Traina Thoughts: It was 21 Years Ago Today That The Rock Began His Rise To Superstardom

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson had his first WWE match 21 years ago today.

Author:
Jimmy Traina
Publish date:
Nov 17, 2017

1. If you read Traina Thoughts on a regular basis, you know that I have a slight, yet obviously disturbing obsession with The Rock. The simple fact is, no other wrester in pro wresting history was as entertaining over his career as The Great One. So today, we celebrate the anniversary of The Rock's first WWE match, which took place on Nov. 17, 1996 at Madison Square Garden during the Survivor Series. The Great One has come a long way since that day. He quickly rose to stardom and had one of the great runs ever in the WWE. But things did not start out smoothly. Fans hated his initial character, Rocky Maivia, while The Rock also struggled with some of his wardrobe choices.

The Rock even mocked himself a year ago when he re-watched his debut match and critiqued the entire thing. If you're a Rock fan and have never seen this video, you definitely should check it out.

Obviously, he's come a long way since then, to not only become The Great One, but also the People's Champion -- and one of the biggest movie stars in the world. But for us, it'll always be his magical work at the Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment that we remember.

Enjoy this compilation of some of his best moments from his legendary WWE career.

2. This weke's Off The Board podcast features a great interview with ESPN's Scott Van Pelt, who did not pull any punches when addressing people who think his network is "dying." Van Pelt also revealed why he's not interested in talking about LaVar Ball, gave his thoughts on the ESPN/Barstool Sports controversy and remembered the time Dodgers outfielder Cody Bellinger told him he wasn't familiar with Jerry Seinfeld. You can listen to the podcast below or download it on iTunes, SoundCloud or Stitcher.

3. Brent Musburger: NOT a fan of the SkyCam NBC used for last night's Titans-Steelers game.

4. J.J. Watt needs to bust out this dance next season after a sack.

5. Aaron Judge and Jose Altuve had a nice, classy exchange after the Astros second baseman was named AL MVP last night.

6. During last night's game against the Celtics, the Warriors announcers decided to mock Lonzo Ball's horrendous shooting.

7. Here's a first from Kevin Durant. He's blaming past questionable tweets on being groggy from sleeping.

Traina Thoughts is the best of the Internet, plus musings by SI.com writer, Jimmy Traina. Get the link to a new Traina's Thoughts each day by following on Twitter and liking on Facebook. Catch up on previous editions of Traina Thoughts right here. And check out Jimmy Traina's weekly podcast, "Off The Board."

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