Shawn Michaels addressed long-standing rumors about tension between himself and The Rock during an appearance on 7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony and Kazeem Famuyide. The WWE Hall of Famer dismissed claims that he and Triple H mistreated The Rock during his early WWE days.
"There is a big kerfluffle in the wrestling business about me and Hunter doing stuff to him and being mean. All of it way blown out of proportion, none of it even accurate," Michaels said. "Things that, when he was younger, were said a lot. Later on, and to this day, we get along, and we talk about stuff."
The Rock's Early WWE Struggles
Michaels explained the context of The Rock's difficult start in WWE. When Rocky Maivia debuted in 1996, he was met with "Rocky Sucks" chants from fans who rejected his clean-cut babyface persona.
"When he first came in, he was just Rocky Maivia's [Rocky Johnson's] son. He was one of the first legacies and people at that time were rebelling against that kind of stuff," Michaels explained. "I think he recognized that and felt like he had to come back with something a little harder and more aggressive."
The NXT creative head noted that typical locker room ribbing occurred during this period. After taking time off to rethink his approach, The Rock returned with the aggressive persona that would make him a star.
Why They Never Faced Each Other
Michaels was WWE Champion when The Rock debuted in 1996, but the two never had a singles match. By the time Michaels returned from his back injury in 2002, The Rock was transitioning to his Hollywood career.
"That's one I think everybody would have liked to have seen. By the time I came back, he was well off into his Hollywood career," Michaels said. He admitted he would pick The Rock to win in their hypothetical matchup.
The two did work together in limited capacities. Michaels served as special guest referee for Rock matches and aligned with him when Rock was the corporate champion and Michaels was commissioner.
Michaels also worked with The Rock's daughter Ava during her time in NXT before she left WWE earlier this year.
