One MIND-BLOWING Secret From EVERY WWE WrestleMania

21. WrestleMania 21 | Who Vs. WHO?!

The Rock negotiated an appearance at WrestleMania 21 with Vince McMahon before making the decision to avoid any wrestling activity whatsoever for another six years. It was a barrier to Hollywood (and the public) taking his dedication seriously. 

There were, according to the May 30, 2011 Observer, two pitches for the match that never happened. Both were the Rock’s. One of them was bat-sh*t crackers. 

The Rock asked, specifically, for Sting. This was the more normal pitch of the two, but it’s still a strange idea. Sting was at his most popular as a sullen vigilante, whose mystique was so alluring that he barely had to talk. The Rock was at his best when he was mercilessly ripping the piss out of his opponents. Very serious types survived the Rock’s jabs before Sting - but Rock doing mocking crow noises, and asking if he was supposed to be impressed by an anorexic Robert Smith who went to a draw with Ric Flair while the Rock was still eating pie in high school, might not have done Sting much good in the eyes of WWE fans. 

Rock was a student of the game, but he hadn’t kept up or at least watched TNA, which is very fair - because he also asked Vince if he could work with Randy Savage in Los Angeles (!). 

Savage had attempted a comeback in TNA the prior year, but was so upset by his bad performance that he couldn’t go through with the World title shot he had “earned” at the same taping.