The Rock is the most electrifying wrestler in WWE history. However, he wasn't always, and when Dwayne Johnson started his WWE career as Rocky Maivia, fans absolutely hated him. This wasn't a heel hatred either, because Rocky was a plucky babyface. Fans actively changed "Die Rocky Die" during his matches.
Then, something happened, and Rocky Maivia changed into The Rock and became one of the biggest names in the wrestling industry. This was one of the biggest turnarounds in wrestling history and was because both WWE and The Rock listened to the fans. Here is how Rocky Maivia turned into The Rock.
He Started Out As The Blue Chipper
Dwayne Johnson is a third-generation superstar, and he decided to go into wrestling when he realized his football career was not going to pan out. The son of Rocky Johnson and grandson of Peter Maivia, he took on their names and became Rocky Maivia.
He made his debut as the Blue Chipper, a clean-cut babyface who showed up on Monday Night RAW on November 4, 1996, as the next big thing.
Rocky Wins The Gold Too Quickly
Rocky Maivia then shot up the rankings and got into a high-profile feud with Intercontinental Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley. The problem is that fans didn't buy into Rocky just yet, and they didn't like the fact that he was getting automatic title consideration.
Just three months after making his in-ring debut with WWE, Rocky Maivia beat Hunter Hearst Helmsley on Feb. 13, 1997, for the IC title on Raw.
"Die Rocky, Die!"
Fans didn't like Rocky Maivia getting the quick title and didn't like WWE pushing Rocky as a star, even though they didn't see him as a star yet. As a result, the boos started.
While Rocky was the smiling babyface, the fans booed him and cheered the heels he faced. It was clear that Rocky had no idea how to deal with this reaction and struggled more. Finally, the "Die Rocky Die" chants started, and it was there that his babyface push ended.
WWE Reverses Course
This was the same thing that happened two decades later with The Rock's cousin Roman Reigns, and it also happened years later with a Rock nemesis in John Cena. In both of the more recent cases, WWE ignored the fans and kept pushing the two as babyfaces, despite the boos getting louder. With Johnson, however, WWE did not do that.
Instead, the company reversed course and made Rocky Maivia a heel, giving the fans a real reason to boo him. This happened in August 1997 when he became The Rock and lashed out at fans for rejecting him.
The Rock Joins The Nation Of Domination
After WWE turned him into a heel, it was relatively easy to figure out what to do with The Rock: He joined The Nation of Domination.
This was a fantastic faction that had Farooq as the leader. They only spoke the truth in many of their promos, preaching against the fact that these strong Black wrestlers had always been held down. This fit The Rock perfectly, and he started to find himself as a member of this stable.
The Rock Stages A Coup In The Nation
The next step was to give The Rock power. He needed to prove that he was the main event star that was not below anyone and to do that, WWE had him take over leadership of the Nation of Domination.
He soon became more outspoken and convinced Godfather, D-Lo Brown, and Mark Henry to follow him, kicking Farooq out of the group and becoming the top guy in a stable where he was the new guy just one year earlier.
The Rock Develops his Promo Skills
What fans love most about The Rock isn't his wrestling skills, although he is a great, crisp, and smooth wrestler in the ring. What makes him the most electrifying man in sport's entertainment is his mic skills.
Since he had taken over as the leader of The Nation of Domination, it was time to perfect that aspect of his game. The Rock was the new leader of the Nation of Domination, and he did all the talking for the faction. He started referring to himself in the third person and started to work on his classic insults to his opponents. This is where The Rock was born.
The Rock Strikes Out On His Own
The next step was for The Rock to prove that he was ready for the main event push. As a member of The Nation of Domination, it was always about the group. The Rock needed to make it about himself.
In October 1998, the Nation of Domination broke up, and The Rock was ready to be the man. He did join The Corporation, but this time it was about positioning The Rock as a world title contender rather than a faction member, and it was time to make his move.
The Rock Wins His First World Championship
With The Rock breaking away from the Nation of Domination, WWE decided to see if he was ready to be a world champion. This happened at Survivor Series 1998, where The Rock was in the Deadly Game tournament and fought Mr. McMahon's associate Mankind to win his first world championship.
This was when The Rock joined up with Mr. McMahon and became the top heel in WWE. However, he needed one more thing to be the main event star.
The Rock Feuds With Stone Cold
For anyone to become a superstar, they have to feud with a modern-day superstar and prove they are up to that task of looking like an equal. For The Rock, that man was Stone Cold Steve Austin.
The two men remained interconnected through their careers, fighting three different times at WrestleMania. As a world champion, he was at the time of the card, but thanks to his feud with Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock became one of the best of all-time.
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