Austin Instead of Rock?

[SomeAreSet]

No,I think The Rock's a better candidate to have a match with Cena than Austin. I see where you're coming from with this,but I don't think Austin's up to it anymore. He's too old,too banged up and too rusty to do anything more than a few stunners a year. The Rock is still relatively in his prime,maybe a little past his prime. He's still in peak physical condition and he's not as rusty in the ring as Austin might be,not to mention The Rock's a bigger name in entertainment. Sure,Austin would be able to appear on Raw more than...what,5-6 times in the last 11 months,but I think there's only so much hell raising he could do before the audience either get sick of it or it becomes too illogical for Cena not to demand a match with Austin at an earlier PPV. The gimmick differences do make for a good angle,but right now they're not going in that direction with Rock/Cena.

I don't think the Rock/Cena feud sucks. It's just been a slow build and last Monday was a misstep,because The Rock cut a pretty bad promo and the whole 20 minute block was a bit of a mess. Anyway,the whole point of the promo was to make you feel like Rock and Cena really hated each other,and I can buy the fact that Cena wants to beat the hell out of The Rock,and The Rock wants to slap Cena with a piece of Kung Pao Chicken (I rolled my eyes so hard when he called Cena a Kung Pao bitch). They're doing that part well and it's keeping me interested,for now. If they're going to make me truly believe that they hate each other,then I think one of their stand-offs have to end with a punch-up. Most likely the go-home show before WrestleMania. Have Cena and The Rock start trading blows and get separated by tons of security and officials. That should generate enough buzz to blow the proverbial roof off the Sun Life stadium.

EDIT:
Oh for fuck's sake,sometimes I can't help but shake my head at the so-called "smarks" who act like little children,cheering for The Rock. I get it,you love him,but if you're going to act like a mark,then don't talk like a smark. How is The Rock going "IT DOESN'T MATTER BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH!" or "KNOW YOUR ROLE,AND SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" going to "destroy" Cena in any way? Jericho took Rock's taunts in 2001-2002 and shoved it back in Rock's face. Cena can easily take Rock's 13 year old catchphrases and throw it back in Rock's face with how boring it is and how repetitive and how unoriginal and how The Rock hasn't had anything new to say in 15 years,etc. Rock not using his catchphrases leaves him with some ammo. If Cena were to dismantle Rock's catchphrases,Rock would be left with nearly nothing. Dismantling "Kung Pao Chicken" is way better than dismantling "It doesn't matter" because it leaves the power of the classic catchphrase intact.

Also,the whole idea of a feud is to have the momentum shift back and forth so you don't know who will win. There's no benefit if either Cena or The Rock head into WrestleMania looking like a bumbling,stuttering idiot. Of course Cena's going to gain the upper hand at some point,because The Rock has been allowed to let loose for the past 10 months and put his hands on Cena and Cena hasn't been allowed to do either. Now the WWE are trying to reel it in and shift the momentum back to Cena. It's the business. How can anyone not understand something as elementary as a back-and-forth?

 

[LeviCook]

I thought the same thing to myself not to long. The Rock as you said has done nothing really to get the fans into this feud. But same goes for Cena. All the good building was used at the beginning of the feud when The Rock screwed Cena at Wrestlemania. Cena rapped about The Rock. The Rock calling Cena a fruity pebble, etc. They have done nothing but say they're going to beat one another. The WWE is relying on the fact they're both huge stars. They expect that alone to carry this feud. The sad part is it isn't. There has to be some thing more to get the fans interested. Honestly i don't think any of the feuds this year has been built up the way they should be going into Wrestlemania. They all just feel like they're missing something. My idea i had for Stone Cold vs John Cena would be Attitude Era vs PG Era. They are complete opposites which would make it so much better. Cena could talk about he cares about the fans and Stone Cold could make fun of him for how cheesy he is. They could get the support of past and current wrestlers. It could have been really good. I have nothing against Rock vs Cena because it is a dream match the fans wanted. Hopefully they will let the feud play out more the next few weeks.

 

[BiGEViL]

I like the idea of Cena v Rock. I can't imagine there being half the interest there is now, if it were Cena vs Austin. I like the idea of booking it a year in advance. Kind of risky, but I like it overall. I could see the WWE doing the same thing THIS year, but possibly with CM Punk vs Austin for next year. I think, that would at LEAST be on par for what WWE did this year and would draw big numbers throughout the year leading up to next year. Most everybody wants to see Austin. Austin has expressed he would like to have at least one more match. Austin and Punk have engaged each other on Twitter a couple times as well, so the spark is there. It would enable Austin to get back to his heel roots and terrorize CM Punk throughout 2012. Just an idea.

 

[Davi323]

In a perfect world, yes...I would rather see Austin vs. Cena. The way their styles would clash would be a nice contrast, and unlike Rock, Austin can cut a lengthy promo without having Cliff Notes written on his arm. The promos Austin would have delivered to run Cena down would have been amazing.

But, physically, Austin cannot put on the same kind of match that the Rock can, even if he were to return to the ring. Austin's health issues make him a poor choice to base a feud that has gone on for over a year over. If Austin were healthy, HELL YEAH. But he isn't. In that sense, the Rock is a much better person for Cena to feud with, because he is still in great physical shape. Other than ring rust, the Rock doesn't have the physical limitations Austin has, so it will be a better match.

I like Austin better than the Rock, always have. But Rock/Cena is capable of being a better match than Austin/Cena would have been, and that is really what all of the buildup is for, the match itself.

For the promos, Austin/Cena > Rock/Cena.
For the match itself, Rock/Cena > Austin/Cena.

 

[WWEvsJosh]

And u say he doesn't have hair,doesn't have glasses...That tell me that u basiclly don't know almost anything about The Rock..He have hair and wear glasses whan he's heel and now he's face...A BIG FACE!soo he can't wear stuff that make him heel in past...

You got to be joking. In your pic the Rock is a face and he is wearing glasses. The Rock had hair and glasses during the end of 1999 to 2002 all that time he was a face. Do you need examples

1999- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8X4lJNFK820

2000- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxXwLFPV7dY

2001- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBYIVL-ZUYQ

2002- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNALAOcZzDo

Even last year in his return he had no hair but he had glasses
2011- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8ejiG5-BtA

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

I guess being a huge fan of Steve Austin, I would have liked seeing Cena vs Austin no matter what but it is apparent that Rock/ Cena is the better feud. Rock and Cena have the history together that Austin and Cena do not have. Rock and Cena have been taking potshots at each other at media events and from social networking sites while at the same time Austin has done nothing but put Cena over.

There are also little things in the Rock/ Cena feud that would have been hard to replicate in Austin/ Cena. There is Rock's successful movie career for one and him leaving the WWE for it which gives Cena a point to raise. There would have been no such point had Cena feuded with Austin. There is also the totally different way in which Rock and Cena cut their promos with Rock always looking to make fun of Cena and Cena trying to raise valid points to shut him up. Austin and Cena are much more similar in their promo cutting styles, especially serious ones, than Rock and Cena.

I'm sure that WWE would have worked their asses off had Austin given the green signal to wrestle again but it would not have been better than Rock/ Cena. I think it would have been a different sort of feud with the focus being on the biggest stalwarts of the respective eras colliding. The bad blood that makes Cena/ Rock so invigorating would have probably been missing.

 

[Dagger Dias]

I like Stone Cold more than The Rock, but the match needs to be John Cena VS The Rock. Had it been Austin instead then it would not seem like as big of a deal. Part of why this year's dream match is going to be so great is due to The Rock's 5+ year absence. Austin has made numerous nostalgic appearances, in person, whereas The Rock only did pre-taped segments until he came back last year. That made it a bigger deal. The anticipation for the match against The Rock being through the roof for countless fans is a very important factor to consider. It's the better option of the two options in this thread's topic.

The Rock can also work a better match than Stone Cold at this point. Austin had to retire due to injuries and would therefore not be able to do as impressive spots as The Rock will be able to. Cena made fun of The Rock here and there in interviews over the years, and now we will see that pay off in the ring. When it comes down to it I would also have loved the opportunity to see Cena face Stone Cold as well, but this year's match needs to be against The Rock because it has been made into a bigger deal than a match against Austin would have been. It's a shame we cannot get both matches.

 

[Wald]

If the idea is to build Cena among the adults in the crowd than it simply had to be Rock vs Cena

There isn't a hope in hell anyone would turn against Austin in a feud with Cena, Cena simply wouldn't have the ammunition that he has on the Rock to use against Austin.

People don't seem to realise that the Rock vs Cena is being played out perfectly, the amount of former Cena haters I know that want him to go over the Rock at Wrestlemania is on the rise, he is winning over a section of the crowd that normally chants Cena Sucks at him, and this is what is intended

 

[xavyer]

That is a very solid argument, in my opinion, it would be better if it was Austin vs Cena, first of all, like someone pointed out, they are complete oposites, Cena is more about talking clean infront of kids and women, and Austin is a fowl mouth beer drinking guy, so it would be much better, plus both of them been trough hell and high water to get to the top, Cena listens to authority while Austin challenges authority, i actually never been a fan of the Rock, i admit he was good and everything, i just never liked him, i don't think that he was being sincere to the fans, and those stupid nicknames he had for Cena, like kung pao bitch, or fruitty pebbles?? What is he 12 years old?? At least Stone Cold would have come with a different aproach to humiliate Cena, and i know he would have been much better..........

 

[shanezam203]

Austin vs Cena, no. Rock vs. Cena makes more sense but Yes I would rather see Austin return for a match than Rock. I was always a bigger Austin and Bret Hart fan than the Rock. It was HUGE for me in 2010 when Bret Hart returned.

I would have loved to have seen Austin vs. Hogan 6-7 years ago or Austin vs. Goldberg instead of Goldberg vs. Brock at WM. I think if Austin has 1 more match in him, I'd love to see him return against even the Rock, they had good matches at WM.

 

[shadyviper001]

Honestly yes.. only just for the chance to see austin stomp a mudhole an flip cena the bird

I have to agree! but overall it will have been a better program and better match with the rock and cena! Look how long this has been building with cena and rock? Now if you took the Cena of today against the Stone Cold who face owen heart at WM then YES! but you would also have to think with the PG that it couldnt of been all that it could be! So in a perfict world lets cena Cena back to the time of SCSA vs. Owen Heart at WM and it would be gold!

 

[Brahma_Bull9]

I just want to start off by saying please don't mention Austin vs Punk. The point of this thread is not if Austin had to fight anyone who would he fight.

If you could choose would you rather see Austin vs Cena or still stick with The Rock?

To be honest I would have liked this feud to be Stone Cold vs John Cena instead.

Now I know people are going to say I don't have patience with the rock and cena feud but I am just going to say it this feud sucks. I don't care if I am called a Rock hater or a cena fanboy but The Rock has really done nothing for me to care about this historic match. I feel like I am watching Dewayne Johnson vs John Cena. He not talking in the third person that much he does not have his hair( and yes I do care if he had hair) he is talking about how he loves the fans( funny people hate it when cena does that) he does not wear his glasses that much anymore and he has found his true love in twitter.

Its just not what I thought. I know I know The Rock never said he would be at every Raw and I know he is doing other things right now and I know he put his time in when he did and I respect him for that but to make this thing work he needs to be their more and be able to build a story not tweets.

With that all being said I truly believe this would be 100x better if Austin was playing the part instead.

Why?

Well for starters he would be able to push the feud better. Cena and Stone Cold are two totally different characters which would even make it better. I also think the whole "embrace the hate" would be better done if it was against Austin and they would not even need Kane. Austin could be there giving Cena stunners, screw Cena out of title matches, and you can even have a part where Stone cold just beats the leaving hell out of Cena(not in a match). Cena could get mad(not turn heel) and then do things to Austin like beat him up and what not. They could even bring in Vince to make it a story about how Cena everything he ever wanted in a superstar and that he never need Austin.

I know what you guys are thinking "They could do all that in the Rock and Cena feud". Really? The reason Cena keeps bring up the fact that the Rock is not there is because there is nothing else to talk about. We are at the same place we were the night after Mania last year. That why Austin would work better. He would be able to come to the Raws to help further the feud and give more for the character to battle over.

What do you guys think? If you could ould you rather have Austin vs Cena instead?

Cena would turn full on heel if it was against Stone Cold whether he liked it or not because of how Stone Cold would have played the feud. I have to say though you are a hater, this is a completely moot point, I think Austin is done. And for your "wrestling" fans, you'd get even less action from Stone Cold before the Wrestlemania than the little we have gotten from Rock.

 

[SPR*VLN]

I don't get why all the hate on the Cena Rock feud. I admit it could be better, but damn can't all the feuds be better? Sheamus/Bryan, Punk/Jericho, and the Taker/HHH feuds haven't had that much good build either. Y'all still gonna order the PPV so stop the crying.

And Austin match with Cena would be pointless. No history, and I don't want to see Stone Cold lay down to Cena like I think the Rock will end up doing. Having Cena beat the #1 Attitude Era guy would literally make me sick.

 

[I Heart Cena]

I don't get why all the hate on the Cena Rock feud. I admit it could be better, but damn can't all the feuds be better? Sheamus/Bryan, Punk/Jericho, and the Taker/HHH feuds haven't had that much good build either. Y'all still gonna order the PPV so stop the crying.

And Austin match with Cena would be pointless. No history, and I don't want to see Stone Cold lay down to Cena like I think the Rock will end up doing. Having Cena beat the #1 Attitude Era guy would literally make me sick.

Doesn't it also make you sick that they're putting Cena over the #2 Attitude Era guy?

SCSA would never agree to make himself look bad to help shena. I respect Ston Cold for refusing to job to Lesnar in 2002. He didn't want to look weak and ruin his legacy.

It's better to "take your ball and go home" than to job to a chump. At least you keep your dignity.

 

[MayorMcCheese]

The only issue I have with the feud is WWE is trying to hard to make Cena seem "equal"
He will never be equal to The Rock.

Rock wins this week, Cena bored me to death.

I only want to see Austin vs Punk, and only if Punk is a heel

With Rock you have a few other people you can put him with and Draw, I think if he has a 2nd feud it is logically CM Punk

 

[robinkom]

If they can keep building CM Punk up well into next year's Wrestlemania, I think that would be the perfect time to get one more match out of Austin. You definitely wouldn't have the need to hold Austin back in his promos like they're doing with The Rock so Cena looks better. If you stood up Austin's character as it's best against Punk's at it's best, you'd draw, no question.

As for John and Rock... there's no comparison. That Rock has been gone for all these years doesn't matter. To his fans, he's still everything he says he is and you're not going to change their minds. Even for me, as an older fan of wrestling in general, Cena at his current status is nowhere near The Rock's level in terms of stardom back then or now.

Now, this is not entirely Cena's own fault this is the important part that people need to realize whether you like him or not: WWE is not doing the kind of numbers now that they did when The Rock was the face of the company. Their business in the Attitude Era was FAR beyond what they're doing now. As they've grown as a publicly traded corporation and adopted that internal structure, they've lost their big talent and a lot of the 18-35 male demographic.

The name change is more than superficial, they are not the same company as they were under the World Wrestling Federation name. They also had big time competition in WCW, something that WWE does NOT have with TNA or ROH. There's no struggle over talent, there's no vying for viewership from us on Monday nights; the industry stagnated steadily over the last 11 years as McMahon became the only serious game in town.

History repeats itself. What the WWE resembles now is themselves in the 80s. John Cena is playing the role of Hulk Hogan and it's a show targeted towards the children. There was similar disenchantment with the adult fans of those days who grew up watching more physical Pro-Wrestling from before the 1980s from the local territories. Then along came Vince McMahon and his wrestling show of cartoon characters... much like in recent years, only he did it to himself rather than rival promoters.

In understanding this, one can more easily understand the discontent with the current product and it's poster boy, John "Hogan Jr." Cena. The Rock is being utilized to cater to the discontents in the audience, the adult men who are tired of this decade-long shtick of SuperCena. This is what McMahon wants for WrestleMania time to get those buy rates up. Everything will calm back down after it's over and Rock heads back to his movie filming.

Even though I really don't like Cena, I hope this all ordeal will do something to change his persona and notoriety for the better. Every little bit counts.

 

[The Midwest Opinion]

Sorry if I repeat anything already posted, because I just skimmed through the posts.

Anyway, I think Austin/Cena would be interesting, but I feel like Rocky is a bit more fitting to face Cena. My main reason is because both Rock and Cena have had very similar careers, in terms of accomplishments. Let's break it down (no DX pun intended).

• Royal Rumble wins: The Rock (2000), John Cena (2008)
• World Title reigns: The Rock (9), John Cena (12)
• Midcard titles: The Rock (2-time IC Champion), John Cena (3-time US Champion)
• Tag Team titles: The Rock (5), John Cena (4)
• Slammy Awards (as if they matter ): The Rock (3), John Cena (3)

Sure, Austin has 6 world titles and 3 Royal Rumble wins, but it's interesting to me how Rock and Cena have very similar numbers.

Now outside of wrestling, both have also been involved in many movie roles. Yes, Austin is in movies as well, but I think Rock is more well-known when it comes to movies, compared to Austin. So I think Cena has a better connection with Rock in this case.