The Rock Recalls WWE Stars Trying to Hold Him Back, How The Undertaker Helped Him

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson made a surprise appearance during the WWE Network's Meeting The Undertaker documentary special this past weekend. Like every other wrestler in the special, he recalled his first memorable moment with "The Deadman," specifically when he had his first singles match with the man as Intercontinental Champion on a December 1997 episode of Monday Night Raw. This was less than a year before his first run as WWE Champion, and Johnson admitted how Taker played a huge role in supporting him backstage while other stars tried to hold him back from success.

"One of the important things I want to say about The Undertaker, and this is stuff I've never shared but I do want to share because it's important, is that when I started to make the move and word started getting around that the office was priming me for a WWE Championship run there were a handful of guys in the business at that time — they did everything they could to stop that run from happening," he said Undertaker was one of those guys who was always so steady, telling me 'Don't worry about it, kid. Just keep going out there doing your thing. You got a hell of a future.'

But I always appreciated that about Mark, because it spoke volumes about his integrity and his love for the business," he added. "And I'll always be grateful for that."

Johnson didn't directly name which stars were trying to hold him back, so it's anybody's guess as to who they might have been. Years later, The Rock would dethrone "The Deadman" for his seventh WWE Championship reign, beating him and Kurt Angle at the 2002 Vengeance pay-per-view. It would wind up being his last title reign before initially leaving the company to begin his career in Hollywood.

This year's Survivor Series will celebrate The Undertaker's 30 years in the WWE. Check out the full card for the show (so far) below:

• WWE Champion Randy Orton vs. WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns
• Raw Women's Champion Asuka vs. SmackDown Women's Champion Sasha Banks
• United States Champion Bobby Lashley vs. Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn
• Raw Tag Team Champions The New Day vs. SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Street Profits
• Men's Survivor Series Elimination Tag Match: Team Raw (Keith Lee, AJ Styles, Sheamus, Braun Strowman, TBD) vs. Team SmackDown (Kevin Owens, Jey Uso, TBD)
• Women's Survivor Series Elimination Tag Match (Nia Jax, Shayna Baszler, Mandy Rose, Dana Brooke, Lana) vs. Team SmackDow (Bianca Belair, TBD)