10 Wrestling Facts We Didn't Know Last Week (Feb 24)

2. The Rock Was Impressed By Kevin Owens In 2012

The Rock Kevin Owens
WWE.com

WrestleMania XXVIII on April 1, 2012 marked Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson's first singles match in WWE since 2003. Facing John Cena in the pay-per-view's main event was a huge deal to Johnson, and the Hollywood star said at the time he was determined not to look ring rusty.

In order to prepare for the 'Mania match, the determined Rock worked out any ring rust by trading bumps with the likes of Curt Hawkins and Curtis Axel, and even discussed his favourite independent wrestlers with both men.

Posting a picture of them together on his Instagram page, The Rock claimed he's been a fan of Kevin Owens for many years now - and even told Hawkins that he was impressed by 'Kill Steen' in Ring Of Honor back in 2012.

Seeing the future WWE Universal Champ on YouTube opened The Rock's eyes to how awesome Kevin Owens was as a performer, and Johnson has since developed a friendship with KO behind the scenes in WWE.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.