The People’s Elbow is one of the most iconic finishing moves in wrestling history. You had Austin and his stunner and The rock and his elbow, fed with the wishes of his millions and millions. The Rock Bottom floored their opponents, but it was the elbow to the heart that finished them off.
It wasn’t really anything special in terms of damage as it was just an elbow from an average sized wrestler delivered to the chest of a downed opponent, but The Rock was so charismatic that he turned a simple elbow into one of the most iconic finishers. of all times.
The elbow of the people began as a joke to make the undertaker laugh
The Rock has won numerous championships with his patented elbow, and it is perhaps the most iconic feature of his character, something that has transpired in the business. He has knocked Austin down with the move. He elbowed Hogan off. He became the greatest fighter of all time thanks to the elbow. And it all started as an inside joke.
The Undertaker is well known for his devotion to maintaining his haunting character whenever the cameras are rolling. Occasionally, wrestlers will break character over a giggle with a fellow wrestler or the crowd, usually during dark matches and after the show’s televised conclusion, but Undertaker never did. While the camera was on, Mark Calaway was the Deadman. This led to the ‘Make Undertaker Smile on Camera’ operation, and although many men tried to get the locker room leader to crack a smile, no one was successful.
During a six-man tag team match that featured Mick Foley, Steve Austin and Triple H, Rocky tried to make the veteran smile on camera. Back in those days, The Rock was using the shoulder break, a legitimately painful and effective maneuver, as his finisher, but for this special occasion, The Rock revealed something completely different.
Triple H was lying on the canvas and with Undertaker watching; the Rock strutted around the ring and elbowed his opponent in the chest. The Undertaker didn’t budge at the hilarious theatrical display, but the crowd went wild over whatever The Rock had just done. It was a simple elbow but the way he delivered it was perfect for someone like The Rock. The Undertaker wasn’t amused, but the crowd was definitely impressed.
The first victim of El Codazo del Pueblo was Triple H and The Game recalled the hilarious incident during a radio interview. Triple H mentioned that making the Undertaker laugh became a competition for the guys in the back and every once in a while a wrestler would try to make him smile.
On that fateful night, it was Rocky’s turn and Triple H remembered waiting a long time before The Rock finished his sequence. Triple H praised his former mortal enemy as one of his favorite wrestlers to work with, and while he found the elbow amusing, he thought it was too silly and unrealistic. If only he knew.
The Rock himself stated that he was inspired by Dusty Rhodes and his signature move, the Bionic Elbow. Following Rhodes’ passing, Dwayne Johnson posted an Instagram post to show his respect to Dusty Rhodes. For The Rock, the Bionic Elbow epitomized fighting spirit and movement, and Rhodes in general, influenced him throughout his wrestling career.
The People’s Elbow became a signature move for The Rock
The most iconic finishing move in WWE history was conceived in an attempt to make Undertaker break character. And while Undertaker kept his streak intact, The Rock stumbled upon another treasure and added it to his arsenal. He continued to refine his new signature move over the years, with the inclusion of the elbow pad and an increase in overall theatrics.
On special occasions, The Rock has showcased modified iterations, such as the People’s Gliding Elbow on Davey Boy Smith and the Nature Boy elbow drop on Ric Flair at WrestleMania 20. This shows that The Rock would have gotten through anything. The man was simply too charismatic.
For the record, no one could get Mark Calaway to break character on camera. JBL was close, but Undertaker only cracked a smile after his withdrawal.