Kevin Nash stirred controversy by suggesting that The Rock’s success in the WWF was partly attributed to other wrestlers’ injuries.
Reflecting on The Rock’s ascent to stardom in the late 1990s, the former Diesel pointed to SummerSlam 1997, emphasizing the pivotal Piledriver from Owen Hart that sidelined Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Nash proposed that The Rock assimilated aspects of Steve Austin’s persona into his own character following Austin’s injury. Stone Cold’s absence due to a neck injury from August to November 1997 coincided with The Rock’s significant transformation, where he shifted from his ‘Rocky Maivia’ persona to adopting traits that would define his wrestling career.
Despite their encounters, such as Austin retaining the Intercontinental Championship at D-Generation X: In Your House in December 1997, their rivalry evolved into one of the most notable feuds in WWF/WWE history.
Here’s what Nash had to say on his ‘Kliq This’ podcast:
“If Steve doesn’t get hurt, I don’t think Rock hits the f**king heights that he does. Like everything happens for a reason, because, basically, I mean, not to be a d**k, but Rock has came out and said that when he sees something that gets over, he takes it.
When Steve went down with the neck injury, f**king Dwayne took a lot of f**king Steve’s s**t and incorporated it into what he did. And lo and behold, Steve comes back.”
The Rock finally became the face of the World Wrestling Federation as their #1 babyface and #1 draw, when Stone Cold was out of action again, this time from November 1999 until October 2000.
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