The Rock has discussed his first outing in WWE and why it was a baptism by fire for him. 

The Rock debuted in WWE in 1996 at Survivor Series, which was held at the iconic Madison Square Garden in New York. In his interview with Mark Kerr for “Sports Illustrated,” he shared feeling nervous ahead of his first match, facing the pressure of performing in front of a passionate audience.

“But I’ll never forget, man, just like you backstage, nervous in front of 22,000, especially — just like in Brazil — just like for me in New York City, Madison Square Garden. If it doesn’t go well, that’s your debut. If you don’t win that tournament, okay, well, maybe you’re going to make something of yourself, maybe you won’t. If I don’t perform for that New York City crowd, it’s hardcore, they get a sense that you’re done,” said The Rock.

He also recalled the words Vince McMahon told him before the match, after learning he was going to win. The Rock thanked the other wrestlers — some of them legends of pro wrestling — for helping him succeed in his first steps in the business.

“So luckily that night, I give a lot of credit to my fellow wrestlers who were like, ‘Hey kid, this is a big opportunity for you,’ because — by the way — Vince told me, came to me earlier that afternoon, and he goes, ‘Do you know what the finish of the match is?’ I go, ‘No.’ He goes, ‘You’re going over.’ ‘The whole thing?’ He goes, ‘The whole thing. You’re either going to sink or swim, and this is going to be baptism by fire.'”

In the Survivor Series match, The Rock — known as Rocky Maivia — teamed with Jake Roberts, Marc Mero, and Barry Windham against the team of Triple H, Goldust, Jerry Lawler, and Crush. The Rock got off to a strong start in his career, emerging as the sole survivor.