21 Rare Photos Of The Rock You Need To See

6. The Early Years Of The Rock

Rocky Maivia
WWE

Then known as Rocky Maivia, Johnson would make his WWF debut in 1996, becoming a sole survivor at the Survivor Series Pay-Per-View in the process.

Regardless of how quickly the company pushed him, Rocky's popularity peaked just as fast.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.