'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
With eight WWE world title reigns and millions of fans around the world, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has cemented his legacy as one of the greatest wrestling personalities of all time.
However, did you know that he almost followed up his back-to-back WrestleMania matches against John Cena with a blockbuster match against another Superstar at WrestleMania XXX? And have you ever heard where his “jabroni” insult originated from?
Only Sportskeeda gives you the latest Wrestling News, rumors and updates.
In this article, let’s take a look at five interesting backstage stories about The Rock that you might not have heard before.
#5 He met Hulk Hogan backstage as a kid
One of the greatest WWE backstage stories was told by The Rock himself during an interview with Kevin McCarthy, which you can see below, in 2017.
“The Most Electrifying Man In Sports Entertainment” revealed that he was sat at ringside during a match between Hulk Hogan and Paul Orndorff in the 1980s and, much to his delight, he caught Hogan’s headband.
Later in the night, he went backstage and showed the headband to his dad, Rocky Johnson, before introducing himself to Hogan, who took the headband back without knowing how much a young Dwayne Johnson wanted to keep it.
A few weeks later, “The Hulkster” had thousands of headbands made, so he signed one and gave it to Rocky Johnson to send back to the boy we now know as The Rock.
#4 He was supposed to face Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania XXX
The Rock appeared at all six WrestleMania events between 2011 and 2016, competing in three matches (John Cena x2 and Erick Rowan x1) and featuring mostly in promo segments at the other three events.
One of his most memorable promos during those years came in 2014 at WrestleMania XXX, where he kicked off the show in New Orleans with fellow legends Steve Austin and Hulk Hogan.
However, “The People’s Champion” let fans in on the original backstage plans for the event during a Twitter Q&A a few months before the show, revealing that the initial idea was for him to face Brock Lesnar in a one-on-one match.
Who knows, if Rock vs. Brock happened, perhaps ‘The Streak’ never would have been broken!
#3 He gave The Miz advice about acting
Unless you’re 2008 John Cena or 2011 CM Punk, it seems nobody in WWE has a bad word to say about The Rock – an idol to many of today’s performers, including eight-time Intercontinental champion The Miz.
“The A-Lister” has based much of his character on the man he grew up watching – just look at some old Real World clips on YouTube for proof! – so it was only natural that he would try to get in touch with WWE’s most successful actor when he starred in his first movie, The Marine 3.
Miz revealed to Inverse in 2017 that he sent a text to The Rock on the day of his first scene asking if he had any acting advice. Less than a minute later, the box-office star called him back and the two spoke about the industry for the next half an hour.
#2 The origins of ‘The Rock’ character
With his hilarious wit and electrifying skills on the mic, The Rock overcame hostile fan reactions early on in his WWE career to become one of the company’s greatest-ever entertainers.
His captivating promos were unlike anything anybody else was doing during the Attitude Era, but did you know that he actually has Jim Ross and The Iron Sheik to thank for two of his signature phrases?
Ex-producer Bruce Prichard revealed on his Something To Wrestle With podcast in 2017 that it was former commentator Jim Ross who gave Rock the idea to speak in the third person, while “The Great One” told Esquire in 2015 that he continually used the word “jabroni” because it was something Sheik often said backstage.
#1 Why he sold the Stone Cold Stunner so theatrically
Steve Austin’s Stone Cold Stunner is one of the most iconic finishers in the history of professional wrestling/sports entertainment – and nobody sold the move quite like his greatest WrestleMania rival, The Rock.
In 2017, “The Great One” finally explained why he used to kick his legs so high and end up halfway across the ring after receiving a Stunner from “The Rattlesnake”, revealing on Twitter that the two would bet cases of beer on how crazily he could sell the move!
Do you have any other interesting backstage stories that you would like to share with us? Sound off in the comments section below.
