The stone‘s return to the wrestling scene in the last year has become one of the best comeback runs in Wow History. As of Bad Blood, The Rock is back again, and this time, seemingly targeting the trio of Cody Rhodes and former Bloodline mates Roman Reigns and Jimmy Uso. More will be revealed as the storyline continues to unfold, but it can be speculated that WWE is preparing audiences for another match with the final boss. Time will tell, but the idea brings to mind classic matches of old with the Rock.
The most electrifying man in sports entertainment has a wrestling career that stretches back to 28 years. Not everything he did in the ring struck a chord, but the Rock rarely missed an opportunity to leave his audience satisfied. From WrestleMania main events to rare gems, these are the matches every Dwayne Johnson fan should see at least once.
10
The Rock vs. Chris Jericho – WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match
No Mercy 2001
It’s a testament to The Rock’s natural charisma to see how he got through his promo work, but it’s not talked about enough like He was able to overcome other people through his in-ring work. Take his 2001 feud with Chris Jericho for example, at a time when Y2J was still steadily rising to the main event scene.
As much as the Rock is easy to love, crowds everywhere adore Jericho, which is why Rocky took an unprecedented (for the time, given how over he was) heel approach. The more The Rock hammered that Jericho would never win the big one, the more people wanted to see him win his first world title. The groundwork that Rock set during the match with Jericho Established Jericho Fest as a main eventPaving the way for his undisputed title reign.
9
The Rock vs. Kurt Angle – WWE Championship Match
No way out 2001
This was WWE’s last PPV before WrestleMania X-7. With Stone Cold Steve Austin winning the Royal Rumble the month before, it seemed obvious that The Rock would win the title back at No Way Out to set up a Mania main event rematch. that is, Rock and Kurt Angle somehow managed to produce a match filled with tension That’s feels like it’s anyone’s ball game.
Kurt Angle has a reputation as someone who can have a great match with anyone, and this is no different. What’s especially impressive is that on a night when stone cold Steve Austin had one of his best matches against Triple H in a Three Stages of Hell bout, the WWE title could easily have been overshadowed, but Angle and Rock still managed to have a match worth talked about.
8
The Rock vs. Triple H – Iron Man Match for the WWE Championship
Judgment Day 2000
This will not be the last time Rock vs Triple H will be seen on this list. After all, the two have always been involved in each other’s careers. As a result, some of their best matches are against each other (Special shoutout to their oft-forgotten Ladder Match for the Intercontinental Championship at SummerSlam 1998). This match is no different, as the two competitors once again bring out the best in each other.
This match is textbook Attitude Era, starring Two of the definitive superstars of the era. Shenanigans galore, soap opera drama (in this case, revolving around the involvement of DX and Shawn Michaels as the special referee), twists and turns (Undertaker officially debuting his American Badass character), and of course, the endless carnage. If anyone is looking for a match that oozes attitude, this is a must-see.
7
The Rock vs Brock Lesnar – WWE Championship Match
Summerslam 2002
On its own merits, this ranks up there as one of the best SummerSlam main events ever, but it’s the significance of the match that really ranks it a step above what it already is. The Rock was on his way out as a full-time superstar in favor of going Hollywood, while Brock Lesnar was literally touted as the next big thing. Heading into the biggest match of his then short career, all eyes were on Lesnar to see how he would perform on the big stage.
;The Rock goes out of his way to make Brock look strongAnd the result is Brock Solid. It also helps that despite the WWE Champion going into the match as a babyface and Lesnar as a monster heel, the crowd didn’t like to know that Rock was leaving WWE for Hollywood. Understanding the atmosphere, Rock was able to dress in his heel side on the fly, which wouldn’t be the first time he’d done it in a big-time match on short notice.
6
The Rock vs. Kurt Angle vs. The Undertaker – Triple Threat Match for the WWE Championship
Revenge 2002
There was a time when this match was held in high regard as The best Triple Threat match in WWE history. While matches like Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena vs. Seth Rollins and Sheamus vs. Gunther vs. Drew McIntyre seemed to have taken the crown in recent years, this match is still fondly remembered. Some would still argue that this match provides the template for what every triple threat should look like. Non-stop action from bell to bell, with everyone having a chance to go at each other.
Furthermore, the star power involved amplifies this to another level. Three men who have spent the last few years at the top of the main event picture sharing the ring is not something to be overlooked. They are also able to make their wildly different styles click, and the result is a fast-paced bout dense with emotion, with fans kept on the edge of their seats the entire time.
5
The Rock vs. John Cena – Singles Match
WrestleMania XXVIII
Every generation of wrestling fans has at least a handful of dream matches in their minds, but it’s rare that those matches ever come to fruition. There was a time when John Cena vs. The Rock would be one of those unlikely match-ups, because at that point, Dwayne Johnson was deep into a successful Hollywood career and was away from WWE for seven years as a result. Rock’s return to host WrestleMania 27 and interruption of the main event inspired new hope that the match is possible.
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Fast forward to a year later, and The Rock had his first singles match in nine years. It may not be the most technically sound match on the list, But the sheer spectacle, atmosphere and fanfare alone are what make this match feel special. This is the definition of sports entertainment, doing so much with so little. They tried to produce the same effect in a rematch at the following year’s Mania main event, but it just didn’t have the same impact.
4
The Rock and Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins – Tag Team Match
WrestleMania XL
There has been a lot of fanfare surrounding The Rock’s return to the ring in 2024, but more importantly, a lot of doubt. The Rock looked visibly winded after a basic spinebuster/men’s elbow combo to Jinder Mahal on a January 1, 2024 segment on Monday Night Raw, and that was enough to convince some readers that the 52-year-old should stay out of the Ring.
The cancer repelled all his critics On night one of WrestleMania XL. Even going into this match, everyone thought Roman would take the brunt of the offense so The Rock wouldn’t need to be in the ring much, but no. This was practically a tornado tag team match as all four men brawled across the arena. It was as fun and frenetic to witness as a typical Attitude Era match, and added drama to Roman Reigns’ title match with Cody the next night. When emotion, storytelling and great in-ring action collide, the result is a spectacle like this.
3
The Rock vs Triple H – WWE Championship Match
Backlash 2000
In retrospect, this is the match that audiences probably should have gotten the month before at WrestleMania 2000, where The Rock was one of four participants in a losing effort against Triple H for the WWE Championship. Backlash is where Trips and Rocky revisited their one-on-one feud, but because it comes at the peak of the Attitude Era, the two were able to recapture the same synergy—as far as chemistry and crowd atmosphere—that WrestleMania produced.
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This time, audiences got the happy ending they wanted, as well as the long-awaited return of Stone Cold Steve Austin from injury. For all the pomp and circumstance it produced, This is by far The Rock’s best match with Triple HAnd the only thing that would have made it better is if it happened at WrestleMania 2000.
2
The Rock vs. Rock Cold Steve Austin – No Disqualification Match for the WWE Championship
WrestleMania X-Seven
As much as The Rock constantly butted heads with Triple H, His feud with Stone Cold Steve Austin is the definitive rivalry of his career. Heck, Austin vs. Rock is the definitive rivalry for a generation of wrestling. Their matches against each other make for some of the best matches in anyone’s catalog and it can be argued that multiple matches from their feud should be included on this list.
However, if only one has to be chosen, it has to be their shocking, chaotic second bout in their WrestleMania trilogy. From that moment the match was Suddenly announced as a No DQ match without warning Or reason before the bell, there was intrigue that made this match feel different from their WrestleMania XV encounter. No one was prepared for the plot twist at the end, and no one expected it to be The perfect finale for the Attitude Era as a whole.
1
The Rock vs. Hollywood Hulk Hogan – Singles Match
WrestleMania X-8
The dream match to end all dream matches. Everything that was said about John Cena vs. The Rock before applies here, with the caveat that Hogan vs Rock set the template for what a dream match should be. The long pause stare down. The silence over the crowd waited, anticipating the first time the two gladiators would connect. The slow, growing eruption of the crowd indulging in the size of a confrontation they never thought would happen. And that’s all before they actually touch each other.
WWE tried to recapture the same magic at the following year’s No Way Out with the dynamic flip – a heel Hollywood Rock vs. a babyface Hulk Hogan – but it still couldn’t compare. In fact, knowing that the Toronto crowd’s unexpected cheers for Hogan forcing The Rock to work heel makes their Mania match all the more impressive. It is the best of the rock Wow match, and for a lot of fans, their favorite wrestling match ever.