“Me kicking your a** thing,” Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson explains to Joe Rogan how Vince McMahon giving him just ‘2-minutes’ defined his career

The Rock's heel turn came up with a promo to address the crowd of his coming persona, craving respect.

“Me kicking your a** thing,” Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson explains to Joe Rogan how Vince McMahon giving him just ‘2-minutes’ defined his career

The Rock, Vince McMahon, Joe Rogan (via WWE and LA Times)

Hollywood star Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson is one of the greatest superstars WWE has produced. He made his WWF debut in late 1996 with the ring name Rocky Maivia. His babyface run couldn’t make a mark and stand out. However, his heel turn in mid-1997, devised by Vince McMahon, gave him impetus and made his stint remarkable.

While speaking on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Dwayne Johnson stated how a promo after his heel turn saved and defined his career. On the August 18, 1997 episode of Raw, The Rock cut a promo about his state and recalibrated things for the audience. The crowd in Atlantic City, NJ, was booing him, but Rocky’s persona was receptive to the hate.

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This was the moment when he was also referred to as The Rock rather than his previous ring name, Rocky Maivia. The Great One came up with the idea of addressing the crowd for his character change with a needful promo. McMahon hesitated a bit considering the time restrictions, but then gave a leeway for a minute of talk.

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Dwayne Johnson claimed the promo to be real, telling the fans about how he felt and warning them of the coming dominance from his side. In the promo, he even craved to gain their respect with some contradictory actions. All in all, it sounded quite authentic and the WWE Universe loved it.

I'm a lot of things but sucks isn't one of them! Joining the Nation (of Domination) isn't a white thing or black thing, it's a me kicking you a** thing.
Dwayne Johnson

Just a week earlier, Rock joined Nation of Domination by helping Farooq defeat Chainz in a singles match. Thus, to address his alignment with the heel faction, The People’s Champion claimed to earn respect by any means necessary. The persona made him carefree enough to even insult the audience.

Vince McMahon threw The Rock ‘into the fire’ on his debut at Survivor Series 1996

Trained by his father, Rocky Johnson, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, continues his wrestling legacy. In November 1996, Vince McMahon called him up to WWF and planned his debut in the 4-on-4 Survivor Series elimination match. The event, being one of the most prestigious, was remarkable for Rock’s debut.

WWE Vince McMahon and The Rock (then Rocky Maivia)
Vince McMahon and The Rock (then Rocky Maivia) {via Wrestlezone and WWE}

While talking with Joe Rogan, Dwayne Johnson mentioned that he was told the result of the match an hour earlier. Rock was in awe to hear that he would be the sole survivor in his debut match at Madison Square Garden. McMahon was confident enough to take the risk with a debutant with a right-away push.

I'm throwing you right into the fire. You either gonna f***ing sink or you gonna swim! It's New York City; it's up to you.
Vince McMahon to The Rock an hour before his debut at MSG

The Rock had teamed with Jake Roberts, Marc Mero, and The Stalker. The opponents were a heel team of Crush, Goldust, Jerry Lawler, and Triple H (then Hunter Hearst Helmsley). The 23-minute bout saw The Brahma Bull mostly in the end, having pinned Crush and Goldust for the babyface team’s win.

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