8 Biggest Tweeners In WWE History

2. The Rock

the rock smackdown 1999
WWE.com

He may be the biggest male draw in Hollywood now, but The Rock wasn't very good at getting people to like him back in 1996/97. Ironically, flopping as the happy, smiling Rocky Maivia helped Rock get over as a sneering, suave and cocky character who spoke in third person and later even mocked the fans.

By 1999, The Rock could insult "the people" all he liked, because they were very much on his side. Endlessly entertained by 'The Great One' and his ability to deliver verbal putdowns on the microphone, fans started cheering for Rocky whether he was heel or babyface. This was evident during his 2003 heel run, during which people still found him charming and hard to really hate.

The Rock butted heads with beloved characters like Steve Austin and Mankind without losing any shred of his own appeal. That can't have been easy to do, but it speaks volumes of the persona Rock created and how damn good he was at playing it.

When that 'People's Eyebrow' should have made folks ready to slap Rock silly, it instead became endearing.

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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.