10 Things WWE Wants You To Forget About Vader
3. Management Asked Him To Be Rough On The Rock
In 1996, a fresh-faced Dwayne Johnson burst onto the scene. A far cry from the self-assured character of The Rock he would later play, he was known as Rocky Maivia and played an energetic rookie.
Early in the following year, Vince McMahon programmed Rocky against Vader, in a bid to help the youngster settle in.
On the house show circuit, Maivia and Vader clashed regularly, with the veteran always coming out on top. Incredibly, when discussing the idea of working with the newcomer, McMahon told Vader he wanted him to be rough with Rocky.
The boss wanted the big man to nurture his talent, but also to toughen him up.
Vader revealed this story during an interview with Wrestling Inc, also stating his admiration for the natural ability Maivia possessed. It's still eye-opening to think that officials wanted Vader to throw their new signing around, building up his toughness and helping him bed onto the roster.
On their last night working together, Vader did the honours for The Rock, and was pleased that he'd been able to act as a mentor to the burgeoning star.