20 Greatest WWE SmackDown Superstars Ever

2. The Rock

The Rock SmackDown Fox
WWE.com

SmackDown wouldn't even exist without The Rock.

'The Great One' coined the ludicrous phrase on his ascent, but the fact it entered TV Guides and dictionaries alike as a totally acceptable turn of phrase speaks to the power of a microphone in Dwayne Johnson's hand. As too did virtually every episode he was a part of between 1999 and 2003.

Showing limitless quality regardless of the programme at the time, Rock seemed to enjoy saving extra treats for "his" show. Hollywood Rock spat in the face of Hollywood Hogan, literally, whilst a People's Elbow in dress shoes went from near-disaster to styled-out slide in an infamously brilliant guest referee spot in a British Bulldog/Triple H match.

Think he wasn't around quite enough to justify such plaudits on this list? It doesn't matter what you think.

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