The following contains spoilers for Black Adam, now playing in theaters.

Before Dwayne Johnson became one of the few remaining movie stars, his charisma made him a top draw in professional wrestling during one of its most financially successful eras. While it hasn't always translated on the big screen, Johnson's winning personality is a big reason why he's become as much of a success in his second career as he was in his first.

Johnson's critics write him off as functionally playing himself in most roles. There's more than a grain of truth in that, given that he usually plays an amiable tough guy who's equally at home throwing punches and telling jokes. Johnson appears to be playing against type in the iconic titular role of Black Adam, but it's actually reminiscent of how he became a wrestling superstar in the first place.

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WWE Fans Hated Dwayne Johnson as a Squeaky Clean Hero

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Dwayne Johnson is so popular that he's had to seriously address the possibility that he might run for President in real life as he does in Young Rock's framing device. In a society where everything and everyone seem to be divisive, Johnson is one of the few public figures whose likability is close to universal. However, his path to fame didn't truly begin until he embraced wrestling fans' seething hatred of him.

When Johnson debuted in WWE as Rocky Maivia, he was pitched as what old-school wrestling promoters called a white meat babyface, a wholesome do-gooder who smiled as much as humanly possible. Unfortunately for him, the wrestling business was going through a massive paradigm shift. Fans were sick of clean-cut heroes. They were gravitating to gritty characters, like Johnson's future rivals, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan. Instead of cheers, Maivia was met with chants of "Die Rocky Die" before an injury mercifully put Rocky Maivia out of his misery.

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The Rock Became a True WWE Superstar as a Villain

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Leaning into the crowd's reaction, Johnson turned heel when he returned from injury, joining the Nation of Domination stable. Johnson's career didn't truly take off until he became The Rock, a man so narcissistic that he spoke in the third person. The Rock's love of talking about himself and trash-talking his enemies wasn't unique in wrestling. The Rock wasn't that different from "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair in his '80s prime; he just put his own spin on the archetype of the smack-talking heel, leaning farther into hip-hop style excess than Flair.

The Rock's arrogance made him easy to hate. It also helped him rise up the card as the perfect rival to fan favorites like the blue-collar Austin and everyman Mick Foley. The Rock's undeniable charisma ultimately meant that fans went from loving to hating him to just plain loving him. The Rock became WWE's top hero when Austin's chronic neck problems sidelined him in 2000. The Rock never lost the edge that made him a star in the first place, roasting anyone and everyone in WWE at will.

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Black Adam Proves The Rock Should Play Edgier Characters

Dwayne Johnson as Black Adam in the DCEU film of the same name.

Black Adam isn't the trash talker that the Rock was, to the point where teen sidekick Amon has to teach him how catchphrases work. While Black Adam never calls Doctor Fate "Obi-Wan Jabroni," he has a similar character arc to The Rock's. Though it's frequently muddled, Adam is portrayed as an anti-hero at odds with the traditionally heroic Justice Society. Adam is embraced as the people's champion of Khandaq because he shows no mercy to the occupying force of Intergang, but Black Adam's version of an anti-hero is more of a superhero with extra steps. By end of the movie, he's an ally of the Justice Society and Khandaq's protector instead of the dictator he could be.

However, Adam never drops the air of menace that made Amanda Waller send the Justice Society after him in the first place. His face turn doesn't make him a quippy superhero. He never seems too far from leveling the world instead of saving it. That's what makes his performance so strong. What made him an appealing choice for Black Adam in the first place, beyond his superheroic physique, is how great Johnson was as a wrestling heel. After its successful opening weekend, wrestling fans who know heel Rock was the best Rock and Black Adam fans alike can only hope that he pursues more roles with an edge in the future. That may clash with his public persona, but it would make for interesting roles Johnson could turn to when he wants a break from being his lovable self.

Black Adam is now in theaters.