The Rock jokes about his "awful haircut" when talking about the 25-year anniversary of his WWE debut
The Rock recently poked fun at his haircut while looking back on his match at Survivor Series 1996.
It's been 25 years since The Rock made his WWE debut. It was November 17th, 1996, when the young Rocky Maivia made his debut for WWE. 25 years later, he's retired from professional wrestling and is among the biggest movie stars of the 21st century.
The Rock put out a tweet reflecting on his journey 25 years ago, admitting that it has been a wild and unpredictable journey. He also mocked his hair upon his WWE debut:
Wow 25yrs ago I wrestled my first match in @wwe in Madison Square Garden. Shaking my head right now. What a wild, unpredictable road I’ve been on. So many people to thank along the way. Especially the fans. Love U guys. Humbled by this journey. Wtf’s up with my awful haircut
🤣🤦🏽♂️ twitter.com/espn/status/14…
Rocky Maivia made his debut at Madison Square Garden in a 4-on-4 elimination match at Survivor Series. He teamed up with Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Marc Mero, and The Stalker to defeat Crush, Jerry Lawler, Goldust, and Hunter Hearst Helmsley (Triple H before he became The Game).
Maivia was the sole survivor of his team, pinning Goldust at the end to pick up the victory. While he received big "Rocky" chants that night, things went downhily when fans started to see him pushed as a white-meat babyface.
It took an injury for Vince McMahon to realize that a heel turn was needed. Rocky Maivia was gone, and The Rock was born.
How a heel turn might be responsible for The Rock's success today
THANK YOU for making #RedNotice’s opening day the biggest in Netflix film history!
#RedNotice is now streaming, only on @Netflix. https://t.co/4mK4F5H8MG
The transition from Rocky Maivia to The Rock turned out to be one of the greatest decisions in WWE history. It allowed Dwayne Johnson to showcase a more authentic personality, and his charisma on the mic captivated audiences around the world.
It led to an incredible yet short-lived WWE run where The Rock headlined WrestleMania three years in a row between 1999 and 2001, making him one of the biggest icons of the pro wrestling industry despite his relatively short tenure.
.@TheRock looks back on his life-changing first steps inside the ring as a WWE Superstar at #SurvivorSeries 1996. #Rock25 https://t.co/s8IRT2CT5b
The Rock eventually dipped his toes into Hollywood, and after a point, he never looked back. While it took him a lot longer to reach the top of Hollywood than WWE, he went on to become a megastar on the silver screen. At one point, he was the world's highest-paid actor.