WWE stars share favorite memories of The Rock on 25th anniversary of his WWE debut
By Ryan Satin
FOX Sports WWE Analyst
Twenty-five years ago today, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson made his WWE debut at Survivor Series '96.
On Nov. 17, inside New York’s legendary Madison Square Garden, a curly-haired, third-generation Superstar named Rocky Maivia walked to the ring with a smile on his face and blue tassels around his neck, then led the babyface team to victory in his first match for the company.
Over the course of the next two-and-a-half decades, he’d become one of the biggest stars in wrestling history and a box office juggernaut.
For some, that might be enough — but not for Dwayne Johnson.
The 49-year-old actor/wrestler has continued to branch out by becoming part-owner of the XFL, founder of a tequila brand, creator of an energy drink and CEO of a successful production company. Recently, he even recorded a hit rap song.
At this point, The Rock doesn’t just have millions [pause] AND MILLIONS of fans. He’s got at least a billion, and some even followed in his footsteps by becoming WWE Superstars.
So to commemorate the 25th anniversary of The Rock's WWE debut, I reached out to members of the Raw and Friday Night SmackDown rosters with one simple request: Tell me your favorite memory of The Rock.
That could be a promo, a match, a backstage segment, a moment witnessed live, a one-on-one interaction with "The Great One" himself or even something more personal — anything, as long as it included Dwayne Johnson.
The answers I received are a mix of classic moments from his career that’ll take you down memory lane and heart-warming anecdotes illustrating just how much The Rock means to the current crop of talent in WWE.
"It’s almost impossible to choose one Rock ‘moment,’ as the beauty of Rock was that he was a moment-creating machine. He showed the world we are so much more than just wrestlers. From being a top box office attraction and business mogul to potential future president, he’s done it all [while] being a good person.
"He’s an inspiration to every WWE Superstar.
"Moment-wise, if I had to pick, it would be a simple one, but it shows why our industry is so incredible: Rock/Hogan face-to-face in Toronto.
"The stadium losing their damn minds, and two generation-defining Superstars only having to slowly turn their heads left and right, controlling the audience with their every move — that’s what our business is all about."
"Twenty-five years ago, I sat in Madison Square Garden cheering on a debuting Rocky Maivia. He would go on to become one of my biggest inspirations.
"So many great memories come to mind when I think of The Rock, but Billy's prayer might be my favorite. Makes me laugh every time! ‘Bob?’"
"I’ve had many meaningful interactions with The Rock. The most special interaction I’ve had with him is the very first day of WrestleMania 37, when Tamina and I were the first women to compete in two matches for the Tag Team championships, the day all of us at WWE returned to having fans after the pandemic.
"The Rock sent a beautiful video to myself and Tamina Snuka about how proud he was of us for carrying on our family tradition as women in the industry and for us to keep reaching for our dreams and to enjoy the moment.
"I remember him saying, ‘It’s not about the wins or losses but the moments in our lives that truly mattered.
"It meant so much to me that he cared about us to drop everything he was doing to film a video for us when he’s one of the busiest humans on the planet. The Rock constantly proves to everyone that you’re never too important to spread love."
"I think I may have been the only child that had their mom make them a Rocky Maivia outfit. Yes, I'm talking about the one with the streamers hanging off his neck!
"A few years later (like many children during that time period), I also dressed like The Rock for Halloween, complete with $500 shirt. (It was a women's shirt we got from the thrift store, and a lot of people thought I was Elvis for some reason.)
"I don't know if this is a hot take or anything, but ‘Hollywood Rock’ is my absolute favorite version of The Rock. His backstage segments with The Hurricane are some of my favorites of all time. The culmination of all of those segments, resulting in a match on RAW back in 2003, was luckily in Cleveland, Ohio, where a 15-year-old Johnny Gargano was in attendance!"
"For me, it’s The Rock’s feud with The Hurricane.
"I’m a sucker for that kind of stuff. Give me Taka Michinoku vs. Triple H, Maven vs. Undertaker, 1-2-3 Kid vs. Razor Ramon. Hook it to my veins.
"In this instance, we were blessed with multiple weeks of fantastic backstage interactions featuring perfect comedic timing and a great payoff that elevated a beloved talent at no cost to a top star. Perfect."
"One of my favorite-ever stories in WWE was between The Rock and The Hurricane in early 2003. I loved the match they had and the backstage segments with them. It all started from a moment in a battle royal and ended with Hurricane pinning ‘The Great One’ in a match on Monday Night Raw.
"I thought it was a wonderful story that made me laugh so hard. I rooted for the hero and booed the villain. The Rock’s reactions to Hurricane were brilliant, and you hoped that Hurricane would prove him wrong!
"Beautiful storytelling."
"My favorite memory of The Rock was from the first WrestleMania I attended, WrestleMania 27, which The Rock was hosting. I remember that night going home and being so excited that The Rock was going to face John Cena the next year."
"One of my favorite Rock moments was when he was back in Miami and had THE U jersey on. Kurt Angle interrupted, and The Rock went in on him and made a Christmas story roasting him."
"The Rock was at RAW to do some filming for the ‘Fighting With My Family’ movie. At the time, I was part of the cruiserweight division, and we all pretty much knew to ‘stay out of the way.'
"Rock was walking by with a camera crew and was obviously busy, talking to multiple people about the upcoming shoot. He walks by all the cruisers, who are pretty much posted up against the wall to not be in his way. He stops, does a 180 and says hello to all of us. Shook everyone’s hand.
"Now, saying hello shouldn’t be a big deal, but when you’re brand-new and one of the biggest stars in the world treats you as a peer, it means something.
"Class act from him."
"The ‘This is Your Life’ segment with Mick Foley and how he roasted/crushed everyone that Mick Foley brought out to him.
"The return he had on SmackDown on Feb. 20, 2003. He returned with the leather vest and pants, then cut a heel promo on the Indianapolis audience.
"The Raw promo on Dec. 4, 2000, that he cut on all his opponents in the 6 Man Hell in a Cell. So funny. A part in there he mocks both Undertaker and Rikishi (for his reasoning for running Stone Cold over).
"SummerSlam 2001, him nipping up and Rock Bottoming Booker T to win the WCW Championship.
"The spear he took once Goldberg returned, and also their match.
"His promo challenging Hogan on Raw (Feb. 18, 2002) and their match at WMX8.
"So much more, but those are ones that stick out."
"I cannot understate this: The Rock is my idol.
"First time I met him, my legs wouldn’t stop shaking. Everything I’ve done in my TV and WWE career is to be like The Rock. He is the purest definition of being an entertainer — not just a sports entertainer. Just simply an entertainer. There is nothing he cannot make you want to watch. He’s the GOAT, and I’ll gladly die on that hill."
"Lots of people love The Rock’s later career, the catchphrases or his feuds (and friendships) with Austin or Foley. But for me, it was the evolution.
"I liked Rocky Maivia. I liked the outfit, the throwback to his father and grandfather. Then the turn, the joining of the Nation of Domination.
"I was like, 'Oh, I'm liking this more!' Then the personality shined through, and the character evolved. The whole process and watching it unfold, all the way to what it is now, the journey has been my favorite part of his career."
"One thing that stands out from Rock’s career, for me, is when he returned before King Of The Ring 2002, the week after [Steve] Austin left because he didn’t want to work Brock [Lesnar] on Raw.
"Nobody knew if Austin was ever coming back. We just knew he had walked out of Raw the week before. Vince came to the ring to address the controversy, and Rock made a surprise return that night after being gone for several months. He cut this super-passionate promo about Austin walking out on them and him being back.
"I remember up to that point, I wasn’t a huge fan of Rock because I never liked the arrogant types of character, but that night, he won me over big-time. His promo gave me goosebumps, and it came at a time when my all-time favorite wrestler had seemingly had his last match in WWE and quit."
"When I was a kid, there was a fence with two rails along my way home from the bus station. Every day, I would step on them like they were the ropes of a wrestling ring, holding up my arm, Rock-style, breathing in the imagined electricity that would be in the air when I would do this in front of the millions — AND MILLIONS — of fans myself one day.
"When I opened my eyes, this was my view.
"Thanks for the continued motivation, Rock."
Ryan Satin is a WWE analyst for FOX Sports. Satin previously appeared on FS1's "WWE Backstage" and founded Pro Wrestling Sheet, where he broke countless news stories as editor-in-chief.