i think it was very close. but i believe it was the rock. I mean did you hear his POP it was huge that being said is what i believe made him win it, also they way he mocked Cena! But now that we know his back i think it will be even in there "battle" from here on out!
**Merged** Cena & Rock Discussion - KEEP IT ALL IN HERE!!
- Thread starter D-Man
- Start date
The Mighty Tiger
The Poster Formerly Known as HWR
I disagree w/ your post the reason why Rock character was fresh because he worked in a period where he had more freedom creatively it didn't have anything to do w/the other top stars, also HHH & Taker are not the only superstars on Cena level. HBK, Batista, Booker T, Randy Orton, & Edge just to mention a few have all been apart of his career. They don't take chances with his charater cause there's not much you can do w/him when your working in pg. The product doesn't have to be completely like the attitude era but it shouldn't be so silly dilly either. It's a shame that a retired person had to come in just for us to hear a good promo out of Cena.
AngryCenaFan
Pre-Show Stalwart
The Rock
He in 20 minutes, proved why PG WWE is a failure...they have failed to generate any stars CLOSE to the Austin/Rock era, he proved why the overly scripted promos prevent a deep connection with the audience. Cena is a contrived phony, he went from a wanna be gangster rap dude, to a gee golly im here for the kids guy....
Cena cut an excellent response promo, unfortunately that's not the Cena we get, The Rock in one night made WWE relevant again, now it's up to CENA to take advantage
He in 20 minutes, proved why PG WWE is a failure...they have failed to generate any stars CLOSE to the Austin/Rock era, he proved why the overly scripted promos prevent a deep connection with the audience. Cena is a contrived phony, he went from a wanna be gangster rap dude, to a gee golly im here for the kids guy....
Cena cut an excellent response promo, unfortunately that's not the Cena we get, The Rock in one night made WWE relevant again, now it's up to CENA to take advantage
slimmshady
Pre-Show Stalwart
The bottom line is, we all know that when it is all said and done, the rock will go back to making movies and that is what really gets to you about cena's promo. He speaks of the truth. And I would love to see the rock's comments after this round. But rock said that he loves us, all I have to say to him is prove it. He has been gone for 7 years so, as much as I loved his return promo, it is not enough for me. I'm not 100% convinced that the rock is doing it for us therefore he has to prove to us all that he is. I want to end by saying that the rock may have won back many hearts last monday but he has a lot of catching up to do before he can win mine.
Xemmy
of the Le'beau family
Fact is, Rock had more excitement going for him because it was his return, and the crowd was into it. Cena's retort had far more burn and truth in it. Dismissing everybody that picked Cena, because they're desperate to see him on the same level as the Rock is, for lack of a better term, bullshit. Rock's overall promo was definitely better, but that's not what we're talking about. We're talking about trading insults. Cena won.
The Mighty Tiger
The Poster Formerly Known as HWR
Now I agree w/u after everything is said & done The Rock will go back to doing movies, you wanna no why..................wait for it..................CAUSE HE HAS DONE IT ALL there is nothing left for him to prove & he doesn't owe you are anybody else NOTHING The man went to the top & became the face of the company beat everybody that was on his level & above his level. Can you give me any real reason to why he shouldn't have left or why he has to stay longer than Mania just to prove to you & other selfish ppl that he loves us & the business. Rock don't need them pennies Vince gave him to come back if he needed the money then he would have been back & he would be wrestling again not being some host just to boost ratings cause WWE sucks now.
Vince called The Rock up & was like "look we need you foreal this time the ratings are at a all time low for this to be Mania season" & The Rock was like "I got you, but I'm not doing that pg crap" Vince goes "I don't give a damn what you say or do just bring your ass back cause every1 wants to once again SMELLLLL WAHT THE ROCK IS COOKING!! lol
You actually bought that crap? The Rock LEFT YOU and AVOIDED YOU because he wanted to be a huge Hollywood actor. He turned his back on wrestling and it's fans because he thought he didn't need us to be the next big star but that hasn't happened so he decided to take the money the WWE gave him in hopes people like you will mark out and see his next movie which comes out shortly after WM. The Rock will LEAVE YOU again like he did 7 year's ago. He LIED to YOU when he said he was back and FINALLY HOME.
I marked out to when The Rock came back last week but I know he is only here to the money and to get the wrestling fans to see his movies so he can become a big star.
Jack-Hammer
YOU WILL RESPECT MY AUTHORITAH!!!!
I'd probably have to call it even. Last night, I thought Cena gave as good as he got from The Rock last week. As with The Rock, Cena came across as clever and legitimately made me laugh a couple of times while pushing the PG boundaries. Truth is, I really can't see how that promo last night conforms to PG standards.
I can't complain about that because Cena did exactly what he needed to do. As I said last week, if Cena was just gonna be his happy go lucky cutesy self while addressing The Rock's comments, then he just shouldn't respond at all.
I can't complain about that because Cena did exactly what he needed to do. As I said last week, if Cena was just gonna be his happy go lucky cutesy self while addressing The Rock's comments, then he just shouldn't respond at all.
Now I agree w/u after everything is said & done The Rock will go back to doing movies, you wanna no why..................wait for it..................CAUSE HE HAS DONE IT ALL there is nothing left for him to prove & he doesn't owe you are anybody else NOTHING The man went to the top & became the face of the company beat everybody that was on his level & above his level. Can you give me any real reason to why he shouldn't have left or why he has to stay longer than Mania just to prove to you & other selfish ppl that he loves us & the business. Rock don't need them pennies Vince gave him to come back if he needed the money then he would have been back & he would be wrestling again not being some host just to boost ratings cause WWE sucks now.
Vince called The Rock up & was like "look we need you foreal this time the ratings are at a all time low for this to be Mania season" & The Rock was like "I got you, but I'm not doing that pg crap" Vince goes "I don't give a damn what you say or do just bring your ass back cause every1 wants to once again SMELLLLL WAHT THE ROCK IS COOKING!! lol
That is BS. Hogan and Flair have done it all but they are still in the business because they love it. HBK has done it all and even came back from a back injury. The Rock hardly has done it all in his short time in wrestling. He left because he thought he was doing to be the next big action movie star. That didn't happen and that is the only reason he is hosting WM this year. He isn't HOME he is just hopng we will see his new movie that comes out in May. He doesn't care about us or wrestling because if he did he wouldn't have left for Hollywood and it wouldn't have taken many of failed movies for him to return.
I have just watched this, and like I said a few days ago, I really think Cena will bring his A-GAME and suprise a few. He didn't dissapoint.
I am no Cena fan, I love The Rock but everything Cena said in that Promo was true. And he got his point across with added humor. It's unfair to say who won the first round, I would call this a tie. Cena had the advantage of going 2nd and had a week to think up a response. Hopefully we will see the Rock return the favor.
Cena is right about 1 thing, hate him, love him, he is there every single week to entertain the fans. We all want someone to boo do we not? Cena is WWE through and through and for that I respect him.
Well done John. Raised the bar.
I am no Cena fan, I love The Rock but everything Cena said in that Promo was true. And he got his point across with added humor. It's unfair to say who won the first round, I would call this a tie. Cena had the advantage of going 2nd and had a week to think up a response. Hopefully we will see the Rock return the favor.
Cena is right about 1 thing, hate him, love him, he is there every single week to entertain the fans. We all want someone to boo do we not? Cena is WWE through and through and for that I respect him.
Well done John. Raised the bar.
The Mighty Tiger
The Poster Formerly Known as HWR
You actually bought that crap? The Rock LEFT YOU and AVOIDED YOU because he wanted to be a huge Hollywood actor. He turned his back on wrestling and it's fans because he thought he didn't need us to be the next big star but that hasn't happened so he decided to take the money the WWE gave him in hopes people like you will mark out and see his next movie which comes out shortly after WM. The Rock will LEAVE YOU again like he did 7 year's ago. He LIED to YOU when he said he was back and FINALLY HOME.
I marked out to when The Rock came back last week but I know he is only here to the money and to get the wrestling fans to see his movies so he can become a big star.
HE AVOIDED THE PEOPLE
It's almost unreal how The people turn on there Champion, how can you even say that when everytime the man is on tv promoting a movie wwe gets brought up & he saids the samethimg everytime that he loves the business it made him who he is & that he wouldn't be where he at w/out his wrestling succuss. You also said he wanted to be a huge star NEWS FLASH THE ROCK is a huge star he don't need you sometimers to go see he movies he has enough real fans for that, & of course he is gon leave again cause there's no one on the roster that can touch him besides HHH & Taker so what is there left for him to prove. Why should he stay anyways most of you just gon turn on him anyways like in the past.Everytime I mention the Rock's promo in this post , I'm talking about the Cena part only.
Well , even me , being the one of the biggest John Cena fans didn't expect that , but it seems that Cena can remember things while others , including us IWC and probably The Rock can't.
He exactly shifted to days when he was as " Electrifying " as Rock.Thugonamics.
Which promo did I laughed louder?The Rock's.
Which promo did I enjoyed more?Cena's.
Which promo did I think was better?Cena's.
Both were entertaining but Cena's made more sense and quite frankly surprised many people , including lots of those who thought "Wow ,Rock destroyed Cena ".
There ain't no destruction.Cena replied and he was damn good at it.That purple pen and Brokeback Mountain plus fairy with a tooth was way more creative than fruity pebbels.
By the way Miz just ruined the whole thing.He couldn't even quote the Rock.The kid needs to man up,especially now that he's trapped in the middle of a Rock/Cena verbal clash.
Well , even me , being the one of the biggest John Cena fans didn't expect that , but it seems that Cena can remember things while others , including us IWC and probably The Rock can't.
He exactly shifted to days when he was as " Electrifying " as Rock.Thugonamics.
Which promo did I laughed louder?The Rock's.
Which promo did I enjoyed more?Cena's.
Which promo did I think was better?Cena's.
Both were entertaining but Cena's made more sense and quite frankly surprised many people , including lots of those who thought "Wow ,Rock destroyed Cena ".
There ain't no destruction.Cena replied and he was damn good at it.That purple pen and Brokeback Mountain plus fairy with a tooth was way more creative than fruity pebbels.
By the way Miz just ruined the whole thing.He couldn't even quote the Rock.The kid needs to man up,especially now that he's trapped in the middle of a Rock/Cena verbal clash.
The Mighty Tiger
The Poster Formerly Known as HWR
Are you smoking what hasn't The Rock done??????? he was once the face of the company there isn't anything left to do after you are the face of the company except continue to beat up on your body night in & night out just to please some selfish fans. You also must don't understand that most of Rock's movies was Hits They wasn't all that good, but they made money in the box office so there is no reason for him to come back just to try & convince a bunch of sometimers that he loves them. The only reason the Rock is back is cause he dosen't have a problem w/tryn to help the ratings for Mania as long as he don't have to wrestle in the ring to do so. You have the nerve to mention Hogan & Flair I do believe that they love the business but the don't know when to quit, & HBK came back cause he had to leave the 1st time he wasn't ready to leave, now that he feels he has done everything he wanted to do he retired again the proper way he wanted to this time. So what you & everybody else who feels this way is saying that the only way Rock loves wwe is if he just stays & mess his body up & be all broken up or just keep coming back to prove that he still got it when he old & dry like most of the legends. That is some selfish shit.
Selfish? ME? No I understand why the Rock left. If I was a wrestler and had a chance to be the next great action hero in Hollywood I would leave to but to say The Rock loves this business and is only here to help the rating for WM is a joke. He has a new movie coming out called Fast 5 which is a movie his fans might go see. Hogan loves the business, Flair loves the business, HBK loves the business, Taker loves the business The Rock used the business to go on to other things. That is just a fact, so deal with it.
The Mighty Tiger
The Poster Formerly Known as HWR
The Rock don't need to come back just for people to go see a movie that has enough fan base already on it's own w/out him, do you not know how much the fast & furious movies make in the box office all the guys you mention does love the business but just cause the rock didn't stay doesn't mean he doesn't love wrestling. You need to deal w/the fact that Rock isn't the only wrestler to go to movies he is just the only one to be successful at it which is the reason why he didn't come back cause he didn't need to. There isn't anything the other guys you mention can do but be wrestlers that's one of the reasons why they come back again & again & again & again, then what do they get for doing this they get talked about for being to old & being called has beens tryn to relive the good old days. So what you saying is for a superstar to prove to the fans that they love the business there in they have to continue to do it no matter what there other dreams or goals in life maybe. To hell w/any other goals you have in life, you have to wrestle tell you damn near in a wheel chair just to continue to be loved by your fans. If thats what you & others mean then thats bullshit & people just want this man to keep working tell he is like Hogan, HBK, Stonecold, & Angle. Always in pain & living off pain killers that a bullshit life to live just to stay loved by some people.
Rock won. Reasons:
1- It took him 30 sec or ls to bury cena's gimmick, and cena going back to his rapper gimmick is the proof.
2- Rock dissed cena the WRESTLER, cena ro..actuallyhe dissed dwayne THE ACTOR.
3- Cena had more time to diss rock than rock did when he dissed cena.
Don't get me wrong, cena;s response was amazing, but it was a stupid move because:
1- Rock will used the "white rapper" thing against him in the 2nd round.
2- Since cena mentioned how bad rock's movies are, that will make rock go there(Cena's acting career).
3- Cena made it official this past monday, which will lead to a face to face promo in the 2nd round...BAD NEWS FOR CENA.
1- It took him 30 sec or ls to bury cena's gimmick, and cena going back to his rapper gimmick is the proof.
2- Rock dissed cena the WRESTLER, cena ro..actuallyhe dissed dwayne THE ACTOR.
3- Cena had more time to diss rock than rock did when he dissed cena.
Don't get me wrong, cena;s response was amazing, but it was a stupid move because:
1- Rock will used the "white rapper" thing against him in the 2nd round.
2- Since cena mentioned how bad rock's movies are, that will make rock go there(Cena's acting career).
3- Cena made it official this past monday, which will lead to a face to face promo in the 2nd round...BAD NEWS FOR CENA.
Hulk Hogan's Brother
Stop asking me what I'm gonna do!!!
I have always said that Cena's best gimmick was his rapper gimmick and when he was a rapper I often used to wonder how good a promo war between the two would be. I am glad to say that one of my most earnest wishes got fulfilled today when Cena cut this promo on The Rock.
Coming to who won the promo war, that's a difficult thing to say. Rock had the advantage of returning after seven years and so it is not a surprise to see him get the bigger reaction. Cena's promo focused a lot on what is true, The Rock did leave the WWE to do movies. But the very fact that Cena had to resort to his older gimmick and cut a non-PG promo is proof that The Rock was right about his opinion on the PG era.
All things considered I have to applaud Cena's effort but I have gotta say that Rock won. He destroyed Cena the superhero and that is the only reason why we saw Cena the rapper back in action. The promo that Rock cut was a backlash of the current era and it's champion, something he is qualified to do given the fact that he was the second most popular wrestler in one of wrestling's more entertaining eras. Cena made fun of Rock's movies, but given his own acting skills and the "success" of his movies, is he even qualified to do that?
I enjoyed both promos and Cena's was a pleasant surprise to me but the more I think about it I feel that Cena lost the war the moment he took out his chain and started rapping. Regardless of what he said in the promo that iss proof right there that John Cena agreed with what The Rock had to say.
Coming to who won the promo war, that's a difficult thing to say. Rock had the advantage of returning after seven years and so it is not a surprise to see him get the bigger reaction. Cena's promo focused a lot on what is true, The Rock did leave the WWE to do movies. But the very fact that Cena had to resort to his older gimmick and cut a non-PG promo is proof that The Rock was right about his opinion on the PG era.
All things considered I have to applaud Cena's effort but I have gotta say that Rock won. He destroyed Cena the superhero and that is the only reason why we saw Cena the rapper back in action. The promo that Rock cut was a backlash of the current era and it's champion, something he is qualified to do given the fact that he was the second most popular wrestler in one of wrestling's more entertaining eras. Cena made fun of Rock's movies, but given his own acting skills and the "success" of his movies, is he even qualified to do that?
I enjoyed both promos and Cena's was a pleasant surprise to me but the more I think about it I feel that Cena lost the war the moment he took out his chain and started rapping. Regardless of what he said in the promo that iss proof right there that John Cena agreed with what The Rock had to say.
I'd have to say cena won the first round, but it was a good thing for both sides that Cena did, in the long run at least.
To me the reason Cena won because, although both promos were great, Cena's had more of an effect on the crowd. By that I mean I was watching Raw and I heard the boo's pouring down on Cena as he first came to the ring, then I heard The Rock chants at the start but, as Cena went along, I struggled to hear any boos. It seems that, by going back to what made him a top guy, it seemed to win the crowd over.
Rock's promo was great as well, hell, I enjoyed them both and, if you take away the crowd responding to Cena the way the WWE hopes they will, it seems to have the chance to be the start of something special, although it makes me worry that The Miz and the title are going to be an afterthought in this whole thing.
To me the reason Cena won because, although both promos were great, Cena's had more of an effect on the crowd. By that I mean I was watching Raw and I heard the boo's pouring down on Cena as he first came to the ring, then I heard The Rock chants at the start but, as Cena went along, I struggled to hear any boos. It seems that, by going back to what made him a top guy, it seemed to win the crowd over.
Rock's promo was great as well, hell, I enjoyed them both and, if you take away the crowd responding to Cena the way the WWE hopes they will, it seems to have the chance to be the start of something special, although it makes me worry that The Miz and the title are going to be an afterthought in this whole thing.
Birdo Beamen
New Member
Really? Why is this even a discussion? John Cena's nursery rhyme was ok. The Rock's lines were epic and ruined John Cena's career. Game over.
1st post, usually a lurker but this one is very interesting to me.
I think some people are being a bit dramatic with the idea that the Rock buried Cena's gimmick, catch phrases and someone even said career. John Cena fired back in response with a somewhat amusing promo and then 90 minutes later main evented Raw with his PG era gimmick and the crowd went nuts when he got the hot tag from Miz. The Rock was not in the building.
I absolutely love the Rock and to me there is no one better on the mike in the history of the business but I'll admit he wasn't as funny last monday as I know he can be. I actually was thinking the thing as the Miz with his response, "Really? The Rock said I suck? That is the best he can do?" Like any comdedic material it is not as funny after hearing it often and as aweseome as it was to see the Rock, all he pretty much did was dustoff the old catch phrases to let us enjoy the nostalgia.
I don't think Cena will ever be held to the same candle as The Rock but alot of people thought that if Cena responded back he would be attacked by the fans. There were chants of "Rocky" at first but when he started his rap I didn't hear the fans booing him. He seemed to have them with him. He also got a huge pop in the main event.
I'm not going to argue pointlessly over who had the better promo because I really don't care. All I know is that in no way shape or form did the Rock bury Cena. All I know is that the day after Wrestlemania, Cena will be on Raw most likely hoisting the WWE title and receiving a huge pop. The Rock will be gone once again. I would be surprised if we even see the Rock stand in a ring prior to Wrestemania. I am not one of those people that childishly think the Rock turned his back on the fans to make movies. I believe people shoud do what they want to do and The Rock owes me absolutely nothing.
I think some people are being a bit dramatic with the idea that the Rock buried Cena's gimmick, catch phrases and someone even said career. John Cena fired back in response with a somewhat amusing promo and then 90 minutes later main evented Raw with his PG era gimmick and the crowd went nuts when he got the hot tag from Miz. The Rock was not in the building.
I absolutely love the Rock and to me there is no one better on the mike in the history of the business but I'll admit he wasn't as funny last monday as I know he can be. I actually was thinking the thing as the Miz with his response, "Really? The Rock said I suck? That is the best he can do?" Like any comdedic material it is not as funny after hearing it often and as aweseome as it was to see the Rock, all he pretty much did was dustoff the old catch phrases to let us enjoy the nostalgia.
I don't think Cena will ever be held to the same candle as The Rock but alot of people thought that if Cena responded back he would be attacked by the fans. There were chants of "Rocky" at first but when he started his rap I didn't hear the fans booing him. He seemed to have them with him. He also got a huge pop in the main event.
I'm not going to argue pointlessly over who had the better promo because I really don't care. All I know is that in no way shape or form did the Rock bury Cena. All I know is that the day after Wrestlemania, Cena will be on Raw most likely hoisting the WWE title and receiving a huge pop. The Rock will be gone once again. I would be surprised if we even see the Rock stand in a ring prior to Wrestemania. I am not one of those people that childishly think the Rock turned his back on the fans to make movies. I believe people shoud do what they want to do and The Rock owes me absolutely nothing.
Rampage Bentley
Saving WZ one post at a time.
Cena did impress me, and did a hell of a lot better than I thought he would, but there is no contest, The Rock won. The fact that we're comparing Cena's 4 minute rap to Rock's 15 second rant means Rock won it.
Cena may have gotten the crowd to stop chanting Rocky, but Rock got the crowd to boo Cena, AND it carried over to the next week.
Rock - 1
Cena - 0
Cena may have gotten the crowd to stop chanting Rocky, but Rock got the crowd to boo Cena, AND it carried over to the next week.
Rock - 1
Cena - 0
LoudClearVoice
Mid-Card Championship Winner
The Rock won the first round although I must say Cena's response was a little bit better than I expected.
Bottom line is Rock won because he's been away from wrestling for so long yet he came back and captivated the crowd for 20 minutes. I'd like to see what Cena could come back and do after being out of the ring for 7 years. Also, the crowd is clearly on the Rock's side in this "feud" as booing could be heard throughout Cena's entire promo.
I think The Rock needs to come back with a song, against Cena. Not a rap, but a song on the acoustic guitar.
Bottom line is Rock won because he's been away from wrestling for so long yet he came back and captivated the crowd for 20 minutes. I'd like to see what Cena could come back and do after being out of the ring for 7 years. Also, the crowd is clearly on the Rock's side in this "feud" as booing could be heard throughout Cena's entire promo.
I think The Rock needs to come back with a song, against Cena. Not a rap, but a song on the acoustic guitar.
I'd say Cena won on insults, not the promo. But then again Rock threw the first blow so Cena had a week to think about it etc
And why are people counting the Miz in this? Miz wasn't going all out to beat the other two, he had his own "pwned" moment later on in the night when he cost Cena the tag titles.
PS. I'm not saying Miz could actually beat the other twoo
And why are people counting the Miz in this? Miz wasn't going all out to beat the other two, he had his own "pwned" moment later on in the night when he cost Cena the tag titles.
PS. I'm not saying Miz could actually beat the other twoo
While I am not a Cena Hater nor a Cena Hater, I would have to give the slight Edge to Cena, just for the fact that as everyone said, the Rock destroyed Cena's reputation in about 2 minutes. But Cena won it back in about 2 minutes with his rap and had the crowd cheering for him again.
And while the Rock is one of my all time favourites, can you all just imangin how much the people would hate the rock these days if he had never left and so for 10 years he just did the same catch phrases all the time.
As for those people giving Cena grieve because he trashed the Rocks movies, while Cena has definately never made a good movie, I agree with you. The difference though is Cena never left the WWE permanately to make those movies unlike the Rock who did.
And while the Rock is one of my all time favourites, can you all just imangin how much the people would hate the rock these days if he had never left and so for 10 years he just did the same catch phrases all the time.
As for those people giving Cena grieve because he trashed the Rocks movies, while Cena has definately never made a good movie, I agree with you. The difference though is Cena never left the WWE permanately to make those movies unlike the Rock who did.
UltimateHitman
Old School Legend
Ok, I got through most of the posts before commenting. Why can we not just give credit to both men for awesome promos? TBH, I even thought Miz' promo was decent because of the type of character he portrays and how his character comes across.
First of all, I understand there are a lot of Rock/Attitude Era marks out there. But I have been seeing inconsistencies in the posts coming from seething, rabid Cena/PG haters.
People are saying "Oh, Cena had to bring back an old gimmick to hold his own". And? The Rock didn't just re-hash a 7+ year old gimmick? Could he not have evolved himself by now to come up w/something that worked in today's WWE? Why did he have to revert?
I hear other people saying the Rock "schooled" Cena. That's just absurd. I like both guys, but Rock did not "school" anybody. And here's why.
The Rock used shock value, attitude era promo work. It worked because it was refreshing and people hadn't seen it for years, but what did it truly amount to? The same stuff he used to do to everybody else? The whiny, insulting voice during the "You can't see me" bit? Done. The self-glorifying (most electrifying, people's champ, millions....)? Done. The catchphrases, the candy asses, the son of a bitches, the asses? All done.
What did Cena do? Instead of coming out like he was pissed off at the world (which wouldn't work for his positive, happy go lucky attitude btw) he came out nonchalantly and used NO profanity, just clever innuendo. He actually answered the Rock inside the PG guidelines without throwing out swear words and getting riled up. He stayed true to his young fans, while giving the grown ups something to go "Awwww, damn!" about. He blew Rock off as somebody that wasn't really worth his time, yet responded anyway. It was the best way to go. Show that the comments weren't all they amounted to, yet respond to the challenge to show he won't back down. Genius.
Who pisses you off more in a war of words? The person that gets amped up and emotional, or the person that chuckles and laughs you off and pushes your buttons while not letting your words get to him? The person that smiles as you get defensive and serious while you go on a tirade, or the person that plays into your baiting and gets wound up? Exactly.
I was blown away by Rock's promo, don't get me wrong. I watched last week and thought "Damn, why would you bury your top face like that?" I thought, at first, that Cena's credibility was in jeopardy. Then I saw Cena answer last night and realized Rock's promo wasn't as bad as it originally seemed. And then I realized that it was the same old Rock of old, and I was just taken aback by simply not seeing it for so long.
People say "Rock buried Cena in a matter of minutes". They say he took the top face and reverted him to a joke in no time. What did Cena do? He came out, blew off one of the company's top faces in history, made this WWE legend and Hollywood mainstay into a joke, and "buried" him in a promo that turned him into a bunch of old catchphrases from a bygone era that brought nothing new to the table. Hmmmmmm, sounds pretty even to me.
Even Miz put forth a decent promo considering what he was working with and around. What is Miz' gimmick? How is that gimmick portrayed on screen? An overly arrogant, loudmouthed braggart. Is he known for his witty catchphrases, his banter, his subtle humor, his innuendo? No. He's known for talking the same way he talked last night. Acting like he's the best, being his own biggest fan, and talking down to people. He's not supposed to make people laugh and cheer. He's supposed to garner heat. And his promo did what it was supposed to and fit his character like it was supposed to.
All in all, every promo was good. Every promo did what it was supposed to, and every promo was well done. I think that people are letting their own likes and dislikes and biases fuel their words and speaking w/more emotion than objectivity.
At any rate, I think both promos were good for what they were, but if I have to give a vote I'd go with Cena. (And I don't even like rap, for the most part.) I just thought it was a nice, subtle, effective promo that still kept him at his current position w/the company, got him some respect from the haters (even if temporarily), and answered Rock in a brilliant way. He had some nice jabs, and didn't take things seriously or to heart. It fit his character, and flowed smoothly even with a little more of an edge than normal.
First of all, I understand there are a lot of Rock/Attitude Era marks out there. But I have been seeing inconsistencies in the posts coming from seething, rabid Cena/PG haters.
People are saying "Oh, Cena had to bring back an old gimmick to hold his own". And? The Rock didn't just re-hash a 7+ year old gimmick? Could he not have evolved himself by now to come up w/something that worked in today's WWE? Why did he have to revert?
I hear other people saying the Rock "schooled" Cena. That's just absurd. I like both guys, but Rock did not "school" anybody. And here's why.
The Rock used shock value, attitude era promo work. It worked because it was refreshing and people hadn't seen it for years, but what did it truly amount to? The same stuff he used to do to everybody else? The whiny, insulting voice during the "You can't see me" bit? Done. The self-glorifying (most electrifying, people's champ, millions....)? Done. The catchphrases, the candy asses, the son of a bitches, the asses? All done.
What did Cena do? Instead of coming out like he was pissed off at the world (which wouldn't work for his positive, happy go lucky attitude btw) he came out nonchalantly and used NO profanity, just clever innuendo. He actually answered the Rock inside the PG guidelines without throwing out swear words and getting riled up. He stayed true to his young fans, while giving the grown ups something to go "Awwww, damn!" about. He blew Rock off as somebody that wasn't really worth his time, yet responded anyway. It was the best way to go. Show that the comments weren't all they amounted to, yet respond to the challenge to show he won't back down. Genius.
Who pisses you off more in a war of words? The person that gets amped up and emotional, or the person that chuckles and laughs you off and pushes your buttons while not letting your words get to him? The person that smiles as you get defensive and serious while you go on a tirade, or the person that plays into your baiting and gets wound up? Exactly.
I was blown away by Rock's promo, don't get me wrong. I watched last week and thought "Damn, why would you bury your top face like that?" I thought, at first, that Cena's credibility was in jeopardy. Then I saw Cena answer last night and realized Rock's promo wasn't as bad as it originally seemed. And then I realized that it was the same old Rock of old, and I was just taken aback by simply not seeing it for so long.
People say "Rock buried Cena in a matter of minutes". They say he took the top face and reverted him to a joke in no time. What did Cena do? He came out, blew off one of the company's top faces in history, made this WWE legend and Hollywood mainstay into a joke, and "buried" him in a promo that turned him into a bunch of old catchphrases from a bygone era that brought nothing new to the table. Hmmmmmm, sounds pretty even to me.
Even Miz put forth a decent promo considering what he was working with and around. What is Miz' gimmick? How is that gimmick portrayed on screen? An overly arrogant, loudmouthed braggart. Is he known for his witty catchphrases, his banter, his subtle humor, his innuendo? No. He's known for talking the same way he talked last night. Acting like he's the best, being his own biggest fan, and talking down to people. He's not supposed to make people laugh and cheer. He's supposed to garner heat. And his promo did what it was supposed to and fit his character like it was supposed to.
All in all, every promo was good. Every promo did what it was supposed to, and every promo was well done. I think that people are letting their own likes and dislikes and biases fuel their words and speaking w/more emotion than objectivity.
At any rate, I think both promos were good for what they were, but if I have to give a vote I'd go with Cena. (And I don't even like rap, for the most part.) I just thought it was a nice, subtle, effective promo that still kept him at his current position w/the company, got him some respect from the haters (even if temporarily), and answered Rock in a brilliant way. He had some nice jabs, and didn't take things seriously or to heart. It fit his character, and flowed smoothly even with a little more of an edge than normal.
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