10 Ways Wrestlers Became The Most Badass Versions Of Themselves
4. The Rock: Ditched The Cheese
Rocky Maivia was a car crash of a character that flopped so hard it had fans chanting "die, Rocky, die!" at Dwayne Johnson within months of his debut. Greener than Grinch p*ss and blighted by an unbearably corny babyface act, it looked, for a while, like the third-generation act was dead on arrival. The idea that he'd eventually become wrestling's biggest crossover star was unfathomable.
It took a series of turns to complete Johnson's rehabilitation act. Going heel and joining the Nation of Domination was a key step. He ditched his "real name" for The Rock, and started developing the flashy, arrogant character that would one day carry him all the day to Hollywood, speaking exclusively in the third person as he spat the catchphrases that'd make him a millionaire. The act was refined as time passed. This new Rock was electric, and his positive crowd reactions while playing heel forced WWE to turn him babyface, leading towards Survivor Series 1998, where the 'Corporate Champion' captured his first World Title.
As Rocky Maivia, Johnson would've gone down as one of the biggest busts in wrestling history. As The Rock, he rewrote said history books.