Kevin Kelly Recalls Working With The Rock, Trying To Get Rock’s Acknowledgment During Segments
Some of the most famous interactions throughout The Rock’s WWE career came when Kevin Kelly was interviewing him backstage.
Whether Rock was making fun of Kelly….or making fun of Kelly, Rock and Kelly had a chemistry that boosted The Rock’s persona and kept fans entertained.
Speaking on the Insiders Edge podcast, Kelly reflected on working with The Rock.
“Sometimes we would walk through what was going to be the bit, ‘and then I’ll cut you off here.’ I didn’t necessarily know what the cutoff would be. He would say, ‘If I ask you a question, answer it this way.’ Pretty much, that was about it. I would say, ‘I’m going to ask a question.’ I had a motivation. I wanted to ask a pertinent question and I wanted The Rock to finally say, ‘Kevin, The Rock has been giving you a hard time all these months. The Rock wants to let you know you’re doing a hell of a job, that’s a great question,’ then he gives the answer. That’s what I worked for every time. I’ve got this question nailed down, I’m proper, I’m prepared, I’m on time. I’m waiting anxiously outside The Rock’s locker room and when we come back, we’ll hear from The Great One himself. I get to ask a question, and when he would put up the hand and stop me, it was a soul crusher. The zing, I would be unaware of it because I was so crestfallen that I didn’t get to ask my question. I’m Elmer Fudd stepping on the rake every week and smashing into my face. That was my job. I was the foil for him,” he said.
The Rock would not only make fun of Kevin Kelly verbally, he would use him for physical comedy as well from time to time.
Elsewhere during the interview, Kelly recalled refusing to be fired. You can find his full comments by clicking here.
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