the ring served to change The Rock from a self-righteous character into the true People's Champion.
  • From late 1999 to early 2000, Triple H had pretty much been dominating the World Championship and, with his then-Kayfabe marriage to Stephanie McMahon at the end of 1999, was pretty much running everything (Vince McMahon "left" the stage after Armaggeddon 1999; he wouldn't return until a few weeks before Wrestlemania 2000). Any and all of the major WWF superstars, from Stone Cold Steve Austin to The Big Show to Mick Foley were beaten and done away with. A month before Wrestlemania 2000 at No Way Out, he retired Mick and the returning Vince screwed The Rock out of the title at the biggest match-up of the year. Finally, at Backlash in April 2000, Vince did EVERYTHING he could to keep The Rock from winning the belt back. Nevertheless, with a lot of tenacity and a little bit of help from an Austin cameo, The Rock overcame everything to FINALLY get the belt off Triple H.
    • Note that this was The Rock's first championship reign as a Face. With Austin being sidelined due to a kayfabe hit and run (he was getting a Real Life neck surgery), The Rock was ascended to become the "hero" of the company. Being awarded the most coveted prize was to be expected down the line.
  • Though he got screwed out of the title (by Vince again, no less), his match with Stone Cold at Wrestlemania X-Seven in 2001 was considered their best in their long-running rivalry.
  • His match against Hulk Hogan in the "Icon vs Icon" at Wrestlemania X8 in 2002 will no doubt go down as a classic.
  • During his four-mouth kayfabe suspension imposed by Vince after Wrestlemania X7 (Johnson was busy filming The Scorpion King), the InVasion storyline was in full swing, with Vince running the WWF, and Austin as the crown jewel of Shane McMahon and Stephanie's WCW/ECW Alliance (Austin having FaceHeelTurned by defecting to the Alliance). Vince lifts The Rock's suspension, but he knew this doesn't necessarily mean he'll return to the WWF. Who will the Rock join? Shane and Vince each make their case: the former establishes precedence of Vince screwing The Rock over and over again via Wrestlemania, while the latter gives a truthful response, coming from "the devil that you [The Rock] know, as compared to the devils you don't [Shane and Stephanie]". Ultimately, Vince demands The Rock gives the people what they want: he plants Vince with the Rock Bottom. All seems doomed until Rock shakes Shane's hand and pulls him into a Rock Bottom, followed by the People's Elbow. The Rock gets on the mic and announces where his loyalty lies:

The Rock: "FINALLY, THE ROCK HAS COME BACK... to the WWF..."

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