The Undertaker’s commitment to risking his body for fans’ entertainment has solidified his legendary status, having collaborated with top names like The Rock. Surprisingly, The Undertaker has disclosed that he initially believed The Rock’s WWE career was destined for failure.
Prior to becoming The People’s Champ, The Rock embarked on his wrestling journey as Rocky Maivia at the 1996 Survivor Series. Despite initially portraying a clean-cut hero, fans were not receptive, and his career seemed to be heading downhill. It wasn’t until the unpredictable Attitude Era that his fortunes took a turn and he became the megastar that fans know and love today.
The Undertaker Initially Thought The Rock Would Fail In WWE
The Rock undeniably had a rough beginning in WWE, as the majority disliked his Rocky Maivia character. The infamous ‘Die, Rocky, Die‘ chants are unforgettable, especially for The Rock himself. Things truly got better for him once he joined The Nation of Domination and turned heel in the process.
During a discussion on his Six Feet Under podcast, The Undertaker reminisced about his initial skepticism regarding The Rock’s potential. Recalling Johnson’s early days at Madison Square Garden with a distinctive attire, The Undertaker expressed doubt about his chances and believed The Rock was destined for failure in WWE.
“I remember when (he was) coming out in the Garden (MSG) he had the funny colored thing on, and whole… I was like, this kid ain’t gonna make it, he’s got to change… no, he’s dead in the water.”
”He’s the American dream…he wanted to play football that fell through. There are a lot of times when something like that happens people cave and they never rebound and he was just always…even when I thought he sucked, he was always motivated. And he wasn’t like having a pity party, he was picking people’s brains and he was around the guys that knew what the hell was going on.”
Despite The Undertaker’s early skepticism, he acknowledged The Rock’s resilience, describing him as the American dream who, despite setbacks in his pursuit of football, remained motivated. Even when The Undertaker had reservations about him, The Rock stayed determined, seeking advice from those with experience in the industry.
The Rock Almost Derailed Cody Rhodes’ WrestleMania 40 Dreams
According to details provided by Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Cody Rhodes was initially told he would face Roman Reigns in the fall, with no indication of The Rock’s involvement until later, despite an agreement made on January 3rd.
Meltzer added further context, mentioning, “Any interview he did about concluding the story before the Rumble was with the idea that he was definitely in the match, even with the Rock rumors circulating.”
It was further reported that Cody Rhodes discovered The Rock’s involvement on the day of the Rumble, even though plans initially involved him winning the Rumble match. He was later informed that a match against Reigns would still occur, indicating that the post-match buildup wasn’t meant to surprise fans but rather to set the stage for a future encounter.
“For those curious about Rhodes’ awareness of the situation, he was told he would face Reigns in the fall. He wasn’t informed about The Rock’s involvement as part of his deal on January 3rd. So, any interview he did about concluding the story before the Rumble was with the understanding that he was definitely in the match, even with the circulating Rock rumors.”
Dave Meltzer added,
He learned on the day of the Rumble that Rock was facing Reigns, even though he was winning the Rumble. He was also told that they would be going to Reigns against him later, so all the post-match stuff building that match wasn’t there to surprise people as much as to build a later match. However, the fact that it was not going to be Reigns vs. Rhodes was kept secret from almost everyone (obviously, a few knew) because Rock wanted the angle the next Friday to be a surprise.”
Certain individuals within WWE knew about these changes before Cody Rhodes, but the details were kept confidential until the WrestleMania press conference. However, the trajectory of Cody Rhodes’ feud with The Bloodline in WWE remains uncertain, and fans will have to wait and see how it unfolds as we approach WrestleMania 40.
