Dwayne Johnson’s in-ring moniker, ‘People’s Champion’ perfectly fits the persona of ‘The Great One’ or The Rock. Any WWE fans would fill the arena with loud cheers or sometimes boos when the entrance music of the iconic wrestler hits as he enters with his mic for a hell of a show. Undoubtedly, he is one of the best in the mic. But his celebrated in-ring name People’s Champion came out of his heel phase.
Dwayne Johnson. Image: WWE
Quite surprising but Johnson has been a heel in WWF/E for a long time. As he recently went back to the old phase after starting his feud with Cody Rhodes and joining The Bloodline, the cheer for his 2024 WWE return turned to boos and it is exciting. The Rock knows how to piss people off as his catchphrase was born out of it.
The Origin of Dwayne Johnson’s People’s Champion
Dwayne Johnson in an episode of Friday Night SmakDown. Image Credit: WWE/YT
Dwayne Johnson has been one of the greatest WWF/E wrestlers with his charismatic in-ring moves and great on-mic performance. As the 10-time world champion joined the Board of Directors of TKO Group Holdings, WWE’s parent company, Johnson made his comeback with a lot of splash. But tracing back to the history of his catchphrase ‘People’s Champion’ The Rock revealed that he started the moniker to just piss people off in his heel. Speaking with Joe Rogan, the Hollywood megastar revealed the astounding origin of the name.
“When I started the Nation turn, the heel Rock that you saw earlier. Not a white thing, not a black thing, it’s a respect thing, I started calling myself ‘The People’s Champion’ just to pi*s people off. Like, ‘I’m your champion, I’m the People’s Champion, and The Rock is the People’s Champion,’” Johnson said on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast.
It stuck and worked perfectly with his persona at the time. It has become one of the greatest sobriquet in the history of WWE. As Johnson turned to heel after his 2024 return to the arena, it would be fascinating what he is up to cooking in the coming months of the year.
People’s Champion Got Muhammad Ali’s Approval
Dwayne Johnson. Image Credit: WWE/YT
Boxing legend Muhammad Ali approved The Rock’s People Champion. Johnson was wrestling down in Louisville, Kentucky, and Ali and his family were in the arena to watch. And “his wife was there, family, a big group, and afterwards they were waiting to say hello,” Johnson said. He felt the need for Ali’s permission to use the nickname as it was coming out of his heel phase.
“When I come back, I say hello to the family, his wife, and say, ‘Hey, I just want you to know, if you could let Muhammad know, I call myself The People’s Champion in a way to pay homage, out of respect.’ And I’m going across the country and people are shi*ting on me because that’s what you want as a heel. I say, ‘If you could please tell him, if he doesn’t want me to use this, because I know what it meant to him to be People’s Champion, I won’t. She said, ‘He told me to tell you it’s yours,'” Johnson told Rigan.
With The Rock’s return, the reminiscences of his heel phase in 1997 or later years reflect with his WWE return. When WWE was facing major setbacks, Johnson altered all the focus just turning heel ahead of WrestleMania 40. The People’s Champion still has a lot to deliver for the fans. Notably, his heel was the greatest career booster which also made him a star with astounding fame.
