The Great One departed from WWE in 2002 to embark on a successful acting career in Hollywood. However, The Rock could not stay away for long and made sporadic appearances from 2003 when he turned heel.
In his final years as an in-ring competitor, The Rock had high profile feuds with the likes of John Cena and CM Punk over the WWE Championship. The People's Champion certainly had ring rust from years away from the squared circle but he was always a big draw in WWE.
10 The Rock Vs. Erick Rowan - WrestleMania 32 (2016)
At WrestleMania 32, The Rock made an appearance by announcing that WWE had broken the all-time attendance record at AT&T Stadium. However, The Rock was confronted by The Wyatt Family and to the surprise of the crowd, he had ring gear on underneath his street clothes.
The People's Champion went one-on-one with Erick Rowan in an impromptu match. It was by far one of The Rock's worst matches but another record was set as it was the quickest match in WrestleMania history as Rock dispatched Rowan in six seconds.
9 W/ Mick Foley Vs. Evolution - WrestleMania XX (2004)
The Rock made his return to WWE in 2004 by aiding his old rival and former tag team partner Mick Foley in his feud with Evolution. The Rock n' Sock Connection reunited and they took on the combination of the Intercontinental Champion Randy Orton, Ric Flair, and Batista in a two-on-three handicap match at WrestleMania XX.
Rock put on a solid performance in an entertaining match. Unfortunately, it was not a happy return to Madison Square Garden for Foley as Orton nailed him with an RKO. Subsequently, it was The Rock's final match in a WWE ring for seven years.
8 The Rock Vs. Hulk Hogan - No Way Out 2003
No Way Out 2003 marked the PPV return for The Rock, six months after he was booed out of the building in his Undisputed WWE Championship match with Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam 2002. Nonetheless, The Great One renewed his rivalry with Hulk Hogan and their match was dubbed "Rock/Hogan II."
However, the roles were reversed from their exceptional WrestleMania X8 encounter with Rock as the heel. Moreover, Hogan was closing in on a victory but the lights went out. WWE Chairman Vince McMahon came to ringside costing Hogan the match. The Great One took advantage of the situation by nailing Hogan with a steel chair and earned another huge win over Hogan with a Rock Bottom.
7 The Rock Vs. John Cena - WrestleMania 29 (2013)
John Cena won his second Royal Rumble match in 2013 and he was going to main event WrestleMania 29. Meanwhile, The Rock overcame CM Punk to win the WWE Championship for the eighth time at the Royal Rumble, and it was his first world title run in over a decade.
For the second year in succession, Rock and Cena would meet in a blockbuster main event at WrestleMania. This time, the WWE Championship was on the line but their clash was far worse than their match at WrestleMania 28. Unfortunately, Rock sustained an injury but he did the honors for Cena, who inevitably regained the title.
6 The Rock Vs. Goldberg - Backlash 2003
The Rock had all the momentum in the world after he finally earned a victory over Stone Cold Steve Austin at WrestleMania at the third attempt at WrestleMania XIX. However, Rock's celebrations were short-lived as Goldberg finally made his WWE debut and assaulted The Rock on the Raw after.
The two former WCW Champions clashed in the main event of Backlash 2003. Without a doubt, this is one of Goldberg's best performances in a WWE ring. Ultimately, Goldberg won the match after nailing Rock with a spear and topping it off with a devastating Jackhammer.
5 W/ John Cena Vs. The Awesome Truth - Survivor Series 2011
The Road to WrestleMania 28 for the huge clash between The Rock and John Cena was underway. At Survivor Series 2011, The Great One made his in-ring return for the first time since WrestleMania XX. Rock reluctantly teamed up with Cena to take on the rebellious tandem of The Miz and R-Truth known as the Awesome Truth.
All four men had great chemistry together and the match was very watchable. Rock did not look like he was away from the squared circle for seven years. Furthermore, The Rock had all the glory as he executed The People's Elbow on Miz to pick up a hard-fought win.
4 The Rock Vs. CM Punk - Elimination Chamber 2013
For the first time since SummerSlam 2002, The Rock was defending the WWE Championship. CM Punk invoked his rematch clause as his historic 434-day reign as WWE Champion was ended by Rock at Royal Rumble 2013. They clashed the following month at Elimination Chamber with the winner facing Rumble winner John Cena in the main event of WrestleMania 29.
The match went back and forth with both men dominating large portions of this contest. The Straight Edge Savior had the match won but the referee was down. Nevertheless, Rock retained the title and headlined WrestleMania for the second year in succession.
3 The Rock Vs John Cena - WrestleMania 28 (2012)
Arguably the biggest wrestlers of their respective eras clashed in the main event of WrestleMania 28 in 2012. The Rock and John Cena's match was set up a year prior, which was unheard of. This was billed as "Once in a Lifetime" with both men portraying babyfaces. However, it was abundantly clear that the majority of the crowds' allegiances were with the hometown hero, The Rock.
The People's Champion was in the main event of WrestleMania for the first time in 11 years. The match lived up to the hype and it deserved to go on last. Moreover, The Rock handed Big Match John one of the biggest losses in his career with a Rock Bottom.
2 The Rock Vs. CM Punk - Royal Rumble 2013
On the 1,000th episode of Monday Night Raw in July 2012, The Rock announced that he would face the WWE Champion at the 2013 Royal Rumble. Punk was the reigning WWE Champion and took note by turning heel after he assaulted The Rock.
Six months later, the Second City Saint was still in possession of the WWE Championship and they met on PPV. It was an exceptional WWE Championship encounter and The Rock became a 10-time world champion. He ended Punk's brilliant 434-day reign as WWE Champion. Thus, Rock's WWE Championship win ensured that he became the fifth man in WWE history to hold a world championship in three different decades, which is a testament to Rock's longevity.
1 The Rock Vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin - WrestleMania XIX (2003)
For the third and final time at WrestleMania, The Rock and his rival Stone Cold Steve Austin clashed at WrestleMania XIX. Austin got the better of The Rock in their two WWF Championship encounters at WrestleMania XV and WrestleMania X-Seven with Rock looking to turn the tables.
The match had plenty of near-falls and the fans in attendance at Safeco Field went berserk. Ultimately, The Rock clinched his first WrestleMania victory over Austin with a third Rock Bottom. It was a war of attrition and was the perfect ending to an incredible storied rivalry between the two legends. 17 years later, it remains the Texas Rattlesnake's final match.