The Rock made a special request to Vince McMahon after agreeing to major change

The Rock
The Rock is a former WWE Champion (source: WWE.com)

The Rock is one of the greatest WWE stars of all time. He revealed a special request he once made to Vince McMahon.

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When The Rock first debuted in the WWE, he was a smiling baby face. Despite being a good in-ring performer, the fans didn't take to his gimmick, and they let him hear it. Hence, when The Great One returned from injury, he turned heel and quickly became the biggest star in the company.

During a recent interview with NPR.org, The Rock recalled when he was told he was going to turn heel. He remembers having a conversation with Vince McMahon and requesting the former WWE Chairman to give him five minutes on the microphone so that he could let fans know how they made him feel.

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"I get the call from WWE ... "Hey, after your injury, when you heal up at the end of the summer, we're gonna bring you back as a heel." And I had a conversation again with Vince McMahon and I said, "I love that. I just love any kind of change up here, but I have one request. ... I would love five minutes on the microphone so I can express what these past eight months have been to me and how it's affected me and how now I'm gonna utilize that in the ring as a heel." … He goes, "I'll give you two minutes." ..."
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He further added that he went on to become the hottest heel in the company pretty quickly, which was a defining moment for him.

"I became a heel that night. And within three months, I became the hottest heel in the company. And the ascension happened pretty quick. But that moment was so defining for me, because it really allowed me to step into my power." [H/T npr.org]
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The Rock recalls the last conversation he had with his father

The Rock is the son of legendary wrestler Rocky Johnson. He was very close to his father. However, there was a rift between them after his father released his memoir "Soulman: The Rocky Johnson Story," which contained quotes from The Great One that gave his father credit for his success. These quotes were not true.

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During the same interview, the WWE legend said he had a heated conversation with his father regarding the quotes. This was the last conversation they had before Rocky Johnson passed away.

"We had a conversation and it was a heated conversation. I was very upset and he knew it. And he didn't have an answer for it, other than "I'm sorry." And I did do that. There's no lawsuits or anything like that. But [I told him] I'm going to get these removed off the shelves. And he said, "OK, I understand." … We weren't talking. And that happened around Christmas time. … That was the last time we spoke and then he died. He died about two weeks later. And he wasn't sick, he wasn't bedridden. He just, he just died. And that became something that I had to continue to work through. …"

The Rock is set to star in The Smashing Machine, which will release on October 3, 2025.

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Edited by Sunil Joseph
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