10 Original Failed WWE Pushes You Completely Forgot About
1. Rocky Maivia - It's Yer Da
Much gets made of The Rock's early days, with WWE having a grand old time laughing at how ruddy bloody stupid everybody was to label a future global megastar Rocky Maivia in tribute to two generations of his family rather than something all of his own.
It's often coupled with footage of his wide-eyed company debut at Madison Square Garden, with the heavy-handed implication that the 'Blue-Chipper' was the only aspect of his original persona they got bang wrong before a magic wand fix following a heel turn. Those early days, sadly, stretched way beyond his fairly well received arrival.
When an Intercontinental Title victory in February didn't turn low level jeers into rapturous cheers, the company doubled down on the full impact of his heritage by bringing his once-famous father Rocky Johnson to ringside at Raw. The company had only just rendered his era relics thanks to their New Generation campaign, yet there he was literally fighting his son's battles following a WrestleMania 13 victory over The Sultan. 'Die Rocky Die' was an emerging shared take, but at least it allowed The Rock to eventually live.