Never Say Never: The Rock will have one more full time run

[TheOneAndOnlyGOAT]

The Rock is considered by many as the greatest WWE superstar of all time.

When The Rock left in 2004, nobody thought it was going to be his last match.

As years went by, nobody thought we will ever see The Rock in a wrestling ring ever again.

The Rock proved these people wrong and he returned in 2011.

Nobody thought The Rock was going to wrestle again.

The Rock proved these people wrong and he was scheduled to wrestle at Wrestlemania 28.

Nobody thought The Rock was going to wrestle at a non-Wrestlemania event.

The Rock proved these people wrong and he wrestled at Survivor Series 2011.

Nobody thought The Rock was going to come back again after his Wrestlemania 28 match.

The Rock proved these people wrong and came back and wrestled at 3 PPVs in one year.



Before The Rock retires for good, he will have one more full time run and wrestle on free TV.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

No he won't. You're delusional.

It really is simple: Why would movie megastar Dwayne Johnson wrestle full time for WWE. He could, but he won't. There's no reason for him to do it. He's fast approaching middle-age, hasn't been a full time wrestler for over a decade, got injured in his first match for a year and doesn't need the money.

 

[Softcore Holly]

Eh...not as crazy as some of the stuff I've seen on this site but still pretty unlikely. As your post said the man has nothing left to prove, he could never lace up his boots ever again and still be considered one of the greatest of all time. And I reaaaaaally don't think he cares about proving people wrong at this stage of his career. He's done everything in the WWE, has a very successful career in Hollywood, and even at a age where a lot of wrestlers retire he headlined back to back WMs, one as the WWE champ.

But mostly he really has nothing to gain from another full run, that's a lot of time away from making movies where he could be making more money and getting more famous without putting nearly as much risk and strain on his body, especially when you count all the training he would have to do to get back into ring shape. And of course lets not forget that his last match sent him to the hospital, Rock certainly hasn't.

I can see MAYBE a few more matches left for the Rock, but a full run? *plays Vince's entrance*

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I'm assuming that you're making such an outlandishly ludicrous claim in the hopes that it'll generate a lot of responses to the thread. If so, then bravo. If not, it's time to seek professional help because Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson will almost certainly never have another full time run in WWE.

The Rock's the biggest action star in Hollywood right now and, according to Forbes, earns $20-$30 million per film. That's far more money than he'd earn in WWE, it's money he doesn't have to work nearly as hard for and there's a lot less of a risk to his physical safety. Plus, look at the sort of hectic schedule The Rock himself has; five movies came out last year featuring The Rock as one of the main characters, he has a show that's been picked up by HBO, he's currently filming San Andreas and Fast & Furious 7 for release next year, there's talk of him portraying a DC Comics character in an upcoming film with most rumors saying he'll be playing The Green Lantern or the anti-hero Lobo, etc. If Hercules does well at the box office this summer, it'll take his career to another level as it'll be the first big budget action movie he's been in since The Scorpion King in which he's THE star and it's his first big budget action flick that's not part of an already established & successful franchise.

He MIGHT come back to work an occasional match for WrestleMania, it's certainly more likely than him putting an increasingly lucrative film career on hold.

 

[rbv13]

It is really hard to say how long guys like the Rock will continue to return for one shot paydays but it is safe to say none of these types will return for full schedules. The part time upside is much greater than running full go.

With the current treatment and love towards the part time talent I wonder how long until the current crop of "main event" talent jump on the same boat. Names like Punk, Orton, Bryan and Cena could get away with lighter schedules and still demand the high end pay.

 

[KitsuneDreamer]

Does it really matter at this point?

He is increasingly becoming one of Hollywood's elite, Dwayne is doing Dwayne right now.

There is no reason for him to come back, nothing to prove, nothing to show.

These are not the droids you are looking for.

He may in fact have a retirement match down the road, and I would tune in to see it, but in NO way become a full-time superstar. He simply does not have the time.

 

[tak161]

The Rock is considered by many as the greatest WWE superstar of all time.

When The Rock left in 2004, nobody thought it was going to be his last match.

As years went by, nobody thought we will ever see The Rock in a wrestling ring ever again.

The Rock proved these people wrong and he returned in 2011.

Nobody thought The Rock was going to wrestle again.

The Rock proved these people wrong and he was scheduled to wrestle at Wrestlemania 28.

Nobody thought The Rock was going to wrestle at a non-Wrestlemania event.

The Rock proved these people wrong and he wrestled at Survivor Series 2011.

Nobody thought The Rock was going to come back again after his Wrestlemania 28 match.

The Rock proved these people wrong and came back and wrestled at 3 PPVs in one year.



Before The Rock retires for good, he will have one more full time run and wrestle on free TV.

Rock left in 2004, and distanced himself from WWE. He didn't want to be associated with wrestling, and any question he received about it, he would deflect it. People might have thought he would never wrestle again, but it's because Rock himself insinuated that by his actions and reactions to any wrestling related topic.

He came back in 2011 for one reason and one reason only, the payday. He wasn't there to help WWE, he wasn't there to please the fans, he was there to feed his ego, collect a huge paycheck, and promote a movie. He took the Wrestlemania 28 match for the same reason, and he came to Survivor Series because of the criticism he was receiving. His return was not accepted as well as he expected so he took another match, that didn't sell very well, and it wasn't Miz's fault either.

His three PPV matches in 2013 were lackluster because of his conditioning. He was blown up not even halfway through his matches with Punk. And his match with Dena that year was not much better, and that was before his supposed serious injury.

If he ever comes back, I hope he gets the same treatment from the crowds as Batista. It's the same exact thing, Rock comes back, takes the spotlight away from everyone else, has things lined up for him like the WWE Title that he didn't need to win, takes the huge paycheck and then leaves. At least in Batista's case, he is working full time, and not just every few TV shows in a 3 month span like Rock.

And quite honestly, WWE doesn't need Rock. They have plenty of guys to carry them on that they don't need him to come back with his sporadic appearances.

 

[jacdnwarrior]

I highly doubt it. A full time run is a little too much to ask. I never understand why fans are on the Rock's case. The guy did everything he could in wrestling. He pursued a film career only after his contract with WWE expired and he did well there. The fans bitched about Rock returning, he did to do a few spots for Raw, then did the HoF which the WWE approached (begged him to do) by having members of his family inducted. The WWE after losing tons of money for years calls on the Rock to host WM and they make a deal and he wrestled two of them and a number of other matches at ppvs all of which made over a million buys and helped put WWE back in the black. These weren't great performances but his appearance garnered more interest than any one on the roster had ever done. This guy doesn't have to apologize for anything. He's done more than a lot to help WWE, A lot more than any of his detractors would do if they were in his shoes.

As far as the current roster is concerned, none of these guys have shown the same star quality as the Rock but time will tell.

 

[faltemer]

If he ever comes back, I hope he gets the same treatment from the crowds as Batista. It's the same exact thing, Rock comes back, takes the spotlight away from everyone else, has things lined up for him like the WWE Title that he didn't need to win, takes the huge paycheck and then leaves. At least in Batista's case, he is working full time, and not just every few TV shows in a 3 month span like Rock.

I would say Batista and Rock's return are vastly different because he is wrestling constantly and on free TV, he is there every week, and is signed to I believe a 2 year contract with I think a 6 month break at one point.

Dwayne did it for the money, his ego, and to make himself feel better about straight up abandoning the WWE when something else came his way. It's clear at this point the amount he cares about it or the fans is minimal at best and I hope that he never returns. Batista on the other hand at least seems to genuinely care about the fans.

 

[tak161]

I would say Batista and Rock's return are vastly different because he is wrestling constantly and on free TV, he is there every week, and is signed to I believe a 2 year contract with I think a 6 month break at one point.

Dwayne did it for the money, his ego, and to make himself feel better about straight up abandoning the WWE when something else came his way. It's clear at this point the amount he cares about it or the fans is minimal at best and I hope that he never returns. Batista on the other hand at least seems to genuinely care about the fans.

Yeah, that's what I was saying. But the reasons for the reaction to Batista now are in large part due to him coming back and at the time taking a spot away from Bryan. And that is just what Rock has done, so the comparison is there. However, that's where they stop because Batista is going full time.

 

[IT Factor]

I am saying never. Ever since The Rock's 2011 WWE return, he hasn't been "The Rock". He has been Dwayne Johnson, the Hollywood actor trying to play the part of The Rock just for nostalgia. His promos sucked during his feuds with Cena and for the most part, he was being owned by him. Think about that: being OWNED by CENA? If that doesn't prove how lame you are, nothing will. Plus, The Rock was injured at his last Mania against Cena and he ran off not to return since. I'm pretty sure that Dwayne wouldn't jeopardize his million dollar Hollywood acting career for WWE's sake. He lacks the passion for it anyway, so I'd rather see him have one final WM match and then ride off into the sunset. DONE.

 

[faltemer]

Yeah, that's what I was saying. But the reasons for the reaction to Batista now are in large part due to him coming back and at the time taking a spot away from Bryan. And that is just what Rock has done, so the comparison is there. However, that's where they stop because Batista is going full time.

Ok you just meant the reaction he was receiving, for some reason i thought you meant Batista was coming to take the spotlight. My apologizes.

 

[pratrullz098]

Oh no. Please. No more Dwayne Johnson. I'm sure WWE will will make a Loy of money, but the WWE fan inside me will die if he comes back for a full time run. WWE is pretty interesting right now, let's please not ruin that.

 

[kadroan]

I think he's done. For the sake of his movie career, he needs to retire. Hopefully, he comes back next year to announce his retirement. Even if he did comeback and face Brock, it's not like it'll beat the WM 28 record.

Now if Stone Cold comes back and face Cena etc, we might be on to something

 

[sTyLnK]

I get the whole "never say never" type stuff, but this is different. He's the biggest action star in the world, makes a ridiculous more amount of money and while it can be grueling, it isn't like being on the road wrestling 300 days a year banging up your body.

He's a good guy, he paid his dues, but ultimately decided in a different life changing career path. And that's cool. It's his life. But some people are going to be sticks in the mud and bash him for it -- Still to this day.

He won't ever come back full time, but he may come back for another match. Who knows though. It was very clear in his last match that him and everyone else around him knew that he was done. It's why you haven't heard a peep about him coming back since then. We all know.

 

[StingerSplash22]

I always laugh when you guys play fantasy booker but this makes me feel sorry for the guy who actually started the thread. There is absolutely no reason for Dwayne to ever come back for a full time run. I expect him to be the headline induction into their BS HOF next year and that will be nearly the last we see of the Rock. He may stop by from time to time but I doubt he even wrestles another match.

 

[Mustang Sally]

While I doubt he'll ever do a 2-year plan extravaganza as he did with Cena, he most likely will do something with WWE again......not because he has to, but because he wants to.

Unless I'm seriously misreading his motives, Dwayne Johnson is a guy who remembers his roots and realizes that without Rock the wrestler, there would be no Rock, the movie star.

Plainly, he could earn more money by making a movie than WWE could afford to pay him for wrestling. Why, then, would he bother risking injury in a wrestling ring unless he wants to acknowledge his former profession and give the fans the pleasure of seeing him perform again?

It would be one thing if his movie career was dying and needed a boost, but Johnson's cinematic efforts are going strong. If he times his WWE appearance to coincide with a plug for a film he has coming out......that's purely fine with me.

In addition to all that, I think he simply enjoys being back in the ring.....and for that reason, we'll see him there again, before he gets too old to do it.

 

[MrMojoRisin]

He came back in 2011 for one reason and one reason only, the payday. He wasn't there to help WWE, he wasn't there to please the fans, he was there to feed his ego, collect a huge paycheck, and promote a movie. He took the Wrestlemania 28 match for the same reason, and he came to Survivor Series because of the criticism he was receiving. His return was not accepted as well as he expected so he took another match, that didn't sell very well, and it wasn't Miz's fault either.

You do realize that the entire 3 year WM 27-29 stint, and everything in between, was planned from the beginning by Rock and the WWE?

Why does someone like Dwayne Johnson need a WWE payday? The man is worth $70 million. His ego? You don't think his ego was getting fed enough by being one of Hollywoods biggest (and busiest) stars at the time? Promoting a movie? Correct me if I'm wrong here, but despite the fact that he both had movies coming out, and movies he was filming during his latest WWE run, he barely, if at all talked about them.

And he didn't keep taking extra matches during his run because the entire thing wasn't going over well? For one, again that was all apart of the plan, and for another... how well did this go over...

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Also try keeping in mind the guys filming schedule during that entire run, and the sheer number of movies he had come out over that time. The guy was ridiculously busy... to the point that anyone (other than a wrestling fan) would have understood completely if he just dropped the entire thing because he simply couldn't keep up with all of it. For fucks sake, he would do a day of filming on the set, charter a plane, fly to RAW to cut a promo, fly back to the set, maybe get a couple hours of sleep, and get right back to filming. Name one other wrestler, current or past, in Johnson's situation who would have done the same thing, and done it for as long as Johnson did?

He came back for two reasons, and neither had to do with money or ego. He came back because he wanted to, and he came back for the fans. Simple as that.

 

[Rocky84]

Thank goodness for some intelligent responses here because I was starting to get worried with the ridiculously idiotic ones.

1. Rock clearly does not come to back for money when his movies make A LOT more.

2. The guy doesn't come back for his ego. Where the hell is the sense in that? The dude is genuinely a nice guy. This is crystal clear when seeing him out of character. You gotta be a real evil prick to hate so much on this dude.

3. He has said countless times that he left and dropped "The Rock" name because he wanted to be a successful actor on his own, without the help of his wrestling career. That's admirable. He said once he accomplished that success on his own that he would come back. It's his life, and acting is one of his passions as is wrestling. After all, isn't acting a part of wrestling?

4. To say his last run sucked is just hating. It was awesome. Evident by the ratings increases and PPV's buys. He wasn't owned by Cena as someone said...that's ridiculous. He crushed Cena, and son'd his ass so bad he got an endorsement deal out of it (Fruity Pebbles).. goes to show how much of a money maker Rocky is. He came back with a shit ton of fresh catchphrases "Boots to Asses" , "Fruity Pebbles", "Team Bring It" etc.. His video with that little kid making fun of Cena, his "you can't see me" knocks, his Rock concerts, etc...People just like to hate.

5. Some of you knock on his part time status and taking time from other wrestlers. He spoke on this issue too. Rock has paid his dues already yet people seem to forget that. He doesn't have to be there every week...he's done that already. By not being there every week that gives the up and comers time to shine. If he was there every week people would complain too. People will hate no matter what...it's sad some are that negative about this.

His fans want to see him whenever they can, and we are level headed and understand things like his insane schedule and injuries. We know that when he said he'll never leave, it didn't mean he'd be there every day. The ring rust is understandable too, though it's not all that bad...put the magnifying glass down and just enjoy the show.


Do I think he can do a full time run one more time? Full time like Batista? No. But I think he could be around in his final run more than he has the last 2 times once all these movies and shows are done. But more and more opportunities keep being thrown at him, it's tough to be in such demand. It would be nice to see, although unlikely, but you never know. Maybe he could do a Summerslam run and then a road to Wrestlemania run. That's like a 4 month shot. I'd absolutely take that.

 

[TheOneAndOnlyGOAT]

Thank goodness for some intelligent responses here because I was starting to get worried with the ridiculously idiotic ones.

1. Rock clearly does not come to back for money when his movies make A LOT more.

2. The guy doesn't come back for his ego. Where the hell is the sense in that? The dude is genuinely a nice guy. This is crystal clear when seeing him out of character. You gotta be a real evil prick to hate so much on this dude.

3. He has said countless times that he left and dropped "The Rock" name because he wanted to be a successful actor on his own, without the help of his wrestling career. That's admirable. He said once he accomplished that success on his own that he would come back. It's his life, and acting is one of his passions as is wrestling. After all, isn't acting a part of wrestling?

4. To say his last run sucked is just hating. It was awesome. Evident by the ratings increases and PPV's buys. He wasn't owned by Cena as someone said...that's ridiculous. He crushed Cena, and son'd his ass so bad he got an endorsement deal out of it (Fruity Pebbles).. goes to show how much of a money maker Rocky is. He came back with a shit ton of fresh catchphrases "Boots to Asses" , "Fruity Pebbles", "Team Bring It" etc.. His video with that little kid making fun of Cena, his "you can't see me" knocks, his Rock concerts, etc...People just like to hate.

5. Some of you knock on his part time status and taking time from other wrestlers. He spoke on this issue too. Rock has paid his dues already yet people seem to forget that. He doesn't have to be there every week...he's done that already. By not being there every week that gives the up and comers time to shine. If he was there every week people would complain too. People will hate no matter what...it's sad some are that negative about this.

His fans want to see him whenever they can, and we are level headed and understand things like his insane schedule and injuries. We know that when he said he'll never leave, it didn't mean he'd be there every day. The ring rust is understandable too, though it's not all that bad...put the magnifying glass down and just enjoy the show.


Do I think he can do a full time run one more time? Full time like Batista? No. But I think he could be around in his final run more than he has the last 2 times once all these movies and shows are done. But more and more opportunities keep being thrown at him, it's tough to be in such demand. It would be nice to see, although unlikely, but you never know. Maybe he could do a Summerslam run and then a road to Wrestlemania run. That's like a 4 month shot. I'd absolutely take that.

That's the point I was trying to make.

I can see Rock doing one last farewell full time run.

Probably a run similar to 2003 before he officially retires from wrestling.

 

[Rocky84]

That's the point I was trying to make.

I can see Rock doing one last farewell full time run.

Probably a run similar to 2003 before he officially retires from wrestling.

Yea, I would personally like to see him come back at SS and run a program with Brock to have a SS rematch. I think that'd be better than at Mania.

Then I'd like to see him come back around Rumble, maybe even take on Reigns and put him over. I could see Reigns getting the title, and maybe Rocky comes out as a face, congratulates him, and gives him the opportunity to prove that he's truly the best and go 1 on 1 with the Great One. If they had Punk vs Rock at The Rumble then I don't see why Reigns vs Rock at The Rumble couldn't happen. I don't think it's a Mania worthy match just yet, but Rumble would be perfect.

Then turn and set his sights to Triple H. Keep HHH in his heel role, and have them cross paths and fued for some reason and have them have their first ever singles match at Mania 31.

Perfect World for Rocky's last run....

SummerSlam: Brock vs Rock II

Royal Rumble: Reigns vs Rock

WrestleMania: Triple H vs Rock


Then he can sail off into the sunset, and come back occasionally for special appearances like special ref/enforcer, maybe host a Tough Enough of his own, corner a wrestler at Mania, etc. Then of course a HOF either in 2015 or 2016.

I think that'd be the best case scenario.