20 Greatest WWE SmackDown Moments Ever

by Michael Hamflett

1. "I Need To Beat You Rock..."

A spellbinding performance from both men, the face off between the industry's biggest performers ahead of what was then the industry's biggest ever show had all the ingredients to deliver something truly special. It managed to exceed expectations and provide a tease immediately picked up in the post-mortem of Stone Cold Steve Austin's WrestleMania heel turn.

Tensions simmered throughout, with the closing arguments telling the story of the match before it even happened. The Rock promised the sweat and blood he ultimately expended at the Houston Astrodome, whilst Austin showed his own hand. "I need [to beat you] more than anything you can imagine" was the pained reality. Few could have imagined - let alone predicted - that 'The Rattlesnake' would sell his soul to Vince McMahon to satisfy his desire.

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 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. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, 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