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Vince McMahon allegedly agreed with a top WWE name who presented the idea of him turning heel.
The Rock's short-lived babyface run in WWE during the early stages of his career was a big flop. He was incredibly bland as a babyface, and fans had started getting tired of his gimmick.
WWE CEO Nick Khan recently told Bill Simmons that The Rock approached Vince McMahon and asked him to let him turn heel. Vince gave the green flag, and the rest is history.
Here's what Nick Khan said:
"When The Rock came in as Rocky Maivia, third-generation wrestler, smiling with the tassels from his arms. Boos throughout. Even worse than boos, no response. The worst. And then all of a sudden, and I've heard this story from both individuals involved, the story separately, from Vince and from Dwayne Johnson. Dwayne and Vince had a conversation at Madison Square Garden. Again, Rock was a face. And Rock said, 'Let me go out, let me do my thing, let me sort of talk like I talk.' And Vince said something to the effect of, 'Do it. Go, get'em.' And it was that night, the 'Rocky sucks' chants had already started, and all that stuff, where he sort of lit it up, and The Rock took fire." [1:40:22-1:41:10]
Vince McMahon and The Rock were the two biggest heels in WWE during the Attitude Era
The Rock's heel turn was a huge success, and he became one of the biggest bad guys in WWE history.
On the other hand, Vince was knocking it out of the park with the Mr. McMahon character.
McMahon and The Rock both feuded with some of the biggest babyfaces in WWE back then, notably Stone Cold Steve Austin.
On the RAW before WrestleMania 15 in 1999, Austin gave The Corporation (Vince McMahon, Shane McMahon, and The Rock) a beer bath in one of the most memorable moments in WWE history.
What would have happened if Vince hadn't allowed The Rock to turn heel back in the day?
Please credit The Bill Simmons Podcast and give a H/T to Sportskeeda if you use the quotes from this article!
