The Rock’s First 10 WWE Rivalries, Ranked From Worst To Best

While The Rock is recognized in the pro wrestling industry and known for his exploits in Hollywood as one of the best actors, everything wasn't smooth sailing for the People's Champion. The Rock is a third-generation wrestler as he is the son of Rocky Johnson and the grandson of "High Chief" Peter Maivia. Rock was quickly pushed and an Intercontinental Championship reign came his way by February 1997. However, fans rejected Rock and chanted "Die Rocky Die!" Those chants were unsavory but did wonders for The Rock as he went on to become an exceptional heel.RELATED: The Rock's 5 Best (& 5 Worst) RivalsRock's mic skills were unrivaled in the Attitude Era, and during his first few rivalries, Rock could back it up in the ring. The Great One excelled in his first few rivalries, and he continued to improve as he managed to compete with some of the greatest wrestlers of all time in his early feuds.

10 Salvatore Sincere

At Survivor Series 1996, The Rock made his WWE debut, and eight days after his iconic debut, he faced off with Salvatore Sincere on an episode of Raw. Of course, The Rock was going to win that match which was significant as it was his first-ever match on Raw.

This was never going to be a long rivalry for Rock as he was going to move onto bigger, and better things that WWE had in store for him. Nevertheless, it allowed Rock to gain some valuable experience with Rock clashing with Sincere in matches on television and house shows.

9 The Sultan

After The Rock won the Intercontinental Championship, he engaged in a feud with The Sultan. The Sultan is better known to wrestling fans as Rikishi, and thankfully he got a new gimmick years later as The Sultan was underwhelming. Nevertheless, The Rock made his WrestleMania debut at WrestleMania 13, and he put the gold on the line against The Sultan.

Fans already rejected The Rock at this point of his career, and several boos were reverberating around the arena. Rock successfully retained his Intercontinental Title with a dreadful roll-up. However, this match is often best remembered for Rock and his father Rocky Johnson beating up The Sultan, and Iron Sheik after he was double-teamed afterward.

8 Legion Of Doom

As a member of the Nation of Domination, The Rock naturally was involved in rivalries with fellow tag teams and stables. At Badd Blood: In Your House, The Rock teamed up with fellow Nation members D'Lo Brown and Kama Mustafa to take on the legendary face-painted tag team in a handicap match.

The match was mediocre but the numbers game proved to be too much for LOD to cope with as The Nation prevailed with Rock executing the Rock Bottom on Hawk. The rivalry carried over at Survivor Series 1997 with LOD gaining some revenge in their traditional 4-on-4 Survivor Series elimination match which blew off the feud.

7 Owen Hart

The feud between The Rock and Owen Hart was a brief one as they battled over the Intercontinental Championship. On the April 28, 1997 edition of Raw, the King of Harts challenged Rock for the Intercontinental Title.

RELATED: 10 Tag Teams Who Held Singles Titles At The Same Time

This is an overlooked Intercontinental Championship match that was simply outstanding. Rock learned a lot by wrestling with someone of the caliber of Hart. Hart ended Rock's Intercontinental Championship reign to become a double champion. A year later, the two were on the same side as members of the Nation of Domination.

6 Savio Vega

The Nation of Domination began to gain traction in early 1997, and The Rock's main adversary from the group was Savio Vega. Vega is an underrated wrestler who had an outstanding rivalry with Steve Austin in 1996, and his feud with Rock was hard-hitting.

Vega got the better of Rock in a match on Raw that emanated in South Africa, and Rock was on the receiving end of a beatdown after the bout. Unfortunately, they failed to replicate their match at In Your House: Revenge of the 'Taker with Rock retaining the Intercontinental Championship by count-out. Moreover, the pair carried on their feud when Rock joined the Nation, and Vega led his Los Boricuas faction.

5 Faarooq

The Raw after WrestleMania are generally great shows, and the Raw after WrestleMania 14 did not fail to disappoint. Both DX and the Nation reshuffled the decks with two of the all-time greats becoming leaders of their respective stables. Dissension between The Rock and Faarooq finally reached its boiling point with Rock kicking Faarooq out of the Nation to become the undisputed leader of the group.

Mark Henry, Kama Mustafa, and D'Lo Brown did the dirty work with Faarooq surplus to requirements. Rock asserted his dominance as the leader of the Nation and his rivalry with Faarooq was brilliant. Their Intercontinental Title bout at Over the Edge 1998 was average but Rock retained the Intercontinental Championship and he continued to garner more heat.

4 D-Generation X

Two of the greatest factions in the Attitude Era, DX and the Nation went tic-for-tact with both factions looking to become the dominant faction in WWE. Their rivalry dominated the spring and summer months of 1998 with the Intercontinental and European Championships traded back and forth between the groups.

RELATED: DX vs. The Nation Of Domination: 8 Things Fans Forget About Their Feud

The Rock benefitted from feuding with DX as he thrived as being the leader, and there's no doubt that he made his fellow faction members even better. Ultimately, the culmination of rivalry between the two stables led to Triple H overcoming The Rock in a competitive ladder match at SummerSlam 1998 for the Intercontinental Championship.

3 Ken Shamrock

One of the most overlooked rivals in The Rock's career is Ken Shamrock. Rock and Shamrock began their rivalry in the latter stages of 1997 when the World's Most Dangerous Man outlasted Rock in a traditional Survivor Series elimination match.

Rock and Shamrock's chemistry together was brilliant, and they competed in several marquee matches. Their Intercontinental Championship matches at the Royal Rumble, and WrestleMania 14 were intense. Shamrock got the better of Rock to win the King of the Ring tournament, and Rock beat Shamrock en route to winning the WWE Championship at Survivor Series 1998. The physicality of this rivalry brought out the best in both men with mutual respect to this very day outside of the squared circle.

2 Steve Austin

Of course, Steve Austin is The Rock's greatest rival but before both men became certified main eventers, they feuded over the Intercontinental Championship in 1997. Rock and Austin's mic skills were unrivaled, and they were only scratching the surface before they headlined WrestleMania twice in three years.

Austin always got the upper hand on Rock in their feud, and he eliminated him last in the 1998 Royal Rumble match to triumph for the second consecutive year. Austin infamously threw the Intercontinental Championship title belt into the river as he forfeited the belt to Rock.

1 Triple H

The Rock and Triple H are unquestionably two of the greatest wrestlers to lace up a pair of boots. A staggering 24 world championships between them is remarkable, and their feud dates back to 1997. Rock beat Triple H for the Intercontinental Championship on a special episode of Thursday Raw Thursday in February, and he successfully defended the title in their first singles pay-per-view encounter at In Your House: Final Four.

A year later, they were once again feuding over the Intercontinental Championship, and they were the leaders of their respective factions. Their Intercontinental Title matches at Fully Loaded: In Your House, and their ladder match at SummerSlam 1998 was a testament to their excellence. Triple H may have won the war in '98 but they would feud over the WWE Championship in 1999 and 2000.