A notable name in the wrestling industry has admitted that they were wrong about their first impressions of The Rock.
While The People’s Champion would go on to become one of the biggest names in wrestling and in Hollywood, the fans were not always in full support of the future World Champion. Debuting at Survivor Series 1996 in Madison Square Garden as Rocky Maivia, fans saw the complete opposite of the cool, smack-talking wrestler with mannerisms and catchphrases that would be imitated for decades to come. With the crowd booing Maivia and not wanting to see any more of the third generation wrestler, The Undertaker thought that his time in WWE would be extremely short-lived.
Discussing the career of The Great One on his Six Feet Under podcast, The Deadman looked back on Rock’s infamous debut and how he thought that the Hollywood star was “done” in the business right from the off:
“He’s worked really hard. It’s so funny because I’ve told [the story] when he debuted in Madison Square Garden and he was Rocky Maivia I was like this kid’s done! I thought it was over. Especially in The Garden, they will just flat-out annihilate you. Sometimes you can’t recover. He’s coming out and he’s got the curly hair back then and they’re telling him to smile and they are booing the sh*t out of him. I was like this kid ain’t long and it’s a shame because he’s a legacy too. Little did I know, I guess I got that one wrong.”
Thankfully, Rock would undergo a complete character overhaul later in his career when he turned heel and joined The Nation of Domination. And the rest is history…
The Rock Called Out By Top WWE Star
While currently away filming multiple projects in Hollywood, it appears inevitable that The Final Boss will make his WWE return in the near future as he has unfinished business with multiple members of the roster. Speaking in a recent interview, Cody Rhodes let The Rock know that the offer still stands.
In a new interview, The Undertaker expressed concern over this aspect of modern wrestling.
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