10 WWE Superstars Who Turned Heat Into Magic
1. The Rock
Before he was the chosen one, before he had millions (and millions) of fans screaming his slogans back at him, the phrase best associated with Dwayne Johnson was “die, Rocky, die!” He may have blossomed into the most charismatic man on the face of the earth, but when The Rock first debuted in a WWE ring, the crowd couldn’t wait to see the back of him.
The authorities believed in The Rock from the off, and his first in-ring appearance saw him win the 1996 Survivor Series. But a combination of an obvious push and a boring, kid friendly image saw audiences turn on him fast. Something clearly wasn’t working - the talent was there, but the fans rejected him wholesale. It wasn’t until he took time off for an injury and returned as a member of The Nation Of Domination that his career began in earnest. Here, The Rock reemerged fully evolved. He spoke in the third person, raised the eyebrow, berated the audience and fellow superstars alike - every trick he fell back on for the rest of his career.
No one has ever turned bad heat to good heat like The Rock, and it’s a testament to his skills as a wrestler, as well as McMahon and co for recognising a good thing when they had it, and not giving up.