10 WWE Heels Who Were Too Entertaining To Boo
2. The Rock
The Rock, at various points throughout his career, has been a booed babyface and a cheered heel. The crowd’s early disdain forced WWE to abandon his early-career face run as Rocky Maivia, and when he wrestled Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania X8, Rock was almost booed out of the building. Even at his most popular, The Rock has always had more than his fair share of detractors, and they’ve never been shy in making themselves heard.
On the other side of the coin, The Rock’s 2003 brought the reverse reaction. Fresh off his first major Hollywood run, Rocky played his heel role to perfection, and he initially drew immense jeers from the crowd. The Rock played it up, but while he knew exactly how to whip an arena full of people into a frenzy, things soon turned in the opposite direction.
The Rock was just too engaging for fans to stay mad at him for long. The hatred gradually wore-off, and with his Rock Concerts and sharp-witted promos, The Rock unwittingly rebuilt his fan support. Crowds just couldn’t help but laugh with the guy, and while they’d boo his entrance, they’d soon be back on his side.
Rock found himself in a similar situation during his days as a Nation of Domination member, and it was this surge in popularity that led to his first big face turn. He has since become the biggest crossover star in wrestling history, and much of that comes from the same charm that made people root for him even as a bad guy.