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

The Rock and Eddie Guerrero had never competed in a televised, one-on-one match before the July 22 episode of Raw. In many ways, the contest came from out of nowhere, surprising fans and providing them with an extraordinary main event on the road to SummerSlam. Guerrero, always as brash and arrogant as The Rock, let his mouth get him into trouble, setting the match in motion. Always one of the most celebrated in-ring competitors of his generation, there was no doubt Latino Heat would rise to the occasion and deliver a performance befitting his spot on that night's card.

But, for reasons inexplicable by this writer, there were always doubts about The Rock's ability to hang with a guy like Guerrero.

For what felt like the millionth time in his career, The Great One silenced his critics. He executed some solid reversals and counters early and even floored Guerrero with an arm drag before locking in a deep arm bar. The match progressed nicely, with Rock selling a ton of Guerrero's offense. In fact, the majority of the contest was dedicated to Latino Heat proving himself as the equal to the WWE Undisputed champion, controlling the pace.

Of course, Rock fought back and scored the pinfall victory but it was Guerrero's chance to shine, and he did.

The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment had progressively improved over the two years that preceded the match but it was not until 2002, when he was nearing the end of his full-time wrestling career, that he had finally peaked as a worker.

This match, though short and relatively inconsequential compared to the rest on the list, was a perfect example of what fans missed out on when he jetted off to Hollywood.