10 Shots WWE Fired At Wrestlers (That You Didn't Notice)

6. The Rock Takes On The Establishment

At the height of his astonishing late-'90s success, The Rock had about as many winning catchphrases as he did fans, but it spoke to the confidence he was gaining in his own material in late-1998 that the nascent 'Great One' could tee himself up with so many of the hit phrases that had paved the way for his own.

In a bizarre yet brilliant transgression from his usual routine with absolutely no attached context, 'the Most Electrifying Man In Sports Entertainment' went to town on the best bits of several stars plying their trade on the other channel.

Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Randy Savage and Bret Hart all had their best bits lampooned by the white hot WWE Champion in yet another moment that teased how ginormous a star 'The Great One' was going to be when he turned babyface the following year.

Context and timing count for so much in wrestling - two years earlier, this sort of shot simply wouldn't have left a scratch on the Nitro juggernaut. Now, via the gift of this young upstart, WCW's loaded roster finally started to feel their age.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett