Undertaker Admits He Doubted The Rock’s WWE Future

The Undertaker has revealed he was convinced The Rock’s WWE run was destined to flop the moment he first saw him perform as Rocky Maivia, a confession he made on the latest episode of his podcast, Six Feet Under.

The Deadman recalled watching The Rock’s debut at Madison Square Garden and being skeptical of the smiling, ‘rah-rah’ babyface persona paired with what he remembered as an island-inspired look. “I saw him with the kind of the island gimmick on… he came out with this rah rah babyface kind of energy, and I was like, oh man, this guy’s done for,” Undertaker said. Even knowing The Rock’s athletic pedigree as a college football player at Florida, Undertaker admitted he didn’t think the character would connect with audiences.

Looking back nearly three decades later, Undertaker was quick to admit just how wrong that read turned out to be. “Duly noted. I was wrong. He had a fair run. I guess he’s okay,” he joked, adding that The Rock “turned into something extremely special” and that he wished his run in the ring had lasted longer.

Undertaker also shared a lighter memory from a Monday Night Raw match against The Rock, recalling a moment mid-match when he realized his opponent had become distracted watching himself on the arena Tron instead of paying attention to him. “He’s basically watching himself kick my ass on the Tron,” Undertaker said, noting he eventually had to call him out mid-match, which led to the two sharing a laugh.

The two icons shared the ring again during the chaotic final moments of WrestleMania 40, when Undertaker made a surprise return to help clear the ring in the main event. Reflecting on that appearance, Undertaker joked that The Rock felt heavier than he remembered — or that his own strength had simply diminished with age. More significantly, he said the reunion gave him a genuine sense of closure after his in-ring retirement, calling it “a good way to shut it all down.”

The story doubles as a fun piece of wrestling trivia and a reminder of just how unpredictable star-making can be. The Rock’s early run as Rocky Maivia was famously polarizing — fans notoriously turned on the clean-cut babyface persona, forcing WWE to pivot toward the swaggering heel Nation of Domination version that eventually made him a megastar. Even a locker room veteran as sharp as Undertaker didn’t see that transformation coming, which says as much about how differently The Rock’s late-90s reinvention played out as it does about Undertaker’s own humility in admitting the miss.

With The Rock now operating more as a part-time attraction and corporate figure within WWE, moments like the WrestleMania 40 return remain rare, making Undertaker’s recollections a nice bit of insight into how much that reunion meant to both men. Expect more of these behind-the-curtain stories to surface as Undertaker continues using his podcast to revisit the biggest names and moments of his career.