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The Rock’s return to SmackDown on the night of Friday, September 15, 2023, has so far been viewed over 103 million times on the internet, according to World Wrestling Entertainment.
The charismatic actor and wrestler made a stunning return to dismantle Austin Theory with some help from Pat McAfee, dishing out the People’s Elbow to the former United States champion.
Born Dwayne Johnson, The Rock started his professional wrestling debut on March 10, 1996, and retiredAugust 3, 2019.
Here are The Rock’s wrestling career highlights, as compiled by Forbes.
November 17, 1996: The Rock makes his WWE debut at the Survivor Series. His ring name is “Rocky Maivia,” a combination of his father and grandfather’s ring names. He is the lone survivor on his team. Although his debut is impressive, fans quickly turn on him after he wins the Intercontinental title, booing him loudly at WrestleMania 13 and drowning him in chants, shouting “Die, Rocky, Die.” This moment ultimately leads to a heel turn and the birth of the character “The Rock.”
November 15, 1998: At Survivor Series, The Rock faces Mankind in the finals of a tournament to crown a new WWF Champion, and WWE repeats the controversial “Montreal Screwjob” finish from 1997. When The Rock locks Mankind, whom WWE owner Vince McMahon hand-picked to win, in the Sharpshooter finishing move, McMahon rushes the ring and calls for the bell. The Rock wins his first WWF title, shockingly joining Vince and Shane McMahon as “The Corporate Champion.”
March 28, 1999: The Rock defends his then-WWF Championship against “Stone Cold” Steve Austin at WrestleMania 15, but loses the title in a No DQ match, despite using the referee to block a chair shot and getting help from Vince McMahon. Widely considered to be the two top stars of their era and arguably the two biggest stars in pro wrestling history, The Rock and Austin would also face off at WrestleManias 17 and 19, the climax of one of WWE’s all-time great rivalries.
September 17, 1999: The highest-rated segment in the history of WWE’s flagship show, Monday Night Raw? The Rock’s unforgettable “This is Your Life” alongside his “Rock ‘n’ Sock Connection” partner Mankind, which airs on this date, The humorous, 25-minute promo-fest features ringside “guests” from the Rock’s past and peaks with rival Triple H rushing the ring to break up the party with a sledgehammer. The segment pops a whopping 8.4 rating for Raw that stays a record years later.
March 17, 2002: At WrestleMania X8, The Rock battles “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan in a match billed as “Icon vs. Icon.” It goes down in history as one of the most famous matches in pro wrestling thanks to a raucous Toronto crowd that flips the script on WWE. The Rock is booed mercilessly, while Hogan is wildly cheered. Hogan later revealed that the unexpected crowd reaction caused them to change their match “on the fly”. After the bout, The Rock teams up with Hogan before taking a break from wrestling.
February 14, 2011: After seven years, The Rock finally makes his triumphant homecoming to the WWE on Monday Night Raw, and the crowd could not boo him that night as he receives one of the loudest ovations in professional wrestling history. He also reveals that he is to be the special guest host of WrestleMania 27.
In typical Rock fashion, he wowed the crowd with a charismatic, twenty-minute promo during which he called out John Cena, setting the stage perfectly for their historic feud.
November 20, 2011: For the first time since 2004, The Rock returns to the ring as a combatant at WWE’s Survivor Series. The pay-per-view event sells out in less than ninety minutes. The Rock assembles a dream team with his soon-to-be WrestleMania opponent John Cena to take on The Miz and R-Truth, picking up his first victory in roughly seven years after he pulls off his elbow pad, throws it into the crowd, bounces off the ropes, and gives The Miz his signature move, The People’s Elbow.
April 1, 2012: After returning to WWE, The Rock wrestles his first singles match in eight years, defeating John Cena at WrestleMania 28 in a match billed as “Once in a Lifetime.” The bout marks the first time two huge stars from different eras face off while both are still in their prime.A year later, The Rock battles Cena again in front of 80,000 fans at WrestleMania 29, the highest-grossing live event in WWE history at the time. This time, it is Cena who emerges victorious.
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