15 WWE Pushes That IMMEDIATELY Backfired

Many fans would regard Steve Austin and The Rock as 1-A and 1-B of the heralded 'Attitude Era'. So, it's fascinating to look back on late-1996 when a beaming Rocky Maivia debuted to realise something else: Literally nobody could've seen that coming. 'Stone Cold' was already on the rise towards main event fame mid-feud with Bret Hart, whereas poodle-haired Rocky was very-much on the undercard as a new blue chip prospect.

This "blue chip prospect" smiled. He also high-fived. Did we mention that he smiled and high-fived? Maivia was a throwback to babyfaces from the 1970s, and that didn't really fit with the emerging rebel spirit pervading through a changing wrestling scene. The nWo brought cultural cool to WCW's product on the other channel, and Austin was an anti-hero in waiting who'd already charmed many.

Then, there was The Rock...who wasn't quite The Rock as you know him yet. Vicious chants of, “Die, Rocky, Die” and “Rocky Sucks” started to follow him around during matches, which had to hurt. Here he was trying his best as Vince McMahon and Jim Ross put Rocky over as the next big thing, and those pesky fans were rejecting him faster than 2025 would reject another Hulk Hogan title run.

Going hard with Maivia as a retro-style babyface backfired on the WWF. The core audience just didn't want to see it. They fancied watching characters with a little more edge and menace, not some punk kid who mimicked his dad's dancing from the 70s and used a bloody shoulderbreaker as his "devastating" finish.

Thank God for that 1997 injury and resultant heel turn. It saved The Rock and helped him build a career properly.