Wrestle Pedia
The Rock faced off against some of the biggest stars in pro wrestling during his career, but he couldn’t wrestle everyone on his wish list because WCW had major names under contract at that time.
When WWE bought WCW in 2001, The Rock looked forward to new matchups. He had matches with Booker T, Goldberg, and the New World Order, but not all of his dream opponents had the chance to face him.
In the VICE docuseries “Who Killed WCW?”, The Rock talked about his thoughts on potential dream matches after the 2001 buyout. He listed WCW wrestlers he wanted to create stories with and presented this list to Vince McMahon. While Goldberg and the nWo were included, Sting and Randy Savage, two WWE Hall of Famers, were also on his list, but The Rock never faced them.
“I remember sitting down in my hotel room and writing down all the wrestlers who I had hoped to wrestle. Goldberg, Sting, [Randy] Savage, everybody in the nWo. I remember writing everybody down and going to Vince and saying, ‘Hey, this might be a good idea. What about this guy and this guy, and this guy and this guy, let’s bring them in.’”
When The Rock returned to WWE in the summer of 2001, the “InVasion” storyline was ongoing. Fans did not immediately see the dream matches they envisioned between WWE and WCW stars. Even though The Rock headlined WWE SummerSlam 2001 and won the WCW World Championship from Booker T, he had hoped for different matchups.
WWE fans might see The Rock return for another match next year. He hinted at facing Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 41. Only time will tell if this happens, but Dwayne Johnson’s wrestling career seems far from over.
What’s your take on The Rock’s career? Would he have beaten Sting or Macho Man? Share your thoughts in the comments!
