The Rock Vs. Steve Austin | Wrestling Timelines

August 18, 1997 - The Rock Turns Heel

Rocky Maivia Heel Turn
WWE

At the urging of Vince McMahon, the Rock returns as a heel, joining the Nation of Domination stable. Rock agrees, and his request to speak as himself and with his own words is granted.

This Raw promo is not Austin 3:16. Maivia still refers to himself in the first person. There are hints, though, that this dud of a babyface has something. He’s mostly composed. His already magnificent bone structure is magnified with a snarl. There’s an emphasis behind his insults, when he refers to the fans as pieces of “trash”. He’s only been at this a year, and he’s already getting good.

It’s effective and promising, if not quite in equal measure.

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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!