Hmmm..don't even know where to begin, let's see well first and foremost I must say that after I started back watching wrestling in 97 after a five year hiatus(I watched it like every once in awhile within those 5 years), it was all about HBK, HHH, and Chyna, you know the beginning of the original DX. I noticed the WWF had changed alot but there were a few people I remember from back in the day that hadnt defected to WCW. Well even though I started back watching WWF at Summerslam, I didnt know that the Monday Night show had changed its format and became Raw is War so I didnt bother to watch it for at least another 2 weeks after SS. Eventually I did and I was amazed it had changed.
But anyways, one night I watched it and of course looking for HBK, then along come these guys dressed in militant attire, African looking stuff and throwing their fists in the air. I said to myself "what the hell is this some kind of Malcolm X, Black Panther shit". Well of course I didnt know who none of them were since they werent there when I was watching WWF. Well after I kinda picked up on their names as Faarooq, D'Lo, Kama, and along comes a guy named Rocky Maivia....I was like "Rocky who", well I thought who's this dude and he sure doesnt look like the rest of them, he looks rather unique but I didnt think much else of it.
Being the person that I am, I'm not easily impressed with people win I first see or meet them, I am personality/substance kinda girl. Well this Rocky Maivia gets on the mic and starts talking about something and I'm still thinking, "y'know he looks rather exotic but I cant figure out what he was and what with that last name!!" So as Rocky speaks, I'm thinking he is an arrogant son of a bitch and full of himself so I immediately came to the conclusion that he can kiss my ass. THIS DUDE ROCKY SUCKS!!! Yeah that's right I hated the Rock when I first saw him. I thought he was a little cute and looked like something I'd never seen before but that didnt matter, I hated him. I would cringe in disgust whenever he showed up to torment us with his arrogance. Now even though I knew wrestling was scripted, I didnt know all that inside stuff so I thought Rock was really like that at the time. I hated him and the Nation, simple as that!!
Well y'know they drilled in your head that Rock was a third generation superstar and they kept telling you his granddaddy was High Chief Peter Maivia and his dad was Rocky Johnson. I had never heard of his grandfather but I knew who his dad was and I used to like him, but they did nothing for how I felt about Rocky, I still hated him. But the funny thing is, even though I hated him and the Nation, I was always interested in their storylines, and I loved to see them come out so I could boo em. I was especially into the whole Austin/Rocky Intercontinental angle.
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br> Time passed
and they started getting into DX vs the New Nation lead by
Rock and HHH vs Rock stuff which of course I was on DX's
side. I cheered for HHH to beat Rock's ass all over the
place. Blah blah we get to Summerslam 98 and they had the
big ladder match between Rock and Hunter for the IC strap
and 6 days before, Rock had just humiliated my girl Chyna
so I was waiting for 3 H's to stomp his ass. Well at the
end of that match, I had a whole new respect for Rock, I
thought that was one of the best ladder matches I had seen
and his performance was superb. I still didnt care much for
him
but I at least had respect which I couldnt say
before.Well they got into all kinds of stuff, Rock got away from the Nation and started a little feud with Mark Henry and D'lo and in this situation, I was on Rock's side cause Mark Henry is a big blob of shit in my opinion. I finally at that point had left my life as a mark and was reading all the dirt sheets and had some internet access so in that I found out that Rock's real name was Dwayne and I was reading that the People's Elbow was getting rather popular at house shows, I thought to myself, well there's no accounting for taste but I guess its an ok move but whatever
We're inching closer to Survivor Series and they started the crap with Vinnie Mac in a wheel chair screwing people left and right, mainly Austin, and that shit with Shane as a babyface ref. Well it was a situation on Raw where Rock had to beat Mark Henry to go to Survivor Series or be fired(Nov 9th episode for anybody who wants to go into their collection and take a look). I watched that match and it was the most spectacular match I had ever seen Rock put on and I knew that night he would one day be a mega star. It was the best and against that big jackoff Mark Henry that was alot. Well I started warming up to Rocky and thinking maybe he doesnt truly suck after all but I need more proof.
The hype was soon happening for Royal Rumble 99 and Rock and Mankind feud was just da bomb, I mean it was crankin, the set up for the "I Quit match was superior and the promos they cut were off the page. After the match was over I was thinking "damn Rock kicks mucho ass man" and soon I start really diggin this guy, REALLY!! I got tickets to a Raw for my area and I was jakked and ready for my first live Raw! A friend and I were checking out Superbowl Sunday and waiting on Halftime Heat with Rock and Mankind again. We sat through that match totally melting and our mouths just dropped, it was just undescribable what we were feeling during that presentation. Rock was side splitting hilarious and that was the most entertaining thing I had seen in wrestling! We also started picking up on just how gorgeous this man was also!! :) That day, my friend and I both officially declared the Rock as our absolute favorite wrestler, no lukewarm, no wishy-washy shit he was DA MAN!!
We soon came upon St Valentine's
Day Massacre ppv which was the night before we were going
to Raw. We marked out on the ppv and got stoked about the
next night at Raw. We got there and checked out wrestlers
coming and hoping we'd see the Great One. Soon we had to
line up to go in the building and then later somebody
yelled out that Rock had pulled in and for some reason my
buddy and I just froze, I asked myself what the hell was my
problem but because Im not a fruitfly I didnt receive an
answer!! lol We got in and had bullshit nosebleed seats and
were pissed. I got fed up cause this goddamned spotlight
was blinding me and people's legs were in my back. I told
my buddy that at approxiamately 15 mins before Raw starts
Im going down and sit lower level where people hadnt shown
up yet.
Fifteen minutes came and we went to steal seats, luckily the event staff were goofs and didnt check our ticks. We got to the seats which were next to the main camera and could see all. The set up is ready, they were in the ring testing the hook to hold a belt cause it was obvious they were having a ladder match that night but we didnt know with who..Raw starts with footage from the ppv, the explosion was loud and spectacular.
HBK came(I couldnt believe it) out talking about us being on the road to Wrestlemania then Stone Cold and Mankind came out which we marked out on totally, then Vince comes out wrapped up after he had got his ass beaten by Austin in that cage match the night before. They were jabbering back and forth and then Vince says he thinks it should be a rematch between the Rock and Mankind since the night before in the Last Man Standing match it was a draw. At this point my friend wasnt convinced that Rock would be there after what happened the night before(she was a total mark for what she saw) and I had to convince her he would so dont worry! Low and behold Rock's music hits and he comes out, we screamed like we were in the movie "Scream", I got my binoculars and looked and I couldnt believe he was right in the same room with me, breathing the same air, again i was in awe. Below are pics from that particular moment, our first look at the People's Champ LIVE:
We had the best time the whole show, enjoying all our favs and even non favs. Everybody I wanted to see was in attendance so I felt like I got more than my money's worth. They had announced that the main event would be Rock vs Mankind for the WWF Title so I was more than excited see my first live title-ladder match. It soon came and Rock came out first and did an interview in the ring, once again insulting the crowd, calling them trash and all kinds of stuff, everybody was booing him like crazy(typical marks booing a heel), but my friend and I were cheering and happy he was in our presence!
After his interview, they went to commercial so Rock got out of the ring and just circled it messin with the crowd, drunk guys were shouting shit at him and he was just playing with em. My friend and I watched him through the binoculars the whole time he circled and just still couldnt believe we were seeing him. All of sudden he stops right in front of my section, takes off his sunglasses and my friend and I both jaws dropped!! HE WAS ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!!!! We said outloud, " WHAT THE FUCK!!!" This man is a GOD!! He was gorgeous, I mean he had the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen in my damn life and I swear we were under hypnosis!!
Yeah
you notice that on tv but it
takes a different affect in person!! I asked my friend did
she see what I saw and she was speechless, had literally
gone catatonic. My friend started crying and I was just
seeing stars and started clicking my heels like Dorothy in
the Wizard of Oz, begging for the them not to comeback from
commercial so that Rock could just stay out there all night
so we could look at him. I kept talking to my friend and
she wouldnt answer, she couldnt!! We were now zombies, I
was literally lovesick and so was my friend. The show ended
with Rock winning the WWF Title and we sat there and
watched him until he had completely left our sight. We then
retreated to the car, still speechless and mad cause it was
over. During our hour long trip back home, we just put on
the WWF the Music Vol 3 cd and didnt utter a word the whole
time. We spazzed bad!! And the rest is history!!
So from
that day through now I am a bonafide Rock-a-holic, I
started taping anything he was on, collecting all mag
articles on him, putting posters of him up in my room, just
anything Rock, I made sure I had it. I still do that but Im
not braindead like I was during the time after Raw, y'know
just spazzing or over-drooling everytime I see him(I only
drool now on special occasions) I was even chillin later
that year when I went to a Smacketh taping, I didnt go nuts
at all, just typical cheering! As time
passed, I started reading more on the real Rock, y'know
about Dwayne Johnson, and realized that I am more like this
guy than I thought!
I can relate to alot of his
attitude(real and character), things he talks about, his
sense of humor!! I had finally found a star to adore that
was my age also(I'm 2 years younger but close enuff!!). My
favorite guy who I had been into since I was 9 years was 16
years older and I hate his guts now! Rock became more to me
than just a gorgeous face, especially after reading his
book and seeing how much I had in common with him. With the
exception of a few details, his book was like reading about
myself only Im a female and never played football!! Duh!
but you know whatta mean!! Sometimes in the middle of
reading I would stop and think about the situation he was
talking about and then go back to reading and he says what
I was thinking, it was weird!I hear alot of females say that they turned on Raw or Smackdown one day, saw him and went ape-shit, but you ask them why and all they can say is because he's sexy(true, true), but some really cant tell you anything else as to why they love him so much! That's all good but for me it goes beyond that. He's a role model with that winning personality and attitude. He continues to amaze me everyday and I look to him for strength and wisdom and all that other idol stuff, y'know that thing when you need inspiration in something you wanna accomplish, pop in a Rock tape and he gives you motivation, well he motivates me and cheers me up when im pissed and whenever I run into bullshit with these candyass jabronies around here(and its alot of em, damnit), I think about what the Rock would do in this situation and then I always come out on top. He's like no other and I will smell what he's cooking forever!! Strong statement but..it's true, it's true!! ; )
