Could The Rock have done Austin's job?

[mrbrownstone]

So I was reading KB's thread on Hogan vs Austin and it got me thinking about where the WWE would be if Austin had never come along and got amazingly popular. At first I thought they probably would have gone under, and I stick by that thought, but then I realised that there is a slight possibility The Rock could have led them out of that trouble.

I think that the way they WCW was headed from 1998 onwards it probably wasn't going to take much to beat them, and Rock was very a very popular performer. Sure he was no where near the level of Austin, that's for sure I mean if you listen to the pops for their WM 17 match the crowd is about 75% Austin to 25% Rock, still 25% of 70,000 people is not bad. I would probably class the Rock as being on the same level as or even higher than John Cena though and we all know how successful he is.

The Rock has proved he can be the face of a company also doing so very successfully in 2000 although it must be said Austin had already laid the ground work for that success. My only worry with this theory though is by the time The Rock got popular would it be too late, he didn't win his first world title until late 1998, would WCW have already dished out the killer blow by then?

With all that being said I pose you these questions

Could The Rock have been the top face of the company had Austin never existed?
Would the WWE have still won the Monday Night Wars if that was the case?
Would the WWE still be around today had The Rock been the top face and Austin never existed?
Would WCW have lasted longer/still exist today if this was the case?

 

[Why Always Me]

So I was reading KB's thread on Hogan vs Austin and it got me thinking about where the WWE would be if Austin had never come along and got amazingly popular. At first I thought they probably would have gone under, and I stick by that thought, but then I realised that there is a slight possibility The Rock could have led them out of that trouble.

I think that the way they WCW was headed from 1998 onwards it probably wasn't going to take much to beat them, and Rock was very a very popular performer. Sure he was no where near the level of Austin, that's for sure I mean if you listen to the pops for their WM 17 match the crowd is about 75% Austin to 25% Rock, still 25% of 70,000 people is not bad. I would probably class the Rock as being on the same level as or even higher than John Cena though and we all know how successful he is.

The Rock has proved he can be the face of a company also doing so very successfully in 2000 although it must be said Austin had already laid the ground work for that success. My only worry with this theory though is by the time The Rock got popular would it be too late, he didn't win his first world title until late 1998, would WCW have already dished out the killer blow by then?

With all that being said I pose you these questions

Could The Rock have been the top face of the company had Austin never existed?
Would the WWE have still won the Monday Night Wars if that was the case?
Would the WWE still be around today had The Rock been the top face and Austin never existed?
Would WCW have lasted longer/still exist today if this was the case?

Good thread, but first of all, WrestleMania 17 was in TEXAS, Austins hometome. Put WrestleMania 17 in Florida and you get the reverse

Anyway, onto the questions.

Could The Rock have been the top face of the company had Austin never existed?

Yes, The Rock was at the very least matching Austin before Austin was injured, when Austin was injured, The Rock was a major factor in 2000 being the WWF's most successful year.

Would the WWE have still won the Monday Night Wars if that was the case?

Yes, WCW was getting worse, I think even without Rock and/or Austin, the WWF would of won eventually.

Would the WWE still be around today had The Rock been the top face and Austin never existed?

Yes - whether it had been just Austin or just The Rock, the WWF/WWE would still be around. Even without either of them the WWF/WWE would still be around, someone else would of just been the top star instead.

Would WCW have lasted longer/still exist today if this was the case?

Probably not, WCW in the end was total shite and would of propably folded anyway.

The Rock doesn't get enough respect, I am not turning this into a Rock/Austin debate but I think the WWE in general always puts Austin above The Rock, at the very least they are on the same level. Had Rock stayed longer than he did this wouldn't even be debated IMO

 

[MizterColemine]

The Rock definitely could have been the top face eventually. However, how much more quickly or slowly would The Rock's rise have been if there was no Stone Cold Steve Austin? I don't think The Rock would have grown as popular if instead of beginning the legendary Intercontinental Championship program, which initiated their epic rivalry, with Triple H. It'd be a ripple effect.
We know that The Rock wouldn't be at the top of WWE all by himself. Someone would have picked up Stone Cold slack. They had Rock, hHh, Kurt Angle, Undertaker... an awesome mid-card and tag team division, and eventually a buttload of former WCWers who could have immediately given the top WWE guys excellent competition: Jericho, the Radicalz etc...
However, Steve Austin was around even before Bret Hart left and had an impact even then. Needless to say, so much would be different. Shawn Michaels would have had to compete with someone else at WM14. Who?
I think WWE would have still won the Monday Night Wars. Without Stone Cold, there would have been another hero to be the face of Attitude.
WWE would still be around, and The Rock and others would have held the championships more times than they did.
That being said, I don't think it makes a difference who did it, WWE might have still bought and buried WCW.

 

[Maverick29]

Briefly, I'd have to say no. Like MizterColemine pointed out above that leading up to WM14 there was no one else for Michaels to drop the belt too besides Austin, or since we know he was not particularly keen for dropping the belt at all, there was no one to pick the 'ball' up and run after his back gave out.

Up till Survivor Series '97 the main guys were Shawn, Bret and a little lower 'Taker, and just slightly further down but gaining popularity at an immense pace more so then anyone else, Austin. Now Bret left, and 'taker (with all due respect) was not in the same league as bret or michaels, leaving HBK as the only top guy and he wrecked his back at RR98, which was at the moment time Austin peaked (begun). Where was Rock at this point? Feuding with Shamrock for the IC title, and while he was good, he couldn't (at this point) lace the boots of the 'big' four I mentioned. He was no where near ready for the Main Event.

In no uncertain terms I'll state this - Rock could not have done for the WWF what Austin did for them, for the simple fact he was not ready. Can you imagine with Bret and Shawn gone, and no Austin, what the WWF would have been like? Who could you see as a Main Eventer? 'taker? he's only as good if the guy he fueds with has credibility and that point the only person was Austin. Foley was too raw at this point as well. IMO WCW would have burried them without Austin.

 

[rge2010]

Austin was a bad ass. The Rock, face or heel always had a comedy elemant with his character. I dont think it would of worked. Both were so unique and brilliant at what they did/do that it is hard to imagine either as the other.

To turn this question around, Austin would of failed badly as The Rock. I think The Rock would of been more suited to Austins role and done a better job than the other way around.

 

[Pole Smoker]

First off I'd like to say that it is unfair to base their popularity on Wrestlemania 17. I mean it was in Texas after all.

Could The Rock have been the top face of the company had Austin never existed?

Of course. The Rock was immensely popular and no one else could have done it like Austin but The Rock. Rock would have been the face of the WWF.

Could WWE have won the Monday night wars if that was the case

I think so. WCW was starting to get crap in around 97 and with The Rock WWE would have still won IMO.

Would the WWE still be around today had The Rock been the top face and Austin never existed

Yes. WWE would have won with The Rock.

Would WCW have lasted longer/still be around today if that happened?

They might have been around a bit longer because WWE would only have one major draw there and not two.

Overall The Rock IMO would have been able to be the face of the company. In 2000 and arguably 2001 along with 2002 he was the face. I agree that The Rock deserves more credit.

 

[Ming]

Could The Rock have been the top face of the company had Austin never existed?

Of course, if Cena and HHH can carry the company then I'm sure the Great One could do so.

Would the WWE have still won the Monday Night Wars if that was the case?

Yes, WCW was on a slippery slope that they weren't getting up.

Would the WWE still be around today had The Rock been the top face and Austin never existed?

Again, of course. It was the Attitude Era that gained success and Rock's character was perfectly capable of showing attitude.

Would WCW have lasted longer/still be around today if that happened?

WCW would possibly have lasted longer but would've evaporated eventually.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

These kind of questions are moot, as if Austin had never existed, the entire fabric of wrestling would have been different... remove one man and a million other decisions would be made by different people... it's like saying what if Hogan never came back after Matsuda broke his leg on day 1... Rock was not really "The Rock" we know and love till after Austin won the title, been screwed by Vince and picked up that WWF title, Shawn was out the picture and Pillman was dead... had Austin never existed many of those things that helped put him over would never have occured.

Rock, like Mick Foley, Triple H and Austin himself grew into the roles they did because there was little to no pressure on them at the time... Austin's rise and Bret's fall in Vince's eyes gave that midcard group the space to develop characters and to experiment... even with the financial restraints WWF had, they still had bankable stars to fall back on like Shawn, Taker, Bret, Bulldog, Sid and Vader and the interest generated by the ECW angle in 97.

Would WWE still be around, yes.... would they have won the wars, maybe, maybe not... I think had Austin not happened then Vince would have taken the punt on Goldberg before WCW... Maybe Flair or even Sting would have jumped? Maybe Mike Tyson would have signed full time... anything could have transpired to help Vince...

 

[Attitude]

Could The Rock have been the top face of the company had Austin never existed?He could have but it would have taken the Rock much longer. The started becoming popular but he had Austin to help him get on the level he was. Austin's popularity started rising in 96 specifically at the King of the Ring. By 99 Austin was the Undisputed Face of the Company. I've seen it written on this site and heard wrestler's say it; you're only as big as the guy standing across from you. Austin was huge by the time they were main eventing. So Austin in a big way helped the Rock get more recognized and helped elevate the Rock. Rock could have eventually done it either way just would have taken longer.

Would the WWE have still won the Monday Night Wars if that was the case? I would say so. The Attitude Era helped. Although we wouldn't have known it as the Attitude Era. And this would have taken longer too. But They could have done it. I would say WCW would have stuck around for another couple of years 2003/2004 if Rock was face. Also TNT or whoever was broadcasting WCW didn't want them on their network anymore because it wasn't what they were marketing. Don't know about that but that's what I heard.

Would the WWE still be around today had The Rock been the top face and Austin never existed?Yes. At least that's what I would assume. It's the same thing I already said. Rock would have taken longer getting to the top but he would have gotten their. I they could have beaten WCW. Rock did become insanely over. So yes wwe would still be around.

Would WCW have lasted longer/still exist today if this was the case? It would last longer. I don't think it would stay around. The rock would have eventually gotten over and help bring WWE back up to where it was. Also as I mentioned WCW didn't really want to go out of business or wasn't going to go out of business yet. TNT didn't want to market it anymore. I can't remember why but I think it something to do with they didn't want wrestling on their network.

 

[FutureChamp328]

Could The Rock have been the top face of the company had Austin never existed?

Certainly both men were incredibly popular in their own way. Austin was a badass who every guy wanted to be, he beat up his boss and told society to go f*ck itself more than once. The Rock was huge because he was enormously entertaining I mean I have friends who don't like wrestling but they love watching old Rock promos on youtube. So definitely he could have been the top face if Austin were not there.

Would the WWE have still won the Monday Night Wars if that was the case?

Of course WWE was winning over the people as time went on. In the Shawn Michaels DVD (the 2007 one not the new one) they mention how as the Monday Night Wars were winding down WCW still got better ratings but would never fill stadiums but WWE would go to an arena and sell it out.

Would the WWE still be around today had The Rock been the top face and Austin never existed?

Of course it was never a single superstar that kept WWE going it was all the roster working together especially back then.

Would WCW have lasted longer/still exist today if this was the case?

No, WCW was bad business. You had total power in the hands of Bischoff near the end and he gave Hogan, Hall, Nash, and a few others whatever they wanted and free reign to do whatever they wanted which eventually drove them into the ground. In fact they did such bad business that Chris Jericho still says that if he knew the value of it then he would have just bought it himself.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

I agree with THTRobTaylor. This question is extremely hypothetical. How do we even know that Rock would have existed as The Rock we know had Austin not come along? Austin's impact is just limited to winning the Monday Night Wars. He changed how face characters cut promos and the very definition of what a face is. Tell me how many faces used abuse in their promos before Austin came along? Leave aside abuse, how many even made fun of their heel counterparts? I think that you will be hard pressed to find any example.

So you see without Austin I doubt if Dwayne Johnson would have been The Rock. If you leave aside those epic verbal beatdowns that Rock gave his opponents, which were pretty high on the abuse content, you get a Hogan or Cena with slightly better in ring skills. Would that gimmick have stood up against the likes of the NWO at its full strength? I certainly do not think so.

So, in closing, I would say that Rocky Miavia would probably have been the top face had Austin never existed but he would have never been The Rock as we know. Austin worked because it seemed that he came from a lower strata of the society and hence it gave him the "common man" vibe. Rock has always been a good looker and I do not think that the same gimmick could have been handed over to The Rock. As charismatic as Rock was I do not think he would have even been able to pull off the double turn against the most over face in WWF at that point as Austin did at Wrestlemania 13. So I do not think that the WWE would have existed today had Austin not existed.

 

[apokalypse]

Austin is self made superstars, he create his own characters and went out there do promo King of The Ring and got over became Main Event Star while Rocky is still new and WWE is trying to built him until he join Corporate it got over. 97-99 is Austin have gone through Shawn Micheals and became unstoppable he carried the company on his back, but KEEP IN MIND THAT SHAWN MICHEALS WAS BURIED THE ROCK, rock can took HHH spotlight but it's hard to took Shawn Spotlight and this is why we never see HBK vs The Rock. Shawn playing politics at that time where he doesn't want drop the title to Austin who was hot at the time without Austin then you have to say Without Shawn Micheal's can Rock do Austin job and can WWE survive? The Rock could have done Austin job but WWF would not survive.

if you take away Austin then have to TAKE AWAY SHAWN MICHEALS who was a jackass-refuse drop the title while injured or take his spotlight. Bret got screwed because of Shawn Micheals. it's kind of hard for The Rock became the man but Austin is self made superstar do on his own, got over with the crowd with his character+promos and with Bret help putting him over he became untouch and Shawn can't do shit to Austin.

 

[jacdnwarrior]

Could The Rock have been the top face of the company had Austin never existed?

Yes, he could have. He was effective as a heel and/or face. He wasn't great in the ring, but he was good. He was great at promos, sold merchandise, everything you could ask for.

Would the WWE have still won the Monday Night Wars if that was the case?

More than likely, yes. WCW was losing the war, still getting decent numbers, but not what it once was. The WCW just seemed unwilling to adapt to change. Time Warner had no interest in keeping WCW on their tv stations after their merger with AOL.

Would the WWE still be around today had The Rock been the top face and Austin never existed?

That's a hard question. I would say yes, even though it was a storyline that involved Austin that led to Rock becoming champ the first time, they would have come up with a different story to help him as the writing staff were really clicking on all levels. The Rock has considerable crossover, mainstream appeal. Austin does have appeal with an audience, I'm not sure he would be as affective with as many people (families, kids etc.) as the Rock is. That being said I'd rather have Austin, than not have him.

Would WCW have lasted longer/still exist today if this was the case?

WCW was done the minute Time Warner merged with AOL. I think it had a little less to do with WWE, and more to do with the higher ups not wanting anything to do with wrestling. I believe WCW could still be around today competing if it was owned by people who wanted to keep it going.

 

[apokalypse]

did anyone forgot about Austin vs Rock/Nation Domination fued over IC title? with that fued Austin really put him over to be the man of his own get out of Nation of Domination group. you should know that Austin have alot of impact at backstage with Promos and Characters, when Austin got the Ball and everyone follow his direction. without Austin WWF could be like Today ratings sucks. keep in mind that without Austin The Rock could have nobody to elevate him, and with his fued and join the Corporate against Austin around WM15 Period Rock got elevated to higher level became the man. in 24/7 Legend of Wrestling mention this alot, especially Foley he mention in couple of shoot interview


please remember this HHH was to be the man face of company in 99 and when Austin was out with the injury but the crowd doesn't buy it and they went with the rock. Rock had stupid feud and waste of time with mid-card at that point for instance Billy Gun. HHH and Shawn Micheals playing politics.

when you ask these type of question could rock have done it? you have to think and add other relevant points in it, for instance Without McMahon character Steve Austin would not have done it and became huge megastar star..Austin got over with Main eventer who was megastar, a drawer like Bret Hart same as for the rock, Mandkind/Taker was a star but they can't draw like Bret or Austin. forget Shawn who was trying to buried the rock. Austin was a star in 96 but The Rock was not in 97-early 98 and he still have problem on Mic, don't believe me? go and watch his stuff in 97-98.

 

[SCrooked1]

Very hard question to answer, I say yes and no.

First no, because Rock and Austin characters were nothing alike at all. The rebellious authority figure definitely wouldn't have fit The Rock at all, the appearance was exactly what Vince would've wanted a champion to be, it was just his cockiness that set him apart from that "perfect look".

But yes, because without The Rock in 2000, WWF would've lost fans, period. I don't appreciate how some say "WWF was successful in 2000 without Austin because the fanbase was already there." However if The Rock wasn't there in 2000, would WWF had still been successful that year, definitely not.

 

[SCrooked1]

I don't understand why some say "WWF was successful in 2000 without Austin because the fanbase was already there." Doesn't anyone remember just how huge The Rock was in 1999, he was getting his name chanted more than Austin on more than one occasion and was even selling more merchandise than him. If Rock had remained a heel throughout the year, Vince would've been ****ed with Austin's absence in 2000, once The Rock became a face, he almost instantly could've took Austin's place and business would've stayed the same. Now take Undertaker for example, if he took Austin's place would he had been as successful. Most likely not because in 2001 when Rock was gone Undertaker became the top face with Austin as a heel and it didn't work out.

 

[apokalypse]

after what Owen did to austin and toward 99 Austin still have problem with his neck carry WWF on his back, in 99 the Rock was household name thanks to Austin fued which really put him to another level and really mean alot for WWF business, along with his Fued mankind. Austin slowly fading away toward Survivor Series 99 for surgery so he can his neck fix and they book Rock heavily which is well done, Vince and Jim ross themself said The Rock merchandise increase only when Austin was out for surgery during that time the rock got the chance to carry company. in Jim and VInce word Rock was originally WWF built to became the star but nobody able to do Austin does have a great fued with Mcmahon that really save WWF.

if you take Austin out then its really tough, Steve Austin build really strong fan based and Rock just took it ride along thats why Vince agree let Austin go for surgery. i don't think rock able to built strong fan base like Austin did in 97-98. in Edge book and interview during that time WWF was hot and himself like one of those Austin fan in arena chanting went crazy over him. shawn was failed to do that and Mick Foley admit himself that he's not the man which is why he take the title win. Undertaker was on main event and unable do what austin did. Mick foley said on the backstage everyone went out arena to witness the special moment of history that Vince take Austin stunner which is the slowly turning point for WWF. keep in mind that at that time around 96 WWF was looking for The Guy and they can't find it. with Austin 3:16 -bret fued WWF finally found the answer. in beginning rock wasn't the guy and pretty much be like cena shoving down to our throat.

personally now looking and watching the Rock clips, he use catchprase alot in 99 more than 70% in his promo which is really lame but with his MASSIVE CHARISMA got him over. i bet any money if The Rock use those catchphrases today he would not be megastar as in attitude era. did anyone remember "Die Rocky Die!" and "Rocky Sucks!"? the fans turn on him then and they turn on him 2004 with "Rocky Suck" chant. i agree around after 2000 Rock above Austin became face of the company but 2001 Austin able to craw back on top again but not a great year for Austin. Rock is not brock lesnar or Goldberg who able make a massive impact instant after their debut drawing money and people talk tune in to see, Goldberg is overrated but he was compared and answer to Austin , money making for wcw which keep them survive, without Golbderg wcw could die quicker. with One Spear of Goldberg the fans went crazy.

 

[SCrooked1]

His merchandise sales were exceeding Austin's on shopzone months before Austin left. As early as summer 1999 Rock was dominating the merchandise sales on shopzone.

http://web.archive.org/web/19990824211840/wwfshopzone.com/hot.asp (Couple of days after Summerslam 1999, interesting note, Austin was recently the champ while Rock was giving Billy Gunn)

http://web.archive.org/web/19991008151901/www.wwfshopzone.com/hot.asp (October 1999)

http://web.archive.org/web/19991012110756/wwfshopzone.com/hot.asp (October 1999)

http://web.archive.org/web/19991112054906/www.wwfshopzone.com/hot.asp (November 1999)


If anything the following year (around late 2000) Rock wasn't completely owning the top sellers list anymore, a lot of guys were selling merchandise by then and not just The Rock, Stone Cold, and DX.

http://web.archive.org/web/20001014143805/wwfshopzone.com/hot.asp (October 2000)