"You're either going to sink or swim" - The Rock reveals conversation he had with Vince McMahon in WWE

The Rock has revealed the conversation that he had with Vince McMahon in WWE. The Brahma Bull found success in the sports entertainment juggernaut under McMahon, propelling him to the heights of Hollywood later in his career.

The Final Boss is set to star in The Smashing Machine, a biopic based on the life of MMA fighter Mark Kerr. The Rock sat down with Kerr for an interaction on Sports Illustrated as the two icons talked about their respective journeys.

The WWE star brought up his debut match at Survivor Series 1996 at Madison Square Garden and how he was put over by his fellow wrestlers. He then recalled a conversation he had with Vince ahead of the show, where his former employer gave him an ultimatum.

"Vince came to me earlier that afternoon, and he goes, 'Do you know what the finish of the match is?' I go, 'No.' He goes, 'You're going over.' 'The whole thing? He goes, 'The whole thing. You're either going to sink or swim, and this is going to be a baptism by fire,'" he revealed.

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At Survivor Series 1996, he debuted as Rocky Maivia and teamed up with Jake Roberts, Marc Mero, and The Stalker to take on Jerry Lawler, Crush, Goldust, and Triple H in a 4-on-4 traditional Survivor Series elimination match.

The match ended with The Rock standing tall as the Sole Survivor after eliminating Crush and Goldust at the end.

The Rock had to ultimately turn heel in WWE

While The Rock debuted as a third-generation babyface in WWE, the fans remained unconvinced. The live crowds would boo him as he struggled to get over early in his career.

After suffering an injury, he returned as a heel and joined the Nation of Domination. This proved to be a pivotal point in his career, as his mic work made him popular and he found his footing.

He would then go on to have memorable feuds with the likes of Triple H, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and The Undertaker, among others, as he established his legacy in pro wrestling.

If you use quotes from this article, please credit Sports Illustrated and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.

About the author

Sherjeel Malik is a writer at Sportskeeda and covers pro wrestling. He was hooked on the product from the moment he saw The Hardy Boyz jumping off ladders during the Attitude Era. While he comes from an engineering background, Sherjeel’s love for pro wrestling and content writing led him to pursue a career in sports journalism. Before assuming his current role at Sportskeeda, Sherjeel worked at other reputable organizations for five years.

While writing articles, he ensures that he only relies on credible sources for information and covers relevant subjects that do not project an agenda against a particular person or association. WWE legend Paul Heyman once shared Sherjeel’s work on his social media handle.

Sherjeel’s earliest memory of pro wrestling is watching Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Undertaker square off for the WWE Title in the main event of a pay-per-view in 1998. His favorite wrestlers are Randy Orton and Jeff Hardy. While he admires Orton for his character work as a heel, he looks up to Jeff because of his unique wrestling style and risk-taking ability.

If he could go back to the Attitude Era, Sherjeel would like to manage Ken Shamrock and be his mouthpiece. He feels Shamrock’s promo skills prevented him from becoming a main event-level act in WWE. Hence, he would like to help the UFC Hall of Famer get over with fans.

When not writing about pro wrestling, he likes to read classics and fiction books.

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Edited by Sherjeel Malik