The Rock's 10 Best Matches Ever
4. Vs. Chris Jericho (No Mercy 2001)
Some backlash had found its way to the wildly-popular Rock, though in this instance, it was mostly due to fans wanting to see Jericho finally win the big one. He'd been deprived for more than two years after making his long-awaited debut on Raw, and it was high time that Jericho finally get his due.
After a rift between the two was created during the Invasion angle, the braggarts fought over Rock's WCW Championship (a phrase that is still weird to say), with fans siding a bit more toward Jericho throughout the course of the match. Rock seems to subtly feed into the dissent, allowing for the St. Louis crowd to feel more jubilation for Jericho's reversals and comebacks.
When Jericho counters the People's Elbow by hooking Rock's leg for the Walls, it's pure pandemonium. The two gradually built a masterpiece by preying on the crowd's feelings. It's also a nice window into how babyface Rock could calmly go with the flow when the crowd just wasn't feeling him.