5 of the worst pro wrestling character changes, and 5 of the best

You know him as "The Rock," but that wasn't his first gimmick in WWE.

Best Repackaging #4: The Rock

Who's this clown? His career couldn't have gone anywhere...

He's the highest paid movie star in the world, flexing his considerable muscle in everything from the Tooth Fairy to GI Joe to the Fast and Furious franchise.

He's Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, one of the most celebrated wrestling stars of the Attitude Era, and one of the reasons WWE won the Monday Night War. However, that almost didn't happen.

Because Johnson is the son of legendary wrestler Rocky Johnson, and the grandson of the also legendary High Chief Peter Maivia, WWE decided to play up his heritage. He debuted as 'Third Generation blue chipper' Rocky Maivia. His pastel-hued ring gear and perpetual smile didn't catch on with fans. No matter how hard WWE tried to push him as a babyface, fans still chanted "Rocky Sucks" and "Die Rock Die."

But then Rocky Maivia joined the heel Nation of Domination faction, and was re-dubbed The Rock. The Rock was arrogant, rarely smiled, and had a penchant for referring to himself in the third person. Even though he was a villain, his charisma caught on with the fandom, and he wound up being an edgy babyface for the rest of his WWE career before moving on to Hollywood stardom.

About the author

Christopher Scott Wagoner is a writer from Austin, Texas in the United States. He is also a proud descendent of the Choctaw and Lakota people.
Chris has an English and Creative Writing degree, and is a published author with Simon and Schuster. He's ghost-written over eight million words in more than 500 books.
A long time wrestling fan, Chris is also a professional journalist who covers sports-entertainment. He's been writing for Sportskeeda since 2018.

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Edited by Nishant Jayaram