Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson recently revisited his WWF debut match from the 1996 Survivor Series pay-per-view at Madison Square Garden on the ‘Joe Rogan Experience’ podcast, and shared insights into a conversation he had with promoter Vince McMahon just minutes before the match, shedding light on the behind-the-scenes aspects of his beginnings.
Here’s what The Great One had to say:
“Vince brings me in and says, ‘You’re gonna win the whole thing tonight’. I was like, ‘What do you mean?’.
He goes, ‘You’re gonna win the whole thing. I’m gonna throw you right into the fire’. I’ll never forget this.
He’s like, ‘You’re either gonna f***ing sink or you’re gonna swim, it’s New York City. It’s up to you’.
All those guys in the ring that night, I’ll forever be grateful for them because they allowed that to happen.”
Rocky Maivia – as he was called back then – emerged as the lone survivor in the four-on-four elimination match, even when faced with a challenging 1 vs. 2 situation in the final moments.
Goldust and Crush remained formidable on the heel side, but against all odds, The Rock prevailed, marking the birth of a new star in professional wrestling.
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