A WWE legend explains how The Rock’s People’s Elbow went from a mistake to an iconic finisher.
Speaking on the Johnny I Pro Show, former WWE Intercontinental Champion D’Lo Brown looked back on his time together with The Rock in the Nation of Domination. He recalled the origin of the iconic People’s Elbow, explaining how it started as a mistake.
“For those of you who don’t know, the People’s elbow, although devastating, and everyone remembers it fondly, started out as a mistake because Rocky was not able to drop a left-handed elbow. Credit to Rocky, he’s always trying to improve stuff. So one time, he went out there, and he hit the rope, and it came off like this (gestures with his left elbow), and kept running and came back and dropped the right elbow,” D’lo Brown said about The Rock.
“So Godfather and I are out there, we’re managing because the Nation always go together. Godfather and I are laughing, ‘He can’t do an elbow, look at him.’ So we ribbed him for two to three weeks, and Rocky’s like, ‘Alright.’ He took it as a challenge. Then he started adding all the stuff to it. Then, so, he would only do it on house shows, and those are just non-televised events. Then finally goes, ‘Alright D’Lo, I’m gonna do the elbow on TV today,’ and I go, ‘No, you’re not.’ He goes, ‘Yeah, I’mma do it on TV.'”
D’Lo Brown recalled how he coined the name for The Rock’s finisher
Speaking further, D’Lo Brown looked back at when The Rock performed the People’s Elbow for the first time on TV. He recalled coming up with the iconic finisher’s name and being the first one to call it on commentary.
“They had me on color commentary. You can go back and listen to it. It’s me, JR, and King, and Rocky goes, ‘We’re gonna call it something,’ and I go, ‘I don’t know, it’s for the people, call it the People’s Elbow,’ and he goes, ‘THE PEOPLE’S ELBOW!’
“So, go out there, and in commentary, I know when he’s gonna do it. I’m looking for it, and I go, ‘JR, KING, The Rock’s a giving individual. He’s got something he wants to give to the people. He wants to give something to the people.’ And here’s Rocky doing this [the hand gesture before running the ropes], and you hear King go, ‘What?’ And yeah, he hits the rope, and hits [the elbow], and I go, ‘That’s the People’s Elbow.'”
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