8 Times The Rock's Wrestling Skills Eclipsed His Promo Abilities

Chris Jericho was long considered one of the best wrestlers in the industry when he finally got the opportunity to compete in a world heavyweight championship pay-per-view main event at No Mercy 2001. His dance partner that night, The Rock, was a veteran of that spot. Together, they would be tasked with making magic between the ropes. In the end, they delivered performances that would have made David Copperfield proud.

Rock was the aggressor, the experienced main event competitor who understood what it took to excel in that environment. He set the pace of the match but did not have to do all of the work. Jericho, in what would amount to the match that would solidify his place as a credible main event star, broke out with his best performance inside a WWE ring to date.

Despite a series of extraordinary backstage confrontations and an insistence by The Great One that Y2J was not a prime time player during a series of extremely well-executed interviews, the superstars exceeded lofty expectations with a show-stealing match. The bout cemented Jericho's status as an elite performer, and did the same for The Rock as a competitor more driven then ever to deliver, despite having more than one offer on the table for major motion pictures.