Ranking Who Was Really The Man In Wrestling Every Year 1990-2020

22. 1999 - The Rock

Austin Jericho
WWE.com

Steve Austin had another incredible year only a brief part of which was missed through injury - he secured the highest-rated WWE TV segment ever, and drew an enormous buy rate for the second successive WrestleMania - but his opponent on March 28 firmly announced himself as a capable deputy.

Rock was in hilariously psychopathic form on the road to WrestleMania XV; deftly balancing heat and entertainment value in his controversial series with Mankind, he was so entertaining that fans almost politely waited for the formalities of the Rock Vs. Austin series to receive him with acclamation as the A to Austin's 1.

Rock, babyface house show super-draw, cut some of the most legitimately funny promos in wrestling history in 1999, appearing to somehow breathe in a bit more charisma each time he flared those nostrils to power his unassailable ascent to megastardom.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!