10 WWE Stars Who Got Over After Huge WrestleMania Performances

3. The Rock - WrestleMania XIV

As a beaten and bloodied Rock held the Intercontinental Championship high overhead, fans were introduced to the iconic superstar that would change the sport and eventually transcend it. Earlier in the night, the young performer coined a catchphrase that would be sung along with in arenas across the globe. "If ya smell what I'm cookin'," he said to celebrity interviewer Gennifer Flowers, as arrogant as possible ahead of a major championship defense. In that one promo, he allowed his natural charisma to shine and the fans ate it up.

When he so cockily held that title up while lying on a stretcher, he gave the world a visual representation of his climb to that moment. After failing miserably as Rocky Maivia, taking his bumps and criticisms for his generic good guy persona, he got back up and dusted himself off. He became an exemplary heel, proving to the world that he could take any beating imaginable and bounce back from it, still the people's champion. Nothing he did in the ring that night mattered. He had delivered such a compelling and captivating performance in other facets of his performances that fans had no choice but to sit up and take notice of the third-generation superstar.