Do You Miss The Rock?

[Mitch Henessey]

Last night's Raw was a showcase for the official kickoff on the road to Wrestlemania XXX. Hulk Hogan made his return to WWE, we know Undertaker VS Brock is official now, you can say the same thing about Cena VS Wyatt, Bryan VS Triple H is one step away from an official Mania match, and you have the hilarity surrounding the Orton VS Batista disaster. Undertaker, Lesnar, Triple H, Daniel Bryan, Hulk Hogan, John Cena, Batista confused, and Triple H. That's the lineup heading into Wrestlemania XXX, but this guy is not around:

[YOUTUBE]tcQ4MueUuGw[/YOUTUBE]

For the first time since 2011, no catch phrases, no Rock concerts, no Boots 2 Asses, no Wrestlemania matches, no 90's nostalgia, nothing.

I'll admit, it feels strange without The Rock around, but I can't say I miss him on the road to Wrestlemania this year. There's so much going on in WWE right now. Undertaker VS Lesnar, Bryan heading for a collision with Triple H, Cena VS Wyatt feels like something different and refreshing, and it doesn't matter what side of the fence you're standing on, it's almost impossible to ignore the unintentional comedy for the Batista VS Orton build. And there's the uncertainty surrounding Punk's walk out.

I'm not saying I'm opposed to Rock being in WWE now, but when I think about his absence this year, I don't feel a void for him. With the way things are shaping now, the Wrestlemania XXX card is not a lame duck mess overall.

Plus, I think some time away from WWE is good for Rock. The formula of Rock making grand, triumphant returns to take center stage on Raw and pay per views, and Rock eventually disappearing for a handful of months and returning to start the whole cycle over again was wearing thin with the fans. Post Wrestlemania 29, mentioning Rock's name or tweets brought some noticeable boos out of the crowd. When Hulk Hogan mentioned The Rock's name during his promo to hype the WWE Network last night, you could hear a good amount of people booing him. With a sustained and prolonged absence, Rock should receive a thunderous "Welcome back pop."

 

[AhSpicyDrop]

Maybe I'm in the minority but I'd be glad if The Rock stayed gone. His heart is no where near the pro-wrestling business anymore; his feud with Cena was pretty unmemorable considering they put out a DVD for it and had two Mania matches for it. His promo work upon return was pretty bad and I think(for me at least) it tarnished a lot of his earlier work. I remember CM Punk kicking his ass on the mic more than anything else Rock did with his return... and that's saying something.

Now, that being said... I think it's a case of the current WWE and its product not being able to encompass a star like The Rock. The Rock's character was much more fitting of a mature audience for many years, and he just falls off flat when he can't make use of his full range. It'd likely be the same if they brought Stone Cold back in any sort of major role other than a one-night appearance. They just can't get away with the same stuff that made those guys huge stars.

I'd be just fine if they continue to build future stars, and just let the part-timers go make movies, tv shows, and other business endeavors... They have nothing else to add to the business at this point.

 

[three count bout]

Yep better to not burn him out with the general audience and keep him gone so when he comes back it's actually worth it. We get Austin a lot less so he's the guy I personally wish could have some involvement in building towards WM (non-wrestling). There was a good amount of intrigue when Rocky came back and WM sold a good number of ppvs however the Twice in a Lifetime match wasn't as anticipated and a portion of the crowd had kinda soured on Rocks coming and going schedule.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

I survived 8.5 years without him, bar a few brief appearances, so I can survive a WrestleMania without The Rock.

I thought last year was the perfect send-off for The Rock. There are other matches for him, Lesnar & Undertaker being the two that stand out the most, but his return didn't do enough for me to crave another run.

 

[MCMG]

I'd welcome a return so I'll say yes. We saw Hogan last night and that was an awesome nostalgic moment for many. For me, The Rock brings the same connotations. He was at his best when I first started watching wrestling so I can never say I will tire of The Rock. He is one of the greatest of all time and his contribution can't be overlooked. Is there anyone who can match him on the mic? Exactly, hence me wanting The Rock back.

 

[kadroan]

No, he seemed stale to me in his last run. His jokes were dated and I hated the fact that he wasn't in wrestling shape.

I wouldn't want to see him in the ring again, but I wouldn't mind seeing him come back to get inducted into the Hall of Fame. It sucks for him the last two Wrestlemania he's injured, putting his movie career in danger, I'm hoping if he do come back he can at the most just be physical like how Stone Cold was in his last run - hitting his finisher on people, being a special guest ref etc.

 

[TheOneAndOnlyGOAT]

I consider The Rock the greatest WWE superstar of all time.

However, I'm not sure if I want to see him back but really what's going to happen?

WWE can't book $#!t anymore.

I would love for him to even wrestle at this year's WM.

I think The Wyatt Family attacking Cena on RAW for the next couple of weeks then on RAW before WM, Cena challenges The Wyatt Family to a 2 on 3 handicap match with The Rock returning and on his side.

The Rock and John Cena vs The Wyatt Family would be extremely epic especially how last year's WM ended. Maybe make this match the opening match, would be extremely awesome.
The two guys who fought each other in the main event of last year, fight with each other at the opening of this year's WM.

And Bray Wyatt facing The Rock and Cena in his first ever WM would be great for his career.


This idea would be EPIC!




But I think we all know what WWE is going to do, instead of booking some NEW, FRESH, UNPREDICATBLE match, they're going to go with The Rock vs Brock Lesnar.

Typical dumb@$$ booking.

I'd enjoy Rock vs Brock, I'd really do but I'd much rather see other matches.

Here are some of the matches I'd like to see:
http://forums.wrestlezone.com/showthread.php?t=271371


I think we all know if Rock vs Brock happens, it certainly going to main event and the IWC will start b!tching and complaining that 2 part timers are main eventing WrestleMania and the fans will turn on the rock even more.


I sure miss The Rock but if WWE kept booking him like cr@p, no reason for him to come back.