10 Biggest Missed Opportunities In The Rock's WWE Career

7. Was Never Crowned King Of The Ring

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Entering the company in late-1996, The Rock was part of the roster for each subsequent King Of The Ring supercard, right up until 2002, and it's a surprise that he wasn't handed the chance to called 'King'. Triple H had earlier been earmarked to win the tournament in 1996, but the infamous 'Curtain Call' incident at Madison Square Garden meant Steve Austin was given the nod instead.

This meant that Hunter was penciled in to win the 1997 edition of the event, and it's plausible that a young Rocky Maivia was also discussed as a potential winner, should Triple H somehow be unable to compete. In 1998, The Rock had established himself on the card, and was part of the brackets for the King Of The Ring, but he'd lose out to Ken Shamrock in the final.

Given the fact that the WWF did little with Shamrock once he won the King Of The Ring, maybe it would have been a better if The Rock had been handed the opportunity to see what he could do with the idea? Such a victory would have only enhanced his reputation, and The Rock would surely have been excellent at talking up how important the tournament win was.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.