The Rock's 10 Biggest WWE "What Ifs"

The Rock returned from injury in 1997 and swiftly turned heel. Heel Rock was daringly direct, addressing the crowd who’d dismissed him so vociferously and telling them exactly what he thought of them. The Great One was really born here, as he exploded back onto the scene fully formed as the superstar we still know and love.

There are significant parallels between The Rock and Roman Reigns here - both were recipients of massive pushes, with the WWE tipping their hand too much. The fans saw through what the bookers wanted, and accordingly rejected the efforts. Many feel that Reigns should have turned heel in the aftermath, but this has consistently been resisted in favour of more of the same.

If the bookers had been similarly hardline when it came to The Rock, it’s hard to imagine that he would ever have reached the level he did. Even as a face later in his career, The Rock kept the same brash persona and dismissive banter he honed as a bad guy - had he not been given this opportunity to run wild, the character may never have blossomed.