10 Gimmick Changes That Saved A Wrestler's Career
3. Rocky Maivia To The Rock
From CFL cast-off with with just seven bucks in his pocket to the biggest movie star in Hollywood, The Rock's career has been an unending incline since his mid 20s. But would he be where he is if he was still sporting a grass skirt and an awful haircut?
After a cup of coffee in the USWA as Flex Kavana, Dwayne Johnson was brought up into the big leagues and rechristened Rocky Maivia in 1996. An amalgamation of his family history, the persona merged the names of his dad, Rocky Johnson, and his grandfather, Peter Maivia, the blue-chipper made his debut at Survivor Series '96.
Despite being given a solid push, the fans rejected the white-meat babyface character. Fans were no longer looking for a cheesy, smile and slap hands good guy; they were looking for a rebel and the tide was noticeably turning into what would become the Attitude Era.
After chants of "Die, Rocky, die" and "Rocky sucks" began to frequent his matches, a change of direction was needed. The WWF used the crowd's negativity to their advantage by turning Maivia heel when he joined the Nation of Domination in late '97 as The Rock.
A brash, arrogant baddie, The Rock was everything Rocky Maivia wasn't. His charismatic personality made him an instant hit and he was WWF Champion 15 months later.