WWE history: The Rock cuts unusual promo after SummerSlam goes off air 

The backstory

SummerSlam 2002 saw one of the biggest matches of the year in WWE, as The Rock met Brock Lesnar for the WWE title. Lesnar had earlier won the King of the Ring tournament, and had scored a shot at the top title. He was quickly becoming a top star, mere months after his WWE debut.

The Rock, on the other hand, was on his way to leave WWE for Hollywood and the fans weren't thrilled with this one bit. During the match, the WWE Universe began turning on The Great One, and Lesnar started receiving cheers despite being a heel.

Lesnar went on to deliver an F5 on The Rock to win his first WWE title to an incredibly positive reaction from the crowd.

Shades of a heel turn

An extremely rare clip has now surfaced online, showing the aftermath of the SummerSlam 2002 main event. Fans might remember that The Rock came back to WWE on the road to WrestleMania 19, donning the legendary and incredibly entertaining gimmick of Hollywood Rock.

What we didn't know is that the seeds for the heel turn were planted immediately after The Rock lost to Lesnar. This short clip shows The Rock delivering his signature promo, but stopping midway. His mannerisms were far from something a babyface would show.

Whether you like it, or you don't, The Rock still leaves here your people's champion. As of now, sing along with The Rock's over!

The Rock after SummerSlam 2002😍#heelturn #wwe #BrockLesnar @TheRock @BrockLesnar pic.twitter.com/Q3jLnntzY1

— WrestLove (@tmykwoah) August 5, 2019

The aftermath

This rare piece of WWE history is an incredible find, as it proves how The Rock planted the seeds for an eventual heel turn that was still months away.

He later came back as Hollywood Rock, and blasted the fans for turning on him months ago. He went on to diss fans in several cities, most notably in Toronto, Canada, in what is regarded as one of the greatest heel promos of all time.