10 WWE Superstars you never knew once played very different characters

#9 Rocky Maivia and The Rock

Rocky and The Rock

The Great One. The Most Electrifying Man in Sports and Entertainment. The Rock is arguably the most recognizable face in Hollywood, and certainly the highest-paid action hero. Before all of that, however, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson was simply "The Blue Chipper" Rocky Maivia.

Years before he became a multi-millionaire and one of the biggest names on the planet, The Rock was a fresh-faced pup who made his WWE debut at Survivor Series in 1996 at Madison Square Garden. It was a night that set the tone for his career as he became the Sole Survivor in a match that included stars like Jerry Lawler and Jake 'The Snake' Roberts. He soon became the Intercontinental Champion, but it may have been a case of too much, too soon.

Rocky Maivia was designed to be a much-loved babyface champion, but times were changing in the WWF and fans soon turned on this goody two-shoes third-generation Superstar. He joined The Nation of Domination and developed a cocky personality that snowballed into the man he has become today. It was quite the transformation for the man who'd headline WrestleMania and smash box offices all around the world.