Fansided

5 most iconic WWE wrestlers of all time

By Chad Porto

NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 23: Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker battle it out at the WWE SummerSlam 2015 at Barclays Center of Brooklyn on August 23, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by JP Yim/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 23: Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker battle it out at the WWE SummerSlam 2015 at Barclays Center of Brooklyn on August 23, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by JP Yim/Getty Images) /
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370782 03: World Wrestling Federation’s Wrestler Rock Poses June 12, 2000 In Los Angeles, Ca. (Photo By Getty Images)
370782 03: World Wrestling Federation’s Wrestler Rock Poses June 12, 2000 In Los Angeles, Ca. (Photo By Getty Images) /

The Rock

Without Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, there might not have been a point in the Monday Night Wars where the then WWF was actually able to stay on top of WCW for a prolonged period of time. The Rock, or Dwayne Johnson as he was known before and after his wrestling days, didn’t always want to wrestle. Instead, the son of famed wrestler Rocky Johnson would set his eyes on professional football. He was good enough to be the starting defensive end on many of those iconic 1990’s Miami Hurricane football teams but a knee injury kept him from the NFL. After a conversation with his father, Johnson hopped into the world of professional wrestling.

After some training and preparation, Johnson debuted at the 1996 Survivor Series event, where he was so unpopular fans started chanting “Die, Rocky, Die!” at him. The motivation was now there, Johnson had to get over. He’d become a heel in 1997 and became The Rock, a smooth-talking, Elvis-inspired bad guy, with flashy suits, an egotistically strut, and power suits to match. He became the white-collar to Austin’s blue-collar. With The Rock now the top guy in the nefarious Corporation stable, he and Austin feuded heading into WrestleMania XV.

Rock would lose at the event, dropping his WWF championship to Austin in the process but throughout the spring and summer of 1999, Rock would turn babyface, and fans would begin chanting with him, repeating his iconic slogans and losing their minds whenever he was on screen.

He’d ultimately become the top guy in 2000 and 2002 while Stone Cold was dealing with personal issues and injuries. Much like Austin’s run as a top guy ended prematurely, so did The Rock’s, though for different reasons. Rock, or Johnson as he was now attempting to get away from his wrestling roots, started getting more and more roles in Hollywood.

His new star power saw him leave the WWE as an active competitor for good in the early spring of 2003. He’d return sporadically throughout the next near 20 years to entertain fans all over again, but as his star grew, his appearances became less frequent. Now he’s one of the highest-grossing stars in Hollywood and has just bought the XFL out of bankruptcy.

Not bad for a man who had no fan support when he debuted.

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