10 Greatest Pure WWE Wrestlers

Talking of sure things, back in 1996 a third generation wrestler named Dwayne was brought into the business by Pat Patterson. He had the look, the athleticism, the pedigree; he felt can’t-miss. Which makes it all the more remarkable that WWE nearly completely ruined him.

Dressing him up in zany colours and giving him the gimmick of “young man who smiles a lot”, Rocky Maiva was roundly rejected by fans. In 1997, though, after an injury he re-emerged as smack-talking charisma machine The Rock, and you likely know the story from there.

The Rock was a performer in whom WWE placed their full faith, even when things didn’t work at first. It’s a testament to the performer’s ability to reshape his act as well as the office’s willingness to try something new, confident they were onto something good.

He learned on the job - he’s green as grass in his early PPV matches - but neither he nor WWE was willing for The Rock to be anything less than an immense success.