The Rock's 10 Best WWE Moments

The Rock: The People’s Champion, the Great One, the Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment. It is fair to argue that no one has ever combined incredible athleticism with undeniable charisma before or after his era-defining run in the WWE that was so transcendental that it propelled Dwayne Johnson into Hollywood.

His success has never dwindled since, and has emerged as arguably the greatest action movie star of the last 25 years, if not of all time. As one of the most prominent players of the Attitude Era, The Rock blessed watchers with instantly quotable catchphrases, brutal verbal takedowns of his opponents and, let’s face it, matches ranging between fair-to-great. His legacy is a mix of memorable interviews, titanic struggles, and a frankly worrisome focus on pastries of all sorts. But which of these moments stand out?

Which moments are indelibly etched into the collective consciousness of wrestling aficionados? Let’s turn back the clock to the Attitude Era, a time that I have been informed repeatedly is the greatest wrestling of all time, despite empirical evidence that is clearly not, and - with apologies to Keith Lee - bask in his glory.

Following his alleged retirement match with HHH at No Way Out 2000, which was immediately followed up by another match the next month at Wrestlemania, Mick Foley transitioned into a role as Commissioner of the WWE, a role in which he excelled at. It kind of makes his appointment as a General Manager in 2016 all the more depressing in hindsight.

It was during this tenure as Commissioner on a July episode of Raw that Foley went face-to-face with the newly-crowned WWE champion, The Rock. Former tag team champions themselves as the Rock n’ Sock Connection, Foley asked The Rock how it made him feel being a 5-time champion at that point. Before the Rock could respond, Foley unleashed The Rock’s own catchphrase on the Great One, bellowing “IT DOESN’T MATTER HOW IT MAKES YOU FEEL!”

The crowd exploded in cheers as Foley then took a victory lap around the ring, chanting his own name in celebration. While this may have been Foley’s moment, what sold it was the Rock’s inability to keep a straight face, as the typically stoic champion found himself helplessly grinning at his former partner’s antics.