10 Amazing WWE Breakout Performances

6. The Rock (Vs. Triple H) - SummerSlam 1998

He came good in the end (and then some) but The Rock's early WWE days were tough going. 

His bland babyface act did him no favours in the nascent Attitude Era, but a heel turn and alliance with the Nation of Domination started to turn things around. Once The Brahma Bull had outgrown Farooq, D-Lo Brown and the boys, began referring to himself in the third person and took up catchphrase collecting, he looked like he could be a genuine headliner. 

Like Bret Hart seven years earlier, The Rock had all the right ingredients for a breakout performance, as he defended his Intercontinental Title against Triple H in Madison Square Garden at SummerSlam 1998. 

This actually helped make stars of both The Great One and The Game, though it took a little while for Hunter to truly take off in the same way as his opponent. 

They made each other in this match and it's incredible to think that at the start of the summer, these were both just viewed as talented midcarders who were some way off the likes of Steve Austin and The Undertaker (who main-evented the pay-per-view). 

It helped that the match was more about storytelling and psychology (and violence) rather than just being a series of dangerous spots, and the fans were with them all the way. 

Triple H won, but would be too injured to actually defend the title, so while it was a big match and great moment for him, it was actually The Rock who came out of the whole deal better, since he would say 'goodbye' to the IC Title scene and win the WWE Title at Survivor Series, never looking back. 

I hear he's in films now, or something?