The Complete History of the WWE Championship - Part 7

The Rock (November 15, 1998 - January 4, 1999)

The Rock sold out to the McMahons to win WWE Championship gold

WWE had been without a champion for two months by the time the 1998 Survivor Series rolled around.

The title had been held up ever since BreakDown 1998, when Stone Cold Steve Austin had been pinned simultaneously by The Undertaker and Kane after a brutal two on one beat down.

Austin was no longer champion but who was?

To resolve the controversy, Vince McMahon booked The Undertaker and Kane against each other at Judgment Day 1998 with the vacant title at stake and installed Austin as referee. However, Stone Cold would not play ball and after 17 minutes of action, he stunnered both 'Taker and Kane and declared himself the champion.

Irate, McMahon fired Austin but the Rattlesnake was re-instated by his son Shane, who also furnished Austin with a five year deal that guaranteed him another title shot.

That came in the Deadly Game tournament at Survivor Series. Stone Cold battled past The Big Boss Man in the first round and after a second round bye met Vince McMahon's preferred winner, the corporate Mankind in the first Semi-Final.

On the opposite side of the draw, fellow babyface, The Rock also defeated The Big Boss Man, then Ken Shamrock and The Undertaker via DQ.

Rock had earned rave reviews for his bouts at SummerSlam and BreakDown and had convinced WWE that he was ready for main events.

He was over like gangbusters as a face and it was a shock then when the ultimate swerve was pulled.

In an obvious homage to the 1997 Survivor Series finish, Vince McMahon once more instructed the timekeeper to ring the bell as Rock held Mankind in the sharpshooter.

With that, it was revealed that Rock had been in cahoots with the McMahon's all along and Mankind who had appeared to be the corporation's choice was nothing more than a patsy.

He would turn face immediately afterwards and challenged The Rock for the belt at Rock Bottom the following month, before earning a second rematch on the January 4, 1999 Raw.