Could The Rock and Stone Cold save RAW and Smackdown?

[boywithbluehanger]

I was wondering for a while when I realized that it's times like these where I come up with the most bizarre ideas. But nevertheless, I came across the thought that maybe with all the limited appearances both The Rock and Stone Cold make these days, perhaps they would be more suited for a managerial type of a role on the shows. If done in a new way, it could give them an excuse not to be seen all of the time while also giving the crowd something to look forward to when they actually are scheduled to appear.

Naturally I was thinking that Stone Cold would become the GM of RAW and The Rock would be the GM of Smackdown. They would often make pre-taped backstage vignettes and maybe once a month (1 every 4 eps) fly out to appear on the show. This could actually bring relevance to the brands having a rivalry and such since SCSA and The Rock are legitimate storyline rivals. Plus, they're both entertaining enough to attract people who don't normally watch either show.

Given that Stone Cold had done a season of Tough Enough and The Rock is finally comfortable in his marketability as an actor to show his face around WWE related things more (without the concern that he'll be looked at as a wrestler first), does this sound like a realistic possibility? Is it a decent idea? Is it too fanboyish?

 

[The Dragon Saga]

I wouldn't say the idea is beyond the realm of possibility considering both men have ties to the WWE, are healthy, one has recently wrestled and the other has stated his physical condition is of such a level he could compete again, but it is a bit too "fanboyish" to work.

Considering The Rock and Stone Cold became popular as wrestlers, people won't truly have much investment in them as authority figures, to begin with. We've seen Steve as the sheriff during Bischoff's regime and that didn't exactly entice a great explosion in viewers, because seeing Austin was nice and all but him not actively competing just took away a lot from it. It's like buying a chocolate bar, licking it but not eating it, we had Austin who was appearing but not wrestling, so people just thought, "meh."

Same goes for The Rock. Him being in an authority role just wouldn't be the same as having him as a wrestler. For one, although it would suit people would probably take him being a wrestler over him being in power. Sure, it could lead to interesting angles, but they are all hypothetical, with The Rock having such a strict filming schedule his time can't be invested fully into the WWE. The fact he appeared rountinely heading into Wrestlemania surprised some.

And one other thing, in-terms of the topic title, this is the second time I've seen someone use the word "save" today. To "save" something it has to be on the brink of destruction, if it isn't then you aren't saving anything. Neither RAW nor Smackdown are anywhere near the edge. If it's the subjective opinion that you dislike the product, stop watching. If it's the ratings, they were lower in the mid-nineties when WWE were PG also. Nothing needs to be "saved".

 

[DirtyD79]

No, WWE has gone to that well far too many times already. Instead of relying on stars from the past to keep bailing them out, they need to start building up the current stars, not saying "look at how great the show used to be." The younger stars aren't gonna have their chance to shine when they still got Rock and Austin hanging around. Fans will say "Who cares about these goomers? Rock and Stone Cold are here." WWE can't keep trading on nostalgia. It's one thing to have them around for a special appearance every now and then but not when they're the whole show, otherwise you get TNA.

 

[tripleddd]

I think Stone Cold and The rocks time has gone - yes its nice to see them and yes I'd love to see them both have one more run - but I think the problem is two fold no 1 is the writing i dont beleive the stories or the characters are built up enough and no 2 having two main event belts just dilutes everything . Does the wwe need saving - no but id say its an average 5 out of 10 at the moment.

 

[zee4u2nv]

Be serious.....this will not happen! Instead get rid of this brand split bullshit, and also get rid of these useless championship belts!

1 wwe champion
1 US intercontinental champions
1 tag team champs
1 hardcore champ
1 womans champ

Get some credability in winning a title, and stop handing them out to anyone, thats how the wwe will be save.....build the company around CM punk!

 

[Afro Jesus]

Once they eliminate the useless segments and the useless belts, WWE will be fine. Bringing back legends constantly is only going to prove that WWE cannot do anything without the Attitude Era. It ruins the already dying credibility behind the whole 'PG' era.

 

[bk555]

WWE has found out the hard way that part-timers and legends DO NOT permanently increase ratings on WWE TV. Sure the Rock sold great at Wrestlemani, but with the Rock, Lesnar, and even Triple H back in action, WWE has found itself back in the rut they were in before the part timers returned.

The only true way WWe can get out of this situation is to develop new everyday talent like a Daniel Bryan, and like a Dolph Ziggler into marketable characters. Yes, you heard me right. CHARACTERS. The reality-based wrestlers are rarely a success. CM Punk is the main example. But guys like Sheamus and Big Show will no longer sell because they aren't characters. Kevin Kelly hit it right on the head in his latest editorial for Wrestlezone. Characters always sell because wrestling is supposed to be fake and outlandish. The fine line between reality and script will only be perceived as interesting for so long.

Guys like Stone Cold, Hogan, The Rock, Edge, Kurt Angle, Sting, Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels etc. all played characters to get themselves over. For the most part, none of them played a realistic character.

 

[xavyer]

I agree with most of you, i also agree that is great to see them every once in a wild, but to have them full time or very often will also get stale, and also the WWE need to let go of the past and give the actual roster an oportunity to shine instead of bringing the past to try and get ratings, bring the veterans to Raw,have Smackdown for the mid card and new talent, unify the WHC and the WWE titles and also i=unify the IC and US titles, fewer titles is better because they will be more prestigious, and instead of The Rock and Austin, get better people at the creative area, and give the current roster a fair chance, just like Austin and The Rock had theirs.......

 

[XXJJ]

No.. Their wasn't a big spike in Raw ratings when The Rock was on weekly leading up to WM.

You start putting The Rock on Raw every week the nostalgia will wear off.

 

[Straight Awesome]

The problems with the WWE run much deeper and are much more complex than just a matter of who we are seeing on the screen. There is no one superstar that can save RAW and SmackDown! and they need to look internally to find what's gone wrong.

 

[MrWrestlingIII]

You could have Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair in their prime wrestling right now and it wouldn't help greatly because WWE Creative is absolutely dreadful right now. Until the story lines and angles have continuity and make sense, WWE will continue to have an inconsistent product.

The good news is that there is an individual on the WWE payroll that can improve that aspect and that's Paul Heyman. Say what you want about how he can't manage cash and financially killed ECW, but that guy has a tremendous wrestling mind and knows how to create good stories. Let him do some work.

 

[TheAcolyte]

The Rock does not want to get his ass handed over to him anymore by real talented wrestlers. The last time he wrestled full time, Brock Lesner beat him, then he decided to retire. Now he comes back and wrestle on a Santa Clause's work schedule and he expects people to tune in and see him spit out his nursery rhymes.

All the other wrestlers should be offended that he gets to come in, collect a big payday for wrestling 1 day a year. Steve Austin, if he didn't have a tweaked neck, he probably would still be drinking, kicking ass and stunning people. If he does come back, please stun Johnny Ace Lauranitus. He is another reason the ratings are going down...

 

[boywithbluehanger]

And one other thing, in-terms of the topic title, this is the second time I've seen someone use the word "save" today. To "save" something it has to be on the brink of destruction, if it isn't then you aren't saving anything. Neither RAW nor Smackdown are anywhere near the edge. If it's the subjective opinion that you dislike the product, stop watching. If it's the ratings, they were lower in the mid-nineties when WWE were PG also. Nothing needs to be "saved".

I wasn't implying that the shows needed to be saved from "the brink of destruction" but rather that the ratings could be improved. However you informatively gave your opinion as to why you do not think the ratings need to be improved. As for me not watching the product simply because I dislike it, I disagree. I do not need to stop watching any show just because I don't completely like it. Hell if I stopped watching everything I didn't 100% like, I'd have nothing to watch. Nothing is perfect, I believe everything can be improved on. Maybe the word I should have used for the title is "help" instead of "save" so if I offended you as someone who almost sees nothing in need of saving on these shows, then I'm sorry.

As for the rest who have disagreed with my idea, I respect your opinions however it seems most of you have misunderstood what I was getting at. I specifically stated that my idea was both The Rock and Stone Cold as managers of Smackdown and RAW respectively. Not coming back to wrestle. So all of the complaints about up and coming wrestlers being overshadowed are moot. The same amount of time would be dedicated to all of the other stars just instead of having a Teddy Long GM and a Big Johnny GM, we'd have two GMs who are actually over with the crowds by default. Plus the brands having a rivalry would finally have a driving force given that both characters are rivals. Along with the fact that with the RAW anonymous GM, it's been proven that we don't really need to see GMs in person every episode. (Which is maybe the only good lesson we've learned from the Anon GM storyline) So pre-taped backstage vignettes or even live "via satellite" segments where either The Rock or Stone Cold make matches, could be done without people bitching that they weren't there live that night. And also, they could make live appearances in their GM roles once a month or so as to give them a more attractive/less strenuous schedule.

That's the idea I had. Not seeing them come back to wrestle. So if you hate that idea and think it's beyond awful, then fine but stay on topic!!! lol

 

[Dagger Dias]

It sounds like a much better idea on paper than it actually is. WWE cannot rely on Attitude Era nostalgia forever. While it would be cool to see the two legends as the GM's of the brands, it would not be beneficial in the long run. Look at how much attention Johnny gets. Far too much importance is placed on the authority figure. If they put a legend in that spot then the focus will end up on him instead of where it needs to be, the wrestlers. Then there is also the issue of what to do once the nostalgia has worn off.

Stone Cold and The Rock as the GM's would come off as WWE once again clinging onto the past to keep it alive. How about creating the stars of tomorrow instead? The stars of the past are human beings, they are not immortal. The option of bringing them back is not always going to be there. The smarter choice would be to keep making new stars who can take over as the top guys in the future. While an interesting idea, Stone Cold and The Rock as the GM's is a bad idea because it would not benefit the product. They could have the entire 1998-2001 roster in their primes, but without booking properly with the future in mind, nothing will get accomplished. This idea will not save either brand. Looking ahead rather than to the past will.

 

[kingofthering]

IMO bringing the rock back has made other superstars look weaker. Most of the roster can't match his size and physical presence, let alone charisma. If Austin came back, he would not bring the same physical ability, especially since its a known fact he can't take much punishment due to injuries. However Austins presence alone would overshadow everyone except the likes of rock, UT, Brock, Cena and maybe CM punk.

So whats the point, their run would last about a year and after its over interest would plummit again. I would love to see Austin come back and feud with johnny ace, maybe have john hire him to bully the likes of Cena, punk then have Austin turn against him with a face turn and save the company. lol.

In the long run this won't help RAW or S!D. Save the likes of Rocky and Austin for wrestlemania i say. Just my 2 cents.

 

[SD619]

WWE cannot rely on Attitude Era nostalgia forever.

Pretty much this.

While Rock and Austin's presence could lead to a temporary spike in ratings in ratings, ultimately good storylines and sensible booking is more important. Also, there is the issue of these guys not being able/wanting to travel as much as the regular roster and the fact that they might have some other stuff outside of the WWE (movies/shows/life). In such a case, what will happen?

The fact is that if Rock/Austin were to be introduced in an authority role, they would be given 10-15 minutes weekly, which could be given to some of the current superstars and angles.