Former WWE Writer Believes Anti-Rock Resentment Is Fueled By Triple H

[James]

Seth Mates, who worked with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as a creative writer for WWE in the build-up to his 2002 match with Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam, finds it odd that some wrestlers are resentful of his return to the organization.

"The resentment towards Rock always struck me as a little bit funny," he tells the Pro Wrestling Torch. "Because the thing about Rock is that people like are jealous of Rock not for stealing the spot but for being one of the guys who got out. You know he made it. He made it in a big way. He made a ton of money. And then he had an exit plan. And now he can come back and work when he wants. And it’s not like Rock is coming back and working with a guy who – he’s coming back to help make John Cena bigger than Cena ever was. He’s coming back to work with a guy who works house shows and who works Raw. You know. He’s coming back and he’s bringing mainstream attention. I can’t speak to the locker room leader this and whatever. I just know that wrestlers like to talk, wrestlers like to stir the pot, wrestlers like to cause trouble. Not a knock on them. Everybody does in every profession. You know every job I’ve ever had people talk you know what about other people in the room. Rock’s not stealing anybody’s spot. Rock is bringing a lot of eyeballs."

Mates believes Triple H's jealousy of Johnson (based around his success in wrestling and in Hollywood after he left) is the driving force behind much of the negativity.

"I know that a lot of the stuff that Cena has said about Rock and his feelings towards Rock sound like something that would be coming directly from, you know Mr. Helmsley and his view," he said. "Because, again, as I said, I always sensed some insecurities as related to Rock and to [Steve] Austin and how, again, in my mind and perception, he never was at that level. And so he wanted to position himself as, well, I’m as good, if not better. Which I don’t know that he has done that."

http://www.pwpix.net/pwpixnews/headlines/335304903.php

This is really interesting, what do you think about it?


Honestly I thought HHH was over this since he's some big shot and he's in the family. I'd love to actually know does he feed stuff to the boys backstage. Especially that anonymous cat.

 

[XXJJ]

Well he is a former WWE employee so he could just be holding a grudge against Triple H. I wouldn't take this as fact either. The guy is just speculating.

 

[Peoples_Champ]

I read this before as well and as convincing as his argument seems, the rest of the article is about him pretty much bashing Triple H.

I am by no means a Triple H fan. I pretty much dislike the guy, and how he co-opts everybody else's momentum for himself. But I don't think he's jealous of The Rock insofar that he never liked him in the first place. When Rock was Rocky Maivia, HBK & HHH tried their hardest to bury him (source: Bret's book). That might have lingered until now, but I'm sure Triple H had a say in bringing Rock in as well.

 

[Jenna.]

I wouldn't be surprised. Like someone mentioned HHH always had an issue w/ Rock from the days of him being Rocky Maivia. And I could imagine him not caring too much about Rock because he was always was under him. Wasn't never really on his or Austin's level. Even now with him having power in the WWE, he's still playing second fiddle.

 

[Nate DaMac]

General Rule 132

If you come across an interview in which there is a bit of mudslinging but the person being interview is not even relevant enough to have his own Wikipedia page, just go ahead and disregard.​

Seriously. This guy doesn't matter. Just like every form creative member before him and every one after him (that are still alive and working,) they will do anything in their power to maintain relevance in the wrestling world. The internet kinda sucks in that regard. Nobody would have given this nut stain the time of day if it wasn't for dirt sheets.

Besides, even if it is true (which is completely plausible, by the way,) who gives a shit? I'm sure Triple H is jealous of Rock's success outside of wrestling. Hell, I'm sure Steve Austin s jealous that Rock gets to do movies that actually go to theaters. It's not like it makes you a bad person, jealousy is a normal human emotion. It's not like Triple H actually let his personal feelings affect anything. Rock came back, main evented and won a match at Mania. Hunter may not like that Rock got to move on, but I'm sure he'll like seeing those profits up.

 

[BreezyDaProtege]

Thats interesting but his speculation has nothing to do with If HHH is creating drama backstage. I doubt its HHH, being that its the same backstage he is soon to run. The Rock is getting his money and still relevant and HHH is going to be the boss of a billion dollar company. They are no longer young stars competing against each other for a spot

 

[Huey]

So a former creative writer that could have a grudge against HHH says HHH has a grudge against The Rock.

It's not like HHH is doing bad for himself. The guy isn't bussing tables some where or competing for the x division title. He's the son in law of the CEO, a consistent high level performer, and allegedly in line to "take over" some day. For all the talk that HHH holds people back or buries talent I gotta believe he's got enough pull to do more than fuel anti rock sentiment through Cena.

 

[Smokeydogg7]

triple h has the power to make himself main event mania and other ppv yet he doesn't all this talk of hhh holding people back and wanting to get himself over is stupid hhh has had an awesome career he gets huge pops still and he had another amazing match at mania with undertaker

 

[XXJJ]

So a former creative writer that could have a grudge against HHH says HHH has a grudge against The Rock.

It's not like HHH is doing bad for himself. The guy isn't bussing tables some where or competing for the x division title. He's the son in law of the CEO, a consistent high level performer, and allegedly in line to "take over" some day. For all the talk that HHH holds people back or buries talent I gotta believe he's got enough pull to do more than fuel anti rock sentiment through Cena.

I think thats the main reason for all the Triple H backlash. I'm sure their is a lot of jealousy within the industry towards Triple H. The guy is going to replace Vince and run the WWE.

The guy that is bashing HHH is probably bussing tables right now. It just looks like a lame attempt at trying to get some attention by bashing Triple H.

 

[alistahr]

as irrelevat as this guy ma be, do you really think hes lying??

its so obvious HHH is jealous of rock and austin, he never was on their level, watch both austins and rocks latest dvds and see how bad wwe wants to create that illusion but truth is, he never was and i can see him being jealous

 

[Azane]

Triple H not being Kevin Nash in 2000 is proof that Triple H has his ego in check right now.

The anti-Rock sentiment is good story telling, you know there's fans on both sides of the fence on the argument. I personally was a big fan of the Rock, but I found myself wanting Cena to win because I don't think Someone who's made 2 appearances a year deserves to go over a full time worker, but I definitely can see the other side of it.

It's actually one of those rare stories I've been torn on, and it's a good feeling. The writing for Cena's lines and delivery have been well done. Wherever they came from is irrelevant.

Cena lives his life much like this story is told though, he's against doing Hollywood, and only does WWE films projects, so it's not a far fetched story that this story has more truth behind it.

 

[Huey]

as irrelevat as this guy ma be, do you really think hes lying??

its so obvious HHH is jealous of rock and austin, he never was on their level, watch both austins and rocks latest dvds and see how bad wwe wants to create that illusion but truth is, he never was and i can see him being jealous

I just don't know why he would be jealous. That's like the regional manager at target being jealous of a clerk because they can scan items faster. If reports are correct some day he will be in the position that he can practically erase the rock, hbk, cena, angle, anyone he wants. Hell he may be there now.

He's in a position that has much more influence over the product than an in ring performer.

 

[PlayTheGame]

Yes, I'm sure Triple H, who's in position to inherit the entire company that's been his life, is very jealous of The Rock at this point. I'm not saying he was never jealous of him- he probably was when he was still proving himself during the Attitude Era, but in his defense, the whole damn roster was probably jealous of The Rock, just as everyone on the current roster is most likely jealous of John Cena. But to think that Triple H, an established superstar who's taking care of the business now, is still holding some sort of grudge against The Rock is just silly. This "creative team member" hasn't been a part of the WWE in some time. Times and people change over the years, so he's not exactly "in touch" with how things are going in the WWE right now, so he really can't speak on a company/people that he's not around anymore. It's pretty ignorant of him make these conjectures. Even if, by some chance, they're true, it's not like he knows them to be factual- he's just pissing in the dark.

 

[SinCityBlitz]

Seriously. This guy doesn't matter. Just like every form creative member before him and every one after him (that are still alive and working,) they will do anything in their power to maintain relevance in the wrestling world. The internet kinda sucks in that regard. Nobody would have given this nut stain the time of day if it wasn't for dirt sheets.

Besides, even if it is true (which is completely plausible, by the way,) who gives a shit? I'm sure Triple H is jealous of Rock's success outside of wrestling. Hell, I'm sure Steve Austin s jealous that Rock gets to do movies that actually go to theaters. It's not like it makes you a bad person, jealousy is a normal human emotion. It's not like Triple H actually let his personal feelings affect anything. Rock came back, main evented and won a match at Mania. Hunter may not like that Rock got to move on, but I'm sure he'll like seeing those profits up.

Of course they matter. They were there and know what went on backstage. They may be a little biased but the guy didn't come out and totally trash Triple H. He is saying a lot of things that others have said before him. Where there is smoke....


He is right though. Triple H and the Rock never got along because of the political stuff Hunter and HBK tried to pull years ago. Trying to keep Rocky down.

Triple H is not in control yet. Vince is still in control so Hunter couldn't do anything about the Rock if he wanted to. He had no choice.

 

[Kong]

I can remember HHH doing a radio show back 5+ years laughing about how Rock only shows up when he has a movie to promote. He was just kinda laughing about it. Nothing vindictive. I mean, we all knows its true. This former writer isnt really bringing anything new to the table............HHH even made some cracks about how the Divas would get popular cus they had 10million peeps watching them every week, do Playboy and quit and then have nothing cus they had no audience. Was he being a dick? No. Just laughing and making a point we....again.....all knew to be true.

 

[WunNightStan619]

hhh and rock have always had tension. HHH and HBK tried to bury him when they were irst starting in WWE, cuz HHH thought that he should have the rocks spot. theyve always been each others competition. Thats why theyve always had great matches and had great ring chemistry because they were always tryna out-do wun another. It wouldnt surprise me wun bit if the article is true

 

[SomeAreSet]

I think it's a load of crap,if you want my honest opinion. I highly doubt Triple H is going around backstage badmouthing The Rock to other wrestlers. I'm pretty sure he has his hands full trying to learn about every nook and cranny of the company from Vince McMahon,scouting and signing new talent and what have you. He could be jealous and resentful of The Rock,but that doesn't mean that the opinion isn't already shared by others. Also,I find it odd that he's insinuating that most of the wrestlers in the company are trying to find a way out to Hollywood. Maybe it's just me not understanding the industry,but haven't most of these wrestlers gone through years of hardship just so they can be in the company today? It seems odd that these perfectly capable guys with diplomas and/or degrees would choose a job which requires them to fly all over the world and not be at home for 300 days a year if they weren't passionate about it. It just sounds like Mates can't really comprehend why The Rock is getting resentment from the other wrestlers,so he came up with an alternative explanation which makes sense to him and to guys who think like him.

Secondly,Rock didn't come back to make John Cena bigger. If he did,Cena would have won. Rock came back because he wanted to come back and the WWE wanted him to come back and they were willing to do it on his terms. Nobody in the mainstream who doesn't already know who Cena is will care if The Rock beat Cena at WrestleMania. Let's not kid ourselves,The Rock isn't big enough to give Cena a rub just by being in the same ring. Maybe if George Clooney or Brad Pitt said "Hey,I'm going to be at WrestleMania and I'll wrestle the most popular wrestler today,John Cena." then you could claim that they're there to make John Cena even bigger. As for The Rock,hell no. It could just be cultural differences (I don't come from America,The Rock could be fucking huge there for all I know),but I've yet to meet anyone who doesn't watch wrestling who would watch a Rock movie solely because he's in it,except for some women who find him hot. Ryan Gosling/Brad Pitt could sell a movie just by being Ryan Gosling/Brad Pitt. The Rock can't. He's in Disney movies,he's in franchises,so he's not the main selling point of those films. He's in action movies,he's in family comedies. Who watches those movies? Men who most likely have watched wrestling at some point in their lives and know who he is,and families out on a day trip who can't watch anything too violent or sexual. How many people do you know who doesn't watch wrestling went to watch Faster or The Rundown or Gridiron Gang or Doom because of The Rock?

Triple H is in a position of power,if he really hated The Rock that much he would have gotten into Vince's ear constantly about how Cena has to win and then made sure it happened. Why wouldn't Triple H want to knock The Rock down to size when he had the chance? It wouldn't have been bad for business either,considering the crowd wasn't even half as hostile towards Cena as Chicago was last July. I think at least half the crowd would have been alright,perhaps even happy,if Cena had won.

Lastly,regarding whether Cena's opinion of The Rock was influenced by Triple H. Considering the amount of shit Cena has said about The Rock in the media,I find it hard to believe that his opinion is formed by Triple H and not through independent thought. You couldn't possibly have that much animosity towards someone if you didn't actually despise him.

So,in summary,I think that guy is full of shit and has unresolved issues with Triple H. Good luck to him.

 

[LiamProbert]

I Can't Believe What I Have Just Read! Someone Has Just Implied That The Rock Isn't Big Enough To Make Cena Bigger. That Person Clearly Doesn't Follow Wrestling Because Any True Fan Of The Sport Knows How Big Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson Is. Now Granted, The Rock Took Some Time Off To Do Other Projects But He Is Still A Legend In The Sport And Has Achieved So Much In His Career.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

Everyone has a grudge against HHH.

Why do we even believe these "anonymous reports"? Even if they are reports, wrestlers are always working everyone, even the "reporters".

The way I see it, rock left and that hurt business. If Coke suddenly stopped producing diet coke, it would suck ass for the company. So sure, Diet coke was awesome when it was around, but it left and hurt everyone. I think that's the resentment if there even is any. Most of the wrestlers now are educated and understand business.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

I Can't Believe What I Have Just Read! Someone Has Just Implied That The Rock Isn't Big Enough To Make Cena Bigger. That Person Clearly Doesn't Follow Wrestling Because Any True Fan Of The Sport Knows How Big Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson Is. Now Granted, The Rock Took Some Time Off To Do Other Projects But He Is Still A Legend In The Sport And Has Achieved So Much In His Career.

He's not. It's not a bad thing for the Rock, but when you are already at the top, you can't go anywhere? Rock beating Cena didn't really hurt Cena. If anything, he'll have to evolve more/faster now (probably not heel, that'd be dumb and a waste of time, but an evolution for sure). Character evolution is good.

 

[AndThat'sTheBottomLine]

Why in the bluest of blue fucking hell would Triple H be jealous of the Rock? He's in line to INHERIT the damn WWE in a few years so why would he be jealous of a movie star. He's a 13 time world champion and he just competed in what was easily one of the GREATEST wrestlemania matches of all time. Yes he lost but who in their right mind thought he would win? HHH has so much going for him right now he has no reason to be jealous of a movie star.

 

[multiverseman.com]

Why in the bluest of blue fucking hell would Triple H be jealous of the Rock?

Because he may or may not be a totally insecure, jealous, manipulative little man who has deep issues he has yet to resolve and takes it out on everyone else who has natural talent and ability. Same reason why any millionaire is jealous of another millionaire.

He's in line to INHERIT the damn WWE in a few years so why would he be jealous of a movie star. He's a 13 time world champion and he just competed in what was easily one of the GREATEST wrestlemania matches of all time. Yes he lost but who in their right mind thought he would win? HHH has so much going for him right now he has no reason to be jealous of a movie star.

Your reasoning simply says why YOU wouldn't be jealous of the Rock if you were Triple H. However, you're not him. Some people are just rotten, small people. Not saying he is, but you act like people in positions of power don't get jealous because they're simply above it. They're human.

The way I see it, rock left and that hurt business. If Coke suddenly stopped producing diet coke, it would suck ass for the company. So sure, Diet coke was awesome when it was around, but it left and hurt everyone. I think that's the resentment if there even is any. Most of the wrestlers now are educated and understand business.

Except the Rock is a human being first and a product second. He has every right to do other things if he chooses.

 

[Nada]

Why in the bluest of blue fucking hell would Triple H be jealous of the Rock? He's in line to INHERIT the damn WWE in a few years so why would he be jealous of a movie star. He's a 13 time world champion and he just competed in what was easily one of the GREATEST wrestlemania matches of all time. Yes he lost but who in their right mind thought he would win? HHH has so much going for him right now he has no reason to be jealous of a movie star.

Because Hunter is not considered a top top Icon of pro wrestling like Rock, Austin, Hogan and perhaps Andre are. Because even working hard like a dog, being best buddies with HBK, being Vince McMahons son in law, even being a 13 time world champion, even having his wife litterally write the show for him, he STILL will never be even close to those guys

So why dosent he hate them? Becuase they all got big before him, while Rock got big (and far bigger than him) during both of their prime.

Maybe because HHH is the very definition of a manufactored superstar while the Rock is the real deal


Or maybe its the fact that once Austin and Rock left, the company pretty much fell to where it has been ever since, no amount of pushes to Hunter, Brock or Cena has turned things around and the fact that Rock left with his head up high and not beaten and destroyed like so many?

Hunter worked much harder to get where he is than Rocky did, yet Rock achieved so much more, that has to sting in a person who clearly has ego issues.

 

[The Big Gunnzbowski]

If HHH is jealous of The Rock, so what?

He's the successor to the most powerful person in the history of the profession. If HHH would rather be doing movies, at least now with gems like "The Chaperone", we know that's not an option. He'll have the pressure of living under McMahons shadow!

 

[Davi323]

I call bullshit on the entire thing.

Money? Something tells me Triple H has more than enough to be happy.

His movie career? Triple H never wanted to be a movie star instead of a wrestler, he might appear in movies just to have done it, but he never had any false pretenses that he was going to be a huge movie star. He, like Cena, is a guy devoted to wrestling, who has made a movie or two, as a side project. But, Triple H's entire life is about the WWE. To claim that he is jealous of the Rock's movie success is patently ridiculous. He never wanted that life to begin with.

His success in the ring? Triple H is a 13 time world champion. That alone should be enough to silence that argument.

Further, he is a guy that gets the keys to the kingdom as soon as daddy in law retires. He gets to be the KING of professional wrestling. After Vince McMahon retires, Triple H will probably be the single most powerful man in the wrestling business. There is very little that he can't do in the world of wrestling, so why would he be jealous of the Rock?

Triple H is a manufactured superstar? So I just imagined that whole Degeneration X thing, then? I didn't actually see WWF/E fans go batshit crazy when him and Shawn would mess with Vince McMahon? What a seriously ridiculous argument that is.

I love reading all of the irrational Triple H hate though, it's amusing just how gullible some people are.