During his rookie year in the WWF, The Rock didn't really give fans any warning that he was going to be one of the biggest names in the industry just a few short years later. As the bland, goody-two-shoes Rocky Maivia, the future star of Hollywood came across as pretty unlikeable and hard to relate to. At his core, Rocky was playing an outdated babyface who would have been more at home in the 1970's. Whilst anti-hero stars such as Steve Austin were starting to catch fire, fans wanted Rocky to literally combust, chanting things such as, 'Die, Rocky, Die' at live events. Using this as a reason to badmouth the man to management, Shawn Michaels and Triple H reportedly tried to sabotage any push for the youngster, but it was Bret Hart who put his neck on the line for him. Realising that The Rock was coming under some immense pressure, Hart started to give him advice on how to navigate the shark-infested waters of the pro wrestling industry, something which stood the man in great stead going forward. Dwayne Johnson is not exactly a push-over, but Bret Hart standing up for him was important in leaping that difficult first hurdle in the WWF.