"I thought he would be nothing" – WWE Legend recalls his first impression of The Rock (Exclusive)
WWE legend Steve Lombardi, aka The Brooklyn Brawler, recently spoke about being the first man in the company to lock horns with The Rock.
The two men stepped into a WWE ring in early 1996 during a house show. The company did not televise the match. The up-and-comer won the match and later went on to become one of the greatest superstars in the wrestling industry.
In an exclusive interview with Bill Apter for Sportskeeda Wrestling, the veteran mentioned that he considered Rocky a jock when he first saw him as an adult. He wasn't sure whether the third-generation superstar would succeed in the business.
"When I had first seen Rock as an adult, I knew him when he was young, but as an adult, he just came back from the Canadian Football League. I said, 'Oh, another jock.' Every jock I ever wrestled would always flop. I've wrestled bodybuilders, I've wrestled so many different people. I thought he was going to be a flash in the pan. I thought he would be nothing. What I did was, I took him to the side, I said, 'Rock, this, this, this and this.' He never said nothing," Steve mentioned.
Lombardi recalled reading The Rock's book to discover that he had taken his advice seriously.
"Later in his book, he wrote: 'I was blessed enough to have Steve Lombardi in my very first match. He did not know that I went in the corner and wrote every word he said down on a napkin and I memorized it.' We went in the ring and he hit every high spot, every move, everything." (From 3:27 - 4:30)
You can watch the complete interview here:
When was The Rock's first televised match?
The Rock's official in-ring debut and first televised match with the company was at Survivor Series 1996 in Madison Square Garden, New York.
Billed as Rocky Maivia, the star came out to team up with the likes of Jake 'The Snake' Roberts, Marc Mero, and Barry Windham (AKA The Stalker) against the team of Jerry "The King" Lawler, Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Crush, and Goldust. Rocky went on to win the match for his team and was the sole survivor.
For Dwayne Johnson's 50th birthday, we throw it back to 1996 when he made his WWE debut as Rocky Maivia 🤩 @TheRock
(via @WWE) https://t.co/znHYv5hG7c
Were you aware of the story behind The Rock's first match with The Brooklyn Brawler? Let us know in the comments section below.
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