The Rock Says Being ‘Inauthentic’ Nearly Ruined His WWE Debut as Rocky Maivia

Before he was the most electrifying man in sports entertainment, The Rock was just “Rocky Maivia” — and fans hated it. During a new interview with Sports Illustrated to promote his film The Smashing Machine, The Rock revisited one of the lowest moments of his early WWE career: getting booed out of WrestleMania 13.

As a clip of that 1997 match played in the background, Rock explained that the smiling, overly cheerful version of his character wasn’t his idea at all. According to him, Vince McMahon wanted him to portray gratitude at all times — even when the crowd was tearing him apart.

“This is me at WrestleMania 13 in Chicago. I was a rookie and Vince McMahon told me very early, ‘You’re going to become the youngest Intercontinental Champion, but you have to smile all the time. When you go out, your music plays, you got to smile. As you come back, you got to smile.’ And I remember telling him, I was like, man, that doesn’t feel real authentic.”

Rock said he understood McMahon’s reasoning but admitted it never felt right for who he was.

“And he goes, ‘Yeah, but I want to make sure people know that you’re grateful to be here.’ And I went and I thought, ‘God, I wonder if there’s another way, but he’s the boss.’ So what you’re seeing there at WrestleMania 13 is that’s a culmination of months of being inauthentic, not being real, smiling. I mean, dude, I used to go out, my music would hit, and fans would be like, ‘You suck.’ And I’d have to smile, yeah, yeah, thanks, man.”

That period of forced positivity didn’t last long — fans’ rejection of “Rocky Maivia” eventually led to the birth of The Rock, one of the most charismatic and outspoken personas in wrestling history.

While his last WWE appearances have drawn criticism for storylines that went nowhere, Rock’s acting career is thriving. The Smashing Machine — directed by Benny Safdie and co-starring Mark Kerr — is already drawing Oscar buzz, with Christopher Nolan calling his performance “the best of the year.” Up next, he’ll star in a Hawaii-set thriller with Leonardo DiCaprio and Emily Blunt, directed by Martin Scorsese.

The Rock’s evolution from a smiling rookie to global superstar proves authenticity pays off. Do you think Vince McMahon’s creative control helped shape The Rock — or just slowed down his rise? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.