Report/Rumor: Indications That The Rock MIGHT, MIGHT Not Be Back Next Year

[Jack-Hammer]

According to a report put out by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, there've been some developments suggesting that The Rock MIGHT not be back to WWE in 2014. As we all know, The Rock has made short term returns to WWE the past 3 years during WrestleMania season. Since his injury at WrestleMania during his match with John Cena and the fact that his movie career is becoming all the more lucrative, there's been serious talk of The Rock never wrestling again.

According to the WON, WWE provided information to a major merchandise licensee over the course of this past week to NOT produce products involving The Rock. The report states that WWE informed them that they could still produce products in which The Rock is featured as part of a group setting, such as t-shirts in which he's pictured with other WWE wrestlers or legends, but nothing specific featuring simply The Rock until 2015.

As a result, the report goes on to say that this is being taken as a sign that The Rock will not return to WWE for WrestleMania XXX. Meltzer states that he doesn't know whether or not The Rock has actually come right out and told this to WWE officials, but it's a sign that it's possible as WWE has always produced various Rock merchandise to be sold during his returns to WWE.

While it's nice to see Rock pop up every now and again, I'm personally over the novelty of him coming back to wrestle at WrestleMania and would rather he didn't make a return next year. I think one reason why is because, in some ways, his return this year was a bit lackluster when it comes to his in-ring performance. The Rock is someone that's been majorly focused on weight training for some of the roles he's played as of late, especially as part of the current filming of the Hercules movie. As a result, he was clearly not in the same cardio shape this year that he was in during his match with Cena in 2012. Getting gassed less than halfway through his matches with Punk was clear evidence of that. The build for his match with Cena was, in my eyes, better this year than last year as there was far, far less of the somewhat juvenile jokes and attempts to out insult each other. If their match would have been on the same level as last year's, then it would've been damn near perfect.

As a result, in my eyes at least, it simply confirmed the fact that WWE isn't nearly the priority that his movie career is. That's understandable when you consider how well The Rock's career has been doing the past few years and that it only seems to be getting bigger. Still, as a wrestling fan, I prefer to invest my time and my money in those to whom WWE is a top priority; and I'd rather see them get in on the top matches of WrestleMania. I'm not hating on The Rock. The guy's good for business and he's someone who can still captivate people on the mic every bit as much as he could back in the day. I'm just over the simple novelty of him coming back, basking in the adulation of "the millions", getting his already healthy ego stroked all the more, promote his films in front of a huge TV audience, collect a big ass paycheck and then disappear for the rest of the year.

 

[ATLMIATEX]

Thank god. He was the reason I stopped watching wrestling from WM28-WM29. It's fine to see him come back every once in a while, but the main event of WrestleMania? Twice? That pisses me off because there is so many other people in the WWE who deserved that spot. I could live with him being the host of WM27, but getting involved in it, and then main eventing the next two. I'm not interested at all in that. I understand the fact that it is great for business, but WWE needs to make a new "The Rock". He won't be there forever, especially when it's not his top priority.

 

[Kidpolean]

Thank god. He was the reason I stopped watching wrestling from WM28-WM29. It's fine to see him come back every once in a while, but the main event of WrestleMania? Twice? That pisses me off because there is so many other people in the WWE who deserved that spot. I could live with him being the host of WM27, but getting involved in it, and then main eventing the next two. I'm not interested at all in that. I understand the fact that it is great for business, but WWE needs to make a new "The Rock". He won't be there forever, especially when it's not his top priority.

there are so many people that deserved to main event mania? Like who...outside of Punk and Cena who else deserved it?

Nobody that's who, unless your counting Taker. The Rock should have main evented those two mania's because nobody else except for maybe Stone Cold could draw people like the rock can. I'm all for building new stars but Mania is not the time to experiment new talent being in the main event. Mania is when you put the money makers and stars on a grand stage for all to see.

 

[Redemption-2012]

I'm going to take this with a pinch of salt. There have been various rumors indicating that he may not wrestle in 2014. If he does not, well it is what it is. I am long over The Rock being a part time act in WWE, I would rather he did not appear if it means putting on less than stellar matches on the big stage.

 

[Rayne]

Nor should he come back again. That's not to take away from his past three performances- they all bumped up the buyrates, and it's difficult to say if that would have happened without The Rock. Cena's there every month; Lesnar's there every three. Wrestlemania demands a special attraction.

But if Rock's there every year, the novelty wears off. Pretty soon, it's The Rock Show, and since you get to see it every year, why bother seeing it this year? It's time for someone new to take center stage at Wrestlemania, and I wouldn't at all be surprised to see that person be Steve Austin. The downside is, he can't move around quite like The Rock can. I wouldn't expect three years out of Austin.

Then, you look down the possibles. HHH isn't a draw for matches like he once was, and while a heel turn will invigorate his character, audiences are too familiar with him (see: novelty) to have him draw on a Rock type level. Let's go crazy, Hulk Hogan comes out of contract with TNA (see: the last two months of news and what rubbing two brain cells together tells you) and does a one-off with WWE. I don't think they'd have him wrestle a match unless it was meant as some kind of sick joke, but imagine him refereeing a CM Punk/Steve Austin match. Again though, Hulk Hogan isn't a three Wrestlemania guy anymore. (He'd ask for too much money after the first.) The Undertaker's retirement match will draw, so you've got that.

It's time for the WWE and Rock to again loosen their ties, and that's best for the WWE. He'll still have a place if they can work something out, when they need to work something out, but they need to find other ways of drawing people into the house. They've got some matches they can line up to tide them over for a couple years, but it's time to start thinking about how you pack the house for WrestleMania 33.

 

[a member of wwe universe]

Thank god. He was the reason I stopped watching wrestling from WM28-WM29. It's fine to see him come back every once in a while, but the main event of WrestleMania? Twice? That pisses me off because there is so many other people in the WWE who deserved that spot. I could live with him being the host of WM27, but getting involved in it, and then main eventing the next two. I'm not interested at all in that. I understand the fact that it is great for business, but WWE needs to make a new "The Rock". He won't be there forever, especially when it's not his top priority.

I know eh. Wade barrette, jack swagger, drew mcyntre, antonio cessaro, alex riley, JTG, yoshi tashu, etc all deserves to main event at wrestlemania because they have been in the business quite some time DESPITE they cant draw a dime and make themselves semi-relevant. Even our current world champion is struggling to draw decent heat to make himself a relevant heel.

I did not like the their second bouts as well. However its one thing to dislike the cena vs rock rivary but to piss this all on the rock is BS. If the rock announces he'll mainevent at mania only to face daniel bryan, i bet the iwc/haters would worship him as wrestling god.

Definitely Rock needs a break from this. He doesnt need the money and the fame from wwe. Highly doubt he wouldnt return. Now it would be interesting to see the card of mania 30. The headliner i can see atm is lesnar vs taker. If plan changes, it would be cena vs taker. I wont put my money on Austin vs Punk yet. It is still a long shot imo but never say never. (then again that wouldnt be nice of austin since his taking the mainevent spotlight of the younger guys)

there are so many people that deserved to main event mania? Like who...outside of Punk and Cena who else deserved it?

I'm all for building new stars but Mania is not the time to experiment new talent being in the main event. Mania is when you put the money makers and stars on a grand stage for all to see.

Agree. Its wrestlemania, its not some captial punishment ppv where you can experiment with R-truth maineventing for wwe title. Mania is where you showcase all the "Stars" and make the most money. If you're over then you'll be booked against the top guys like hhh and taker. Punk is over, thats why he has earned that spot competing against taker. Dbryan is over now thats why you'll see him invovled in one of those big matches at mania next year.

 

[BillAlfonsos_Whistle]

This doesn't bother me at all. I don't mind the Rock returns and I do have a lot of respect for him because his wrestling career speaks for itself (even after being cut short!)

The only thing that makes much sense to me is The Rock vs. HHH written into the corporate angle. Have the Rock tag with Bryan at Rumble for HHH/Orton or something like that to extend the program. The reason this makes sense is 1. They have worked together very well in the past thus establishing the trust factor on the Rock's end. 2. Nostalgia sake. Billing it as the "culmination of a life-long feud" would probably work rather well.


I guess the Rock vs. Undertaker would work but the prospect of that does absolutely nothing for me. Rock vs. Lesnar would never happen because of Lesnar's spotty in-ring performances. Rock vs. Punk has already been done and Rock vs. Bryan just doesn't make any sense.

 

[gooseholla]

WWE didn't need legends from the past during 1999 - 2001 to draw as they had their own top level stars. A decade on and ow there aren't any really and they need people like the Rock back. Come on, Daniel Bryan is going to draw big for WM? Ziggler? I think not. Rock didn't deserve it, after all he has done for WWE? I'd take a rusty Rock over a Ziggler any day.

 

[BillAlfonsos_Whistle]

WWE didn't need legends from the past during 1999 - 2001 to draw as they had their own top level stars. A decade on and ow there aren't any really and they need people like the Rock back. Come on, Daniel Bryan is going to draw big for WM? Ziggler? I think not. Rock didn't deserve it, after all he has done for WWE? I'd take a rusty Rock over a Ziggler any day.

Really dude?
I mean I guess if you don't care about in-ring product WHATSOEVER than I could agree.

The Rock was embarrassingly bad against Punk at Rumble and not all that much better against Cena at WM.

Clearly Ziggler is nowhere near the multi-million dollar superstar or draw the Rock is but he is the third best in-ring working in the WWE right now and it's barely debateable. Just because they have wasted him time and again and can't give him an angle that will stick doesn't reflect on his in-ring work one iota.

 

[dtroppe]

If you think Ziegler punk or Bryan are anywhere near rock's level, you are a true Indy mark. Those guys are decent mid careers but they aren't in the same league as guys like rock, stone cold, hogan, hhh, taker, leaner, cena etc... Wwe needs the big guns for mania otherwise we might as well just record raw and call it mania.

 

[ATLMIATEX]

there are so many people that deserved to main event mania? Like who...outside of Punk and Cena who else deserved it?

I'm not completely dissing The Rock. I'm dissing WWE because they have to depend on huge names to get people to buy a Mania. What happened to 5-Star quality matches throughout the entire event? Not just 3-4 matches. WWE is lazy and can't make another huge name. CM Punk made himself. Daniel Bryan is getting there, but I bet when the crowd stops chanting YES and NO with him, he'll be just another upper-card occasional push guy. What happened to WWE having multiple options for the Main Event at Mania that wrestle every week? Not depending on washed-up legends.

 

[GelBrache]

I thank The Rock for everything he's done. But please, buzz off.

He has been brought back so many times, it's lost it's effect. And I don't mean for Cena/Rock matches, I mean before then, when he was doing Scorpion King and made random rare appearances.

For a while I thought he was just going to turn into another Undertaker. Only come back once a year when it benefits them most. Wrestlemania.

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

I have a ton of respect The Rock for what he did for the WWF/E and was glad to see him return. But to be honest him not returning does not really bother me.

I was ecstatic to see him return at the beginning of 2011 to build up that one year long program with Cena but after that I just lost interest. I guess problem is that ultimately he is a part timer and there's only so much you can do to build up a compelling feud with someone who shows up in a short time frame with limited dates.

Can he be entertaining when he appears? Absolutely. But is it enough to build interest in his feud or program? That for me was the problem. After beating Cena at WM28 I always knew it was going to be Cena/Rock for the WWE Title. And while the WM27 -> WM28 was interesting because it was a fresh feud where we didn't what was going to happen; the WM28 -> Royal Rumble (where he won the title) -> WM29 felt more obligatory (that it had to be done so Cena can go over).

The other problem I have with him is his in ring work. I would say he's given us ok matches but not memorable matches. It's no secret The Rock is a lot bigger in size and his best matches was in 2001/2002 when he was leaner and looked smaller. I kind of feel he lost a bit of his mobility in his matches when he returned and his WM29 match offered nothing new with his first encounter with Cena.

I think the other problem is that The Rock has been brought back primarily to work with Cena. And while it makes sense business wise in the end of the day Cena is the face of the WWE so Cena get's little out of working with The Rock as long as he did. I say if he worked with the other guys like Ziggler, Rhodes, or even Orton I think it would make things more interesting.

I also think unlike previous years where the WWE was light on top level talents, the main event pool is much deeper now. So the WWE does not have to rely on The Rock for ratings or other PPV's. CM Punk has firmly established himself as a top star, Bryan has already made it as a main eventer (and only needs one more push to make it long term), and Randy Orton is back to being relevant.

So now you have a "Big 4" in the WWE full time roster again while not as deep as let's say the "Big 8" back in 2007 (Cena, Orton, Batista, Edge, Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Rey Mysterio, and Triple H) it's enough to work with WM.

 

[Magic Mark]

I think he should leave it on the high note that he left with. The only other reason I'd like for him to come back is for him to turn heel and challenge the Undertaker at either Wrestlemania 30 or 31. Other than that I think Rock's done enough the past two years. OK not really.

 

[SinCityBlitz]

If you think Ziegler punk or Bryan are anywhere near rock's level, you are a true Indy mark. Those guys are decent mid careers but they aren't in the same league as guys like rock, stone cold, hogan, hhh, taker, leaner, cena etc... Wwe needs the big guns for mania otherwise we might as well just record raw and call it mania.

Every one of those guys you mentioned were mid-carders at one point in their careers. Until they were given a shot. Plus when Punk and Bryan are done wrestling I could see both of their names being mentioned in the same sentence as them.

As far as Rock goes, he needs to stay away. WWE needs to start pushing guys to the top. As long as the Rock is headlining it takes a spot from someone else. Make new stars instead of pushing the old ones. Bryan is over big time right now. They need to start moving in that direction.

 

[zee4u2nv]

I want the rock to retire at wm30 the man deserves that. And what a send off it would be if fought hbk in his last match at mania! Make it happen Vince!

 

[H33LTurn]

I've been under the impression for a long time now that The Rock is done with the WWE. While he seems satisfied with his run these past couple of years, I dont see any eagerness from him or the WWE to reach a new deal. He walked out for emergency surgery the night that he was supposed to start a program with Brock Lesnar, and now its being reported that Undertaker has agreed to work with Lesnar for this upcoming Wrestlemania. Cena will be out until then most likely, and I think Daniel Bryan vs Punk needs to happen at WM XXX. If that is the case, Rock doesnt have a legitimate opponent for Wrestlemania, unless you count Cena. Of course these are just predictions, and time will tell, but I dont sense the urgency that was there from both parties all these years since Rock went Hollywood to work another program again. I think both Vince and Dwayne saw what could be accomplished with another run and how far the Rock can expand character wise in this current era and either were dissatisfied with the results, or agreed to leave things as they are indefinitely. With the return of guys like RVD and Lesnar, maybe there are more urgent things that need to be developed before another Rock return.

 

[Ultra Awesome]

At Wrestlemania 29 Cena had one last talk with the Rock after the match. In that talk, while what was said was not heard, by reading in between the lines, the conversation was undoubtedly about Respect for the WWE and what a title means to the business. In other words, it was basically Cena giving Rock a scolding about his lacking affection for the WWE.

The people love the Rock. He is electrifying and he can put on a spectacular show. However, the Rock cares none for the people nor for the life of the wrestling business. All the Rock truly cares about is his exposure and how much attention he gets from him being himself whererver himself is.

Get it? Rock is about himself and his power, not about what the people care. He gives a fuck if you're a wrestling fan, if he's got something in line that can give him more power than Wrestlemania 30, you bet your ass he's gonna stick with it. More candy for him.

Damn, what an insult, huh, Triple H? Naaah. Im not too into this Rumor. What a let down would it be to see the Cena and Rock smashbash be postponed for a whole nother year. Talk about nostalgia, can people even remember a few months ago in wrestling, there's so much to watch!

Maybe this commotion is just to measure reaction. How foolish would it be for the WWE to not guarantee their 3 smashbashes of The Rock vs. Cena. It's fucking gold for the WWE, did they lose their heads while soaking in the glory of thinking for now rather than Beyond. You fail WWE, you fail.

Nah. By some odd fortelling, the Rock will make time for Wrestlemania 30. I mean, c'mon. It's Wrestlemania fucking 30.

 

[Cash Carson]

I get that he is too busy to train for wrestling matches, but at the very least, could he not just make an appearance or two. Do an awesome promo with Daniel Bryan or something?

 

[thebowtiekiller]

i think we will see the rock in wwe again if the reports are true though he doesnt seem overly keen at the moment though.i would personally enjoy seeing him return the guy is easily one of the most entertaining guys in wrestling ever there are some good up and comers on the roster but in all honesty i cant think of any that are anywhere near as good as the rock plain and simple.having said that it seems when the rock was gaining popularity wrestlers had a bit more freedom to develop there own character.also when he does show up nowadays he seems to pretty much say what he wants within reason of course.i could be wrong but it seems wwe is a lot more scripted now guys are told what to say pretty much word for word.anyways rock isnt exactly a youngster anymore but imo he still wrestles well and he sure as hell makes people want to watch.

 

[thebarber]

does it really matter? Austin has clearly stated in interviews he would only ever return for a match if he was the main event, not a part of the show that wasnt important. Vince wants Wrestlemania 30 to be the biggest yet no doubt, so having Stone Cold Steve Austin return for a match at Mania 30 means WWE DO NOT NEED THE ROCK.
He headlines two consecutive, very predictable main events while WWE just brushed Punk aside, the guy who carried the company for nearly 18 months whilst the Cena haters wanted somebody fresh and different, and wrecked the MIZ VS CENA match at Mania 27.
The Rock can go and make his movies and get inducted into the Hall of Fame, but in ring he really isnt required any further. There is no point in having him return unless it is in meaningful storylines, not one off matches and no contests on Raw or Smackdown. The fans deserve better. Austin on the other hand can have one more match, and Mania 30 would be the perfect platform.

 

[Mustang Sally]

As a result, in my eyes at least, it simply confirmed the fact that WWE isn't nearly the priority that his movie career is.

Nor should it be. From what we read, no matter how much WWE pays Rock for appearing, he can make far more money by doing another movie. I think the guy deserves all the credit in the world for working a couple programs with his old organization; he must have done it because he wanted to, not because he had to. He remembered his roots and wanted to honor them while giving his old (and new) fans a treat. I think that's fabulous.

At the same time, even as he agreed to a 2-year program with WWE, we fans of wrestling started doing what we usually do; presuming he was, in effect, returning to WWE. In this forum, we stated reading threads about "Will Rock face Brock?" "Will Rock try to break Undertaker's streak at WM?"....along with the inevitable: "Who will be Rock's next opponent?"

It's none of the above. The 2-year plan was agreed to long in advance. It's not as if they tried it the first year when Rock beat Cena and decided things had worked so well they might as well do it again next year. No, it was all set up two years ago: "Rock, you'll beat Cena in '12....and he'll beat you in '13."

All that happened, and now all bets are off. If WWE can entice Rock to return some day, that's great, even if it's in a non-wrestling role. But we might as well stop making plans around him because it's not gonna be that way. I don't think the injury he suffered at WM29 has anything to do with it......he did what he said he would do, and now it's done.

 

[Kidpolean]

does it really matter? Austin has clearly stated in interviews he would only ever return for a match if he was the main event, not a part of the show that wasnt important. Vince wants Wrestlemania 30 to be the biggest yet no doubt, so having Stone Cold Steve Austin return for a match at Mania 30 means WWE DO NOT NEED THE ROCK.
He headlines two consecutive, very predictable main events while WWE just brushed Punk aside, the guy who carried the company for nearly 18 months whilst the Cena haters wanted somebody fresh and different, and wrecked the MIZ VS CENA match at Mania 27.
The Rock can go and make his movies and get inducted into the Hall of Fame, but in ring he really isnt required any further. There is no point in having him return unless it is in meaningful storylines, not one off matches and no contests on Raw or Smackdown. The fans deserve better. Austin on the other hand can have one more match, and Mania 30 would be the perfect platform.

any match involving Austin would also be predictable and he would most likely lose. The Rock is a huge movie star and I doubt Austin would draw more than Rock at this point. If they want WM 30 to be the biggest ever they need BOTH rock and Austin.

wrecked cena and miz? No wwe wrecked wm27 when they made that terrible match

What planet were you on when you saw CM Punk carry the company for 18 months? I must have been sleep in a cave or something because I missed that. Punk has NEVER carried the wwe. How many times did he main event a ppv in those 18 months? How many times was he in the top storyline without Cena? Stop the CM punk love fest please.

 

[jacdnwarrior]

It's good for Rock to take a break. His film career should, at this point, should be the top priority. He did a great thing putting his film career on hold, or coming out during his filming to come back to WWE. Yes, he was paid, but let's face it, he could have made more doing a film.

He wasn't great in the matches, but he did generate interest and revenue for the company which makes it a success.

The problem isn't him, it's WWE. The WWE needs to create more stars to carry the load off Cena. They need performers who can share the load or replace Cena (which is unlikely) so they don't find themselves in need of a former performer like the Rock etc., to come back to the company. Easier said than done, I know. Orton, Punk, Sheamus, Bryan, Del Rio, Ziggler are good but they aren't in Cena's league in terms of being the guy to carry the company or being the face of the company. Cena popularity is hard to define. He brings in money but he has a lot of fans and a lot of haters. Can WWE rely on him alone to carry them and deliver the numbers they (WWE) need to keep on going ?

 

[MCMG]

Of course these rumours might not be true but if they are then it is a problem. I didn't enjoy his matches with Punk and Cena but it's The Rock. It is impossible not to want him back in the WWE.

The problem for the WWE is that they want WM30 to be the biggest of all time - they won't be able to do that without Rock. They need him because without there are not many options to main-event. Cena, Taker, Lesnar.

If he is worried about his livelihood; then he could just work a tag-team match. The Rock plus X and Y vs The Shield could work. Getting the Rock promoting the event and on the card is all important. His Hollywood career his paramount in his life so something like The Rock, Mick Foley and Y2J as a team. That would be a decent draw and protect The Rock.