The unselfish superstar: not only is the Rock the biggest name in WWE, he's the federation's best soldier - Cover Story

Wrestling Digest, August, 2003 by Kevin Eck

TALK ABOUT A CLASSIC mismatch. In one corner stood the Hurricane, a mid-card comedy wrestler sporting green hair and a matching cape. In the opposite corner for this episode of "Raw" was the Rock, the biggest name in sports entertainment, not to mention a bona fide movie star.

Conventional thinking says there's no way the "Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment" would "sell" the offense of a 190-pound wrestler clad in tights resembling Underoos, let alone lose to him. After all, a man in the Rock's position has the stroke backstage to nix any scenario that isn't to his liking.

Shockingly, the Hurricane not only held his own with the Rock, bringing the crowd to its feet with several near falls, but he actually pinned the "People's Champion" for the victory. Sure, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin distracted the Rock to set up the pin, but it didn't come across as a total fluke because the match had been even up to that point.

Upon further examination, though, the Rock's loss to the Hurricane really isn't all that surprising considering the People's Champion's track record of putting people over, whether they be main-eventers or mid-carders.

In fact, earlier on that "Raw" broadcast, the Rock allowed the wrestling superhero to get the better of him in an entertaining verbal battle. And the week before that, on the Rock's celebrated return to the program after a lengthy absence, he "did the job" to Booker T in a battle royal, helping to build Booker into a serious threat to the world title heading into WrestleMania XIX.

Make no mistake about it, in the cutthroat business of professional wrestling, where backstabbing, power plays, and creative-control clauses are as much a part of the landscape as headlocks, body slams, and drop kicks, Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson is an anomaly.

Rarely has there been a wrestling star of the Rock's magnitude who didn't concern himself with backstage politics or holding onto his spot--including dictating when, where, how, and to whom they will lose.

Hulk Hogan, for example, undeniably is an icon in wrestling, but his penchant for putting his interests above the company's--especially during his WCW tenure--and sequestering himself in his private dressing room is legendary among insider fans and those in the industry.

Decades before Hogan arrived on the scene, Lou Thesz, the top wrestler in the 1940s and '50s, had a reputation for refusing to put over certain wrestlers.

Austin, wrestling's biggest star during the recent boom period, became dissatisfied with the creative direction of his character last year and walked out on WWE--twice.

The Montreal Screwjob, one of wrestling's greatest scandals, in which WWE chairman Vince McMahon double-crossed Bret Hart out of the world title, came about because Hart invoked his creative-control clause and refused to lose the belt to Shawn Michaels in Canada, Hart's homeland.

Speaking of Michaels, perhaps the most dynamic performer of the '90s, he reportedly was as masterful backstage as he was in the ring. The "Heartbreak Kid" won numerous titles, but when it came time for him to lose them, he suddenly was unable to wrestle due to an injury or he had to leave the promotion to "find his smile." Michaels and his allies--Kevin "Diesel" Nash, Scott "Razor Ramon" Hall, Triple H, and X-Pac--were known backstage as The Clique, a group that wielded considerable power in the WWE locker room during the mid-'90s. If a wrestler got on the The Clique's bad side, it was career suicide because the faction had McMahon's ear.

Triple H, who was more of a follower than a leader in The Clique, obviously learned his lessons well, because no one plays the game better now than "the Game." Since having a world title created for him on "Raw," which completely undermined Brock Lesnar's push as the undisputed WWE champion, McMahon's future son-in-law has had programs with Rob Van Dam, Kane, Scott Steiner, and Booker T, and in each instance the challenger was made to look decidedly inferior to Triple H--the exact opposite of what a good heel champion should be trying to accomplish. Only Triple H's pal Michaels was allowed to defeat "the Game" for the title, and Michaels only held it for a month before Triple H regained the belt.

Consider also that on the same night in which the Rock lost to the Hurricane, Triple H first punked out Maven in a backstage vignette, then squashed him in a match in which the up-and-comer was allowed no offense whatsoever.

The difference between the Rock and some of his peers is that he appears to be totally secure with himself. What would annihilating the Hurricane achieve other than feeding the Rock's ego? It wouldn't help the Rock and it would only further bury another young wrestler in a company that desperately needs new stars. But the Hurricane's victory gave the fans a reason to get behind his character. And the Rock is still the Rock, regardless.

It's ironic that many fans turned on the Rock last year, labeling him a sellout because his Hollywood commitments limited him to a part-time role in WWE. But when it came time for the Rock to do what was right for business, he did so without hesitation.