10 WWE Superstars That Got Out At The Right Time

2. The Rock

Shawn Michaels
WWE.com

Fans nervously foresaw a WWE without The Rock when he took his first extended break from the product in 2001, such was his incredible talent even then. It was with glum expectancy that they greeted further departures in 2002 and 2003 - the punishing schedule of WWE (no matter how well paid) couldn't compete with the call of Hollywood for a man suddenly so in demand.

Already setting records as an enormous draw and megastar during a time the industry already had one new Hulk Hogan in Stone Cold Steve Austin, Rock transcended wrestling entirely with his work on the silver screen. Though reviews have been mixed for his performances throughout his career, the dollar figures and box office receipts have spoken louder than any film critic. One of the industry's most bankable entities - just as he was as a WWE Superstar - Dwayne Johnson's third life following football and wrestling has given him success, fame and fortune beyond even those two relatively fruitful endeavours.

It's why even less sceptics than ever doubt his propensity to be president. For better and objectively worse, Donald Trump's 2016 election victory re-wrote the rules of entry into The White House. Could 'The People's Champion' next become an entirely different champion of the people?

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett