ECW Region, Fourth Round, TLC Match: (1) The Rock vs. (4) Ric Flair

[klunderbunker]

This is a third round match in the ECW Region. It is a Tables Ladders and Chairs match held under ECW Rules. It will be held at the Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Rules: The winner of the match will be the first person to climb a ladder and grab the case above the ring. Tables, ladders and chairs will be available at ringside for both competitors to use. Anything goes.

#1. The Rock

Vs.

#4. Ric Flair

​

This match takes place one week following the third round.

Polls will be open for four days following a one day period for discussion. Voting will be based on who you feel is the greater of the two competitors. Post your reasons for why your pick should win below. Remember that this is non-spam and the most votes in the poll win. Any ties will be broken by the amount of posts of support for each candidate, with one vote per poster.

Also remember that this is a non-spam forum. If you post a response without giving a reason for your selection, it will be penalized for spam and deleted.

 

[ProudFlairMark]

This was the match I was hoping for since the start of this tournament. You have two of the most charismatic wrestlers in the history of the business. While I recognize that due to his overwhelming popularity and the median age of the poster who visits this forum, Flair's chance of winning this match up fall somewhere in between "slim" and "none." My hope is to give you the reasons, kayfabe and otherwise, why this should lean heavily in Flair's favor.

Now, let me preface this perspective with the declaration - I am a HUGE fan of The Rock. Anyone who knows me knows that he's in my personal top 5 favorite wrestlers ever. During my formative years as a fan, while Flair's NWA and subsequent WCW were still my preferred viewing choice, the only thing that piqued my interest on the USA Network was The Rock. In many respects, I actually viewed The Rock as the natural successor to Flair as the top guy of his generation on the microphone; his persona also fit that particular bill to a tee. While Rock's character has evolved to include many facets and reflections of his actual personality, his original (and by original, I don't mean "Rocky Maivia") persona (during 97-99) was actually closer to Flair's "Nature Boy" then some even give it credit for. Mike Mooneyham of the Charlotte Post Courier wrote in his book "Sex, Lies and Headlocks" (great read, BTW) that the influences were undeniable. Whether it was "$500 Versace shirts" for the people's champion or "$10,000 suites from Michael's in Kansas City," stylin' and profilin' was on the agenda for both superstars. You can continue to draw parallels, but the reason I bring them up is to educate those rascally Rock fans who felt as though his character was wholly unique and irreverent. Invariably, there are going to be those "Attitude Era" fans (remind me again what was so magnificant about the booking at that time?) who fail to recognize that The Rock had predecessors who did it first, and more importantly, did it better - that being The Naitch.

On the subject of mic skills and imitation being the sincerest form of flattery, I can hear it now. "Flair suxzz, IF YA SMELLZZZ." Well, if you don't believe me, perhaps you'll take it from an Attitude Era alumni - Triple H said it far better than I could ever hope to: "Before there was a Trail blazing, Eyebrow Raising, Jabroni Beating, Pie Eating, Heart Stopping, Elbow Dropping People's Champion - there was a Limousine Ridin', Jet Flyin', Kiss Stealin' - WOOOOOO - Wheelin' Dealin' Son of a Gun named "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair." Fact is, as great as The Rock is on the stick, he relies far too much on "sing-songy" catchphrases. Are they effective? MY GOD, without question! In terms of crowd participation, The Rock knows how to get his audience involved. Everytime I've seen him live, I was happy to recite back "...AND MILLIONS" or whatever it was he asked of us. Heck, that's half the fun of being there. However, when it comes to the ability to sell the feud - to evoke an emotional response in the hearts of those watching - NONE came close to Ric Flair. Does Ric Flair have catchphrases? Certainly. Were his interviews without substance and filled entirely with them? No. Flair cut promos that served the purpose all promos should - promoted/furthered the feud, promoted the match - and allowed the fan a chance to hate him. Perhaps with the exception of Dusty Rhodes, no one made the promo more of an artform that Flair - not even The Rock.

What about in the ring, you ask? Rock fans will surely sight his resume of having battled the likes of Hulk Hogan, Triple H, Steve Austin and John Cena. Ric Flair's resume DWARFS Dwayne's in every conceivable way. Don't believe me? Pat O'Connor, Harley Race, Jack Brisco, Dory Funk Jr., Ricky Steamboat, Terry Funk, Dusty Rhodes, Randy Savage, Buddy Rodgers, Muta, Giant Baba, Sting, Jerry Lawler, Hulk Hogan - every person who has ever meant anything to this business from 1970 on has stood toe to toe with Ric Flair. Kayfabe or otherwise, Ric Flair in his prime may be the greatest wrestler of all time. Not once have I heard that argument been made for The Rock. While sometimes underestimated and under appreciated, The Rock's psychology, stamina, move set - none of it is on Flair's level. Flair could go 60 minutes with a broomstick and get the broomstick over. There is no environment or gimmick match that Flair doesn't best The Rock. Any variant of the cage match? HIAC, Thunderdome, War Games - Flair has gone the distance with Harley Race, Dusty Rhodes, Triple H, Sting - the list goes on. I am sure a lot of you would be hard pressed to name a memorable cage match involving The Rock. Iron Man match? If I need to explain that one to you, I am truly wasting my time. The TLC match wasn't what I'd hoped for, but even then, Flair would find a way. In his prime, Flair found a way to win - and he'd do the same here.

The fact of the matter is this - in every conceivable way, Ric Flair eclipses The Rock. Yes, even in drawing power. I am sure the statistical analysts will be crawling out of the woodwork on that one, but I stand by the fact that Ric Flair drew consistently for 25 years. Wrap your minds around that - 25 years, the man was a top draw in this industry. Stadium size crowds? An estimated 190,000 in Korea, 50,000 in Texas Stadium vs. Kerry Von Erich - and you can't convince me he didn't aid (and most likely draw a large amount) of the 71,000 that attended Wrestlemania 24. Bryan Alverez of the Figure Four Newsletter ran an article at one point saying that Ric Flair was one of only 3 people to positively affect WCW Nitro's ratings during it's dying days (the other two being Sting and Goldberg). Ric Flair has earned his spot as not just a legend or one of the greatest, but quite frankly, the greatest of all time. So unless the name he's facing is "Hulk Hogan," I really don't think there is an argument otherwise.

Be smart. Vote Flair.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

Flair could go 60 minutes with a broomstick and get the broomstick over. There is no environment or gimmick match that Flair doesn't best The Rock.

Oh, really you say.

Any variant of the cage match? HIAC, Thunderdome, War Games - Flair has gone the distance with Harley Race, Dusty Rhodes, Triple H, Sting - the list goes on

I looked up the history of War Games matches. Flair participated in 16 of them as a part of the Four Horseman. Guess how many he won. ONE!!!

Flair's never been in HIAC either.

I am sure a lot of you would be hard pressed to name a memorable cage match involving The Rock. Iron Man match? If I need to explain that one to you, I am truly wasting my time. The TLC match wasn't what I'd hoped for, but even then, Flair would find a way. In his prime, Flair found a way to win - and he'd do the same here.

Flair was not as dominant as his prime as everyone thinks he was. He lost and he lost quite a lot.

The fact of the matter is this - in every conceivable way, Ric Flair eclipses The Rock. Yes, even in drawing power. I am sure the statistical analysts will be crawling out of the woodwork on that one, but I stand by the fact that Ric Flair drew consistently for 25 years. Wrap your minds around that - 25 years, the man was a top draw in this industry. Stadium size crowds? An estimated 190,000 in Korea, 50,000 in Texas Stadium vs. Kerry Von Erich - and you can't convince me he didn't aid (and most likely draw a large amount) of the 71,000 that attended Wrestlemania 24. Bryan Alverez of the Figure Four Newsletter ran an article at one point saying that Ric Flair was one of only 3 people to positively affect WCW Nitro's ratings during it's dying days (the other two being Sting and Goldberg). Ric Flair has earned his spot as not just a legend or one of the greatest, but quite frankly, the greatest of all time. So unless the name he's facing is "Hulk Hogan," I really don't think there is an argument otherwise.

Be smart. Vote Flair.

Using 2000's WCW as a way to boost up Flair. Quite the stretch there, isn't it?

 

[Davi323]

Well, I have to be consistent. Since we are still in the ECW region, Ric Flair still has an enormous advantage over the Rock. It's the same advantage as it's been all along...no rules means HORSEMEN! Just like in every other round, if you give Ric Flair the chance to openly cheat and get away with it, he will. The Horsemen practically give this match to the Nature Boy. Nature Boy would probably win this even without Horsemen interference, but he definitely should win here. There is no stable for the Rock to call on to even the odds. This is a 4 on 1 match, basically. Because Flair can't be disqualified in this match, the Horsemen would run rampant. For as great a performer as the Rock is, he can't compete with gang mentality the Horsemen would be sure to employ. They would prevent him from getting any weapons to use against Flair, while enjoying the freedom to attack him with weapons at will. They can prevent the Rock from climbing the ladder, even if Flair is incapacitated somehow. They can hold the Rock down while Flair climbs the ladder. In order for the Rock to win this, he would have to essentially defeat 4 men to the point that NONE of them could prevent him from climbing the ladder. This would be tough against anyone, but against Ric Flair? Practically impossible.

I said this in the last round, and it's still applicable: Putting Ric Flair in the ECW region was the greatest gift anyone could have given him, because we are supposed to judge the wrestlers when they were in their primes...and in his prime, Ric Flair was a Horsemen, and the Horsemen routinely interfered in Flair's matches to give him wins. Ric Flair will cheat like hell because he can. Flair wins this.

 

[FitFinlay4Life]

Only a choke slam from new acquisition Paul Wight prevented Mankind defeating the Rock in this type of match and I doubt anyone would have Mrs Foley's baby boy high on their list of Ladder Match specialists.

Likewise, only interference from Lita prevented a 57 year old Flair from winning the WWe Title from probably THE poster boy for TLC Matches in Edge.

Don't let the fact that the Ladder Match only rose to prominence in the big leagues when Flair was already well into his 40s influence you. Had they been prevalent in the early 80s when he ruled the NWA, the Nature Boy would have taken to them like the proverbial fish to water. Just look at the two guys who trial ran it for the WWF, then look at the pic below it and tell me that this guy wouldn't have excelled as well!

[YOUTUBE]MjXW9ibQXCI[/YOUTUBE]

They might as well stencil 'SPACE MOUNTAIN' on the ladder here because, once Rocky's taken a ride on it, he's well and truly screwed!

 

[Tastycles]

Arguments based on interference are almost always pointless. If Flair has the Horsemen, Rock has the corporation, and Big Show, Shamrock, Test etc. would be able to hold the fort. Remember when Foley won the title and DX came and chased the corporation away? That's what would happen in every single match where interference happened in this tournament.

As for the match itself, I think I'm falling to The Rock on this one. I know Flair won more titles, and lasted longer, but he was never remotely as popular as The Rock in the mainstream. That, coupled with the fact that The Rock is very good at gimmick matches, leads me to the conclusion that he'd win. Would be no great travesty either way though.

 

[Mr. Artistic guy]

I don't take the TLC aspect to be an advantage to either guy. Neither were hardcore specialists, but both could certainly deliver when called upon. Rock's battles with Mankind are among his best examples of how hardcore he can be, and need I say more than 17 chair shots. God, Foley may have been willing but Rock beat him like New Jack beat Gypsy Joe with that chair. And Flair, well, he just has a lot more experience wrestling in general. If I tried to name how many times I'd seen Flair bleed in matches like this, I'd have to borrow people's hands, but more often than not he'll end up winning those matches. That's just how it is.

Now, I didn't want to be unfair, but I thought I'd upload this anyway even though Flair is way past his prime, just to try to geet an example of how both men would approach this match:

[YOUTUBE]SwvvhIO6C94&feature=relmfu[/YOUTUBE]

Pretty even, by way of Rock trying to get Flair over in the match out of respect. Funnily enough, in his prime he probably wouldn't have matched up so well against a guy like that, it'd be little offence from Flair until he could cut a dirty way in or until he relied on his interference. Either way, that was one hell of an undersell by The Rock. 10 minute match then BOOM, kick-up and Rock Bottom, done.

This is quite an astounding match-up for me, because I have believed for the longest time now the at The Rock is probably the best wrestler of all time, he's faultless great in the ring, unparalleled on the mic in terms of being able to engage with the crowd. And if it isn't The Rock, then it's probably Ric Flair. Once again, the entire package, could wrestle 60 minutes of offence, could wrestle 10 minute from behind his hands, and don't get me started on his speaking ability, once again a total package.

Now, Tasty has already explained why it's useless to play the interference card for Flair. Rock has the corporation and that's a group which no other is going to tangle with and be successful at. So I'm going to take them as a non-factor. A hardcore match where you climb a ladder, and neither man is going to have difficulty with that.

So this is what I'm separating it on, and I'm amazed that nobody has mentioned it yet. The Rock wins when it matters, whether it be against a returning Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair in that match, Stone Cold in their last encounter, and just recently after a 7 year hiatus, he cam back and bested John Cena in his home town, in John Cena's world that was built around him. Just imagine that. Imagine WWE had thought it was a good idea in 2002 to have Hogan go over the Rock, Hogan meant more to wrestling in the grand scheme of things than The Rock did, just as Cena does now. Rock never engineered the Attitude era, Stone Cold did, all Rock did was run with it when it started. But John Cena is the flag bearer for the WWE, any major storyline and he is always at the centre of it and has been for over 5 years now. And then this guy, who many could and did put a case over for being abandoning the WWE when they needed him the most, comes back from his safe acting career and just walks into Wrestlemania and beats John Cena. It's just unfathomable. And yet it happened. And we all know Rock has the endurance and stamina, he's been 60 minutes before and coped just fine. Flair isn't going to outlast him here if it comes down to it.

Ric Flair too lost his returning match to the WWE against The Undertaker with access to weapons and interference by Arn Anderson, he lost at wrestlemania 8, he didn't beat The Rock when he had the chance, he lost to HBK for his retirement match, he lost to HHH for a world title.

The Rock never had a chance to show how much he could have meant to wrestling as a whole because he didn't stay after his initial 7 years so it's hard to compare that to Flair, but those seven years... wow. I just think Rock has the edge. I think he wins in big match situations more often than not and Ric Flair doesn't by virtue of the fact that for most of his career, and his prime in particular, he was a heel and heel are supposed to lose in the biggest matches. This is certainly a big match, both men rise to the occasion, but Rocky rises a little higher, up the ladder and grabs the briefcase after a gruelling unforgeable encounter. I can only imagine the promos leading up to this match.

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

I'm 100% split here, because I see this going down two different ways.

1. The Rock wins, 100% clean. Something along the lines of Flair using The Horsemen to win his prior matches, which causes some authority figure to ban those guys from ringside. If that happens, which is more likely than you might think, Rock wins clean in 15-18 minutes.

2. Flair wins due to cheating. Whether it's outside interference or something he does on his own, he wins. He would never go over Rock clean, and we all know it. However, that's how Flair wins.

Not sure yet. I'll read what's posted from here on out, and hopefully come to some sort of decision. This is important people. Really important, yeah?

 

[cult_of_icecream_bar]

#iwinbecauseiamamoviestar TRENDING WORLDWIDE PEOPLE.I beat the crap outta naitch in this IWC tourney because IWC blows me bigtime-the Rock does not say.
In any given match rock going over flair would be a fucking travesty.Even the rock himself would agree.Naitch always was the top playa,rock played second fiddle to austin most of the times.Flair can destroy rocks legs putting him in a figure four with a chair in his leg.So vote the Naitch

 

[Shocky]

The Rock is a quicker, stronger, more charismatic, has better stamina, and better on the stick then Ric Flair. In fact, everything that Ric Flair is known for, the Rock does it better.

I'm sure we're going to get the stupid, Ric Flair is the 60 minute man, bullshit argument. That's great, we're not wrestling an hour long are we? Oh, and the Rock has wrestled a 60 minute match before, so thanks for playing.

Ric Flair has the Horsemen: So fucking what. When we scrape the bottom of the barrel of arguments to bring in the associates, then the case is lost. The Rock hasn't had his fair share of allies in wrestling before? NOD, Corporation, whatever. Why do people think that if someone's pals interfere that the other guys pals won't jump into the match? Silly, null and void argument.

Ric Flair is a better talker then The Rock: Why anyone would bring that up, who knows. Just to squash it before it shows up, if you think Ric Flair is a better promo man then the Rock, please proceed to go to the tallest object around you, and throw yourself from it.

The Rock is a better physical athlete, a more brutal and impactful wrestler then Ric Flair. I fail to see how the Figure Four is going to keep someone like the Rock down in a big match. This is the same Rock that has no sold Attitude Adjustments, Stunners and Atomic Leg Drops, multiple times in one match. Ric Flair locking on the figure four isn't going to keep the Rock down. In fact, if you honestly think the Rock would be in the Figure Four long enough for any real damage to be done, you're crazy. Have you never seen a bigger and stronger guy reverse the figure four on Flair? It happens more often then not.

The Rock moves on, Flair goes home.

 

[FlexAmerican Dynamite]

Yeah, without a shadow of a doubt my vote and this match should go to Rock. No arguments can really be made here. Rock has already beaten Flair in a match and while this is TLC the outcome wouldn't be much different. It's all pretty much been said already, can't make the 60 minute argument, can't make the interference argument, Rock's faster, stronger, better on the mic.

Vote Rock.

 

[Hulkamaniac]

I love the Rock. He is my second favorite wrestler ever. But this is exactly the type and place of a match he would lose. He would dominate Flair, and then get rolled up while FLair has a handful of tights for the win. THe heat would be incredible. Rock is the better overall showman IMO, but, speaking kayfabe, Flair would probably win.

 

[FlexAmerican Dynamite]

I love the Rock. He is my second favorite wrestler ever. But this is exactly the type and place of a match he would lose. He would dominate Flair, and then get rolled up while FLair has a handful of tights for the win. THe heat would be incredible. Rock is the better overall showman IMO, but, speaking kayfabe, Flair would probably win.

You realize this is a TLC match right? You basically just admitted Rock is better in pretty much all aspects yet you still think Flair would win?

 

[JJYanks121]

I love the Rock. He is my second favorite wrestler ever. But this is exactly the type and place of a match he would lose. He would dominate Flair, and then get rolled up while FLair has a handful of tights for the win. THe heat would be incredible. Rock is the better overall showman IMO, but, speaking kayfabe, Flair would probably win.

So he'd get rolled up in a match where the object is to climb a ladder and retrieve something in order to win?

Got that? Now, before you post again, please read the matchup first. I'm playing nice guy but I'm sure other posters will follow and call you names that aren't so nice. Just a heads up for ya.

That said, I don't know if the stipulation favors either. Rock did ok in ladder matches but his most famous one for the IC belt with HHH was a loss. However, 6 months later he showed that he can be ruthless with a chair in pummeling Mankind so I have no doubt that he could utilize weapons quite well.

I'm not sure about this one yet although I didn't think Flair should be here in the first place so based on that, I should vote against him. However, I'll listen to more arguments before making a decision.

 

[a0161613]

I love the Rock. He is my second favorite wrestler ever. But this is exactly the type and place of a match he would lose. He would dominate Flair, and then get rolled up while FLair has a handful of tights for the win. THe heat would be incredible. Rock is the better overall showman IMO, but, speaking kayfabe, Flair would probably win.

Are you really so stupid?

Rules: The winner of the match will be the first person to climb a ladder and grab the case above the ring. Tables, ladders and chairs will be available at ringside for both competitors to use. Anything goes.

I honestly cannot believe this will count as a vote to Hulk. This has to be one of the stupidest things I've ever read. But Rock wins because Flair won't be able to sneak a win in his traditional way. Rocky's too big and strong for the Nature Boy.

And unlike Andre, Rock will definitely be able to push Flair off and make him crash through tables or to the floor. Rocky also has the basic offence to help him to do that whereas Flair would rely on Horsemen assistance, which is negated by any one of the anti-Horsemen outfits who Rock would ensure backs him up on this occasion.

 

[Hulkamaniac]

Yeah, it was late and I didn't even notice the stipulation. I can't edit the post. Obviously this is reason for all of the internet tough guys to start with the name-calling. Whatever.

The stipulation makes it very close. The big question is: is Rocky heel or face? Personally I feel like Rocky did his best work as a face, though he was great as a heel also. Flair was a much better heel than he was a face. If you think Rocky is a heel in this match, that means he'll probably win. If you think Rocky is a face, then I think the Nature Boy probably still takes it thanks to outside interference. I'll need to think about it before I can cast my written vote. I don't know if I can take back my vote, but if so, I'd like to so I can make an official vote.

 

[FlexAmerican Dynamite]

Yeah, it was late and I didn't even notice the stipulation. I can't edit the post. Obviously this is reason for all of the internet tough guys to start with the name-calling. Whatever.

The stipulation makes it very close. The big question is: is Rocky heel or face? Personally I feel like Rocky did his best work as a face, though he was great as a heel also. Flair was a much better heel than he was a face. If you think Rocky is a heel in this match, that means he'll probably win. If you think Rocky is a face, then I think the Nature Boy probably still takes it thanks to outside interference. I'll need to think about it before I can cast my written vote. I don't know if I can take back my vote, but if so, I'd like to so I can make an official vote.

We just went over this, the Horsemen will get ran out of the match by the NOD/Corporation. Also it doesn't matter if Rock is heel or face he is still miles above Flair.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

This match takes place one week following the third round.

You know why this is important? Because you must consider who these guys faced last week because that would have an impact on what would go down here. Rock faced Big Show in a regular match, someone whom he faced day in and day out in the Attitude Era and defeated without much difficulty then as well as in the round before. Ric Flair, on the other hand, faced a sadistic Randy Orton in a Last Man Standing match, an environment in which Orton thrives, and just got past him by the skin of his teeth( Flair won by just one vote. That is what I would call a close match). Flair would undoubtedly be carrying the injuries of that match into this match. It ain't a joke facing a brutal wrestler like Orton and Flair would surely feel the aftereffects of it. Rocky would not, on the other hand.

So yes, Rock does come into this match with a huge advantage. Flair is banged up, he is not. He is also a more vicious wrestler than Flair ever was and will surely pile on the injuries that Flair sustained in the last round. I know people would talk about Flair locking in the figure four and damaging Rock's legs making it difficult for Rock to climb but we know that Rock can do that too, as was evidenced in the Rock/ HHH match-up at SummerSlam where Rock got close despite carrying a leg injury for the entire match. Here, Rock is suffering from no such thing but his opponent is already very much banged up. He has the sharpshooter here as well, something he did not have in that match.

Also, like Brock Goldberg said, Rock is a big match player. He can lose to someone like Jericho but when he goes up against a big star like Hogan, Cena, Triple H or even Austin, he brings his A-game to the party. Yes, even against Austin whom he beat in their final encounter. This is a big match, make no mistake about it, and one in which Rock would surely win.

Winner: Rock

 

[AwesomeRko]

Yeahh Rock's got this. Like people have said Rock is one of the three most popular superstars of all time, an argument can be made that he is the most popular in the mainstream, and achieved his greatest heights as a face. Flair was at his peak as a canniving heel. Rock tends to bring his A-game to epic encounters such as this and with the stipulation really favouring neither you have to think Rock will take this.

 

[FitFinlay4Life]

Try this logic then - in his prime, Ric Flair was the number one guy in the NWA... for a long time. In his prime, the Rock played second fiddle to SCSA. In a match in a unbiased region (and it could be argued that with their own NWA links, ECW would actually be slightly more proNWA), the number one guy would be booked over the number two guy.

 

[FlexAmerican Dynamite]

Try this logic then - in his prime, Ric Flair was the number one guy in the NWA... for a long time. In his prime, the Rock played second fiddle to SCSA. In a match in a unbiased region (and it could be argued that with their own NWA links, ECW would actually be slightly more proNWA), the number one guy would be booked over the number two guy.

Rock wasn't second fiddle 2000-2002 hence the reason they eventually turned Austin heel and even when Rock was heel he was still getting massive ovations. Even in ECW I think they would be smart enough to know Rock is a better man to bet on then Flair.

 

[AwesomeRko]

Try this logic then - in his prime, Ric Flair was the number one guy in the NWA... for a long time. In his prime, the Rock played second fiddle to SCSA. In a match in a unbiased region (and it could be argued that with their own NWA links, ECW would actually be slightly more proNWA), the number one guy would be booked over the number two guy.

I would argue that Rock peaked around 2000, around the time that Austin had to take a huge amount of time off with a broken neck. During this time the WWE's ratings also actually reached their highest level proving that Rock could draw at least as well as Austin. I believe Rock remained the top guy from that point on even after Austin's return and his popularity amongst the general public when wrestling was still mainstream testified to this but that is up for debate I suppose.

For most of ECW's existence Paul Heyman hated the WCW, primarily because of Eric Bischoff and many werstlers have stated his disdain for people who went there as opposed to him being generally ok with stars moving onto WWF. Heyman would have therefore bene more likely to book Rock over Flair because of Flair's long-term association with the WCW.

 

[FitFinlay4Life]

Rock wasn't second fiddle 2000-2002 hence the reason they eventually turned Austin heel and even when Rock was heel he was still getting massive ovations.

And yet Austin won the Royal Rumble, defeated the Rock at WM17 and put him on the disabled list until the Invasion?

Even in ECW I think they would be smart enough to know Rock is a better man to bet on then Flair.

Their use of Ric's old sparing partner, Terry Funk would suggest different. Had this match actually come to fruition, I'd be more inclined to believe that a certain chant from Dwayne's early career would make a comeback because, for all the abuse that ECW and it's fans have taken over the years, they generally respected wrestling ability and the Rock isn't as good in the ring as Naitch was!

For most of ECW's existence Paul Heyman hated the WCW, primarily because of Eric Bischoff and many werstlers have stated his disdain for people who went there as opposed to him being generally ok with stars moving onto WWF. Heyman would have therefore bene more likely to book Rock over Flair because of Flair's long-term association with the WCW.

Erm, I think you'll find I said 'NWA' which means NOT WCW and no Easy E.

 

[FlexAmerican Dynamite]

And yet Austin won the Royal Rumble, defeated the Rock at WM17 and put him on the disabled list until the Invasion?

The rumble could have gone either way, it only served the purpose of setting up Rock/Austin II. The WM17 win was a dirty heel turn. Would they have done that if Austin was more popular? Also Rock was the leader of the WWF at the time, would they have done that if Austin was more popular?

Their use of Ric's old sparing partner, Terry Funk would suggest different. Had this match actually come to fruition, I'd be more inclined to believe that a certain chant from Dwayne's early career would make a comeback because, for all the abuse that ECW and it's fans have taken over the years, they generally respected wrestling ability and the Rock isn't as good in the ring as Naitch was!

Rock is still just physically better than Flair, and sure let's pretend whether he was not liked by ECW fans or not affects the outcome, even if he was heel he would be put over Flair in this match.

 

[AwesomeRko]

And yet Austin won the Royal Rumble, defeated the Rock at WM17 and put him on the disabled list until the Invasion?



Their use of Ric's old sparing partner, Terry Funk would suggest different. Had this match actually come to fruition, I'd be more inclined to believe that a certain chant from Dwayne's early career would make a comeback because, for all the abuse that ECW and it's fans have taken over the years, they generally respected wrestling ability and the Rock isn't as good in the ring as Naitch was!



Erm, I think you'll find I said 'NWA' which means NOT WCW and no Easy E.

I got that I was just trying to make a seperate point to counter it that Flair's association with WCW and Heyman's hatred for that particular organisation would balance his respect for the NWA. I'm sorry if it wasn't very clear.

Austin did beat Rock at Wrestlemania 17, yet it was not clean and precipated a heel turn. This combined with the fact that Rock was chosen to portray the hero of the WWF who defeated Austin heading up the Alliance serves as an indication that at that point Rock had become the top face of the WWE.