
Dwayne took the ring name of Rocky Maivia, a tribute to both his father and to his grandfather, and made his World Wrestling Federation debut in November 1996. Rocky's first appearance was especially notable, since it was at the Survivor Series, an almost unheard of place for a rookie to try and make his mark. Amazingly, Rocky not only survived, he actually managed to win his match at the Pay-Per-View, immediately capturing the attention of the awestruck crowd.
Rocky's impressive debut initially wowed the Federation's fans. The third generation superstar continued to rack up wins, eventually earning him a shot at the Intercontinental Championship against Hunter Hearst Helmsley
a opportunity that Rocky made the most of, winning the prestigious title!
Things looked perfect for the young superstar, but all was not well. The fans, while initially enamored with Rocky's good looks and natural charisma, soon tired of being reminded of just how wonderful Maivia was. In the early stages of "WWF Attitude," old-school babyfaces were out, and Rocky's upbeat outlook was passe.
Rocky's attitude changed for the worse after a fateful night in New York. During one of his matches, Maivia noticed a sign in the audience that read simply "Die, Rocky, Die." This sign so enraged Maivia, that he decided that he no longer needed to cater to the fans. Instead, he adopted a more aggressive outlook, one that eventually led him to fall in with the wrong crowd
namely, The Nation of Domination. |