5 Photos of The Rock he might prefer you didn't see

The Rock, for many, undeniably, is the most charismatic WWE Superstar of all time.

After all, you need only ask him yourself and he'd tell you - he's the most electrifying man in all of sports entertainment! The master of the People's Elbow, The Miami, Florida native is widely known throughout the world not only for his wrestling career but also for his blockbuster Hollywood career that's seen him establish himself as one of the biggest movie stars on the planet.

In the squared circle, he was a former WWE Champion and Intercontinental Champion among many, many other honors. At varying stages, he was the leader of the Nation of Domination, and the Corporate Champ, too.

This storied, almost unrivaled career seems a mighty long distance away from the fresh-faced third-generation Superstar who debuted in WWE in 1996 at Survivor Series, dominating an elimination tag team match on his way to securing victory for his team.

As ever, WWE's cameras (and others before them) have been following The Rock to ensure all the key moments of an incredible life were documented. Here, we've snared five images in particular that The Rock might prefer you didn't see. Naturally, there's only one place to start.

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#5. The Fanny Pack

There's only one place to start, right?

Any such snap collection of The Rock simply has to include this!

This is arguably the Holy Grail of all Rock photos and, when you look at it, its hard really to argue. The Great One himself has enjoyed retrospectively ridiculing himself for this photo in more recent years, but what wouldn't we give for a few minutes with this version of a young Dwayne Johnson?

The fanny pack is iconic, the chain is incredible, the turtle neck is beyond belief. The tissue under the elbow? Words fail! Rock has himself since revealed that the tissue was placed there to protect the turtle neck sweater he's wearing. And quite right! That's the People's Turtle Neck.

#4. 'Six-year-old girl'

The Rock and, well, The Rock! [Pic: Dwayne Johnson]

The Rock is a Third Generation Superstar, and his debut into the world of professional wrestling continued a rich family history in the industry. That began with his grandfather, the High Chief, Peter Miavia before Dwayne's father continued things further as Rocky Johnson.

Rocky (pappa Rock) is the subject of our next photo - here is is, pictured alongside his rather young son. Quite a way away from the picture that was painted by their appearance together at WrestleMania 13 in Chicago back in 1997 when The Rock was arguably the bigger of the two, this is a great throwback to Rock's childhood. It's also a throwback to when salmon pink suits were a thing, too.

Don't take that as a shade from us, though - The Rock fired a shot back at his previous self, stating in 2015 that his dad was "...lookin' like a straight G" while he, meanwhile, was "lookin' like a 6yr old girl"

We wouldn't quite go that far, Rock, but it sure is one heck of a photo!

#3. The Federation Debut

The Rock in his early WWE days

As we've mentioned, The Rock's incredible career in the public eye really began to take hold when he made his debut in the then-World Wrestling Federation (WWE) at the 1996 Survivor Series.

The pressure was piled on to the youngster straight away. Jim Ross talked up the prospects of this "blue chipper" as he made his way down to the ring to take part in an elimination tag team match at the world's most famous arena, Madison Square Garden in New York City. Rather than being overly fazed by the huge stage and audience, though, the young athlete seemed to thrive.

He was helped by the booking that night, of course - he was pegged as the hero of the match, turning back a two-on-one advantage to win the bout for his team, pinning Goldust and Crush at the climax.

Despite it all, though, what about that ring gear? We may know the Rock from his simple black trunks and occasional slogan t-shirt and a dripping wet, chiseled physique, the 1996 version was something else indeed. Being the self-deprecating gent he is, Rocky later also cringed at the memory of what he wore in these early days. One thing's for sure, those blue streamers and that floppy haircut certainly aren't missed by The Great One!

#2. Suited and Booted

The Rock, suited and booted... [Pic - University of Miami]

Though the largest majority people reading this will know The Rock from his incredible WWE career or his later body of work as a major Hollywood star, it is worth noting that Dwayne Johnson himself was actually a top-level athlete long before he ever stepped into the squared circle or in front of a movie camera.

After his high school education, The Rock took up a scholarship at the University of Miami, where he became part of their football team as a defensive tackle - taking his place in their 1991 National Championship side. Injuries sadly curtailed his career in the sport, but he would go on to excel at his studies before graduating in 1995.

A year later, of course, he arrived in WWE and, for Johnson, the rest was very much history. This fantastic album shot of The Rock, taken during his university days, a great look into the eyes of a young People's Champ. He may be slightly fuller in the face than many recognize, but that's likely nothing more than how he looked before the rigors and training of a professional wrestling career and later battles against the likes of Triple H and Stone Cold Steve Austin kicked in.

As for the 1990s suit and tie, though? We're not too sure that's very 'The Rock!'

#1. The Undertaker's biggest fan

The Rock and The Undertaker

We've noted in previous galleries that the advent of social media has played a merry hell with kayfabe - that being the art of maintaining the illusion that all we see and hear in the world of professional wrestling is real - most centrally the characters, storylines, and rivalries they're involved in.

Photos taken in the spur of the moment may breach kayfabe, but they are, for many fans, a fantastic and very rare way of getting a glimpse into the lives of their favorite Superstars, and more importantly, how they interact with one another when WWE's own television cameras aren't rolling.

This latest shot is another good example of that. This photo looks to have been taken around the time of The Undertaker's 1999 reign as WWE Champion. At the time, the Deadman was a heel, while The Rock was a babyface, battling the likes of Triple H. It's rare to see those roles and personas abandoned and, rest assured, Rock and Taker would never have been posing like this once the show was on the air!