The legendary wrestling career of The Rock hasn't always been plain sailing. Rock quickly captured the Intercontinental Championship just three months into his career. However, Rock was a blue-chipper, and he was rejected by fans instantly as they were tired of the happy-go-lucky type babyfaces. Nevertheless, turning heel was the best thing to happen to Rock as he found his niche, and his in-ring and mic skills improved drastically.Just like the all-time greats, Rock isn't exempt from having his fair share of underwhelming matches. Sometimes, the match-ups didn't allow Rock to showcase his best. Moreover, the future WWE Hall of Famer has bounced back from adversity, but these matches are some that Rock wouldn't want to revisit anytime soon.
10 The Rock Vs. Goldberg - Backlash 2003 (5.55)
Goldberg debuted on the Raw after WrestleMania 19, and he set his sights on The Rock. At Backlash 2003, the People's Champion and the WCW legend collided in a blockbuster main event. Unfortunately, this match failed to live up to the expectations.
Their chemistry together was non-existent, and it was a poor night for both men. There was no way that Goldberg was going to lose his first match in a WWE ring. A spear followed by a Jackhammer was enough for Goldberg to clinch a victory over The Rock.
9 The Rock Vs. John Cena - WrestleMania 29 (5.37)
For the second consecutive year, The Rock and John Cena headlined WrestleMania. This time the WWE Championship was on the line at WrestleMania 29. Unfortunately, they failed to replicate their efforts from a superb WrestleMania 28 match.
Rock tore his adductor which hampered his performance. Moreover, it was obvious that Cena was going to end Rock's WWE Championship reign. The WWE Championship didn't even need to be featured in the match. Nevertheless, Cena prevailed, and the pair showed a mark of respect for each other by shaking hands after the bout.
8 Rocky Maivia Vs. Hunter Hearst Helmsley - In Your House: Final Four, 1997 (5.22)
Before The Rock and Triple H had classic encounters over the WWE Championship, they battled over the Intercontinental Title in early 1997. Rocky Maivia and Hunter Hearst Helmsley had a rematch at In Your House: Final Four for Maivia's newly won Intercontinental Title. The future Triple H was hellbent on ending Rock's championship reign at the first time of asking.
This was a fantastic match between the pair, and they were evenly matched. However, Hunter's rival Goldust interfered, and he taunted him. Maivia took advantage of the situation, and he planted Hunter with a bridging German suplex for the win.
7 The Rock Vs. The Undertaker - Survivor Series 1998 (4.62)
Survivor Series means a lot to The Rock and The Undertaker as they both made their debuts at the event, although six years apart. Nevertheless, they clashed in the semifinals of the Deadly Game tournament to crown a brand new WWE Champion. Rock and Undertaker's matches together weren't always the best for some reason, and this semifinal match was mediocre.
Neither man was going to win this match cleanly. Undertaker was in the ascendency but his brother Kane interfered after he got screwed in the previous round. Kane intentionally Chokeslammed Rock, so Undertaker would get disqualified. Rock went on to capture his first WWE Championship in the main event at Mankind's expense. He also turned heel by joining The Corporation.
6 Rocky Maivia, Jake Roberts, Marc Mero, And The Stalker Vs. Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Jerry Lawler, Goldust, And Crush - Survivor Series 1996 (4.57)
Survivor Series 1996 was where Rocky Maivia made his grand debut. He teamed up with Jake Roberts, Marc Mero, and The Stalker. They faced off with Hunter Heart Helmsley, Jerry Lawler, Goldust, and Crush in a four-on-four traditional Survivor Series elimination match.
Maivia had a great look, and whilst the match wasn't quality, he did show his quality. Being a third-generation wrestler, Maivia had a lot to live up to. Nevertheless, he was pushed rather quickly, but he was the sole survivor as he registered eliminations over Crush and Goldust.
5 War Of Attrition Match - No Way Out Of Texas: In Your House, 1998 (4.36)
The physical rivalry between The Rock and Ken Shamrock spilled over into their 10-man tag team war of attrition match at No Way Out of Texas: In Your House. It was the final major pit stop on the road to WrestleMania 14. The match was relatively boring until the closing stages of the contest.
All 10 competitors, momentarily battled in the ring at the same time. That proved to be a dangerous decision as Rock was isolated from Shamrock. The World's Most Dangerous Man earned the win for his team, as he forced Rock to submit to the debilitating Ankle Lock almost instantly.
4 Rocky Maivia Vs. Mankind - In Your House: A Cold Day In Hell, 1997 (4.25)
Long before Rocky Maivia and Mankind would become bitter rivals and tag team partners, they had their first pay-per-view encounter at In Your House: A Cold Day in Hell. This match is often overlooked, and it was nothing special.
Maivia had a lot of offense, and he wasn't afraid of the deranged Mankind. Mankind has a high threshold for pain, and Maivia applied his patented Rock Bottom on the ramp. Mankind bided his time to perfection, and he finished off Maivia with the Mandible Claw.
3 The Rock Vs. Hulk Hogan - No Way Out 2003 (3.23)
At No Way Out 2003, The Rock and Hulk Hogan reignited their rivalry. Ironically, just like their WrestleMania 18 epic, this match emanated in Canada. However, Rock and Hogan were always going to struggle to replicate that instant classic from 11 months prior.
Rock was in his Hollywood Rock gimmick, and he was the heel this time around. The Hulkster was a step slower, and Rock was unable to get another good match out of Hogan. However, there was interference from Mr. McMahon, and Sylvain Grenier was a corrupt referee. Rock registered another win over Hogan in an underwhelming contest.
2 Rocky Maivia Vs. The Sultan - WrestleMania 13 (3.00)
Rocky Maivia defended the Intercontinental Championship in his WrestleMania debut against The Sultan. They would later be known as The Rock and Rikishi. Unfortunately, their Intercontinental Championship match at WrestleMania 13 stunk out the joint.
The Sultan had former WWE Champions Bob Backlund and The Iron Sheik in his corner. Maivia was subjected to a chorus of boos as fans were not backing his character one single iota. Nevertheless, he prevailed in his WM debut with a roll-up. His dad Rocky Johnson came to his aid after the match to rescue him from the heels' clutches.
1 Rocky Maivia Vs. Savio Vega - In Your House: Revenge Of The 'Taker, 1997 (2.83)
In Your House: Revenge of the 'Taker was the sight of Rocky Maivia's penultimate Intercontinental Championship title defense. His challenger was Savio Vega. However, Maivia had to keep a watchful eye on the outside as the Nation of Domination accompanied Vega to the ring.
Maivia came out of the blocks fast as he took down Vega with a couple of arm drags. It was clear that Maivia was still inexperienced. Moreover, the Nation of Domination played a huge part in the outcome of the match. Vega pushed Maivia into Crush. Crush took exception to that, and he nailed Maivia with a vicious Heart Punch. Vega prevailed by count-out, but Maivia got the last laugh as he clung onto the Intercontinental Championship.