Dwayne Johnson VS The Rock

[zhaff2004]

I'm looking to discuss the character of "The Rock." This is essentially a look into his character from before his return, to Dwayne Johnson crica 2011 onward.

I'm a massive Rock fan, always have been and always will be, he got me properly invested into the WWE(F) when I was younger and, along with Punk's title reign, brought me back to the product, however, with that being said, I feel that this couldn't be more true:

Everyday you read various posts on internet, some are in support of The Rock whereas some bash him. 'The Rock' character is larger than life, he's one of the greatest, if not the greatest. He's without a doubt one of the best mic workers in the WWE and there's no question about his passion and love for the WWE. Dwayne on the other hand is not 'The Rock', the character is lost due to many reasons; his movie career and PG era being the main ones. Dwayne is just using the nostalgia, the moments and magic that The Rock created at a time, he's electrifying, but not entertaining. I honestly find Dwayne The Rock Johnson's promos boring and stale. The Rock never smiles like a child, The Rock never talks about Twitter, his daily schedule and never uses "I, me, etc" The Rock's one minute promo is more entertaining than Dwayne's 30 min talking crap segment. Now, I’m aware that Dwayne plays The Rock, I’m not trying to be funny here, just looking at The Rock and his real life counterpart as two different people.

Take Johnny Depp for example and what if Johnny Depp plays the real himself in P.O.C. movies, would you love it? NO!. My point is not to insult or bash Dwayne Johnson, I am just saying that 'The Rock' character is dead now. Believe me if it was the original The Rock who would actually feud Cena or Punk, then Cena would die right at the moment when the Rock's "DO YOU SMELL " music hits, hell, even the 2003, "heel" Rocky, and Punk would be destroyed on the mic live, no pipebombs, no best in the world. No one can match The Rock's mic skills with the exception of Austin and Jericho.

 

[Caitiff]

I'm going to call BS on the last part of this. "The Rock's" schtick was stale as all hell before he left the first time. He was, literally, doing precisely dick, outside of demanding that the crowd cheer for him and spew forth tired catchphrase after tired catchphrase. And, of course, the crowd did cheer, for the exact same reasons they still do. They did it because a group of sheep can only function if they are all accepted. There's a reason the term "Black Sheep" exists. It's because the one that's different is shunned by all.

So, they cheer, because that's what's expected of them to be "normal," and thus, accepted. It's true today, even more-so than it was then. Seriously, who in the hell in 2013 knows what "Cookie-Puss" is? It's just childish, borderline ******ed insult after childish borderline ******ed insult, the same as it's always been. Why doesn't it work as well today as it did then? Because the people weren't taught, for years, to be sheep, who only strive to serve at the altar of one man's ego.

When "The Rock" was the self-proclaimed "People's Champion," (Which is a term that one can NEVER give to himself, but that's another rant, entirely.)he still portrayed himself as being above the people. Naturally, people are drawn to that kind of person, because too many people want to BE that kind of person. Too many people want to be the douchebag that refers to himself in the third person, and doesn't get the living crap kicked out of him for his own douchebagery.

Seriously, if "The Rock" were actually booked to lose the big matches, he would never have been as popular as he was. But, he was booked to look like the alpha male, while push after push was sacrificed at the altar of "The Rock." Don't believe me? Watch Chris Jericho's WWF debut again, and try to tell me that his momentum didn't significantly slow, by the end of that exchange.

Or, I'll do another example. During the Invasion angle, there was a big brawl between both sides. Booker T was clearing out people. "The Rock" was clearing out people. They finally come face to face with each other, and "The Rock" looks at Booker T, and says "who are you?" Keep in mind that Booker T was the WCW Champion, at the time! He said that to THE top guy in the main opposing faction! (By the way, when asked about why he never signed with WWF after the buyout, Sting gave this very segment as his reason. He knew, at that moment, that he would never stand a chance of being treated with respect, because "The Rock" simply doesn't know how to be respectful.... To anyone.

Screw Dwayne. Screw "The Rock." And, I can, thankfully, be one of those people who can, honestly and with a straight face, say that I never liked the son of a bitch.

 

[Ares08]

I think most of it has to do with the fact that it's not the "Attitude Era" anymore and that it's mainly geared to children now, not so much adults. And to the person above who said The Rock never let anyone win and doesn't respect anyone, just shut up. Look over all of his matches, I do recall him losing lots of matches especially one to The Hurricane. So all this BS about him being selfish and only in it for himself can just stop. It's booking that makes and decides the matches and their outcome and both parties sign off on the match. He did have to work himself into popularity despite his family history because he was booed and hated a lot before he became The Rock.

 

[zhaff2004]

I'm going to call BS on the last part of this. "The Rock's" schtick was stale as all hell before he left the first time. He was, literally, doing precisely dick, outside of demanding that the crowd cheer for him and spew forth tired catchphrase after tired catchphrase. And, of course, the crowd did cheer, for the exact same reasons they still do. They did it because a group of sheep can only function if they are all accepted. There's a reason the term "Black Sheep" exists. It's because the one that's different is shunned by all.

So, they cheer, because that's what's expected of them to be "normal," and thus, accepted. It's true today, even more-so than it was then. Seriously, who in the hell in 2013 knows what "Cookie-Puss" is? It's just childish, borderline ******ed insult after childish borderline ******ed insult, the same as it's always been. Why doesn't it work as well today as it did then? Because the people weren't taught, for years, to be sheep, who only strive to serve at the altar of one man's ego.

When "The Rock" was the self-proclaimed "People's Champion," (Which is a term that one can NEVER give to himself, but that's another rant, entirely.)he still portrayed himself as being above the people. Naturally, people are drawn to that kind of person, because too many people want to BE that kind of person. Too many people want to be the douchebag that refers to himself in the third person, and doesn't get the living crap kicked out of him for his own douchebagery.

Seriously, if "The Rock" were actually booked to lose the big matches, he would never have been as popular as he was. But, he was booked to look like the alpha male, while push after push was sacrificed at the altar of "The Rock." Don't believe me? Watch Chris Jericho's WWF debut again, and try to tell me that his momentum didn't significantly slow, by the end of that exchange.

Or, I'll do another example. During the Invasion angle, there was a big brawl between both sides. Booker T was clearing out people. "The Rock" was clearing out people. They finally come face to face with each other, and "The Rock" looks at Booker T, and says "who are you?" Keep in mind that Booker T was the WCW Champion, at the time! He said that to THE top guy in the main opposing faction! (By the way, when asked about why he never signed with WWF after the buyout, Sting gave this very segment as his reason. He knew, at that moment, that he would never stand a chance of being treated with respect, because "The Rock" simply doesn't know how to be respectful.... To anyone.

Screw Dwayne. Screw "The Rock." And, I can, thankfully, be one of those people who can, honestly and with a straight face, say that I never liked the son of a bitch.

The problem you have here is that you're classifying all his fans as sheep. That is a pretty bold generalization to make. But alas, you have your opinion which you are entitled to.

I must say this though, you can be the so called "black sheep" and turn away from The Rock, however, to dismiss his ability to cut a promo as being nothing more than stale is narrow minded. Granted, you have your favourites and wrestlers whom you cheer for, yet by trying to be different from all of us "sheep" you just come across as being the very thing you accuse The Rock of being and that is, disrespectful. The Rock is widely regarded as being a tremendous promo man and also a great guy.

According to you, Sting may have said that The Rock is disrespectful, but you fail to look at the other side of the coin. Guys like Macho Man Randy Savage, Brett Hart, HBK, X-Pac, Chris Jericho, Austin, Pat Patterson, Jim Ross, Roddy Piper, Michael Hayes, Ric Flair, Road Dogg, Ron Simmons, The Godfather, Big Show etc. have all praised Rocky to the moon. He's not only regarded by those men to be tremendous on the stick, but also a guy who has respected not only the business but those who he has competed with. Should you require me to source each of those names mentioned praising The Rock outside of a WWE recorded medium, I'll be more than happy to.

 

[zhaff2004]

I think most of it has to do with the fact that it's not the "Attitude Era" anymore and that it's mainly geared to children now, not so much adults. And to the person above who said The Rock never let anyone win and doesn't respect anyone, just shut up. Look over all of his matches, I do recall him losing lots of matches especially one to The Hurricane. So all this BS about him being selfish and only in it for himself can just stop. It's booking that makes and decides the matches and their outcome and both parties sign off on the match. He did have to work himself into popularity despite his family history because he was booed and hated a lot before he became The Rock.

Exactly. Someone gets it. The previous poster was trying too hard to be that "black sheep" and disrespect The Rock for no reason... Rocky has "done the job" to a lot of people. He's lost to Angle, Jericho (numerous times), Lesnar (giving him his 1st WWE title), Hurricane (albeit as part of a story line) hell, the Rock even lost clean to Test during the height of the Invasion storyline. He's tapped out to Benoit, took a loss to Goldberg, jobbed twice to Austin at Mania, Lost on his return at WMXX. Out of all the modern stars ranging from Austin, HBK, Hart, Punk, Cena, Taker, Lesnar, HHH, Jericho and so on, The Rock has never held the belt longer than 4 months in a single reign, hell, he's even held the belt for as little as 2 days, which pales in comparison to his contemporaries.

 

[Caitiff]

So, WWE employees, on WWE programming and video releases, being paid for WWE money, are praising someone whose ass the WWE wants to kiss? I would say "seems legit,' but sarcasm doesn't translate well into text.

With the SOLE exception of Randy Savage, you know that to be true.

And, Ares, I never said that Dwayne decided everything. I said that he was booked to win. And, the one with The Hurricane was treated as a complete fluke, after which Dwayne crushed him. And, that's how most of his losses were treated. As complete flukes. With the exceptions of Steve Austin and Goldberg, I can't think of any opponents that beat him cleanly, without it being portrayed as a fluke or a lucky win.

And, the fact that he wasn't liked at the beginning of his career actually does more to prove my point than you realize. People generally don't like a kiss-ass. So, when Dwayne stopped portraying the kiss-ass that everyone hated, and became the complete prick that far too many people secretly want to be, that's when he began to be cheered.

Zhaff has an issue with my calling his fans "sheep." Fair enough. I can see your point. What I can't understand is your defending his "paint-by-numbers, Mad Libs" style of mic-work as anything but stale.

"The Rock is widely regarded as a great promo man...." Vertigo is 'widely regarded" as the greatest movie ever made. Hulk Hogan is "widely regarded" as the best wrestler of all time. Twilight is "widely regarded" as a good book and movie series. Bret Hart is "widely regarded" as having popularized the Sharpshooter/Scorpion Deathlock in the United States. "Widely regarded" does not mean "true."

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Ok, first of all it's important to recognise that "The Rock" has been "The Rock Dwayne Johnson" since just past the Scorpion King, over time after 2004 he slowly lost "The Rock" part but you are missing, I think the crux of the whole character.

The Rock was a guy who though he wasn't an A-List movie star, indeed he had the indignity of being Rocky Maivia... as far back as 1997-98, In his head, he was the biggest thing out there, bigger than Hogan, the NWO, Austin , McMahon... now it was always done with a bit of tounge in cheek, but even down to his "millions...and millions..." Rock always talked himself up to that highest level. Dwayne Johnson knew he was nowhere near, but he was learning from great hands and improving every time he set foot in front of a camera.

As his career progressed in Hollywood, The Rock became more of a caricature of Dwayne Johnson the actor - but as a wrestler he still did his job, he was putting over talent left and right including Randy Orton at his first big "mania return" with Foley.

All that actually changed was that Dwayne Johnson the man became what he had been portraying as The Rock, he now was A-List earning $15m-20m a movie. For a time it reflected poorly on him, when he would only show up on RAW via satellite/video segment but even then many grumbled, but it had a purpose, his cousin was main eventing Mania so he put in a video to help push him...now of course to most being called "shrivelled up monkey penis" probably wouldn't help, but for Umaga it did. What was gonna put his family member over more? Him showing up and stealing the spotlight? or a "cameo" that helped stoke the match? Then, he had some bombs movie wise... Doom tanked, the Disney stuff didn't go as well as it could and Rock was not "A-List" anymore...in movies or wrestling or was he?

One thing Johnson has always been good at is knowing how to self promote, and he signed for that "host" role right when Fast 5 was casting. It may even have swung him the role... Johnson is first and foremost an excellent businessman, and he learned from one of the best in Vince McMahon... and also how not to do it from his father and all the other old timers he grew up around. Now Rock is absolutely A-List again, part of 2 major franchises and commanding more respect and dough in Hollywood than ever... yet he's wrestling? really? (you can imagine some of his peers saying that, even now)

The irony is the bigger Dwayne Johnson has gotten, to an extent more he has done for wrestling as The Rock- sure he's not there every week and he went over Cena but the point is that Dwayne Johnson doesn't need WWE at all - he can take even dwindling returns and be rich enough to never need to act again, but he comes back - and he lets guys like Punk take him out just like he lost to Shane Helms back in the day, sure he gets the payback and the title for a spell, it helps him sell his movies but it is far more important for WWE to have The Rock as WWE champion than it is for Dwayne Johnson to be in WWE as The Rock at all.

What "smarks" are calling his flaws are exactly why he is entertaining people who maybe didn't catch it the first time. Before his mainstream fame he was a wrestler acting like an A-Lister, a little self important, ego a little above his station but you loved seeing it... now he is an A-Lister, wrestling but each time coming across that little bit more of a self parody, which helps guys like Punk replace him in the long term. Rock raises his eyebrow like Roger Moore, Punk or Cena makes reference to his crib lines on his arm... Those of us around the first time get the joke, Rock was supposed to be the "next Hogan" by pretending to be bigger than everyone but became bigger than any other wrestler ever in terms of dollars made and mainstream exposure - but those the first time see "Oh wow, he's the actor who turned into a great wrestler", I hope Cena/Punk/Ziggler etc kill him. He is a great athlete who became an awesome wrestler who became a bloody good actor...who is now back and making others look great and the WWE a shit load of cash in the process. THAT's helping the business...

Now whether Cena is the right guy to benefit from Dwayne/The Rock is another matter, but at the end of the day - if it puts another chip on Punk's shoulder it can only be a good thing - cos it's a match for down the line.

 

[zhaff2004]

So, WWE employees, on WWE programming and video releases, being paid for WWE money, are praising someone whose ass the WWE wants to kiss? I would say "seems legit,' but sarcasm doesn't translate well into text.

With the SOLE exception of Randy Savage, you know that to be true.

And, Ares, I never said that Dwayne decided everything. I said that he was booked to win. And, the one with The Hurricane was treated as a complete fluke, after which Dwayne crushed him. And, that's how most of his losses were treated. As complete flukes. With the exceptions of Steve Austin and Goldberg, I can't think of any opponents that beat him cleanly, without it being portrayed as a fluke or a lucky win.

And, the fact that he wasn't liked at the beginning of his career actually does more to prove my point than you realize. People generally don't like a kiss-ass. So, when Dwayne stopped portraying the kiss-ass that everyone hated, and became the complete prick that far too many people secretly want to be, that's when he began to be cheered.

Zhaff has an issue with my calling his fans "sheep." Fair enough. I can see your point. What I can't understand is your defending his "paint-by-numbers, Mad Libs" style of mic-work as anything but stale.

"The Rock is widely regarded as a great promo man...." Vertigo is 'widely regarded" as the greatest movie ever made. Hulk Hogan is "widely regarded" as the best wrestler of all time. Twilight is "widely regarded" as a good book and movie series. Bret Hart is "widely regarded" as having popularized the Sharpshooter/Scorpion Deathlock in the United States. "Widely regarded" does not mean "true."

There is no truth in what you say either. It is opinion, I also challenge you to read exactly what I said regarding those names mentioned. I said that I can provide non WWE sponsored sources. I'll get you stuff from times when Jericho, X-Pac, Hart etc were not in the WWE. Also, I can find 10 - 15 wrestlers to back up my claim, wrestlers and wrestling personalities who worked with The Rock, yet all you mention is Sting, you mention a man who has never worked with the Rock and you don't back up your statement.

 

[BretHitmanHart92]

I honestly don't get this complaining. It's the same person. His character has evolved. It would be painful watching him cut the same exact promos he was cutting from 1998-2002. When he does his old catchphrases it's still funny once in a while but I'm glad he's moved past that.

 

[Dirk]

There's a reason the term "Black Sheep" exists. It's because the one that's different is shunned by all.

Anti-establishment and hating on Rocky... I smell a butthurt Punk-mark...

The Rock would never have taken the piss with his own movies (Toothfairy, anyone?), but he's shown a more vulnerable side to him. Despite changing it up, the Rock as a character is an egomaniac (and quite possibly manic as well). It's part of his character to think he's the best.

You can't push everyone, and somebody has to do the job, unfortunately, but is the Rock really the worst example of that? What about the true original undertaker (sorry, Mark), Hulk Hogan? Hell, he's STILL putting himself over at the expense of others over at TNA!

At the Rumble, Punk was booked to look very strong, even if he did get a little help from the Shield, and you can't say that was burying. For all his flaws, Dwayne Johnson is still exciting to watch and he's still the guy with the best damn fake punch in wrestling.

 

[zhaff2004]

Thanks for all the responses here guys, thing is, I get the character development and I'm all for it, in fact, I think that The Rock is a fine example of development from Rocky Maivia to The Nation Rock to The peoples champ to heel rocky, he's developed a lot and really adapted, albeit in a fairly subtle way. The thing is that I feel that his recent character development has deviated from what has made him great. He is running somewhat off nostalgia and catchphrases. Had anyone else done that whole promo about how he got his car, the promo would've fallen flat.

I don't believe that he should go back to his old self, however, his character is just not that entertaining. He's electrifying and making it work because he is that damn good at promos, however, the character is nothing special. How much of it is his fault, we'll never really know...

Still, after all is said and done, Rocky isn't really going to lose any fans or tarnish his legacy, however I feel that he could really do so much more given his history and pedigree.

 

[Jerichoholic8894]

I think the only reason Dwayne comes off as a Hollywood smiling, babyface is because it's the PG era and Vince thinks we're a bunch of Fruity Pebble eating sheep.

I'm 90% sure, if Dwayne could say whatever he wanted as if it was 2000. He's be the badass we all began to love.

That's the very same reason I think Stone Cold hasn't been on WWE TV in forever, he would be very limited and his character can't be limited and be the same.

 

[Mr. HD]

Seriously, if "The Rock" were actually booked to lose the big matches, he would never have been as popular as he was. But, he was booked to look like the alpha male, while push after push was sacrificed at the altar of "The Rock." Don't believe me? Watch Chris Jericho's WWF debut again, and try to tell me that his momentum didn't significantly slow, by the end of that exchange.

Chris Jericho interrupting one of the biggest stars at that time was a HUGE rub to him in its own right. Jericho talked uninterrupted for about 3-4 minutes, and Rock simply replied back. Jericho didn't lose any momentum.

Or, I'll do another example. During the Invasion angle, there was a big brawl between both sides. Booker T was clearing out people. "The Rock" was clearing out people. They finally come face to face with each other, and "The Rock" looks at Booker T, and says "who are you?" Keep in mind that Booker T was the WCW Champion, at the time! He said that to THE top guy in the main opposing faction! (By the way, when asked about why he never signed with WWF after the buyout, Sting gave this very segment as his reason. He knew, at that moment, that he would never stand a chance of being treated with respect, because "The Rock" simply doesn't know how to be respectful.... To anyone.

That's what The Rock does. What did you want him to say? "Booker T., we finally meet face to face!" No. Besides, all due respect to Booker, it's still Booker. Rock wouldn't say "Who in the blue hell are YOU?" to STING of all people. Come on now. Also, around that time, Austin was in the Alliance so Booker wasn't exactly the top guy in the opposing faction anymore.


I think THTRobtaylor pretty much hit the nail on the head. Very well said.

The Rock didn't change, he just evolved IMO. This is due partly to the whole PG Era having an effect on him. I don't get people complaining about Rock and his shtick. This what The Rock does. He uses catchphrases. Just because he doesn't have sideburns, wear sunglasses and refer to himself in the third person anymore doesn't mean he's not the same guy. He's just evolved. I never understood that.

I don't think The Rock lost touch with people, it's the people that lost touch with The Rock. The Rock was one of the funniest and most entertaining personalities in the Attitude Era, but nowadays, rather than enjoy seeing a superstar from their childhood, all they can do is bash him and claim they're too mature to take any of Rock's jokes seriously anymore.

People just find reasons to shit on The Rock because he "got out" unlike certain wrestlers who are still on TV to this day. He became successful in a profession other than wrestling and it annoys people. In fact, I remember in 2003, he said this very thing in a promo. Not exactly quoted, but he said when you go on and become successful, the people will turn on you and it was becoming apparent.

At the end of the day, WWE needs The Rock more than Rock needs WWE. Rock is climbing the ranks at Hollywood with his movies, starring in multiple of them, and still has the time to make appearances. If he didn't care, you wouldn't have heard a peep from him in the 7 years he was gone. He still was able to treat the fans to some good old Rock when he had the chance. His mainstream appeal and nostalgia factor come into play. Why else did WrestleMania do 1 Million buys last year? Even as an A Lister these days, and his loaded filming schedule, he still finds the time to entertain the people, and give guys like Punk the rub.

Like someone said, Rock has done the job. He's lost to guys like Angle, Jericho, Austin and HHH and still even as a popular superstar put over The Hurricane. Rock has done his job.

 

[boywithbluehanger]

Since around late 2001, The Rock's persona has changed quite a bit. From 1998-2000, in my opinion it was what catapulted him into a household name and got him into blockbuster films. Before 2001, the character he portrayed was a straight-faced, self-obsessed, man with an authoritatively booming voice who often wore shades indoors and expensive loose clothing during promos. This to me was when the character was at his best. However after that, his persona would often became more about the catchphrases. Many saw how easily he could create chant-worthy catchphrases with "Lay the Smackdown" turning into "Layeth the Smacketh Down" and "Just Bring It".

No longer would his character focus on himself but instead it would use his above-average verbal delivery to focus on connecting with the crowd. The irony is that while many (including myself) would probably agree that the character became less captivating, it was when he decided to make this switch that he somehow began to receive even louder crowd responses than before. I tend to believe that's because since the WWF no longer had to use The Rock to help carry the company, they were alternatively using the character to experiment with the audience. He became a means to hype up "important" shows, PPVs, storylines, and merchandising. His heel run after that time also appeared to be a result of that experimenting and was later used as one of the many tools to help put over Orton and Batista during their Evolution days.

Now for my own 2 cents: I get the feeling that the only reason why people online claim that his segments are boring now are because they're comparing his good days (now) to his "great days" (back then). Even at his worst, he's still far better at verbal delivery than CM Punk or even John Cena. If I can give an example of hypocrisy, Punk's rants and speeches since his kayfabe-breaking character retooling have been far less entertaining that any of The Rock's speeches since then. He's also failed to garner any consistent loud support/anger from the audience until he starting feuding with the Rock. And even then, Heyman was getting the bulk of the consistent responses. So if we're going to be just as harsh on others as much as The Rock, then I should see far more complaints about someone like CM Punk rather than nothing but focusing on his in-ring prowess.

 

[chris21]

I think is his current run he is severely held back by the PG era and not only that he's held back by Vince and the writers. You can't seriously tell me the original Rock wouldn't have absolutely layed the verbal smackdown on John Cena? Sure he's given out some decent lines but it all seems to be about protecting Cena especially last year. I feel the Rock is being held back from doing what he can do and what he would have done back in the day.

I read an article a while back which was completely true, one of the reasons some of you (not me) are finding him boring now is because you've grown up. Its that simple for me.

Dwayne Johnson is a great guy, sure he has an ego but I'm genuinely surprised so many seem to dislike him. He's worked his ass off for everything he's done in his life, he should be an inspiration. People really need to get over the fact he's not a wrestler any more. Its a minority mind you, most of us and the fans that actually go to events still enjoy what he's doing.

 

[kwig2121]

Many people want to hate the Rock for being well The Rock or being Dwayne Johnson, or just being what successful?? I don't get it, when Dwayne left, separated himself from wrestling so that he could be taken seriously in Hollywood, the WWE fans said he did the wrong thing, hated him for not giving back to the business and clamored for him to come back. Now he comes back, gives back to the business and some of you HATE his guts??

Austin went Hollywood and he hasn't come back! Arguably you could say he turned his back on WWE. We the fans clamor for one more match! We tweet. We hit the internet blog, no response! Austin doesn't even show up on the Raw's for the big specials. No appearances. Makes weak injury excuses, my knees, an accident, my back, my neck, and YOU still clamor for him. Don't get me wrong I like SCA, but WWE made him. And he is barely a B list actor, and you can't show up on RAW??

Let's understand the Rock doesn't need the WWE or the WWE fans, myself included. He makes what 15-20 million a movie. He has coming up in next three months, GI JOE, Snitch, Fast 6, and a HERO TV show. So hey, he could do an Austin and stay away. Money is made whether you like his movies, his TV shows, or they flop, which in most cases they do not.

But he comes back to give back to the fans and the business. That's why you cheer him. Not his catchphrases, which some are still funny, but whether or not it's his character. Same with opening a can of whoop ass....same with I'm Awesome...Same with Mick Foley's cheap pops....you don't change your character because it's 10 years later...BROTHA!!

Bottom Line is what Rock is doing should be applauded. A multi million dollar actor, who can still wrestle having not done it regularly in over 10 years, that can work a 24 hour schedule and still command an audience like John Cena cannot do and he does it every freaking week for the last 10 years.

So hate on Dwayne, or the Rock. But fans like stars. And fans like stars that don't bitch about the business like Bret Hart, but give back to the business.

I'll take that once a week, or even twice in a lifetime!

 

[Mustang Sally]

He was, literally, doing precisely dick....

I always get a kick out of folks trying to stress their meaning by using the word "literally" when they're talking about something that applies only in a figurative sense. I still remember Gorilla Monsoon commentating that "Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels are literally raising the roof of Madison Square Garden" because it made me fear for the poor people outside the arena on 8th Avenue, undoubtedly being showered by debris from the exploding building.

In the case quoted above, I'm wondering not only how someone can "do dick" but do it literally. Maybe someone can enlighten me.

As to the subject at hand, I confess to having no idea what Dwayne Johnson is like. It would be good to think of him as a nice man, considerate of fans and non-fans alike. We've read good things about his education in the acting profession, being humble and anxious to learn new techniques, rather than coming in and trying to run over everyone, as he does when playing The Rock.

As to his ring persona, the thing that strikes me most is how we react to him. He's a face, a good guy: maybe the "good-est" good guy ever. Yet, how can he rightfully be regarded as a face? Everything he does screams "heel." He constantly insults his opponents, both face-to-face and behind the scenes, he attacks people friendly to him (remember his Rock Bottom on Mick Foley last year, when Mick was looking to embrace him?). He dissects the character of John Cena, dissing Cena merchandise and throwing it into Boston Harbor. He asks questions of people, and before they can answer, tells them it doesn't matter what they think. He's loud, brash and arrogant.....a law unto himself.

Am I criticizing Rock for all this? Hell no, I'm praising him to the skies. He's created a persona uniquely his, taking Steve Austin's anti-hero schtick and giving it a life of it's own. He's a true original.

My point is that what Rock has accomplished flies in the face of everything we believe about good guys. He's a heel who has convinced us to love him. Anyone else who acts the way he does would be booed unmercifully; especially when opposing a face (like one Mr. Cena). Instead, we boo Cena and cheer Rock.

It's backward, it's illogical.....and it's a hell of a lot of fun.

The Rock is amazing; maybe even more amazing than we realize.

 

[holdingholder]

Seriously, if "The Rock" were actually booked to lose the big matches, he would never have been as popular as he was. But, he was booked to look like the alpha male, while push after push was sacrificed at the altar of "The Rock." Don't believe me? Watch Chris Jericho's WWF debut again, and try to tell me that his momentum didn't significantly slow, by the end of that exchange.

You mean the same Rock who has NEVER walked away from Wrestlemania with a world title? The same guy who dropped the title to Jericho, Angle, Lesnar for their first tastes of being world champs? If you ask me the Rock was way to giving during his career and lost way too much.

 

[zhaff2004]

You mean the same Rock who has NEVER walked away from Wrestlemania with a world title? The same guy who dropped the title to Jericho, Angle, Lesnar for their first tastes of being world champs? If you ask me the Rock was way to giving during his career and lost way too much.

Not to mention Rocky lost at:

WMXIV (Yeah I know the decision was overturned but he still tapped)

WM XV to Austin

WM 2000 to HHH (worst decision they could've done)

WM X-7 to Austin again.

Thats 4 manias in a row! Will we ever see any other top tier superstar lose at 4 Manias in a row? No chance. Not to mention he lost at 20 as well. He's beaten Austin, Hogan, Cena and The Sultan at Mania. Thats a record of 4-5. Hardly sounds like a cat who doesn't wanna do the job.

Also, you hit the nail on the head when bringing up the fact that he's never left mania with the world title. That one actually surprised me. Hell, even the Miz and Kevin Nash have left mania with the strap

 

[ABMorales787]

I don't know how many documentaries regarding the Attitude Era have to be made to drive the point that "The Rock" is just "Dwayne being himself" before people give up on the "he's acting" crap.

As for on the mic, he's the same today as he was back in 2000. Nothing's changed. Of course he's not going to make you jizz a rainbow out of your mouth every time he grabs the mic, some of his promo's were better than others. Sometimes he was good, sometimes he was great.

 

[H33LTurn]

I completely agree with this. I've been going back, as of late, and looking over a few of The Rock's promos and he was nothing compared to what Dwayne does today. I think Dwayne still tries, like his promo against Cena, but the nostalgia element is running its course, and as you can tell from the lackluster pop he got at Old School RAW, it isnt going to last forever. Whenever The Rock plays a face the crowd comepletly turns against him because The Rock isnt supposed to be the nice hero that comes in to save the day. The Rock was, during his rise, Steve Austin's antagonist, during his zenith the cocky Hollywood success story, and all in between that a workhorse whom the crowd was dying to see cut a promo. Dwayne isnt that. The ear to ear smiles, the corny stories. It would be great for a little stint before being inducted into the HOF or something, but hes the WWE champion. We expect him to carry himself in any way other than "yup, I'm amazing. And after Wrestlemania I'll be leaving again. Oh I know that you know, I'm not even going to try to fake it".

 

[zhaff2004]

I completely agree with this. I've been going back, as of late, and looking over a few of The Rock's promos and he was nothing compared to what Dwayne does today. I think Dwayne still tries, like his promo against Cena, but the nostalgia element is running its course, and as you can tell from the lackluster pop he got at Old School RAW, it isnt going to last forever. Whenever The Rock plays a face the crowd comepletly turns against him because The Rock isnt supposed to be the nice hero that comes in to save the day. The Rock was, during his rise, Steve Austin's antagonist, during his zenith the cocky Hollywood success story, and all in between that a workhorse whom the crowd was dying to see cut a promo. Dwayne isnt that. The ear to ear smiles, the corny stories. It would be great for a little stint before being inducted into the HOF or something, but hes the WWE champion. We expect him to carry himself in any way other than "yup, I'm amazing. And after Wrestlemania I'll be leaving again. Oh I know that you know, I'm not even going to try to fake it".

This is just it. I think people kinda missed my point. I still go back and watch old Rocky promos fairly often, (mostly when I'm trying to avoid studying) thing with it is that just about every promo I watch of his from 2003 backward is damn entertaining. Its not about being too mature to enjoy it any more... I'm in my 4th year of university and listening to him talk any time between 98 - 03 is just pure gold. Electricity, energy, delivery and above all else, they were entertaining.

 

[Jmallett]

I'm going to call BS on the last part of this. "The Rock's" schtick was stale as all hell before he left the first time. He was, literally, doing precisely dick, outside of demanding that the crowd cheer for him and spew forth tired catchphrase after tired catchphrase. And, of course, the crowd did cheer, for the exact same reasons they still do. They did it because a group of sheep can only function if they are all accepted. There's a reason the term "Black Sheep" exists. It's because the one that's different is shunned by all.

So, they cheer, because that's what's expected of them to be "normal," and thus, accepted. It's true today, even more-so than it was then. Seriously, who in the hell in 2013 knows what "Cookie-Puss" is? It's just childish, borderline ******ed insult after childish borderline ******ed insult, the same as it's always been. Why doesn't it work as well today as it did then? Because the people weren't taught, for years, to be sheep, who only strive to serve at the altar of one man's ego.

When "The Rock" was the self-proclaimed "People's Champion," (Which is a term that one can NEVER give to himself, but that's another rant, entirely.)he still portrayed himself as being above the people. Naturally, people are drawn to that kind of person, because too many people want to BE that kind of person. Too many people want to be the douchebag that refers to himself in the third person, and doesn't get the living crap kicked out of him for his own douchebagery.

Seriously, if "The Rock" were actually booked to lose the big matches, he would never have been as popular as he was. But, he was booked to look like the alpha male, while push after push was sacrificed at the altar of "The Rock." Don't believe me? Watch Chris Jericho's WWF debut again, and try to tell me that his momentum didn't significantly slow, by the end of that exchange.

Or, I'll do another example. During the Invasion angle, there was a big brawl between both sides. Booker T was clearing out people. "The Rock" was clearing out people. They finally come face to face with each other, and "The Rock" looks at Booker T, and says "who are you?" Keep in mind that Booker T was the WCW Champion, at the time! He said that to THE top guy in the main opposing faction! (By the way, when asked about why he never signed with WWF after the buyout, Sting gave this very segment as his reason. He knew, at that moment, that he would never stand a chance of being treated with respect, because "The Rock" simply doesn't know how to be respectful.... To anyone.

Screw Dwayne. Screw "The Rock." And, I can, thankfully, be one of those people who can, honestly and with a straight face, say that I never liked the son of a bitch.

Ok BS the rock put more ppl over than Austin Hogan and Cena combined let's see Austin put over rock in his last match Hogan put warrior over Cena put over cm punk but the rock put over
Ken shamrock the hurricane evolution Mick Foley billy Gunn triple h constant only to get nothing in return presumably Cena now yeah also Jericho yeah no respect he basically has the worst win lose ratio of the legends and dint forget Brock Lesnar


Posted from Wrestlezone.com App for Android

 

[Jenna.]

I'm basically reiterating what others have basically said on here, but essentially The Rock or Dwayne or whatever you want to call him has evolved with the times. Rocky Maivia was humble, hungry and an all around good guy. It went well with the current era of the WWF at the time, then we went into the Attitude Era, everything was taken up another notch. Everything was bad ass so Maivia then became The Rock an arrogant I don't give a fuck character. After 2000 as his popularity was at an all time high, he was still arrogant but now he was for the people because they made him who he was. IE: The People's Champion. When he left and went Hollywood, his heel character was arrogant but more of a goof ball using a little more comedy in his schtick, and now the current Rock's character has more so come full circle. He doesn't have to be arrogant and be a bad ass. His legacy backs up that he's The Great One, and that's why we have The Rock we have now. Not only because it's the PG era, but he doesn't need to be over the top and be arrogant. It's more so to prove that he is the all time greatest and to pass the torch. I mean think about it. If we had the same arrogant Rock from 98-00 it would COMPLETELY overshadow the talent now. People would really be complaining how he's buring the current roster.

And this is what a lot of people are not understanding. Granted you don't have to like him, but calling him selfish or buring the roster or whatever bullshit comments is ridiculous. All the times this man has put others over, never walked out WM with the title etc, I can't see how anyone wouldn't think he's for the company with stuff like this. I love how people complained about Punk dropping the belt to Rock, but he lowkey was put over by him at the same time. I mean this man now has possiblity the biggest match of his career against the freakin Undertaker at WM. Punk's career was completely elevated by this encounter by Dwayne title or not.

I can admit that some of his promos aren't as captivating like in the past, but it's better than what we deal with week in and week out. Not only that but you have to really analyze the situation. He's older and the times have changed, that over arrogant swearing asshole can't function in the PG Era. And again people complain about the childish jokes and gay jokes and that it's the same ol same ol, but people really need to get over themselves, because 99.8% of the time we joke like that with our friends or laugh at stupid humor shit like Superbad or The Hangover. He jokes and still can pull off a great serious promo like last week. That shows he's versatile. To say he has gotten stale is a stretch, the pops he still gets and the reactions he gets only proves otherwise.

We're just witnessing an all time legend come full circle with his wrestling career.

 

[SinCityBlitz]

I don't know how many documentaries regarding the Attitude Era have to be made to drive the point that "The Rock" is just "Dwayne being himself" before people give up on the "he's acting" crap.

As for on the mic, he's the same today as he was back in 2000. Nothing's changed. Of course he's not going to make you jizz a rainbow out of your mouth every time he grabs the mic, some of his promo's were better than others. Sometimes he was good, sometimes he was great.

The Rock and Dwayne Johnson couldn't be any more different. He is very little like his character at all. In real life the guy is very humble. Of course he has an ego but everyone does but unlike most Dwayne knows when to put it away. He pissed me off when he tried to distance himself from wrestling but that is a different topic. I am just glad that he woke up and realized he was doing wrong.

His interviews with Cena(the later ones not the fruity pebble ones)are pretty intense. I think his interviews style changed a little because of the PG but is basically the same as when he wrestled full time. He is GREAT when intense but I don't really care for the fruity pebble type stuff.