The Rock’s return to the wrestling scene in the past year has become one of the best comeback runs inWWEhistory. As ofBad Blood, The Rock is back again, and this time, seemingly targeting the trio of Cody Rhodes and former Bloodline mates Roman Reigns and Jimmy Uso. More will be revealed as the storyline continues to manifest, but it can be speculated that WWE is preparing audiences for another match featuring The Final Boss. Time will tell, but the thought brings to mind classic matches of old featuring The Rock.
The most electrifying man in sports entertainment has a wrestling career that stretches back to 28 years. Not everything he did in the ring hit, but The Rock seldom missed a chance to leave his audiences satisfied. From WrestleMania main events to rare gems, these are the matches that every fan of Dwayne Johnson should watch at least once.
10The Rock vs. Chris Jericho - WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match
No Mercy 2001
It’s a testament to The Rock’s natural charisma to see how he got himself over through his promo work, but it isn’t talked about enough howhe was able to get other people over through his in-ring work. Take his 2001 feud with Chris Jericho for example, at a time when Y2J was still steadily rising to the main event scene.
As much as The Rock was easy to love, crowds everywhere adored Jericho, which is why Rocky took an unprecedented (for the time, given how over he was) heel approach. The more that The Rock hammered home that Jericho would never win the big one, the more people wanted to see him win his first World Title. The groundwork that Rock set during this match with Jerichoestablished Jericho firmly as a main eventer, paving the way for his Undisputed Title reign.
9The Rock vs Kurt Angle - WWE Championship Match
No Way Out 2001
This was WWE’s final PPV before WrestleMania X-7. With Stone Cold Steve Austin having won the Royal Rumble the month prior, it seemed obvious that The Rock would win the title back at No Way Out to set up a Mania main event rematch. That being said,Rock and Kurt Angle somehow managed to still produce a match filled with suspensethat made it feel like it was anyone’s ball game.
Kurt Angle has a reputation as someone who can have a great match with anyone, and this is no different. What’s especially impressive is that on a night when Stone Cold Steve Austin hadone of his best matchesagainst Triple H in a Three Stages of Hell bout, the WWE Title could’ve easily been overshadowed, but Angle and Rock still managed to have a match worth talking about.
8The Rock vs. Triple H - Iron Man Match for the WWE Championship
Judgment Day 2000
This won’t be the last time that Rock vs. Triple H will be seen on this list. After all, these two have always been intertwined into each other’s careers.As a result, some of their best matches are against each other(special shoutout to their oft-forgotten Ladder Match for the Intercontinental Championship at SummerSlam 1998). This match is no different, as the two competitors once again bring out the best in each other.
This match is textbook Attitude Era, starringtwo of the definitive Superstars of that era. Shenanigans galore, soap opera-esque drama (in this case, revolving around DX’s involvement and Shawn Michaels as the Special Referee), twists and turns (Undertaker officially debuting his American Badass character), and of course, the endless carnage. If anyone is looking for a match that oozes Attitude, this is a must-see.
7The Rock vs Brock Lesnar - WWE Championship Match
SummerSlam 2002
On its own merits, this ranks up there as one of thebest SummerSlam main events ever, but it’s the significance of the match that truly ranks it a step above what it already is. The Rock was on his way out as a full-time Superstar in favor of going Hollywood, while Brock Lesnar was literally being touted as The Next Big Thing. Heading into the biggest match of his then-short career, all eyes were on Lesnar to see how he would perform on the big stage.
The Rock goes out of his way to make Brock look strong, and the result is Brock Solid. It also helps that despite the WWE Champion going into this match as a babyface and Lesnar as a monster heel, the crowd didn’t take kindly to knowing Rock was leaving WWE for Hollywood. Understanding the atmosphere, Rock was able to lean into his heel side on the fly, which wouldn’t be the first time he’d do this in a big-time match on short notice.
6The Rock vs. Kurt Angle vs The Undertaker - Triple Threat Match for the WWE Championship
Vengeance 2002
There was a time when this match was held in high regard asthe best Triple Threat match in WWE history. While matches like Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena vs. Seth Rollins and Sheamus vs. Gunther vs. Drew McIntyre seemed to have taken that crown in more recent years, this match is still fondly remembered. Some would still argue that this match provides the template for what every Triple Threat match should look like. Non-stop action from bell to bell, with everyone having a chance to go at each other.
Furthermore, the star power involved amplifies this to another level. Three men who spent the past few years at the top of the main event picture sharing the ring is not something to overlook. They were also able to make their wildly different styles click, and the result is a fast-paced bout dense with emotion, with fans holding to the edge of their seats all the time.
5The Rock vs. John Cena - Singles Match
WrestleMania XXVIII
Every generation of wrestling fans has at least a handful of dream matches in their minds, but it’s rare that those matches ever come to fruition. There was a time when John Cena vs. The Rock would be one of those unlikely match-ups, since at this point, Dwayne Johnson was deep into a successful Hollywood career and had been away from WWE for seven years as a result. Rock’s return to host WrestleMania 27 and interruption of the main event inspired new hope that the match was possible.
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Fast forward to a year later, and The Rock was having his first singles match in nine years.It may not be the most technically sound match on the list,but the pure spectacle, atmosphere, and fanfare alone are what make this match feel special. It’s the definition of sports entertainment, doing so much with so little. They tried to produce the same effect in a rematch at the following year’s Mania main event, but it just didn’t have the same impact.
4The Rock and Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins - Tag Team Match
WrestleMania XL
There was a lot of fanfare surrounding The Rock’s return to the ring in 2024, but more importantly, a lot of doubt. The Rock looked visibly winded following a basic Spinebuster/People’s Elbow combo to Jinder Mahal in a January 1st, 2024 segment on Monday Night Raw, and that was enough to convince some readers that the 52-year-old should stay out of the ring.
The Rock hushed all of his criticson Night One of WrestleMania XL. Even going into this match, everyone thought Roman would take the brunt of offense so The Rock wouldn’t need to be in the ring much, but no. This was practically a tornado tag team match as all four men brawled throughout the arena. It was as fun and frenetic to witness as a typical Attitude Era match, and added drama toRoman Reigns' title matchwith Cody the next night. When emotion, storytelling, and great in-ring action collide, the result is a spectacle like this one.
3The Rock vs. Triple H - WWE Championship Match
Backlash 2000
In retrospect, this is the match that audiences probably should’ve gotten the month before at WrestleMania 2000, where The Rock was one of four participants in a losing effort against Triple H for the WWE Championship. Backlash is where Trips and Rocky revisited their one-on-one feud, but because this comes at the peak of the Attitude Era, the two were able to recapture the same synergy - as far as chemistry and crowd atmosphere - that WrestleMania produced.
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This time, audiences got the happy ending they desired, as well as the long-awaited return of Stone Cold Steve Austin from injury. For all the pomp and circumstance it produced,it’s by far The Rock’s best match with Triple H, and the only thing that would’ve made it better is if it happened at WrestleMania 2000.
2The Rock vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin - No Disqualification Match for the WWE Championship
WrestleMania X-Seven
As much as The Rock constantly butted heads with Triple H,his feud with Stone Cold Steve Austin is the definitive rivalry of his career. Heck, Austin vs. Rock is the definitive rivalry for a generation of wrestling. Their matches against each other make up some of thebest matches in each man’s catalogand it can be argued that multiple matches from their feud should be included in this list.
However, if only one has to be chosen, it has to be their shocking, chaotic second bout in their WrestleMania trilogy. From the moment the match wassuddenly announced as a No DQ match without warningor reason before the bell, there was intrigue that made this match feel different from their WrestleMania XV encounter. No one was prepared for the plot twist at the end, and no one expected this to turn out to bethe perfect finale for the Attitude Era as a whole.
1The Rock vs. Hollywood Hulk Hogan - Singles Match
WrestleMania X-8
The dream match to end all dream matches. Everything said about John Cena vs. The Rock earlier applies here, with the caveat thatHogan vs. Rock set the template for what a dream match should be. The long pause staredown. The hush over the crowd waiting, anticipating the first time these two gladiators would touch. The slow, growing eruption of the crowd indulging in the magnitude of a confrontation they never thought would happen. And that’s all before they actually touched each other.
WWE tried to recapture the same magic at the following year’s No Way Out with the dynamic flipped - a heel Hollywood Rock vs. a babyface Hulk Hogan - but it still doesn’t compare. In fact, knowing that the Toronto crowd’s unexpected cheers for Hogan forced The Rock to work heel makes their Mania match all the more impressive. It’s The Rock’s bestWWEmatch, and for a lot of fans, their favorite wrestling match ever.
