Former groom partially responsible for turning Rocky Maivia into Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson revealed

Dwayne Johnson debuted at the 1996 Survivor Series with the typical baby face and ring name Rocky Maivia. But the character has become stale and has gotten to the point where it receives no response from the crowd, which is considered even worse than fans booing. However, the situation changed in 1997.

He joined the Nation of Domination faction on August 13, 1997 as the fourth member. This faction was one of the most powerful during the Attitude Era and included former WCW Champions Farooq, D’Lo Brown and Kama Mustafa. A WWE legend has revealed how one of DJ’s former stablemates helped him make the transition from Rocky Maivia to The Rock.

Matt Hardy explains NOD member’s contribution to The Rock’s stunt

One of the most popular stars of the Attitude era was The Rock. However, the electrifying star talking about all sorts of nonsense was not always the same. In the new issue The Extreme Life of Matt HardyMatt Hardy talks about the birth of Dwayne Johnson’s famous “The Rock” gimmick.

While the entire episode focused heavily on The Rock, in a short segment Matt Hardy revealed Ron Simmons aka Farooq’s contribution to The Rock’s character. He said, “He (Farooq) has been talked about in the past when he first talked to Dwayne and gave Rocky advice and like I would do that as a heel or I would try that. I would take something this way and give it away like this, and there are a lot of little things that Ron helped him with a lot.»

The Rock’s character really changed after he joined Farooq’s stable. He soon became a crowd favorite and then became the youngest WWE Champion in 1998. However, it was his chattering skills and charisma that won him over to The Attitude Era fans. After he pulled the “Rock” gimmick, he referred to himself in the third person, which helped increase his fanfare.

Hardy explained that he learned about the story from Farooq. He and his brother Jeff Hardy had the same agent, who also booked Farooq. Thus, they had many opportunities to meet and discuss this aspect of Rock’s career.

In addition to Farooq, Dwayne Johnson has help from Vince McMahon and former WWE head writer Brian Gewirtz, who will write storylines for The Rock. The contributions of various people led to the creation of the People’s Champion. However, Rock’s charismatic personality was not the only reason for his meteoric rise.

Hardy praises The Rock’s athletic ability and work ethic

On the podcast, Matt Hardy praised The Rock as an extremely hard worker and an outstanding athlete. Hardy drew an analogy between Farooq and Roca and appreciated their football backgrounds. The Rock’s athletic ability was on full display during his run from 1998 to 2003.

What do you think of Dwayne Johnson’s transformation?

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