Today, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's wrestling days are mostly remembered for how insanely popular the superstar was, but longtime fans will remember that he first broke out as an arrogant heel. During his eight-month-long reign as Intercontinental Champion, The Rock only got better and better, but it was after losing the title and becoming WWE Champion that he morphed into the character that took wrestling - and Hollywood - by storm. The Rock actually turned face after losing the IC Title, quickly becoming a rival to Steve Austin in terms of popularity, but when he turned heel to join with Vince McMahon and win the WWE Title at Survivor Series 1998 - christening himself "The Corporate Champion" - he became the most hated man in the company. The Rock would only remain on top as a heel briefly (Austin won the title at WrestleMania XV, and even before that, Mankind interrupted his reign twice), but it was during that period that his villainous persona grew into a top attraction in pro wrestling. Not only did the heel run give Rocky the momentum to become one of WWE's most beloved stars ever, but it stands as a victory on its own.
Scott Fried is a Slammy Award-winning* writer living and working in New York City. He has been following/writing about professional wrestling for many years and is a graduate of Lance Storm's Storm Wrestling Academy. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/scottfried.
*Best Crowd of the Year, 2013
