One of The Rock's first opponents recalls criticizing the WWE legend

Before The Rock debuted on WWE television as Rocky Maivia, the wrestling legend faced former Nation of Domination member Wolfie D in Memphis. In a recent interview, Wolfie D recalled how he once raised doubts about his opponent's wrestling ability during a match.

The Rock, real name Dwayne Johnson, teamed up with Brickhouse Brown against Wolfie D and Jamie Dundee in an untelevised match in 1996. The bout took place in Jerry Lawler's United States Wrestling Association (USWA) promotion.

On The Hannibal TV, Wolfie D said he spoke to his tag team partner about the up-and-coming star's lack of in-ring skills:

"I gave him a hip toss. He puts his hand down, does a cartwheel, and lands on his back (...) I go over to the corner, look at Jamie, and I said, 'Rocky Johnson's son?' He said, 'Yeah.' I said, 'F**k, he s*cks [laughs].'" [0:30 – 0:51]

Wolfie D is best remembered for his PG-13 tag team with Jamie Dundee. They appeared in several wrestling companies in the 1990s, including ECW, WCW, and WWE.

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How The Rock improved in the ring

Before his on-screen WWE debut, Dwayne Johnson received extra in-ring training from one-time Tag Team Champion Dr. Tom Prichard.

Wolfie D believes his former opponent improved significantly in the ring thanks to Prichard's help:

"Now look at him, so I got egg all over my face, but that's a true story. You just don't know, man, but he got hooked up with Tom Prichard, and they weren't gonna let him fail." [0:54 – 1:03]

In November 1996, The Rock made his televised main roster debut at Survivor Series. He became one of the greatest WWE stars of all time before reducing his in-ring schedule in 2002 to focus on acting.

Do you have any favorite memories of Dwayne Johnson in WWE? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Please credit The Hannibal TV and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.