There is absolutely no mistaking his legacy. The Rock is one of the most captivating, charismatic, electrifying performers of all-time. In a career that has spanned over two decades, The Great One has faced all of the top competition you could possibly think of. The 8-time WWE Champion has seen success in the wrestling industry that most only dream of.
As a descendant of one of wrestling’s most respected families, the Maivia/Anoa’i family, The Rock was destined to become a great in-ring performer. With the business in his blood, and the determination to do great things, The Rock made his official debut in 1996, as Rocky Maivia. Oddly enough, fans initially rejected his presence. They felt that the character was lame, somewhat cheesy, which they were correct about. However, once he made a few persona adjustments, then joined the Nation of Domination, The Rock would then begin a journey that would transcend anything he could've possibly imagined.
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As we now know, The Rock would grow into a star that, quite frankly, was just too big for professional wrestling. He would go on to become Hollywood’s most demanded actor, landing star roles in some of the biggest box-office money makers of all-time. Ever since he started his acting career, wrestling has had to take an unfortunate ride in The Rock’s backseat. With that said, The Rock still manages to pop-up on WWE programming, from time-to-time, and considering he is only 44 years old, one would have to assume The People’s Champ still has one last match left in his tank.
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There’s no doubt that The Rock having one final hoorah would draw gigantic numbers. It would certainly need to be reserved for a Wrestlemania type of setting. With that said...who would he face? Who would be the best choice, make the most sense for such a huge encounter? After looking back at his storied career, as well as looking ahead, to the future of the WWE, I have come up with five possibilities for an opponent to face The Rock, in one final match.
#5 Chris Jericho
The historic feud between Chris Jericho and The Rock, was undoubtedly one of the most underrated feuds of all-time. During what is now known as The Invasion Era, Jericho and The Rock were both allies for the WWE side of the angle. However, Jericho had been growing jealous of The Rock, and wanted his WCW Championship. At the 2001 No Mercy pay-per-view, The Rock and Chris Jericho stole the entire show with a 25 minute wrestling clinic. Unfortunately for The Rock, Chris would leave with the strap. Oddly enough, the very next night on Monday Night Raw, the two would put their differences aside and win the tag team titles from The Dudley Boyz.
After Y2J and The Rock dropped their tag titles to Booker T and Test, their bitter rivalry would pick right back up where they left off at No Mercy. The two would continue their feud for several months, culminating with another epic encounter at the 2002 Royal Rumble pay-per-view event. While Jericho would once again defeat The People’s Champ, their feud was pretty even, in the grand scheme of things.
At this point, it appears Jericho could be nearing the end of his legendary WWE career. If that is indeed the case, it would certainly make sense to re-visit this rivalry, for a definitive end to one of the great WWE feuds.
#4 Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle and The Rock were two of the most instrumental components to the success of The Attitude Era. Both superstars were still enjoying the early years of their respected careers. Following his run with The Nation of Domination, The Rock would enter what has become known by fans as his “People’s Champion” era. During this time, The Rock and Angle would tie up for a number of great battles.
With roughly 30 different WWE titles between the two, The Rock and Kurt Angle are two of the most decorated superstars of any era. Now that Angle is coming back to the WWE for his Hall of Fame induction, it seems that we may be closer than we have been in some time, to see Kurt Angle back in a WWE ring, for at least one final match. If that’s the case, it would be a magical event to have Kurt Angle and The Rock facing one another in what would be the final match for both superstars.
#3 John Cena
I realize that the popular thing to do these days, is absolutely detest the very ground that John Cena walks on. Unfortunately, I have yet to join the “Cena Sucks” club. Granted, I am not a member of the John Cena fan club, but I still admire and respect everything he has been able to accomplish, both in and out of the squared-circle. With his selfless work with organizations such as The Make-A-Wish Foundation, it’s hard for me find hatred in my heart for someone who has made such an effort to bring joy to otherwise grim circumstances. As far as his in-ring work, you can make fun his limited technical skills by claiming he “only knows 5 moves.” But, the reality is, 5 moves, or 500 moves, he is a proven winner and a champion, now 16 times over.
The Rock and John Cena have definitely had some memorable bouts. Most notably, was their back-to-back Wrestlemania main event battles, at Wrestlemania’s 28 and 29. At Wrestlemania 28, The Rock defeated John Cena in a very entertaining 30 minute war. The following year, The Rock came into Wrestlemania 29 as the defending WWE Champion. Unfortunately for The Rock, Cena would come out on top, claiming the title.
Considering how their final two matches against one another ended in a 1-1 tie, there is still a degree of unfinished business, which needs to be settled. While it is doubtful that there’s enough time to build for Wrestlemania 33 this year, there is plenty of time to get fans excited about one final match between The Rock and John Cena at Wrestlemania 34, in New Orleans.
#2 Bray Wyatt
So far, we have talked an awful lot about the past, and the great feuds that The Rock was involved in, during the height of his wrestling career. Now, it’s time to talk about the future, and yes, Bray Wyatt is without question, the future of the WWE.
Some of you may have forgotten about this by now, but their was a seed planted for a match featuring these two, not too long ago. In fact, it was just last year, at Wrestlemania 32. During a segment where The Rock was praising the crowd for the record-breaking attendance. At one point during the segment, Bray Wyatt and his henchmen, The Wyatt Family emerged. After a short back-and-forth jaw-jacking, Finally, The Rock wanted to settle the nonsensical banter, so he challenged The Wyatt’s to a match. While the fans obviously wanted to see Bray take on The Rock, it was Erick Rowan who was fed to The Great One. The match ended in record-breaking time, ending in 6 seconds.
Now things are different. Bray Wyatt is the current WWE Champion, and he’s on a roll. After pinning both Cena and Styles inside the Elimination Chamber, the whole world took notice that Bray Wyatt was a true star. If Bray could not only get a match with The Rock, but somehow get a win over Rocky, it would be a catalyst that would give his career a jolt that would last a lifetime.
#1 Triple H and Stephanie vs. The Rock and Ronda Rousey
No, that is not a typo, and no, I am not drinking. After the events that unfolded at Levi’s Stadium, at Wrestlemania 31, many of us thought we just may see a match featuring Stephanie McMahon and Ronda Rousey. However, not much was mentioned after that incident, where Rousey manhandled both Stephanie and Triple H.
Ronda Rousey has been busy trying to determine which path her career would take. Unfortunately, Ronda’s last two pay-per-view UFC fights have both resulted in devastating losses. This has caused Ronda to take a step back, and start thinking about what’s the best move for her.
Ronda Rousey has always been a huge WWE fan. Considering her level of athleticism, it would not take very much effort to get her into ring-ready condition. It’s also worth noting that Triple H is focusing more on his executive duties these days. It’s probably safe to assume his in-ring career is all but finished at this point. However, Triple H is still capable of competing, and this situation would draw big money. Just the build alone would be a spectacle in itself. Just imagine a mixed tag match, where in one corner, you would have The Original Authority, and in the other corner, it would be The Rock, along with his protégé, ‘Rowdy’ Ronda Rousey.
