The Rock
Before the brand split, giant names like The Rock performed on both Smackdown and Raw each and every week. While it wasn’t exactly Dwayne’s idea to create a second wrestling show under the WWE banner, they took the name from one of his most popular, signature catchphrases. For a few years, Smackdown was known as “the Rock’s show”, and that’s enough to land him on this list.
WWE would have you believe Rocky was the greatest star in Smackdown history; their most recent list even put him at #1. They’re all about branding, and his name and catchphrases are money, so I understand that impulse. And to his credit, Rock was responsible for a lot of the show’s early ratings success and high viewership. Who knows if the brand would have succeeded without him, and high profile matches against Triple H, the Undertaker, Mick Foley and dozens more. But let’s not pretend the couple of years The Rock spent on Smackdown pre-brand split are directly responsible for the following 12-13 years of continued viewership.
