The Rock Reveals The Most Meaningful Match Of His Career

The Rock has taken to Instagram to reveal what he believes is the most meaningful match of his iconic professional wrestling career.

Rock said that his most meaningful match wasn’t even one that was broadcast, and actually came at a house show in Hawaii against Chris Jericho.

He said:

“Of course, the very first match I ever had as a professional wrestler in San Antonio, TX and my last match as a professional wrestler in New York City where I started my career in the WWE were very memorable, but the one match that I will always carry with me deep in my heart, in my bones, happened in Honolulu, Hawaii, and it was the first and only time I had ever wrestled in Hawaii. It was not a big PPV. It was not a big television production. It was what we called a live event or a house show in the world of professional wrestling where it’s just an event.

“When Vince McMahon approached me at the height of my professional wrestling career, the first run of my professional wrestling career, he said hey what do think about going to Hawaii? Small show. He’s like you probably don’t want to go because it’s a lot of travel, I said no. I cut him off and said you don’t understand. It would be the most meaningful show of my life. He kind of looked at me and said, ‘really?’ I said, ‘absolutely. Book it.’

“So I headline that show. We went to Hawaii, and I wrestled a guy by the name of Chris Jericho, a very good buddy of mine today, and I gotta tell you guys, I’ve had the honor and the privilege. I’ve been a lucky son of a b***h to have the career that I’ve had in professional wrestling. I’ve wrestled around the world in very major arena in this country, every major arena around the world, and the most meaningful match I’ve ever had was to go back to Hawaii at the Blaisdell Center in the main event. Sold it out by the way. Faster than Elvis did. I’m just saying. I got that phone call like you just beat Elvis with how fast the sell-out happened. I said, ‘is that right?’ I love you King, but how cool is that? I was so grateful to hear that news.”

Rock continued:

“It was so special. I flew my entire family in for this because everybody knew what this moment meant including my grandmother. I flew my grandmother in. I have goosebumps right now thinking about it. I flew her in. She was sitting there, and my music hits, ‘if you smell.’ Bang. I come out. I see them and give everybody a kiss at the front row. We have our match. It was a phenomenal match. Chris Jericho was a great dance partner for me, and afterwards I get on the mic for the crowd, and I just let them know how meaningful this is to me and family because for years and years and years Hawaii just meant struggle, so I thanked them. I have wrestled in front of some wild crowds that were on fire, and you can just feel it. It can be 50,000 people on fire, but it can still feel so intimate like I could reach out. We just have this connection. That night was special because the people of Hawaii, the culture they all knew what it meant for me to go back, and afterwards, we have the match. We go to the back and celebrate with the family. Quiet celebration.

“We’re all in the back. It was just me and my family. It was really intimate. We’re in the dressing room. This sweaty ass dressing room that stinks because all the wrestlers were in there including myself, and they all leave. We’re just back there me and family, and what it represented was so beautiful to have this moment with them. My grandmother said, ‘we finally made it. We finally made it.’ Oh, man. There were a lot of tears that day in that locker room, but tears of joy and gratitude.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-sEtxulCuK/

Thanks to Wrestling Inc for the transcription