WWE: 10 Wrestlers Who Broke Out As Major Stars At WrestleMania

5. The Rock

The first-ever third generation star in WWE history, Rocky Maivia had a very bumpy start to his WWE career. Pushed from the very beginning as a smiling babyface, he was turned on by the fans and routinely had chants of "die, Rocky, die" directed at him. An Intercontinental Championship victory over the hated Hunter Hearst Helmsley did little to help as many believed the young, athletic former college football standout was being shoved down their throats. For most competitors, an injury can be damning but for Maivia, it came at the right time. He was able to take time off, recover and try to figure out what he could do differently to change the reactions found himself on the receiving end of. The answer: return as a villain. He joined the Nation of Domination and called himself as "The Rock." The most important element of his improved character was the work he put in on the microphone. He showed natural charisma and set himself apart from other talkers by referred to himself in the third person. It made for a very entertaining act and entering WrestleMania XIV, really got over with the WWE fan base. Speaking of WrestleMania, the March 29, 1998 would see him breakout as more than just an entertaining midcard talent. On that night, he would showcase the talents that would lead to him becoming one of the greatest stars in professional wrestling history. Early in the event, he sat down with celebrity guest star Gennifer Flowers for an interview. It was during the segment that Rock first uttered the words, "if ya smell what I'm cookin'." That catchphrase would become one of the most iconic in WWE and would be chanted and cheered along with over the next decade by fans across the globe. Later in the night, he defended the Intercontinental Championship against Ken Shamrock in a match that saw him beaten from pillar to post. He tapped out, which should have led to Shamrock's first title reign. Unfortunately, the former UFC star let his emotions get the best of him. He took down officials and continued to brutalize Rock, which resulted in the self-proclaimed "People's Champion" being wheeled out of the arena on a stretcher. The decision was reverse and the title returned to The Rock who, never one to miss out on an opportunity to gloat, weakly held the title in the air as he was stretchered to the back. He may have taken another beating from Shamrock but that one moment of holding the title up, despite retaining in the weakest of ways possible, was such a great heel move that even his harshest of critics appreciated the gesture. Rock would parlay the momentum he gained at WrestleMania into a major push throughout the remainder of 1998 and by the time Survivor Series rolled around in November, he would be the WWE champion and the top heel in the sport.