3 Times The Rock stole the spotlight from others in WWE
WWE has had many fantastic and memorable performers throughout its 70-year history. While many of the stars of World Wrestling Entertainment have gone on to find success elsewhere, only one has truly captivated the world outside of wrestling to the greatest extent possible: The Rock.
While in World Wrestling Entertainment, The Final Boss has won 17 titles, 10 of which are world championships. He has also headlined multiple WrestleManias and other premium live events.
Outside of the company, he has become a juggernaut in Hollywood. He is one of the highest-paid actors of all time and has had huge success on the big screen and on television, with programs such as Young Rock and various hosting duties.
With The Rock's star power, World Wrestling Entertainment will use him any chance. Unfortunately, there can be drawbacks to this at times. There have been a handful of examples where The Final Boss returned to the Sports Entertainment titan and ultimately stole the spotlight away from the active stars.
This article will examine three instances in which The Rock stole the spotlight from other performers on RAW or SmackDown. This includes a few major WrestleMania angles and the end of a legendary title reign.
#3. He stole the spotlight from The Miz when he was the WWE Champion
2011 was a banner year for The Miz. He had just cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase to become WWE Champion for the first time. As if that wasn't enough, he was set to main event WrestleMania against John Cena. The world was watching The A-Lister, but then The Rock returned to WWE.
The People's Champion was revealed as the special guest host of WrestleMania. From there, he became the special referee for John Cena vs. The Miz. This shifted much of the focus from building Cena and The A-Lister's issues with each other to how The Rock may impact the match.
The Miz won the bout, but it was just thanks to The Rock. From there, The People's Champion and John Cena used that part of the story to build up huge WrestleMania main events two years in a row.
The move was best for business, but The Miz was ultimately just a tiny footnote in what became a story of The Rock and John Cena. There is no doubt that The People's Champion stole his spotlight.
#2. The Rock stole the spotlight from CM Punk
2011 changed the trajectory of CM Punk's WWE career. While he dabbled as a top guy before this year, the infamous Pipebomb promo and feud with John Cena allowed The Straight Edge Superstar to reach new heights.
Eventually, Punk became the WWE Champion and had an incredible reign lasting 434 days. He was seemingly poised to compete in two different WrestleMania events during the same championship reign, but The Rock halted that.
To build up to The Rock vs. John Cena II, The People's Champion challenged Punk for the world title at the 2013 Royal Rumble. The Rock won the belt, ended CM Punk's long reign, and defeated The Voice of the Voiceless again in February.
While Punk still had an important role at WrestleMania, his dream of headlining The Show of Shows was crushed thanks to The Rock taking the spotlight. Realistically, The People's Champion did not need another world title, but that's how The Rock was booked.
#1. The Final Boss tried to steal Cody Rhodes' spot this year
While the previous two examples of The Rock taking somebody's spotlight happened well over a decade ago, the latest incident occurred earlier this year. Most WWE fans likely know about it, but The Rock attempted to take Cody Rhodes' spot at WrestleMania XL.
The American Nightmare won the 2024 Men's Royal Rumble Match and was seemingly set to challenge Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Championship. This match was crucial, as Cody had lost last year and spent a year preparing to finally dethrone the champion. Enter The Rock.
The Final Boss shows up on SmackDown after the Royal Rumble, and Cody gives him the main event spot. It was going to be The Rock vs. Roman Reigns instead. Thankfully, fan backlash was too strong to ignore this time.
The Rock and Roman Reigns ultimately united instead of fighting, and Cody Rhodes eventually got his crowning moment. Still, for about a week, The Rock stole The American Nightmare's spotlight, and if not for the fans, Cody may not have had the epic WrestleMania moment that he did.