The Rock’s Greatest Rivalries in WWE History

The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment remains one of the great icons of professional wrestling even nearly twenty years after he was a regular performer in the WWE. From his in-ring abilities to his undeniable skills on the microphone, he’s an untouchable bastion of what a professional wrestler can be.

But he didn’t get there alone – nobody does in the world of the WWE. The Rock would be the first to tell you that he’d have been nothing if not for the performers he shared the ring with. His career is marked by some of the all-time great pro wrestling rivalries, men who elevated him (and whom he elevated in return). His career and theirs alike are nothing without one another.

Here are some of the greatest rivalries in the pro wrestling career of The Rock.

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Stone Cold Steve Austin

Well, duh. There’s no way you can talk about great Rock opponents and not start with the Texas Rattlesnake. Stone Cold Steven Austin and The Rock made for one of the greatest rivalries in the history of the sport – in fact, while purists may point to Ric Flair and Dusty Rhodes, this may be the single most popular one of all time.

Austin played the antihero face, the people’s hero, to The Rock’s corporate champion for years (and eventually they even switched places in one of the all-time great Wrestlemania main events). Their chemistry was, and will always be, electric and their matches will live on in the sport for eternity.

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Triple H

Someone once compared the rivalry between The Rock and Triple H to that of Mozart and Salieri. The born talent and raw, undeniable charisma of The Rock was juxtaposed beautifully with Triple H’s furious work ethic and massive chip on his shoulders.

Their rivalry came and went, spanning years, but both made the other better in significant ways. H never let The Rock take the easy way out as a performer, forcing him to better himself as an in-ring performer, and by merely deeming Triple H worthy of his association, The Rock cemented the career of one of the all-time great WWE performers.

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John Cena

It had to happen eventually. Once The Rock left WWE, John Cena ascended to the top of the company and soon became its new face. Fans clamored for a match between the two for years, but it seemed like an impossibility – that is, until 2011 when The Rock made his triumphant return to the squared circle and challenged Cena to a match at Wrestlemania with a full year of buildup until the big night.

Bad blood boiled over in the months that followed, culminating in a barn-burner headline match that was so good that despite it being billed as, “Once In A Lifetime,” they had to run it back in 2013. The beef has seemingly been settled these days but with Rock and Cena tied with one win apiece, you’ve gotta wonder if they’ll ever try to settle that tie once and for all…

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CM Punk

Something of a sleeper pick but still vital, CM Punk and The Rock had a brief but potent rivalry in early 2013 when the latter challenged for the former’s WWE Championship. It gets somewhat overshadowed by the Rock/Cena rematch that followed a few months later but it’s not only a better match but a more powerful rivalry.

The Rock represented everything CM Punk didn’t – even at his most likable, The Rock is still an establishment guy. His legacy will never allow him to be anything but that. Punk, on the other hand, made Stone Cold Steve Austin look like a straight-laced goodie two-shoes. An iconoclast, he never shied away from voicing his concerns with WWE as a company or with other performers. He was a punk kid through and through, but more crucially he was a killer on the mic and in the ring alike.

The Rock very rarely came up short when it came to talking but there are few moments in any of his rivalries in which he seemed as speechless as he was when Punk told him, “Understand, come Royal Rumble when you step into that ring, your arms are just too short to box with God.”

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Although recently he has branched into new territory with his blockbuster acting career, it’s clear that The Rock and his wrestling legacy are just as popular as ever. His rivalries defined a higher caliber of wrestling professionalism and performance that remain industry standards.

What are your favorite moments from throughout The Rock’s time in the world of WWE? Let Your Geek Sideshow and tell us in the comments!

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It doesn’t matter which way you choose to display him, this is the definitive statue for fans of The Rock.