10 WWE Moments Only The Rock Could Get Away With
6. Surviving Hogan
The WrestleMania 18 epic between The Rock and 'Hollywood' Hulk Hogan would likely have been an utter calamity without the cool head of 'The Great One' to accept the circumstances and reshuffle his pack.
Negating the earth-shattering response the returning 'Hulkster' was due to receive, WWE had shaped the match around a confident Rock victory over the cagey heel, but it was clear from the entrances that fans were unlikely to invest in that pitch.
It's actually possible to pinpoint the moment The Rock clocks this, switching everything about his demeanour to that of a heel, in the way he walks, looks and acts whilst beating on the aged Hogan.
Winning as planned, Rock turns himself again by the end, which was also crucial to aid the final sequence in which the two would pair up to fight off Hogan's former friends Scott Hall and Kevin Nash.
Few performers wouldn't have been eaten alive by the power of Hulkamania that night, and even less would have emerged somehow even more refined than they were before. The Rock managed both.