The Rock Driving

In 2009, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson starred in Race to Witch Mountain, a family film no one asked for. But buried within its runtime was a three-second sequence that would outlive the movie itself: The Rock driving, a kid in the backseat, and a head-turn of pure shock.

Newgrounds user MetalStar saw potential. On July 29, 2009, the first template dropped, and the format was born. Panel one: The Rock asks a question. Panel two: Passenger delivers a shocking answer. Panel three: The Rock's face contorts in disbelief. It was setup-punchline-reaction, stripped to its purest form.

By 2011, Quickmeme had accumulated over 41,000 submissions. The format was everywhere—every shocking revelation, every uncomfortable truth, every cursed admission filtered through that startled head-turn.

But formats age. The three-panel structure that felt fresh in 2009 became formulaic by 2013. Newer templates offered more flexibility, and The Rock himself evolved into the Eyebrow Raise, leaving his driving days behind.

The engine stalled. The meme pulled over for good.