The Rock Top 5 Biggest Losses in WWE
The Rock is considered one of the greatest Wrestlers of all time in WWE and he had some famous feuds with Stone Cold, The Undertaker, Hulk Hogan, Triple H, and most recently John Cena. From being a face and also a heel, Rock has done everything. In the later part of his career, he was also used to putting over new faces of WWE like Brock Lesnar and Goldberg. In doing so, he has also lost some big matches. Here is our compilation of his worst career losses.
#5 The Rock vs Undertaker RAW 29 September 1998
During this time, the Rock, Mankind, Shamrock were in a
#4 The Rock vs Brock Lesnar Undisputed Championship SummerSlam 2002
The Rock was the face WWE Champion and Lesnar was the heel challenger who had debuted on the main roster just four months earlier. Throughout the match, the crowd was chanting “Rocky Sucks” which was rare during this period. Lesnar was touted as the next big thing in professional wrestling at the time.
At one point, both guys were down for a few minutes followed by both men doing a kip-up at the same time in one of the coolest moments of the match. Rock locked Lesnar in the sharpshooter, Lesnar tried to come out of the lock amid the ‘Let’s go Lesnar’ chants were heard from the crowd. Paul Heyman interfered from the apron and Rock brought him into the ring. Brock took advantage of the distraction to slap Rock in bearhug which lasted for two minutes. Paul Heyman kept interfering in the match until Rock hit a Rockbottom on him on the announce table. Near the end of the match, Rock threw off the elbow for the People’s Elbow, he ran the ropes, Lesnar popped up and crushed Rock with a clothesline. At this point, fans went crazy. Both countered F5 and Rockbottom before Lesnar hit an F5 with a huge ovation and Lesnar covered Rock for the pin.
This is the only singles match between them. This could have been the start of great rivalry but Rock left for Hollywood soon. That was a memorable match due to the fact that the next big star Lesnar beat Rock in the main event of a major show. This was a passing of the torch match with Rock putting over Lesnar clean right in the middle of the ring.
#3 The Rock vs Goldberg Backlash 2003
At Wrestle Mania XIX in 2003, Rock defeated Steve Austin, and on the next night on RAW, he held a segment called ‘The Rock Appreciation night’. During the segment, Goldberg made his WWE debut and challenged Rock and hit him with a spear. Rock accepted the challenge in the coming weeks to face him at Backlash PPV. Rock was the crowd favorite this time
Goldberg hit Rock’s own Rock Bottom on him gaining an early advantage. Rock dodged the spear, resulting in Goldberg hitting the steel ring post. Rock took advantage as he locked Goldberg in a sharpshooter. Goldberg broke the hold by grabbing the ring ropes and performed a successful spear on The Rock. Rock was able to perform a spinebuster, Rock Bottom, and People’s Elbow on Goldberg into an unsuccessful pinfall attempt. Afterward, Goldberg delivered two spears and a Jackhammer to win by a pinfall amid the chants of ‘Goldberg sucks’.
Like his match with Lesnar, Rock was again used here to set up Goldberg with a big win on his debut PPV event in WWE. This was Rock’s last PPV main event singles match
#2 The Rock vs Steve Austin, WWE Championship Match – No Disqualification, Wrestle Mania XV, 1999
This saga was more about Steve Austin than The Rock. Austin won the WWF championship at WM XIV amid his feud with the Corporation and then the whole year storyline can take an article of itself. Although 6 months later he lost the title and later the title was traded between Rock and Mankind with Rock in his heel run throughout. During this feud also Rock was the heel and Austin the
Austin sent Rock through the announce table very early in the match and they brawled in the crowd, outside the ring, over the aisle. Rock was rammed through the hockey boards and steel railing. Rock gave Austin a back body drop with Austin’s left leg hitting a steel area. Then he rammed Austin’s knee in steel steps and spit water on his face. Austin replied with an elbow on Rock over the table. They injured the Referee with a chair shot. When Austin kicked out on two counts, a frustrated Rock hit Rockbottom on 2nd referee. Stone Cold hit the stunner and the 3rd Referee came out but Rock kicked out at two counts after a delayed pin. Then Vince McMahon interfered and hit the 3rd Referee before he and Rock stomped on Austin in the corner until Mankind came out in the referee shirt and decked McMahon. Rock hit another Rockbottom but Austin dodged the people’s elbow and hit another Stone Cold Stunner to win the match.
One month later, Rock also lost the rematch at Backlash when he was betrayed by Shane McMahon and was turned face again.
#1 The Rock vs John Cena WWE Championship Wrestle Mania XXIX (2013)
This match was the culmination of 3 years of a storyline. In 2011, Rock returned to RAW after 7 years and insulted Cena in a promo. He then cost Cena the WWE Championship match at Wrestle Mania 27 against The Miz where he came out as the special referee and hit Cena with a Rockbottom, allowing Miz to pin Cena. Rock then faced Cena again at WM 28 in 2012 and the match was dubbed as “Once in a Lifetime”. Rock countered the People’s Elbow from Cena to hit Rockbottom and win the match. Rock then won the WWE Championship from CM Punk at Royal Rumble to win a WWE title after 10 years and then defended it at Elimination Chamber. Cena had won the Royal Rumble in 2013 to set up a match between them at WM 29 for WWE Championship.
Cena was booed throughout the match whenever he hit a move on Rock. After a slow start to the match, Rock lock Cena in a sharpshooter but Cena escaped. Rock again countered Cena when he was going for a 5-knuckle shuffle to a DDT. Then it was Cena’s turn to lock Rock in STFU. Rock was able to power out of the second STFU and caught Cena with a Rock Bottom. Cena replied with Attitude Adjustment to get two counts. People’s elbow and Rock Bottom followed by Cena kicked out at two. Cena then hit 2nd AA. Cena teased the people’s elbow but Rock popped up, so Cena instead went for AA which was countered into another Rockbottom. After a DDT, Rock was setting up for another R
After the match, Rock and Cena did a handshake in the ring. Rock thanked the crowd and hugged his family members. Then he walked up to the top of the stage where Cena was waiting. They saluted each other to end the show. Rock sustained an injury in which his abdominal and adductor tendons tore from his pelvis and had to undergo surgery.
