Every Match The Rock Has Had Since Leaving For Hollywood, Ranked
Daniel Foster
Updated on September 24, 2026
Entering 2001, there was arguably no wrestler hotter on the planet than The Rock. With "Stone Cold" Steve Austin sidelined, he took over as the top babyface for the world's most prominent wrestling company. However, right after WrestleMania X-Seven and the biggest match of his career, The Rock disappeared from WWE television.
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That's because he headed to Hollywood to film a small role in The Mummy Returns. Though Rock returned, he was hooked. He went back to film The Scorpion King and it seemed like wrestling fans were losing him slowly. Backlash 2003 ended up being his final match, a loss to a debuting Goldberg, before leaving for Hollywood for good. Since then, Rock has come back for seven matches.
7 Erick Rowan vs. The Rock - WrestleMania 32
You can be forgiven if you forgot this ever happened, yet it has some historical value as it is The Rock's last match to date. It wasn't even scheduled, either. The Rock came out near the end of an excessively long WrestleMania 32 to give the crowd a treat. He was quickly interrupted by The Wyatt Family and The Rock revealed that he was wearing his ring gear under his casual clothes.
That led to an impromptu match. Surprisingly, it wasn't stable leader Bray Wyatt getting the opportunity but instead, his henchman Erick Rowan. The Rock immediately delivered the Rock Bottom and won the match in six seconds. Then, he and John Cena (who also made a surprise appearance) stood tall against the Wyatts.
6 John Cena vs. The Rock - WrestleMania 29
"Once in a Lifetime" turned into "Twice in a Lifetime" when 2013 rolled around. At the Royal Rumble, John Cena won the titular match to earn a title shot at WrestleMania 29. That same night, The Rock defeated CM Punk to win the WWE Championship. That set up Rock/Cena II.
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Unfortunately, the rematch failed to live up to the lofty expectations. It didn't help that early on, The Rock injured his pelvis. The Rock and Cena couldn't put on the epic they were trying to, partially due to those physical issues. The match was also criticized for just being two guys kicking out of each other's finishers for too long. Fans also didn't love Rock passing the torch to Cena.
5 The Awesome Truth vs. John Cena & The Rock - Survivor Series 2011
The Rock's comeback in early 2011 set him on a lengthy collision course with John Cena. From insults to costing Cena the main event of WrestleMania XXVII to booking their first match a year in advance, they were intertwined from 2011 until 2013. At the tail end of that first year, Rock made his long-awaited return to the ring.
There, he actually teamed with Cena to take on the duo of The Miz and R-Truth. The Madison Square Garden crowd was excited for The Rock but they couldn't buy into this match because The Awesome Truth never felt like a true threat. The bout came across like a simple tuneup ahead of Rock vs. Cena.
4 CM Punk vs. The Rock - Elimination Chamber 2013
One of the nicest surprises of The Rock's last run was his feud with CM Punk. They engaged in some memorable promo battles and their matches were pretty solid. In this, their second meeting, Rock entered as champion but his advantage was removed as he could lose the title via DQ or countout.
That played into the story as CM Punk continually tried to get The Rock disqualified by riling him up. The Rock held back and kept it safe. Punk did get a visual win to the crowd, though the referee was down. The crowd was invested in everything and The Rock came out on top at the end of it all.
3 Evolution vs. The Rock n' Sock Connection - WrestleMania XX
It's the only match The Rock had between 2003 and 2011. At 2004's WrestleMania XX, in Madison Square Garden, The Rock joined forces with his old buddy Mick Foley. In their way was the legendary team of Evolution, represented by Randy Orton, Batista, and Ric Flair.
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This was a pretty great and exciting match. It is also notable because it was a rare chance for The Rock to mix it up in the ring with the likes of Batista, Orton, and especially Flair. Although he and Foley came up short, this was fun for the crowd.
2 CM Punk vs. The Rock - Royal Rumble 2013
When word broke that The Rock was getting a shot at the WWE Title at Royal Rumble 2013, fans had mixed feelings. They were excited at the prospect of The Rock vs. CM Punk but were wary of Rock ending Punk's iconic 434-day reign with the championship.
This monumental contest was given the main event slot and they delivered. It was filled with twists, turns, and a fair amount of drama. The Shield got involved, though it was too dark to see them. Before Vince McMahon could strip Punk of the title for getting help, Rock demanded the match be restarted so he could take care of Punk himself. He succeeded and captured his eighth WWE Title.
1 John Cena vs. The Rock - WrestleMania XXVIII
It was arguably the most hyped match in wrestling history. It set box office records and featured two of the biggest stars to ever compete in the company. There were some huge expectations and they more than lived up to them.
John Cena and The Rock put on a 30-minute classic that was the big fight that everyone wanted. The most shocking thing of all was the finish. Everyone expected Cena, the active roster member, to win. However, The Rock took advantage of a mistake and came out on top. The win gave The Rock victories over Cena, Steve Austin, and Hulk Hogan in WrestleMania history.
