10 Wrestlers Who Couldn't Stand Being Hated
9. The Rock
A young Rocky Maivia, having been scorched by hateful chants like "Die, Rocky, Die", agreed to turn heel in 1997. He didn't have a choice - Vince McMahon laid it all out and said the federation planned to capitalise on the heat by trying him on as a bad guy. It worked and eventually led to a blockbuster babyface run.
Other than a brief heel run in 2003, The Rock was a baby forevermore.
So, it must've come as a huge shocker when Dwayne Johnson was greeted with boos at the 2015 Royal Rumble. People weren't booing him, to be fair. They were jeering McMahon pet project Roman Reigns, but Rock's face said it all. The Philly masses weren't happy with WWE's decision, and he'd been asked to endorse it.
The Rock was guilty by association, and that definitely affected him. He clearly didn't see the hatred coming, and thought he'd be closing the Rumble to a booming, positive response instead.