Could The Rock Win The WWE Championship In 2012 (NOT A WRESTLEMANIA 28 THREAD!)

[Robbo89]

I personally would love WWE to put the strap on the rock, purely because nearly everybody on here (apart from the select few) would bitch and moan about him "turning his back on his fans and the company, then comes back and wins the gold" If any of you dreamed of being a professional football player and the opportunity came your way, would you turn it down just because you tink it would piss off everybody you work with? NO!!! You'd take it because its your dream! Rock has followed his dream and become a very successful actor unlike any other WWE superstar that has tried! People like Cena, Punk, Ziggler should be greatful for what the rock has done for them! if it wasn't for guys like Rock, Austin, Taker, HHH, HBK there might be no WWE today! look at the decline in popularity since these names haven't been un the company as much! So as for the stick that Rock is getting is not needed! If it wasn't for his name being on the Wrestlemania card, how many people would tune in to see it? NOWHERE near as many as if he wasn't, and do you know why??? Its publicity!!! They announced it a year in advance so that the Media will drool all over it, "Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is going back to his roots one more time" its grabbing the attention of everybody in the media. So putting the strap on him is good for business if you ask me, and everybody remembers HHH's "It's good for business" line whilst he was C.O.O.

Rant Over

 

[The 1-2-3 Killam]

Spoiler

The Rock is not coming back for the long run. This match with Cena is strictly a one off and is just to have one more amazing Wresltemania moment. The raw the night after 'mania will probably be the last time we see the rock in a WWE ring for a long time.

People really need to get it out of their mind that Rock will still be around after Mania. After Cena beats him to increase his legacy, WWE will kick that lame actor to the curb like they should've 7 years ago.

Why would they put the championship on a guy who wont be back until at least summerslam if he comes back at all?

You know, people always seem to think they know the WWE. That they can predict their every move, track the decisions of its performers, and are entitled to some credit when they are actually right once in a very long while. Last year at this time, the amount of "Rocky is never coming back" threads were ridiculous. People were pouring in to let us know their oh-so-wise opinion that the Rock was done with WWE, and had abandoned us with no hope of coming back. Now, how did that work out for them? The same thing happened with rumors of Bret Hart returning the year before. "He's burned all his bridges", "they hate him", or "he'll never come back while HBK is still around" were some of my favorite intelligent comments that month...

Point is: you don't know. You have no idea. You can sit their and THINK think the Rock isn't going to stick around, and whine about it so in three months when he hasn't shown up you can make an "I told you so" thread. But the fact of the matter is that you just don't know. Hindsight is 20/20, and out of all the threads that are essentially people bragging about how they knew something was going to happen, they were probably wrong about 90% of the time up until that point. You keep throwing really obvious shit against the fan, and SOMETHING, at SOME point is going to eventually stick. Shut up, watch the damn product, and stop trying to talk about the Rock's decisions like you know the man behind the character.

Besides, you can't win WWE championships via Satellite.

Clever.

Spoiler

Rock doesn't need the title at this point in his career. He's here only for nostalgia and to put over Cena (shudder) and that's it.

Could they? Sure. Would it be right? Absolutely not, when you have up-and-coming guys like Barrett, Ziggler and Rhodes busting their ass every night.

it's not fair that some hasbeen gets to come into the WWE and take what people like Punk, Ziggler, Cena, Orton, Barrett, Sheamus, and others who bust their ass daily work for.

Rock in his current stage reminds me of Andre The Giant in his prime. Both were bigger than the industry and putting the title on them would be pointless - there are so many other wrestlers who could benefit from holding the title.

People have this idea today that the WWE title exists to "put over" guys. That it is that final step a wrestler needs to become great, and that younger up-and-coming guys are entitled (ha...enTITLEd...) to wear the strap because they worked their asses off for it "week in and week out". But you know who worked his ass off for YEARS before any of these guys barely started lacing up boots? The Rock. And then he worked his way up the card, put himself over, became the most charismatic wrestler in the history of pro wrestling, and THEN won himself a WWE title. So for the people that want to talk about how Dolph Ziggler has been working too hard, or CM Punk has come so far, just to get replaced by a "has-been, sell-out name from the Attitude Era"... Neither of those two, hell most of the WWE's current roster hasn't worked their asses of nearly as much as the Rock did over a decade ago to get where he was. So don't tell me that he doesn't deserve to hold the WWE title because he hasn't been around. He paid his dues to the industry, and that is something that most young talent today will NEVER fully appreciate.

It's not about the wrestler anyways. The WWE title doesn't exist to give a rub to the champion, it exists to further the product as a whole. If what is best for business, and for the entertainment value of the WWE, is to give the Rock a month long title reign than you better be damn sure they will do it. It's the same thing with people bitching about Triple H taking up the spotlight, or Hogan being around in TNA. Are you kidding me? These guys bring in money! They have been brining in money for years! They are established names, that regardless of the money still have value to the up-and-coming talents...

I'm so sick of hearing about how Dolph Ziggler should be WWE champ by now, or how Wade Barrett should be World champ by now. Why? Because they worked hard and showed potential for one year? For two years? How about the guys that worked their way around for over a decade and FINALLY became World Champion? How about guys like Roddy Pipper and Jake Roberts, that never did? How about Rick Rude and Ted DiBiase? Don't tell me it's unfair to put the belt on the Rock, because somebody like Ziggler is too good and deserves it more. Maybe if the IC title had any value today, and people realized that holding it is an honor, we wouldn't have to shotgun the World titles on people that don't REALLY deserve them, just to show the fans that the WWE likes them. Ziggler is awesome. I love Ziggler. If he wins the WWE title this year I will be overjoyed, but I will simply not accept that an established megastar deserves it any less because he left the company, and then came back...

Cena doesn't need to be put over. He IS over. He's BEEN over. He is as OVER as he's going to get.

True. True. True. FALSE. Turn him heel, he'll be more over than anybody ever could have imagined. And then when they turn him face again...money train.

 

[Scofield]

Well let's see, some people are saying Rock won't be around after Wrestlemania...you maybe right. But honestly, who are you? Do you work for WWE office? Do you know this officially?

Dirt Sheets are not viable sources, but the rumors of Rock doing the odd Summerslam rematch with Cena seem plausable. If he draws numbers & buyrates thats sure as hell alot better than what some of the talent is doing right now. IF is the big part.

As for it not being right for him to hold the WWE Championship one last time, well is having a 3 minute Champion in the Big Show any value to the Championship?

 

[SmarkySmark84]

Maybe if the IC title had any value today, and people realized that holding it is an honor, we wouldn't have to shotgun the World titles on people that don't REALLY deserve them, just to show the fans that the WWE likes them.

Where did THIS come from? The IC title has been used brilliantly since Cody brought back the classic belt, and his reign has so far been a strong and well-booked affair. He had a mini feud with Booker T, which I think made Cody look very good when all was said and done. I think the IC title is more over right now than it has been in a very long time. Maybe I'm just a Cody mark, who knows.

As for The Rock winning the WWE Championship, I'd be all for it. As many people have already said, whoever beat The Rock to become champion would get instant momentum on a level that NOBODY else could provide. If it were a short reign over the summer that culminated with, say, Punk beating The Rock for the title at SummerSlam I think everybody would walk away looking like a million bucks, especially WWE in general.

But do I think it'll actually happen? Nope.

 

[GameOver]

Does Cena have the title? um no, so unless they plan to drop Punk between now and then Cena and Rock can not be for the WWE Title at this stage, and nor does it need to be. Hogan vs Rock wasn't.

as for can he win it, ofcourse he can, there's no reason to believe that he couldn't. he is in peak physical shape and is not a shell of his former self. Should he? well that's purely your own preference, certainly wouldn't bug me if he put the Super Cena character to rest like he did to Hollywood Hogan back at WrestleMania 18. hmmm 10yrs later and a new Hogan, see the similarities?

On the other hand it would be a perfect finale to pushing Cena heel if they were ever contemplating it, Cena frustrated over not having the title for so long and Rock making fun of him and Kane pushing him over the edge gets to WrestleMania and like Austin and Rock b4 him uses a McMahon to screw his opponent to get the gold back. The birth of Hollywood John Cena. lol

as for the Rock naysayers, face it Rock comes back and creates buzz with nothing more then brief appearances, meanwhile Cena is there night after night and people can't stand it. Cena may be a company man and a workhorse but he can't compete with the greatest of the past when it comes to buzz and fan support.

WWE still had The Rock back then because The Rock name is owned by WWE not Dwayne Johnston, he signed a contract to allow him to continue to use it while making his movies, and eventually he stopped producers using it though they still snuck it in there, and what he does is his own business, People are just jealous that Rock is atleast a successfull actor, something Cena and Hogan could never have hoped for, hell even Austin is reasonably successfull. They have found a home away from killing themselves for bloodthirsty fans.

Lastly, Will Rock be around for another year? highly doubt it, but if i was him i wouldn't want to either, WWE is nothing compared to what he left and The Rock character is essentially a M15+/bully and that doesn't fit the "anti-bullying" campaign they want.

 

[DirtyD79]

I see him maybe making a few appearances throughout the year but not enough to really make a run with the belt feasible. Enjoy it for what it is. A nostalgia trip for the fans and a chance for The Rock to promote his upcoming movies. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I haven't read all the posts so if what I say pretty much mirrors that of others, I apologize. No copying was intended, there's just so many ways this point of view can be expressed.

Anyhow, I think it's time that people really accepted the fact that The Rock is not going to be sticking around once WM is done. He's not giving up his lucrative, not to mention safer, movie career to come back to professional wrestling on even a part time basis. The WWE will most likely bring The Rock back on television every once in a while for a ratings pop and maybe even as part of an angle or storyline. He might also work a very occassional match but that's about as far as it goes. Giving him the WWE Championship would be an absolute waste of time.

While plans can always change, the idea for months has been for the Cena vs. Rock match to not be for the WWE Championship because of the very reasons I just listed, and I'm sure others have already listed as well. It would also practically give away the outcome of the match before it even happened. This match will be big enough without the title. Hell, the title will be something of an afterthought even if it was involved in this match I believe.

 

[Shakin' Abe]

The WWE doesn't need the Rock as it's champion! He is not a wreslter anymore. He's made it more than clear that he Dwayne Johnsonfull time now, and the Rock part time, and will show up in between movies. I'm not a hater but the WWE is just fine without him. Like every other former superstar that comes back from time to time, he gets a pop and then leaves. I find it a little disrespectful to the current talent that fans would even want to see him with the strap again. Let Ziggler, Punk, or hell, even Santino shine and have the spotlight!

 

[Mr.Wrestling]

The thing the WWE should do is have Cena come in as WWE Champion, have a good match with Rocky, and have a heel finish to complete a heel turn for Cena to build the future face of the company.

 

[akrassikauda]

At first I was thinking no but after going trough history I could see it happening and here's a scenario I see.

The Rock after Wrestlemania if he wants to come back even on a part time deal should go to his show,his catch phrase Smackdown. Why Smackdown why not, it's Tuesdays it's taped he only has to work one day a week plenty of time to work on is hollywood schedule. Also the ratings Smackdown would get just from his presence.

Now here's the history part. Before his 2011 return how many of you remember the last time he was in a WWE ring. The last time he was in a WWE ring he was having a promo battle with Randy Orton(it's my little pony) and Biscoff had Rock escorted out. Then right then was the dream match I wanted to see Rock vs Orton, 3rd generation star vs 3rd generation star.

If he stays put him on Smackdown and Rock vs Orton even if the world heavyweight championship is involved so be it. It'll be more of a plus for Smackdown than RAW.

 

[Pedigree1]

One thing is for sure there is no way the rock is losing at Mania to Cena!! As far as the rock winning the title goes it would be a good marketing decision like it or not!! The rock IMO will be gone for good by summer so a one month reign as champion wont hurt at all!! True i dont like it its not right that stars like ziggler punk sheamus bust their ass night in and night out and have the rock come in after a 7 year hiatus to win the title!! But whats right and right in the business sense are two different animals!! At some point IMO the rock will win the title but only for a short time!!

 

[Brahma Bull]

The rock has nothing to gain from winning the belt. But then again, the rock had nothing to gain from coming back in the first place. Hell, it probably damaged his image a bit, because as much as he moved away from the wwe to be taken seriously, he just went back. Its not for a payday either, because what the rock made in fast five is more than he made as a wwe superstar. Its the wwe that has everything to gain from the rock holding the belt. Everyone knows that the belt has been devalued. Having one of the best ever holding the belt again steps it up that one more notch. It will send ratings through the roof, have ppv buys higher than they have been in years, have the old fans who miss the edge (not the wrestler, lol) tune back in and maybe get drawn back to the product, and whoever the rock looses to will become instantly credible as a main eventer. If the Rock decides to stay for awhile through 2012, there is no way that the wwe would be dumb enough to not put the belt on the rock.

 

[TimeIsWasting]

I personally do not want to see The Rock with the title unless he plans on staying a while. If he does stay then sure it would be great. As far as you people talking about The Rock paving the way for others to go to Hollywood. Thanks for The Rock promo repeat. Then you have people who say, you people are getting mad at him for following his dreams? His dreams really? Uhm, I think The Rock's real dream was to play football or go to wrestling, but when he realized he couldn't hack it in football......he ran to wrestling because it was an easy in for him. The acting in Hollywood just fell in his lap.........it was not and is not his dream. He just enjoys the fact that he gets paid a lot of money to be a mediocre actor and not have to put his body through what he did in wrestling. In closing, the only way The Rock should get the strap is if he is going to have a longer run with the WWE. I'm not opposed to him having just a TV and PPV schedule. Then if that were to happen...........The Rock is your people's Champion.

 

[Honkey_Kong]

Well, just because everybody seems to think The Rock couldn't get the championship, it might be a good reason TO give him it. But I don't think it's likely.

Actually, what I hope to see in this match is The Rock looking unbeatable by Cena, with Cena turning heel and cheating to beat The Rock. Then giving him the beat down after the match like Rocky's never had done before. This way, it gives a stale Cena a rebirth and it could setup a re-match at Summerslam (although this might not be necessary if the WM buyrates aren't there).

 

[King of the Words]

I see Cena winning at Mania and the Rock winning a rematch at Summer Slam, but I dont see the WWE title being involved. I don't think this feud needs it.IMO. Hopefully this will be the feud that turns Cena's character at least more edgy. That is what I hope this feud is mostly about. Who better than the Rock for cena to turn heelish on. It would make it more historic by having Cena's character turn on a WWE legend.IMO.

 

[SmarkySmark84]

First of all, everyone who says that Rock shouldn't get the title one more time because "Boo-hoo Rhodes/Barrett/Ziggler deserves it more" doesn't understand how wrestling works. All three of those men will get their moment in the sun, fear not. They're young and still have a whole lot of career ahead of them. It's all about how said title reign is achieved by the deserving up-and-comers, and the more meaningful and "marquee" the win is, the more you will remember it happened at all.

Anyone remember Swagger's title reign fondly? No? How about Ziggler's? Didn't think so.

Granted that has more to do with horrible timing and this increasingly alarming over-reliance on the MitB gimmick to crown first-time champions, but there's something to be said for having big-name talent actually put over other talent for the sake of building real future stars. The Rock could accomplish that if they gave him one more run and used it to crown the next "it" guy exactly like they did when Lesnar beat Rock at SummerSlam. The Rock draws asses to seats and TV screens, commands people's attention, and leaves more discarded awesome in his stool than people like Swagger will experience in their entire career (I hope I'm wrong, but that doesn't make it any less true). One more three- to four-month long run with The Rock around full-time would be a godsend for WWE.

But it will still never happen for (obvious, financial) reasons that have already been explained in this thread.

 

[SLE]

I think it's possiable. I was a huge Rock fan heck the first time I put on Smackdown in 1998 I saw The Rock for the first time and ever since then have been a fan of his since then. I wouldnt mind seeing his champion one last time but I would like to see him on Raw a couple weeks in a row like have him back for about a month or too because it wouldnt really work if he won the title then the next week he would be off somewhere filming a movie. He would have to want to wrestle in front of fans each week like he did years ago. So I think he could sometime in 2012 win the title.

 

[Trill Co$by]

Bitter much?

Didn't know stating facts was considered bitter, but if that's the case then sure... call me bitter.

First of all, there is NO WAY Rock is going down to Cena in Miami. Rock will win at Mania and then job to Cena at Backlash.

Impossible for two reasons.

1. Backlash doesn't exist.
2. If you SERIOUSLY think that Vince would allow a former poster boy to go over his current poster boy, I welcome you to every former poster boy vs. current poster boy storyline. Hell, The Rock couldn't even go over a brand new Randy Orton 7 years ago. What in the hell makes you think he'll go over Cena?

And secondly, WWE would never "kick that lame actor to the curb." Why would they? He's the biggest name they have at their disposal, he's a huge draw, and he's still in his prime. Punk, Ziggler, Cena, Orton, Barrett, and Sheamus may bust their ass daily, but none of them have reached The Rock's level... and imo, Punk is the only one who might.

Actually, numbers prove that Stone Cold and John Cena have BOTH drawn more than The Rock, and if you don't think Austin would bite at the chance for another WWE return then you're mistaken.

And no, he's not in his prime. His prime was about 8 years ago before he lost to the Hurricane.

Why is it so impossible to think, that maybe he just misses wrestling? He doesn't appear weekly because he still has commitments that he has to fulfill. I don't see anyone getting pissed at Jericho for his leaves of absence... no one gets pissed at Taker for only showing up come the big Mania paycheck.

Maybe because, "I've done wrestling and want to accomplish all I can in actin" and "Don't associate me with being The Rock" have been said from the Camel's mouth.

Jericho has only dissed WWE when he's planning on returning, and Taker is STILL signed and has done so much more in the past two years to put over new talent than The Rock has done in his entire career that I will always have respect for him. Nor do I hear Undertaker telling fans not to call him the Undertaker.

People seem to have this mindset that Rock owes them something.... that by pursuing another dream of his (one that pays more with less physical toll and an easier schedule) he's somehow turned his back on them...

He does... an apology for treating all his fans like idiots. HE told his fans not to address him as The Rock and that he wouldn't return to the WWE until Cena spoke the truth and it a little bit of jealous fire under him.

Face, if Cena hadn't said anything about The Rock bailing on his fans, then The Rock would still be going by Dwayne Johnson.

I honestly wouldn't be surprised to see Rock get the WWE title this year, he'd only hold it for a month or two, but he would be there every week for that time... and when he loses it, it'll be a bigger rub for the new champion then they could ever get elsewhere.

Right because beating Taker isn't a big enough rub, who's been wrestling for ages.

Beating Triple H, the man currently running the show, isn't a big enough rub.

Beating a 6x World Champion in Booker T isn't a big enough rub.

All of these names are still worth the rub and they've stayed around long enough to put over these young guys... and they never turned their backs on the fans that made him the blockbuster name that he is... and if you dare say that it was all him, I will look you in the eye and ask you... where did the inspiration for "The Rock" come from?


---

IMO, people who buy into this "I'm here to stay" bull crap are as brain dead as Dwayne. WWE this past year alone has been well worth the 40-50 bucks per pay per view and I enjoyed everyone of them. And no, not everyone paid for Survivor Series because The Rock was on it...

 

[iwinulose]

*sigh*, come on (OP), seriously!?!? the rock is gonna have a wm match, then that candy ass lil fairy (you know, cause he was the tooth fairy) is gonna run back to hollywood and we may very well never see him again. he won't be around long enough to even be considered as a number 1 contender for the title much less win it. this is just to improve buyrates for WM 28, and cause the rock wants to get a big paycheque. then he is going back to making movies that we aren't watching just because the rock is in it. sorry mate, thats just how it is. and the rock honestly doesn't deserve a title shot, and in an interview he said he doesn't want to win the wwe title again.

 

[BestInCanada20]

Everyone has there own opinions on this matter and that's the joy of being a part of the WWE Universe. We as fans are entitled to our own opinions, If you love Cena, obviously you're going to dislike The Rock and vice versa. I, like most adults, am a fan of the Attitude Era, that was my childhood, so The Rock is my choice for Wrestlemania. Will he win, I absolutely 100% don't think so and that's coming from a guy who absolutely 100% dislikes John Cena. There's no way Vince is gonna have his "company kiss ass" lose on the Grandest Stage of Them All. In retrospect to this entire thread, is it a good idea to have The Rock win the WWE Championship? The answer is simply, NO. The Rock does not need another World Championship win and that's because he's done so much already. He's paved the way for the young talent we have now and him winning the title takes away from all the upcoming talent becoming World Champions in the new year. Would it be awesome to see him win another World Championship, HELL YES! The fact of the matter is even if following Wrestlemania he decides to stick around, how long will that last before he's off doing movies again and honestly after facing John Cena what else could he possibly do? Wade Barrett, Cody Rhodes, Daniel Bryan, Sheamus and many more deserve to be World Champions. Yes, I know Daniel Bryan is the champion right now, but to me it's not believable. To me he has a lot more to show and prove, running around chasing "big guys" with steel chairs doesn't make you a great champion. In the midst of it all, what we all need to do as fans is wait until Wrestlemania, it's easy to sit here and predict the outcome. The truth is WWE doesn't give a fuck what we have to say, so sit back relax and enjoy and if you have a problem with the current product, there's always TNA and ROH.....now that my friends is a "pipebomb."

 

[xoxo French Kiss xoxo]

Do you see the WWE making such a move after Wrestlemania and giving the title to The Rock for one last run?

I'm not interested in seeing him in the WM28 match against Cena, and I'm sure as shit not interested in seeing him as champion at any point in time ever. I know everyone's first thought OMG THINK ABOUT THE MONEY!!!!!!! Rock DRAWS, BLAH BLAH BLAH. But lets be serious he's not going to step away from movie pay dates to wrestle for part of a year, which again is fine by me

Do you think they should do that?

Absolutely not. He needs to stick to making terrible movies, that new CGI masterpiece he's in looks like a total pile of garbage. The first GI Joe movie was bad, adding him to the second wont improve an already horrible movie series. There are guys who bust their asses day in and day out who are on the road 24/7 in the WWE who are more deserving of a chance at being WWE or WHC.

Again you can argue that Rock draws and blah blah blah but Cena also draws, somehow Punk draws, and if given the chance and opportunity there are plenty of other superstars who might be able to draw. Sheamus, Barrett, Orton just to name a few. If they don't build future stars they don't stand of chance of building towards their future and making future stars

 

[SmarkySmark84]

And no, [The Rock is] not in his prime. His prime was about 8 years ago before he lost to the Hurricane.

If you are even half serious then you're either a troll or a complete f'ing moron. Pick your poison.

... and Taker is STILL signed and has done so much more in the past two years to put over new talent than The Rock has done in his entire career that I will always have respect for him. Nor do I hear Undertaker telling fans not to call him the Undertaker.

Who has The Undertaker "put over" in the last two years, specifically? Since he's really only been around for WrestleMania lately (and won all of those) I'm genuinely curious.

 

[itbewilly]

If Rock wanted to come back for one more going away run where he had a solid year or two to wrestle Hell yea he could make a good champion. Most people dislike Rock because they feel like he kicked their puppy or pissed in their cornflakes when he decided he could make just as much or not more money from acting without traveling 300 days a year then he could wrestling.

He could have some good feuds left in him. The only thing i would worry about him doing is showing us just how bad the talent is now days as far as wrestling and talking on the mic goes. He could do it if only he put himself 100% into it. Otherwise i wouldn't wanna see him come back to win a title,then drop it and disappear again.

 

[mykeymayhem]

seriously...the rock you must live in a fantasy world or 1997.
There is no way and I mean NO way the rock wins the WWE title in 2012.
As many have said he is a full time actor and makes a very good living doing just that acting.
The rock is like our dead beat dad were happy when he comes back but we shouldn't expect him to stick around.


WWE should not be focused on building nostalgia runs for 90's stars as much as I would love the rock to come back full time, It still would not be a good because you are trying trying to build new young talent, not bury it with talent that will always be mega over.

The only way it would be okay is if the rock would be willing to put a young talent over for the title. I.E. not cena or punk maybe a guy like ziggler, rhodes, or ryder...someone from the new generation.

 

[cult_of_icecream_bar]

Should he win it? No. Why give the title to someone who makes appreances via satelitte most of the times. Those who say giving the title to him will increase his legacy and give younger talent a rub...blah...blah..How many world titles did HBK win?2-4 i recall.Didn't put over young talent over? Hell yeah. Ratings you say? Building the show around him doesn't help. Young guns need to be propelled to be drawers by the regular veterans. Not by an outsider. I love the Rock. But this idea,childish.