10 Things In WWE That Started Awful But Turned Out Great
2. The Rock
When The Rock first debuted as Rocky Maivia in 1996, the fans weren't into it. His clean-cut babyface persona was too schmaltzy for anyone to get behind, and it wasn't long before he was met with chants such as "Die, Rocky, Die!" A little extreme, yes, but I digress.
After returning from a knee injury in August 1997, Rocky aligned himself with the Nation of Domination and started calling himself "The Rock". This brash, cocky persona would grow into one of pro-wrestling's greatest characters of all time.
As a heel, Rock was able to more-accurately manifest his natural confidence and charisma. His trash-talking was otherworldly, and he rarely (if ever) stumbled on lines when laying the verbal smackdown on his opponent's candy a**. It's no wonder the man was able to get so many words and so many catchphrases over; he was simply magic on the microphone. So magic, in fact, that he started to get calls from Hollywood. Fast forward to now, and he's one of the biggest movie stars in the world.
From boring to bombshell, The Rock is easily pro-wrestling's most successful crossover star. And it's all because he turned heel.