The Rock's 10 Best Matches Ever
The Great One has helped provide a considerable share of in-ring greatness.
The days of electrifying fans in arenas across the globe were going to be short-lived once Hollywood sank its claws deeply into Dwayne Johnson's brawny frame. The Rock functionally only spent about five or six years as a true full-time wrestler, reducing his schedule with each lucrative script that made its way to his hands.
Even with a much more limited body of work, The Rock still managed to make a splash on professional wrestling that few others could ever hope to replicate. It was that king-sized splash that loosened his tether to pro wrestling, and there was the irony: the rare talents that made Rock the hottest act in pro wrestling were the rare talents that would allow him to leave the industry behind.
In his wake, Johnson left a resume of dynamic performances that delivered on the merits of Rock's energy and timing. Like Hulk Hogan (and later John Cena), the biggest criticism against Rock seemed to be his perceived lack of technique, but that's just because he'd never attempted a 450 splash once in his career. The Rock could enthrall with the basics and keep pace with an opponent of any speed. For those reasons, his physical brilliance should be admired.
Here are, in one man's opinion, the ten greatest matches featuring The Rock
10. Vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin (WrestleMania XIX)
Undoubtedly it was a somber occasion for Austin, who knew his time was at hand, that his wrestling days were over. Austin pressed on from additional medical crises the weekend of WrestleMania 19, insistent on closing out his career with a clean loss to his closest peer in the sport.
Knowing that it was a broken-down Austin's "last round", Rock took much of the match's bulk, using some sleight-of-hand clowning to put the spotlight on himself (i.e. putting on Austin's vest for purposes of infuriating the crowd). When the performance is going to be more limited due to somewhat-dire circumstances, you've gotta get creative.
Austin did his best to make his last match count, and gallantly hung in through his pain into the finish, but it was clearly Rock's show. And Rock did his absolute best to give Austin a dignified sendoff.