Exclusive Details On The Rock’s Relationship With WWE Souring Just Days Before WM

[JJ15776]

As noted the day after the WrestleMania 29 pay-per-view, there was "absolute panic" backstage at RAW the following night in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The show was scheduled to build to a segment where Brock Lesnar beat up The Rock to set up next year's WrestleMania main event. The problem was that The Rock was not there and went home. Vince McMahon, the writers and producers rewrote the show, most specifically the opening segment. The Rock was actually scheduled to open RAW with a promo about losing the WWE title to John Cena, only to be attacked and taken out by Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman. This would set up the WrestleMania 30 main event.

I'm not going to waste my time nitpicking every part of the two reports cited here, both because other people have pointed out many of the flaws and also because the one above says it all about the credibility of the reports.

Read the two bolded parts. This paragraph starts by saying that the show was schedule to build to the Brock/Rock segment, and it finishes by saying that that segment would've opened the show. Now, call me crazy, but I've never seen a show build to the opening segment. In fact, that doesn't even make sense. It sounds like something that was written on the fly and the author didn't even read it a second time before posting it. Hard to give that any credibility, which obviously also brings serious doubt to the rest of this report and the other one.

Now, I saw somebody say they believe The Rock is really injured. Keep in mind that that is hilariously false. It is, quite literally, completely impossible. I don't know how familiar you are with the human body, but the abductor muscle - one of the two he supposedly tore off the pelvis - is very important in leg movement. Not only is this injury literally impossible due to the fact that his movements were not hindered during the match - it's literally impossible to move normally like that if your abductor muscle is torn off the pelvis bone - it's also literally impossible due to the fact that he and his doctor supposedly elected not to have surgery. That would not, and does not, happen. No doctor in the world would elect to not reattach the abductor tendon, and no person in the world would elect to do it either since it would mean they'd never walk normally again. Now, I'm a huge Rock fan, and I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt that maybe he did strain or pull his abductor and/or abdominal muscle. But it's insulting to the intelligence of all his fans to say he tore them off the bone, and it's even more insulting to say that he elected to not have surgery. Ridiculous.

Look, these reports are clearly nonsense. Best case scenario, if you're the kind to defend dirtsheets(I'm not, but I'll give you the scenario), maybe this information did come from sources in the WWE. Clearly this information comes from somebody who has an axe to grind with The Rock, and I'm sure he has his haters in the company. Especially wrestlers who are jealous. So, if any of this is based on real information from real sources, assume it's from jealous wrestlers who are making it up.

Just think about it, logically, for a moment. Why would WWE give The Rock the title if they didn't have a crystal clear idea of exactly what was going to happen before and after WrestleMania? They would've decided well before the days leading up to WM if he was going to compete at Extreme Rules or not. And, again, they would've decided well in advance if Rock was going to have a program with Brock Lesnar or not. That would not have been left in the air and discussed for the first time in the days before WrestleMania. That doesn't even make sense, logically. It's safe to assume that the WWE and The Rock decided long ago exactly what The Rock is going to do with the WWE, every show that he will or won't be on and what will happen on those shows, up until WrestleMania XXX.

 

[#tamale]

Is it really that difficult for the wrestling websites to believe that The Rock is injured and that's why he can't work at Extreme Rules?

Take this report with a pinch of salt. Punk vs Rock vs Cena at Extreme Rules? There is no sense storyline wise why that would happen. The Rock has a re-match clause, not Punk. Plus, Brock wasn't even scheduled to be at Raw that night.

The one thing in that mess of a report that catches my eye is the Ryback-Henry match at Wrestlemania. The only reason that Henry would go over is that he would be the next challenger for Cena. Well, that was thrown out the window the minute Henry attacked Sheamus. It made no sense for Henry to go over. It might be that they decided that Ryback/Cena would be better than Ryback/Cena/Henry.

 

[drobs85]

No disrespect, but who are you to make that call? Or me for that matter, any of us? Paul's been groomed for this for a decade since he married into the family and he's wrestled for 20 years. He knows this business, he loves the business, and he's smart as a whip. I am open to any suggestions of who is more qualified to run the business, because I don't see anyone.

When Jericho resigned recently, he only dealt with Paul. He didn't have any complaints, he said it was smooth as silk.

Sir we agree to disagree. That's like saying since Michael Jordan has been around basketball his whole life and he also happens to be the greatest player to ever play the game then he knows basketball, loves basketball, qualified etc and look at the disaster that is the Bobcats. If Triple H is what you say he is then you would think he'd be doing something about this crappy product, nothing has changed and will not change.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

All of what was written on the first post sounds like a storyline to me. I personally think that Rock was legit injured and there might be some minimal heat for not showing up the next night on Raw to simply do what's best to further any angles he's part of.

If Rock can wrestle, he'll wrestle if his schedule allows him to do so. And Ryback should be angry because he's a competitor and being jobbed to Mark Henry is above what he believes to be his status in the WWE.

But it's smoke and mirrors when it comes to 'rumors' and a 'source close to the situation'.

 

[Alastor]

All these are merely speculations just to throw out anti-HHH jabs first, and then anti-Rock jabs. I don't believe a word that is being sprout by these 'sources'.

A more logical explanation to me is Rock was legit injured at Wrestlemania, preferred a different doctor than the local one(insurance for his movie maybe?), and left immediately. WWE maybe was expecting at least a promo on the following Raw after Wrestlemania but understand Rock's preference and went into panic mode to rewrite segments that would have involved the Rock.

The end.

 

[rge2010]

I think this is utter bullshit. Dirt sheets looking for a reason apart from the injury - desperate. Brock and Rock are good friends in real life, Rock has even hinted in past interviews he would love to work with him. The guy is missing Movie Premieres and talk show spots because of his injury!

As for Extreme Rules, Rock has said he was never going to compete at the event but in the other 'report' he says he thought he was dropping the belt to Cena at Extreme Rules?!

As for Mark Henry - him going over Ryback at Mania seems stupid now Ryback is number 1 contender but as Booker T said on Raw, Rock is still number 1 contender and up until his injury it looked like Cena vs Rock III was going to take place at Extreme Rules!!!

 

[thebarber]

no source posted, sounds like a load of crapola to me. CM Punk was always taking time off after Mania. Rock would not risk wrestling Lesnar as he knows how simple it would be to get injured and interfere with his multi million dollar acting career. This is another internet rubbish report, and no source being listed proves this.

 

[chris21]

Aload of rubbish. Simple as that.

Although HHH is and always has been jealous of the Rock. Give it up Hunter, he's a huge global star you're not.

 

[The Dragon Saga]

Wrestling News Source and WZROnline are not credible sources.

As someone who writes for a couple websites on the net here and there I know who people trust and who people don't. Dave Meltzer is a trusted source, does he get all the facts? No. I'm sure he makes assumptions the odd time, but the fact remains there is proof that he knows people within WWE. More often then not he is right, if you hear of a backstage incident and Meltzer reports it chances are its correct because he actually knows people in the business and most definitely in the 1990's was a respected opinion of Vince McMahon.

Wrestling News Source posts shit. WZROnline is the same site that reported Roddy Piper attempted to grope Kaitlyn and there was a mass shitstorm over that. So you got two sources posting similar but different stories with a ton of plotholes such as Punk guaranteed to take time off hence why they were holding back on him performing on Raw in the build-up to Mania, but the reports stating WWE wanted Rock, Cena and Punk to main event Extreme Rules, Henry being included in this despite the fact it was accurately reported a couple weeks ago he'd be feuding with Sheamus and several others that other posters are making on the board.

And just to make matters worse - it's from a premium account? Premium accounts outside of PWInsider's is a scam. PWInsider actually provides you with some interviews and videos and stuff, mostly indy some WWE, TNA and ROH, but Wrestling News Source provides a premium account to scam you out of your money. I reported for WrestlingINC.com in the past and we never utilized premium accounts for any report because the trick is any story with a grain of truth is always mass reported - these stories are only being reported by sites affiliated with WNS and WZROnline.

The Rock is injured. He is one of the biggest actors in the world. He went home to protect himself. Does he want to work with Lesnar? Does he want to work with Taker? Only The Rock knows. But I can guarantee you the majority of that story is fictacious crap. Enjoy spending money on your premium account.

 

[CripplerBenoitFan]

Sir we agree to disagree. That's like saying since Michael Jordan has been around basketball his whole life and he also happens to be the greatest player to ever play the game then he knows basketball, loves basketball, qualified etc and look at the disaster that is the Bobcats. If Triple H is what you say he is then you would think he'd be doing something about this crappy product, nothing has changed and will not change.

Many changes have been made to the product since Paul's transition into running the day to day operations. The focus is on long-term booking of main event & pay-off to those angles which they have been doing incredibly well for the past few years. WrestleMania this year was simply that, WrestleMania. Back to back wrestling matches, with very little focus on celebrities or backstage skits as it has been in years past.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

I don't buy this entire story. It's been said for awhile that CM Punk is nursing a few injuries and planned on taking some time off after Wrestlemania. After losing to 'Taker, why would they then put Punk in another match at Extreme Rules and risk further injury? That's the part I don't believe. IMO, Punk was never going to be a part of Extreme Rules. Some of the other parts of the story are somewhat believable and as for Rock's "injury" I'm just not sure. You can see him wince in the match, so I think he really did get hurt.

Also, if this is true and WWE isn't sure if he's ever coming back, then why would they specifically mention that he's the #1 contender for the WWE title? If they thought he wasn't coming back, why not say he's hurt and his return is indefinite. Saying he's the #1 contender means they think he's coming back.

 

[drobs85]

Many changes have been made to the product since Paul's transition into running the day to day operations. The focus is on long-term booking of main event & pay-off to those angles which they have been doing incredibly well for the past few years. WrestleMania this year was simply that, WrestleMania. Back to back wrestling matches, with very little focus on celebrities or backstage skits as it has been in years past.

We agree to disagree. What changes, developmental/FCW. The tag and divas divisions. Hornswoggle not appearing as much, what? Far as Wrastlemania goes, we have a once in a generation lifetime whatever they called it main eventing two years straight, we have Brock Triple H again, Henry falling on Ryback, Miz, Cesaro, and Barrett not even on the card.

 

[LSN80]

I'm not buying it.

The report sounds like 100% speculation/hindsight "would've, could've" bullshit. There's too much money to be made in Rock's movie career, so he's not going to fake an injury for the sake of launching some worked injury angle, which would lead into a big conspiracy. And I also have a hard time buying into the notion of Mark Henry threatening to leave. I thoroughly enjoyed his heel WHC run in 2011, but let's face facts, Henry is still on the list of guys, who WWE could live without.

And concerns over Rock not coming back? Please. If WWE and Vince want another high profiled pay per view match or another Wrestlemania main event, and Rock is healthy enough to go without the fear of jeopardizing his movie career, they'll offer Rock more money, and he'll come back. Or he could he always (and probably will) return in a non-wrestling role to hype up a special episode of Raw, pop a rating, or add some zing to a pay per view match.

This. In a major way. But I won't repeat anything Mitch has said. Instead....

If the relationship soured so poorly, why do the segment where Booker T came out and kaboshed Cena giving Henry the title shot? You know, the one where he clearly stated that the Rock was the #1 Contender to the WWE Championship, and that Henry would have to earn a future title shot? One would think that if the relationship between WWE and Rock was so poor, they would have vacated Rock's rematch on the basis of the injury he suffered, or at least allowed Henry to challenge Cena for the WWE Title. If things were so poor, they would have put Cena over in a definitive way in order to get Cena's reign off to a strong start. Giving Henry a championship match right after Wrestlemania would be making him a major player, would it not? But WWE decided to go away from that, and clearly established that Rock was still the #1 Contender.

Further, what site is this from? Granted, I generally don't read the main page, so it could be coming from there. But I question the validity and credibility of it with no site listed, and if it's coming from WZ's main page, I question it further. Their track record when it comes to inaccurate reporting is pretty well established.

I simply don't buy it. WWE has gone out of their way to mention the Rock's injury and his physical therapy on their last two broadcast's, and how he's working out already. If the relationship was so sour, they would have completely written him out of the title picture, but instead, there's still no definitive #1 Contender for the WWE Championship heading into EXtreme Rules. All signs point to Ryback, but last week, all signs pointed to Ryback vs. Henry vs. Cena. I understand WWE not wanting to do 2 triple threats at the same time, but Swagger was logically out of the title picture with back to back submission losses to Del Rio, and the natural progression would have been to Del Rio vs Ziggler. Instead, they kept Swagger involved, when he could have easily been the one moved to the mid-card. Instead, Henry's out, seemingly, of the WWE Title picture to engage in a fairly pointless feud with Sheamus. How is that a major role for him after beating the man who looks like he's headed to main eventing Extreme Rules with Cena? It's not, in comparison.

And if this is indeed the case, I can understand it. Rock passed the WWE Championship off to Cena at Wrestlemania, and while I don't like it, he's a bigger star then Cena. At the same time, Cena doesn't need the rub. Further, could you imagine Cena being beaten cleanly at two straight PPV's? The last time that happened was against CM Punk, but that was to give a major, major rub.

In short, there's too many logic gaps for me to buy this story. If it is the case, well, I can't blame the Rock not wanting to lose clean at two straight PPV's. He, like Cena, has earned that right. He's too big of a star to do so, and in all honesty, Cena doesn't need the rub. He's already unquestionably the number one guy in the company. Even in a losing effort, let other guys get their shine by working with Cena. It's worked before, and elevated many who have done so.

Ask Hall of Famer Edge, Randy Orton, and CM Punk about that.

 

[VinnieSunshine]

I would rather see Taker/Rock at WM XXX then Rock /Lesnar, I think it's a better sell. However, had Lesna beat Triple H I think a Taker/Lesnar match a XXX would be great. They could make it a mix of MMA with WWE wrestling.

The rest of that article spells of BS. I can unserstand Rock not wanting to face Lesnar, but the rest sounds like speculation.

John Cena has run out of opponents, he needs a change. All his matches/feuds seem the same. I know it will never happen, but I think that Cena attacking Ryback would have been a better shocker than what happened. I feel that Cena needs to stop main eventing and do like Jericho does and start pushing younger talent (no this Ryback feud doesn't count). He needs to start working with mid-carders. The Shield doesn't count because they won't be with Cena very long.

 

[CripplerBenoitFan]

We agree to disagree. What changes, developmental/FCW. The tag and divas divisions. Hornswoggle not appearing as much, what? Far as Wrastlemania goes, we have a once in a generation lifetime whatever they called it main eventing two years straight, we have Brock Triple H again, Henry falling on Ryback, Miz, Cesaro, and Barrett not even on the card.

That's fine. Agree to disagree. I think I laid the changes out pretty well. If you choose not to see them, I can't control that. Your complaints about WrestleMania don't make sense to me. It was clear last year that Cena and Rock would need a rematch. There's no way at the end of the feud, the part-time legend will hold the last win over the biggest star in the industry today.

Henry falling on Ryback? Smart finish to keep Ryback strong and give them something to come back on at a later date. He still shellshocked Henry and sent the fans home happy.

Miz and Barrett were on the card, you must have missed the match. And Cesaro? Yeah that is the only thing that was odd to me, but it's not going to ruin my day or anything. It's a big show and squeezing in every single person on the roster isn't possible. Sometimes you need to leave out someone who deserves to be there. It's just the reality of the business. Rest assured Cesaro will be featured heavily next year. WWE doesn't forget.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

I doubt this quite sincerely. The Rock has NEVER given a shit about jobbing to ANYONE, especially if it were to involve the two top workhorses of the current company.

I call bullshit.

 

[The Warlord]

A couple of things..

First, Rock saying that a match between him and Lesnar lost some spark because both jobbed at Mania this year. I can sort of understand this...but there's an entire year to build up Brock Lesnar to make him look like an unstoppable monster once again. It doesn't take much, especially for him.

I can see Rock wanting to face Undertaker...but I think a Cena/Taker match would not only be better in-ring, but I think more people would want to see it.

A Rock vs Brock Lesnar match would be HUGE...especially if it's for the WWE title. It might just be Rock doesn't want to work with Lesnar knowing how stiff he works...and that's too much of a risk to take with his Hollywood career.

I also completely believe the Rock/HHH thing 100%. There's no denying HHH tried holding the Rock down in the 90's...that is well documented.

I'm afraid to say it, but I think the honeymoon is over for the Rock. It was great to see him back after 8 years...the fans were treated to some great PPV's and segments involving the Rock, including 2 Wrestlemania main events. But now with HHH seemingly running the show, The Rock might just call it a day. He's at a place now where he doesn't HAVE to deal with bullshit. He's a Hollywood star and has more money than he knows what to do with. Dealing with the WWE grind and backstage politics (face it..it'll never completely go away) is something he can do without.

 

[drobs85]

That's fine. Agree to disagree. I think I laid the changes out pretty well. If you choose not to see them, I can't control that. Your complaints about WrestleMania don't make sense to me. It was clear last year that Cena and Rock would need a rematch. There's no way at the end of the feud, the part-time legend will hold the last win over the biggest star in the industry today.

Henry falling on Ryback? Smart finish to keep Ryback strong and give them something to come back on at a later date. He still shellshocked Henry and sent the fans home happy.

Miz and Barrett were on the card, you must have missed the match. And Cesaro? Yeah that is the only thing that was odd to me, but it's not going to ruin my day or anything. It's a big show and squeezing in every single person on the roster isn't possible. Sometimes you need to leave out someone who deserves to be there. It's just the reality of the business. Rest assured Cesaro will be featured heavily next year. WWE doesn't forget.

What were the changes you said besides WM not having skits in between matches? Your in the minority on The Henry Ryback match. Pre-show is not the card. Will have this same b.s. twenty more years from now and you'll still be saying there's changes.

 

[ilapierre]

Hilarious seeing all the wrestling smarks who 'know it all' getting angry over an article that shows a lot of chaos behind the scenes (and away from the sharp ears of Meltzer) of their beloved WWE.

We would all be really naive to believe this piece at face value as it has no authentic source. Many people at wrestlezone think my name is Ilapierre. It's an alias. But they think that's my name and take it as so at face value. But then the don't take this at face value. I've been writing for newspapers since I was 19. I'm 32 now. No matter what I have listed here. I sometimes tell posters I argue with that I'm a journalist and they tell me I'm not because my grammar's not always perfect. I write 84 words a minute and rarely proofread what I write here as opposed to all the copy editing I do at my job. I guess what I'm saying here is that even if I tell you folks what I do for a living there is no proof and most of you won't believe it. And that's a good way to be, skeptical of everything. And same goes with this story. As a journalist, I have created fake sources here and there if I couldn't get someone to go on the record. When I was 20 I actually created an entirely fake story with fake people just to see if I could do it. And I did it. So fake stories happen.

However, after reading the above piece I have to wonder if there is some truth to it. All us internet smarks think we know everything. We all 'know' that CM Punk is going on hiatus after Wrestlemania. We all 'knew' Cena was gonna beat Rock, Taker was gonna beat Punk. We all seem to know everything and when something comes out we don't know or don't want to hear we discard it because it doesn't jive with what we think we know. But what if we're all not as smart as we think we are. What if Punk decided to go hiatus after it was determined The Rock wouldn't do the job for Cena at Extreme Rules? Perhaps Triple H is trying to diminish The Rock's legacy (while enhancing his own) because Rock was more successful and became bigger than wrestling. Brock Lesnar has also been brought back to be diminished by WWE for leaving wrestling for bigger things. Cena was rewarded for sticking around and 44 year old Triple H, a wrestler, beat an ultimate fighting champion. Right. Lesnar and Goldberg were made fools of at WM 20. Perhaps the plan at WM 30 is to make a fool out of Rock and Brock and Rock wants nothing to do with it.

Triple H runs things. If Triple H is really trying to diminish both Rock and Lesnar for walking out on WWE in their primes then this source could very well be legit. I've always suspected that WWE brings back turncoats just to make examples of them to any future who might get as big as either. Still, the article might be forged. But, if it's true, then of course the 'source' can't be named. If true, the source is likely a wrestler or an employee of WWE. Going on the record would be career suicide. The only people speaking out about Triple H these days are the retired guys like Bret Hart who have enough money to. I wouldn't be at all shocked to see The Rock or Austin come out in the future. The problem is Triple H controls their legacies. If they piss him off he can just write them out of the picture like Benoit was written out after 2006 or how Savage was written out by McMahon until his death two years ago.

Anyway, you can't just take an unattributed source as fact. But you can't just discard something that might be coming from a very good source. All you smarks think it's preposterous because Meltzer didn't say it. Meltzer's not God although I'm sure he is to some of you. I go with my gut and this actually does sound like it has some truth to it. I've done authentic interviews with politicians within key positions of government who gave me huge insight about negative things going on behind the scenes within their party. Under the condition of anonymity. I wrote some pretty good pieces based on the leads I got from off the record sources. Stuff this juicy doesn't usually ever come out unless there's anonymity. And with Triple H in charge of WWE and WWE basically being a monopoly in the wrestling business, you're not gonna hear a lot of stuff like this from sources from within.

 

[FlairFan2003]

The Rock didnt come back because there no Austin, he came back to help promote his film career, at same time getting paid big $$ and having significant creative control and very few matches. The fact it also boasted WWE business and gave the company's top star of today a nice rub was an added bonus.

If Rock doesnt want to be stuck in a feud with Lesnar who can blame him. Rock-Taker for The Streak would be a huge match, if Rock isnt going to be around much till next WrestleMania I can see why he would be lukewarm to putting over Lesnar. Both are part timers but Rock is a huge attraction, a legit superstar in the same vein as Austin, Hogan, Flair, Taker, Savage, Sting, Lesnar cant put a patch on that. Lesnar had a nice but brief run then he quit the business to become a flop in the NFL & enjoy a briefly successful UFC run marred by injuries and several disapointing losses. Add to that the extremely limited number of appearances he makes and he is almost an after that. Rock can hotshot a big angle leading into a major PPV and fans will buy it because he's a star. Lesnar cant touch that. You can argue Rock should follow the script and if he is asked to put over Lesnar to set up a match down the line he should suck it up. He has the ability to say No however, and WWE should be happy he has been amenable to putting over Cena and working with Punk, elevating them both.

If WWE wanted to revive Ryback-Cena it makes perfect sense for him to lose to Mark Henry at WM. If Ryback remains a Goldberg like fan fav he has little credibility as a legit threat to beat Super-Cena. However, an angry, bitter Ryback after a high profile loss at WM, turning heel but becoming a more focussed monster, he is a legit threat to give Cena a great fight and maybe cheat past him in the end.

As for ending Taker's Streak, Cena would seem like a better threat than Rock since he is the company's star and unlike Rock he works full time. I think it would be suicide for WWE if they did end it but seems Cena is more believable as a threat to end it.

Regarding HHH-Lesnar it wouldnt have made any sense to bury HHH for Lesnar, he appears so infrequently and benefits so little why put him over twice at major PPVs ? Trips made him look great at SummerSlam, giving him some legitimacy after his high profile loss vs Cena. It is not WWE fault Lesnar has done nothing since, it is his own due to his limited schedule. Trips put over Taker twice at Mania, he was due a big win. Lesnar loses nothing in the loss since he is a mid card caliber guy who rarely appears.

 

[WWE4EVA!]

I think Rock has to get over himself, back in his heyday he defeated many superstars and got himself over in the process, So nw he should put someone else over as he is not sticking around.

I mean losing at two Pay Per Views is nothing compared to people like Cm Punk who has lost three Pay Per View matches in a row (two of them to The Rock), and people like Ryback who has lost at the last six Pay Per Views.

 

[H33LTurn]

Of course one must take reports like this with a grain of salt but certain aspects of it really do help you connect the dots with the chaotic atmosphere that's apparently followed the post-Mania season. I knew that the "handshake agreement" as Vince put it between him and The Rock would result to problems down the line, especially when people like The Rock are constantly looking to protect their stock instead of doing what's best for business. That aside, its evident that the majority of top superstars are not comfortable working with Lesnar. Cena and Lesnar had their history and SCSA even walked out of the company when told that he had to job to Lesnar. Hell, Lesnar even has heat with Undertaker, someone who's known to be a class act backstage and doesn't object to working with anyone. Being booked weak for the past couple of months, jobbing to Cena, and finally being told he would have to work with Lesnar was probably the last straw for The Rock. His heart isn't in the business and he's basically back to put people over, including Cena who he legitimately dislikes. Its a war of egos backstage and unfortunately the only people who are suffering are the fans. I wish more people were like Undertaker, he doesn't object to working with, or jobbing to anybody. Regardless of the relationship between Rock and Vince, a contract should've been in place to prevent incidents like this. Hopefully they've learned their lesson and are keeping a tight leash on all other part timers within the company.

 

[Da Solo]

This report doesn't make much sense at all:

Rock has jobbed to the Hurricane before. Anyone on his level willing to do that would be hard pressed to do an 180.

I'm pretty sure Rock knew the deal of winning at 28 meant losing at 29. Furthermore, I don't see why he would have a problem taking the fall again at Extreme Rules seeing as how it'd be only his second loss since returning.

Punk wasn't booked to be at ER, period. Lesnar wasn't booked for that episode of RAW either.

Henry has moved on from Ryback to Sheamus, so his side of the story already seems fishy. And Ryback being upset sounds plausible, but just not likely.

Rock also canceled many 3rd party appearances because of the injury (Pain and Gain, Hercules, etc.). It's legit. Keep in mind that he's locked into the Hercules deal moreso than whatever he has with WWE, and getting injured that badly 2 weeks before filming could get him sued and lose a lot of ground in Hollywood booking.

And finally, while it is a given fact that HHH has been a bit shady in terms of Rock back in the day, he must have moved on from that seeing as how Shawn is retired and he is now COO.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

I call BS on a lot of this, the reality if you are Dwayne Johnson is that if you have a 20m contract to shoot Hercules starting next month then you are a) not gonna wrestle another loss for the sake of it, b) risk getting hurt by going into the ring with a former UFC champion and c) ignore even a niggle of an injury.

I can imagine that Rock may have disliked something that happened during WM week but I doubt the booking would really have made that much difference. What I think is more likely is someone in WWE assumed he would do whatever they wanted for ER and RAW rather than checking with him first. There's a fine line between being the part-time wrestler and movie star he is and suddenly being on a full-time wrestling schedule again, and that may have been crossed in his mind.

The reality of this though is that he has a movie to shoot, one for which reportedly he will get 20m and most of that would have been advance... add to which the films budget/greenlight is probably contingent on him being involved and fit. If he even got a little banged up in that match he is contractually obliged to sort it and be fit or it's his ass... not Vince's. So if a doctor says he is hurt, he has to comply or risk being sued...

As for the general unhappiness, yes I can imagine alot of pissed off peeps in the WWE this past 6 weeks. The danger of creating new "stars" is that there comes a point where they consider themselves, rightly or wrongly as big or bigger than the ones you had... Someone like Henry I can understand, he very nearly didn't return at all as his injury was that bad... if he's gonna continue it's for that last big run, not to round out the numbers. Someone like Ryback is on dodgy ground, he isn't big enough yet even if he thinks he is... of course everyone should WANT the title, but if it's not your turn yet then you shouldn't complain too loudly or it might never come... Ziggler had more cause for complaint and didn't...

Guys like Cody and Cesaro had justification to be pissed off...again is Cody big enough to moan? Probably just about... but Cesaro clearly isn't... At the end of the day this situation will only keep happening the more "stars" they create.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

If it's all true, frankly, it doesn't bother me if Rock is going to be gone for a long time. The Rock did a good job overall but, frankly, I'm just kinda bored with him. It's also pretty obvious that The Rock isn't what he used to be inside the ring, as Punk & Cena had to carry him through their matches this year. He hasn't been horrible or anything, but it's clear that he wasn't prepared for them, from a cardio standpoint. The Rock is almost always fun to listen to on the mic. I enjoyed his promo segments overall much more this year than last year. Cena & Rock were in serious mode rather than trying to get the crowd to laugh at the other guy by cracking jokes. Personally though, there are other wrestlers & programs that I'd rather see get focus on rather than The Rock.

I get that The Rock has helped draw a lot of money over the past few years. At the end of the day, money is what it's all about and that's how it should be. For me personally though, I'd rather WWE gets back to creating newer stars and putting more focus on the overall roster.. Since just after the Royal Rumble, WWE has let it's mid-card picture fall apart with both the mid-card champs being buried, ultimately being used to put over bigger stars on the WM roster like Orton, Sheamus & Jericho.

The fact that The Rock is very much a part timer is also something that's hurt him in the eyes of the fans. For instance, everyone knows that The Rock wasn't going to be sticking around very long after WM, if at all. He was going to go back to Hollywood, make more big budgeted action flicks, make millions of dollars doing it and would probably role around again in time for WrestleMania XXX. Again I understand that The Rock isn't going to give up his movie career, nobody could blame him. At the same time though, I frequently had the impression that coming back to WWE was more or less just a hobby for him. If what's said about him backstage is true, such as him not really associating with the wrestlers, then he's certainly not "one of the boys" anymore. He's really, at this point, just an actor who used to be a wrestler who, in my opinion, is just kind of playing at being a wrestler at this point in his life.

He's legitimately injured and it's perfectly understandable that he's taking time off to heal, as he has a huge movie role coming up. However, if this report is true, then it sounds like he was planning to take off after WM anyhow no matter what. As far as his role with Lesnar, again if true, then it certainly seems that Rock's WWE run is ultimately about making himself look good before anything else. I don't buy into the explanation of Rock vs. Brock losing some luster because both lost at WrestleMania. It'd be a huge match that I think would have helped generate some big buys for Extreme Rules.

As far as Triple H goes, it's hard not to blame him, again if all this is true. Vince has essentially dropped trou and bent over for The Rock, but Trips isn't willing to do that.

Rock vs. Taker at WM XXX would be a huge draw. However, I for one would be pissed if The Rock ended the streak. Also, for all we know, Rock might just want to take his ball and go home IF he decides he wants to end the streak. There's still LOTS of time for things to cool off, if any of this is true, and for something to be worked out. As I said though, I'm kind over The Rock personally. I'd rather see Taker go against someone who isn't a part timer, someone to whom ending the streak would be massive deal. With The Rock, fans will be pissed if The Rock does end the streak, a lot will anyhow, or it'll just seem like it's simply a match garnered to get as much money as possible with the outcome already plainly obvious, just like Cena vs. Rock II was.