40 Years Of Fascinating WWE WrestleMania Facts (Part 2)
7. WrestleMania XIV: The Birth Of An Iconic Catchphrase
As both a signifier that 'The Most Electrifying Man In Sports Entertainment' is on his way to the ring, or a closer to yet another epic promo, "if you smell what The Rock is cookin" became arguably the line most associated with a man that had a rolodex of money lines during his years atop the wrestling history.
As is often the case with pro wrestling magic, it exploded a little by accident.
WrestleMania XIV featured a series of special guest that WWE felt were in keeping with a shift in attitude for the product writ large. Pete Rose had been hoofed from the the Major League Baseball Hall Of Fame due to a betting scandal, and was destined to be hated in Boston where the show took place. The DX band represented heels and drew more heat than Triple H himself for their rendition of America The Beautiful. Mike Tyson was the 'Baddest Man On The Planet' by name and even more controversial by nature.
Gennifer Flowers courted national infamy at the time for an affair with then-president Bill Clinton, leading to a presidential-like interview with The Rock ahead of his Intercontinental Championship bout with Ken Shamrock. The cutesy piece was an excuse for the titleholder to flex his promo skills, and the line was (relatively, for wrestling) thrown away as he wrapped up a gag about the size of his genitalia.
Different (?) time.