The Rock: Face Or Heel?

8. Drawing Power

The Rock
WWE.com

Face:

The Rock was on f*cking fire in 1999 and 2000, throughout which he drew the most consecutive 10,000+ seat houses ever. These were house shows. 10,000+ people turned out to see the Rock banter off Billy Gunn in nine minute matches, and three of those minutes were spent casually jogging from one side of the ring to the other in a piss-take version of the People's Elbow. They weren't there to watch a great match. They were there to watch the Great One, and they did it in record number because was a legit megastar.

Backlash 2000's main event is another major indication of Rock's insane popularity. That show, headlined by The Rock Vs. Triple H, drew 675,000 buys. Were it not for Invasion, this would have secured the record for most-purchased B-level pay-per-view ever.

The WWF saved something at WrestleMania for the next pay-per-view, it was that white hot, and Rock was the babyface at the top and with the flag. He did however secure the record for most-purchased show ever, for WrestleMania XXVIII, and that record will never go broken again.

Heel:

Everybody loves the Hollywood Rock character. It was as inspired as it was incredible, and it yielded some of the most deafening arena reactions ever. It wasn't a draw; his biggest match generated just 560,000 buys for WrestleMania XIX. Rock's heel work in early 1999 drew major business, but it's the face that gets them through the door.

Winner: Face

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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!