6 Storylines that saved WWE Superstars' careers
It's incredible to think of how small moments could have changed the course of WWE history. The beauty of wrestling is that all it takes is one organic moment, a right decision, or a spark in the crowd that allows a superstar to take off.
In many cases, WWE Superstars' careers have been saved because of a good and timely storyline. Here are six big names whose WWE careers were saved by a storyline:
#6. The Rock - The Nation of Domination was a stepping stone to WWE megastardom
Let's be clear - Dwayne Johnson was destined for WWE success from day one. The son of legendary WWE Hall of Famer Rocky Johnson, The Rock had to struggle for years in life before getting his break with WWE, then known as WWF.
He debuted at Survivor Series 1996 as a "white-meat babyface" known as Rocky Maivia. Colorful from head to toe, Maivia was dressed in ribbons, and the 24-year-old would make a great impression in his first bout.
He won the Survivor Series match that he debuted in and received praise from the crowd, all while Vince McMahon and the rest of the commentary team were continuously hyping up the young prospect.
He and WWE probably didn't realize that reaching the top wouldn't be as straightforward a route as they thought. He found Championship success in WWE within less than half a year of his debut. Despite this, he found himself getting booed as a babyface.
As we've seen several times in the years since then, babyfaces getting booed isn't a particularly surprising thing. It mostly has to do with WWE fans rejecting a babyface character and not connecting with the authenticity, or lack of it. After getting "Die Rocky Die!" chants, a knee injury in 1997 would end up being the best thing that could have happened to The Rock at the time.
Vince McMahon decided to look at things from a fresh perspective upon Rocky's return and pitched the idea of him turning heel and joining The Nation of Domination. According to The Rock, the reason for this was that McMahon wanted him to have an organic rise to the top, which meant allowing fans to boo him and allow him to get over organically.
That's exactly what happened. Rocky Maivia turned into The Rock and joined The Nation of Domination. While this isn't the most highlighted or celebrated part of his WWE career, it was the big stepping stone that The Rock needed to get to the level that he was meant to reach.
As it turns out, an organic rise to the top helped, and the rest is history. Today, The Rock is one of the biggest movie stars on the planet.