The Rock's 25 Greatest Interviews and Promos in WWE

Even if the Rock had absolutely no skills in the ring, he'd still be one of the most popular wrestlers ever. His presence on the mic is like no other.

He is the undisputed catchphrase king.

Evidenced by every promo he did while with WWE, the Rock had charisma oozing out of his every pore. He made backstage interviews fun, loading them with innuendos and call and responses galore.

No one else captivated an audience like the Rock.

Looking back at his greatest microphone performances, it's extremely difficult to select the best.  They're all everything you want out of a promo; humor, storytelling, character and energy. 

That being said, grading them on creativity and humor, as well as the usage of the Brahma Bull's catchphrases, here are the 25 best Rock interviews and promos.

Honorable Mention

There are far more than 25 great Rock promos.  One could line them all up and watch them for a few hours, no problem. 

Whether he is referencing his strudel, going back and forth with Chris Jericho, messing with Michael Cole, or speaking Swedish, making Coachman do the Charleston, no one does it like the Great One.

Here's hoping that the Rock's return means that we'll have to take off some of these beauties to make room for new ones. 

25. Lilian

"Admit it, Lilian, you get wet…with perspiration."

A standard interview quickly turns into a parade of sexual innuendoes.  Expect wordplay, excessive smoothness and more than a few strudel references.

He exudes cool even in the way he holds his championship title and the microphone.

There is only a sliver of this interview that would fly in the post-Attitude era.  The PG era would have stifled him like crazy.

24. Show, Taker, Kane and Mankind

"Undertaker with his Mickey Mouse tattoos and 33 lb. head."

A touch insane, a touch goofy, this SmackDown promo in Las Vegas saw the Rock talk trash about Big Show, Kane, Undertaker and Mankind.

It also features one of his best eyebrow raises.  His imitation of Kane is by no means accurate, but may have tears rolling down your cheeks.

Even when they knew what he was going to say, the Rock's promo always got a big reaction from the crowd.   

23. Dudley Boyz

"Who are you two roody poos?"

The title of this YouTube video suggests it's the best "It doesn't matter" moment, and it's hard to argue with them.

He doubly mocks the Dudley Boyz by mimicking Bubba's stutter and dismissing them all in one strike.  This is certainly one his shorter promos, but the delivery is superb.

The Rock's annoyed look while waiting for the Dudley Boyz to finish talking is classic.

22. Coachman-Barry Manilow

"Sweet cream on an ice cream sandwich!"

Of all the interviewers that the Rock laid waste to, none were more entertaining to see go down than Jonathan Coachman. 

I never really enjoyed Coachman's work until he went one on one with the Great One. 

When doing promos, wrestlers and bookers often forget to have fun with them like the Rock does here. This doesn't fuel some feud or add to a storyline, but it's undeniably entertaining. 

21. Stasiak and the Rock Talk Pie

"And it probably hurts."

Shawn Stasiak, now a chiropractor, was never taken seriously by WWE and didn't have a plethora of highlights during his career.  Though he was punked quite thoroughly by the Rock, this may be the moment he remembers most fondly.

Ask any other wrestler to stand in a ring and discuss pie and you'll likely get the blandest promo you've ever heard.  The Rock on the other hand, turns the moment into a gem.

Throw in Stacy Keibler and you have one entertaining television segment.

20. Mark Lloyd

"You shrank and got white."

The second part of this is a standard catchphrase-heavy promo that doesn't really stand out.

It's the beginning where he demolishes Mark Lloyd that makes this one of the Rock's greatest hits.  No one rips on an announcer like the Rock.

This is one of his best uses of "who in the blue hell is…" he's ever done.  His juvenile, bullying humor never gets old. 

19. WrestleMania

"Not afraid to sweat, not afraid to bleed."

This is the closest thing the Rock has done to a traditional promo.  You don't often see him this serious.

Even without him goofing around and throwing out every catchphrase in his toolbox, his energy and charisma are undeniably enthralling.

And here's hoping that WWE puts out those 'Hit it Strong' t-shirts again.

18. The McMahons

"Stephanie's dog takes a crap on Shane's living room carpet."

Not even the McMahon family is safe from the Rock's barbs.  In a rant that has plenty that wouldn't be allowed in the current WWE, he goes off all the recent drama and attention surrounding their family infighting. 

The Brahma Bull has superb energy throughout.  He perfectly balances anger and playfulness.   

I also have to give the Rock props for referring to my city as H-town.  Right on!

17. NWO

"You take that camera and shine it up real nice."

Hogan must have truly respected the Rock to accept being pinned by the Great One and also receive this verbal smacking backstage.

A scene where Hogan takes a picture with the Rock quickly turns into a "turn it sideways" session.  His mocking of Kevin Nash's Mack truck sound is a beautifully funny moment. 

A short promo is still a good one because of the high profile of the victims. 

16. Lance Storm

"You can go right back to the Waffle House and sling hash all day."

The Rock gets extra points for cutting this promo in the middle of his match.  Even out of breath, he's got great delivery. 

This is a succinct promo that suggests that the Rock may be too good at verbally burying guys.

Seeing the Rock in those headphones makes you wonder if once he hangs his boots up for real, how sweet it'd be to have him put his verbal skills to work on commentary. 

15. HHH, Big Show

"7 feet, 500 lbs. of whining…"

After the 2000 Royal Rumble, there was discussion about whether the Rock's feet had touched the ground first thus making his victory invalid.  The only problem is that it doesn't matter if the Rock's feet touched the ground.

Few guys received as much of the Rock's ire as the Big Show. 

The Philly crowd's insane energy help elevate this promo another level.  Take a listen to the non-PG chant they start about Stephanie McMahon.

14. Benoit

"Rock doesn't know what squeal is."

WWE may have erased this from their archives because it deals with the infamous Chris Benoit, but they would certainly lose a gem of a promo if they did.

Nobody could riff off one idea with such veracity like the Rock.  In most other hands this promo would have been a bunch of angry shouting and finger pointing, but he makes it funny while keeping with character and furthering the story.

13. Booker T

"You got the Spinnerooni, the Dipsy Doodle and the Sufferin’' Succotash."

A far more famous anti-Booker T segment comes later on this list.  This one is also fantastic.

Did Booker T hate going mic to mic with the Rock or did he appreciate the artistry of the beatdowns he received?

The Rock owns Booker T here and goes on to put Shane McMahon through a table via the Rock Bottom.  Arnold Schwarzenegger looks on, pleased.

12. Detectives

"Exactly the type of match that makes the Rock's bacon sizzle."

Wrestlers, announcers and cities are all fair game when the Rock's sharp wit goes hunting.  You can now officially add fake detectives to that list. 

The real version of this encounter would have been far less funny and involved a lot more handcuffs.

The kayfabe cops receive some of the Rock's best jabs.  The fact that these two actors managed to keep a straight face through this whole thing is amazing.

11. Hurricane

"Go get the Rock a cheeseburger, no ketchup."

This classic promo begins with a funny (though regrettably too short) song trashing Canadians.  

In comes Greg Helms aka Hurricane.  You know it was only a matter of time before one of the most ridiculous gimmicks in WWE was going to be viciously mocked by the Rock.

Hurricane holds his own here and has some nice moments but he can't touch the Great One.

As a sucker for a Aqua Man reference, this one is near and dear to me.

10. Cena/Punk

"You looking like a bloated transvestite Wonder Woman ready to fight crime."

During a contract signing between CM Punk and John Cena on Raw a few months back, the Rock returned via video clip to show the current WWE superstars how a promo is done.

Some fans have argued that his tenure in Hollywood has changed him and that he's lost a step on the mic.  Judging by this performance it looks as if the opposite has happened.

Making movies has sharpened his acting skills.  He's not as much of a goofy, loose cannon, but instead has begun to be more precise and even more charismatic.

9. Rock and Austin

"Your breath smells like strudel."

The two pillars of the Attitude Era face off for an extended promo that drifts into some weird territory.  Austin and the Rock had fantastic chemistry in and out of the ring.

I don't think anybody else could stand between those ropes singing to each other and keep us watching intently. 

The crowd goes a little "what" crazy, but when called upon helps add to the energy of the moment.

8. Triple H and Brock Lesnar

"For the 4, 999,000th time the Rock’s gonna lay the smackdown on Triple H all over Norfolk."

The Rock's swagger is on full display here as he tries an odd twist to the typical promo in talking about when he and Triple H were babies and beyond.

Coachman struggles to keep a straight face as Rock fires away.

The highlights of this gem include the Rock impersonating Triple H as a caveman and Paul Heyman as a walrus. 

7. Al Snow

"Al is this jabroni’s name?"

This backstage segment is not as well known as some of his other bits, but it's one of his finest.

Mick Foley and Al Snow meet up with the Rock.  Unfortunately, Al doesn't know his role.  He soon suffers the wrath of the Great One.

Every Rock staple is here from the "millions" call and response, turning an object sideways and the Rock wondering who the blue hell Al Snow is.

6. Evening with the Rock

"I'll be sure to come back when the Lakers beat the Kings in May."

The Rock has used his guitar and Elvisesque voice to make fun of many a jabroni.  The song he sung in Sacramento was his best ever. 

The Raw audience enjoyed a mini-concert with the Rock, at least until he started talking trash about their city. 

Making Jerry Lawler giggle is no great feat, but getting the fans you are ripping to cheer anyway is amazing. 

5. Royal Rumble

"Unclip yourself, jabroni."

On a SmackDown episode filmed in Louisiana, the Rock gets ready for the Royal Rumble.  In doing so, he has a little fun with the camera man.

He doesn't talk as much here, mostly playing up the one joke continuously, but gets the crowd extremely fired up.  Seeing him having fun out there is contagious as well.

After seeing so many cookie cutter promos where Wrestler A comes out and talks about how angry he is at Wrestler B, the Rock breathes a breath of fresh air into the non-wrestling side of things.

4. Hell in a Cell

"I gotta get in my truck, drink some Steveweisers and listen to some Backstreet Boys."

The Rock was going to be facing a bevy of men in a Six-Man Hell in a Cell at Armageddon.  Not one of them (or Kevin Kelly for that matter) was safe from his mocking ways.

His impersonations of Kurt Angle and Rikishi are not SNL-worthy perhaps, but hilarious nonetheless. 

He thrusts himself into his promos with such abandon that even an average joke goes over well.  His infectious energy is displayed in full in this interview. 

3. Booker T Again

"I know the answer to that.  2+2?  Thomas Jefferson, sucka."

The Rock's infamous rant about Booker T being stupid stands out as one of his best.  Some of it is so mean that you’ll cringe, but be laughing at the same time.

The electrified crowd eats up every word of it. 

Jericho joins him and does a fine job, but the Rock blows him out of the water. 

This was definitely pre-PG era as the Rock utilizes some choice adult words to help him complete his rhymes.

2. Toronto

"The Rocks gets more pie in a week than you get in a lifetime."

On a 2003 episode of Raw, the Rock made a surprise appearance in Toronto.  Even when he takes a dig at the crowd, they still cheer for him. 

He insults them in various hilarious fashions and they love him regardless.

The highlights include the Rock turning his usual "the Rock has come back" routine into an insult, making fun of the crowd for cheering when he mentioned their city and a frantic rhyme leading to "because the Maple Leafs suck."

1. This Is Your Life

"You never let the Rock make his pancakes, did you?"

A lot of the credit for the highest-rated segment in WWE history has to go to Mankind, but the Rock did more than hold his own.

Mankind and the Rock's strange and wonderful chemistry in and out of the ring was always a treat to watch.  We need to have the current Raw writers sit down and watch this a few hundred times and tell them to emulate this hilarity. 

A very original segment that as Jim Ross said "captivated Greensboro and the world," ranks as Rock's best work so far.