The 2024 return of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to WWE was met with a mixed reaction as some fans were excited, some were miserable, and some were left wondering about The Rock’s last championship and run in wrestling. Although he’s much better known as a huge movie star now, The Rock did get his start in pro wrestling where he amassed a legendary career that saw him win a whopping 10 world championships from 1998 through 2013. His most recent return nearly saw him add another World Title run to his ledger as he was set to challenge his cousin Roman Reigns for the top prize.
Despite being a beloved legend in WWE, the crowd wanted no part of The Rock in a World Title match, sticking with Cody Rhodes who they had been cheering for to win it all since he returned to the company in 2022. Many fans would rather The Rock go back to making movies while others want him around but not competing for titles. So, while The Rock may or may not win another World Title, his career is already filled with a storied history of him both winning and losing the title that marks you as the top male in the pro wrestling business.
After flopping hard during his initial WWE run as a clean-cut good guy, Rocky Maivia was reinvented as The Rock, a swaggering member of the Nation of Domination. He excelled in the role and grew popular enough for WWE to turn him back into a babyface heading into Survivor Series 1998. The vacant WWE Title was on the line in a one-night tournament and with Stone Cold Steve Austin eliminated, The Rock won it all by beating Mankind in the main event but got help from the McMahon family, turning villainous again.
The Rock spent the next month or so as the Corporate Champion. He got help from fellow members of the Corporation and was the ideal champion for the McMahons as his personality, look, and family lineage made him the perfect guy to build a company around. However, Mankind refused to stay down, challenging The Rock several times for the gold. On the January 4th, 1999 episode of Raw, he succeeded with the help of Austin in an iconic moment.
Considering how much the McMahons made sure to keep The Rock at the top of the company, it lined up that they wasted no time in getting him a rematch against Mankind. The deranged Mankind added a stipulation that it would be an I Quit match, where you can only win when your opponent gives up. Known for never quitting, Mankind was seemingly guaranteed a win but The Rock battered him with brutal chair shots to the skull and won his second World Title at Royal Rumble 1999.
Ultimately though, this was a tainted win as it was revealed that Mankind never said “I quit,” they only played a recording of him doing so to trick the crowd. Mankind was granted another opportunity at The Rock, and the future Heels actor Mick Foley faced The Rock in an Empty Arena match during Halftime of the Super Bowl in a special called Halftime Heat. With the help of a forklift, Mankind pinned The Rock to end the reign.
The legendary rivalry between The Rock and Mankind continued throughout early 1999, including a Last Man Standing match at St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. However, they bout resulted in a draw when neither man could get up at the count of 10. They had one final rematch the next night on Raw in a Ladder match. Thanks to help from the Corporation again, The Rock retrieved the title to start his third reign as a Black WWE Champion.
With Mankind officially in his rearview mirror, The Rock moved on to his greatest foe. Steve Austin earned a shot at The Rock’s WWE Title by winning the Royal Rumble, so the two collided at WrestleMania XV in the main event. The Corporation stacked the deck against Stone Cold but he overcame the odds and dethroned The Rock to win his third World Title.
Mankind, Stone Cold, and Triple H were the three best rivals The Rock had during his initial time with WWE. After turning back into a babyface, The Rock became the company’s top good guy (especially with Austin injured at the time). The Rock came up just shy of ending Triple H’s reign of terror at WrestleMania 2000 but got one more shot a month later at Backlash. With help from his old foe Austin, The Rock bested Triple H to win his fourth World Title and first as a babyface.
Similar to his feud with Mankind, The Rock traded the World Title with Triple H during 2000. After an epic bout at Backlash, Triple H got his rematch at Judgment Day but in a special Ironman match. The two competed to see who could rack up the most wins in 60 minutes and this time, it was HHH who got help from the McMahons as he scored a tainted win to end The Rock’s reign.
The Rock’s rivalry with Triple H and the McMcahons boiled over to the point where Vince and Shane stepped into the ring against him. Triple H teamed with his father and brother-in-law against The Rock, Kane, and The Undertaker at King of the Ring with the odd stipulation that Triple H’s World Title was on the line. Due to that caveat, The Rock was able to win the World Title by pinning Vince McMahon, a non-wrestler.
That marked the end of The Rock and Triple H’s feud for the time being, allowing him to move on and face new challengers. Among them was Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle, who was in the midst of the best rookie year in wrestling history. Angle capped that historic run by beating The Rock for his first World Title at No Mercy 2000 with the help of Stephanie McMahon.
Nobody found a way to stop Kurt Angle’s success in late 2000 as the star sent back challenges from Triple H, The Undertaker, and even The Rock himself. However, a month before WrestleMania, The Rock earned one more one-on-one opportunity at Angle and he made the most of it. At No Way Out 2001, The Rock beat Angle to win his sixth World Title and set the stage for an epic.
Steve Austin won the Royal Rumble match, putting him on a collision course with The Rock in a rematch from two years prior. This time around though, both men were good guys and the most popular wrestlers in the world. It was a true clash of the titans and a desperate Austin got help from Vince McMahon to beat The Rock, screwing him out of the World Title.
Although he never officially competed for WCW when it was open, The Rock actually is a former WCW World Champion. After the company folded and got bought out by WWE, an invasion storyline began, meaning WCW Champions faced WWE superstars and vice versa. Included in that rivalry was a returning The Rock (fresh off of filming The Mummy Returns) dethroning Booker T to win his first WCW Title and seventh World Title.
The Rock carried the WCW Title with pride even as a WWE competitor. He entered a friendly rivalry with Chris Jericho that quickly turned more serious and violent. It led to one of The Rock’s best matches ever at No Mercy 2001 where Jericho bested him for the WCW Title. It was the first of several memorable bouts between the two future legends and an odd one as WWE guys fought for a WCW Title.
As noted, Chris Jericho and The Rock embarked on a memorable feud that saw both men bring out the best in each other. The Rock earned a rematch at the WCW Title on an episode of Raw on November 5th, 2001, where he successfully defeated Jericho to win his second WCW Championship. The two continued to wage war and feud throughout the rest of 2001 despite being on the WWE side of things.
The issues got so heated between them that Jericho even attacked The Rock in a match where WWE’s future was on the line. WWE won out in the end but Jericho and Rock had two matches left to finish their rivalry. First, Jericho beat The Rock at Vengeance 2001 to eventually become the Undisputed Champion before Jericho then beat him again at Royal Rumble 2002.
By the time 2002 rolled around, The Rock was a bonafide superstar who was already breaking out in Hollywood. With him barely around anymore, nobody really expected him to win another World Title. The Rock wasn’t to be counted out though, finding himself against Kurt Angle and WWE Champion The Undertaker at Vengeance 2002. The Rock shocked many by winning his ninth World Title that night.
This was ultimately a short reign for The Rock as he dropped the title one month later to Brock Lesnar. As the main event of SummerSlam, the match was a huge deal and many viewed it as the future of the company (Lesnar’s win made him the youngest World Champion ever) against the past. It was a passing of the torch moment as The Rock’s time as a full-time wrestler was coming to an end.