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A piece of professional wrestling history recently hit the auction block, commanding an impressive price tag.
A rare, autographed ticket from Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s debut wrestling match sold for £8,200 — nearly $11,000 — at Heritage Auctions in Texas.
His historical entrance into the wrestling world dates back to November 17, 1996, when the future global megastar made his official World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) television debut under the name “Rocky Maivia.”
He entered the ring at the 10th annual Survivor Series pay-per-view to a sold-out crowd inside Madison Square Garden, and die-hard wrestling fans claim it set the tone for his subsequent legendary career.
“Rocky’s” wrestled WWF icons in his debut, like Jerry Lawler and Hunter Hearst Helmsley, starting the “Triple H vs. The Rock” rivalry that was deemed one of the best wrestling rivalries of all time.
A Facebook user called The Rock’s first match a “career changing moment,” as the crowd yelled “Rocky Sucks,” he egged them on to keep going.
Rocky Maivia made a triumphant entrance, launching a career that would make him integral to the”Attitude Era” from 1997 to 2002. He wrestled full-time for eight years before seamlessly transitioning into a blockbuster acting career.
Decades after his iconic introduction — and well after the WWF rebranded to WWE in 2002 — the original ticket stub resurfaced.
Signed simply as “Rock” in blue Sharpie, the item received a 1.5 grade for the ticket condition from Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), but earned a perfect 10 for the autograph itself. PSA 1.5 sits at the near bottom of the 1 to 10 grading scale for condition and indicates heavy damage and severe wear. But a PSA 10 represents gem mint condition, which is virtually flawless.
The card is a “Pop One” item, meaning it is incredibly scarce with only one known higher-graded example in existence, explaining the high bid price.
These high prices for cards are not novel in the wrestling world. “The Rock” and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, another WWE legend, had their autographed 1-of-1 trading card sell for $82,825 this past July, making it the 2nd-most expensive WWE trading card in history.
Their rivalry was considered the “backbone” of the Attitude Era and the two were tied together in WWE history.
The 1982 Wrestling All-Stars Series A Hulk Hogan (PSA 9) holds the distinction as the most expensive WWE trading card, as it previously fetched $132,000 at auction.
When bidding closed on Saturday, September 19, the hammer fell at a price of £6,700 ($9,000).
With the buyer’s premium included, the final price reached £8,200 ($10,980) after a competitive battle among 15 eager bidders.
According to the auctioneers, only one other known ticket from this landmark debut is graded higher, making it a true holy grail collectable for wrestling fanatics.
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