People Bash Dwayne - What About Austin?

[jacdnwarrior]

I don't think either should be bashed. I find the people who bash Rock, to be fucking ignorant idiots. Even some wrestlers have called him up on it. Whose life is it ? It's the Rock's life. He was in the business for a period of time. He was on the road, worked the crowds, put up with the lousy fan treatment and the bullshit politics of the business, the jealousy of co-workers etc. He gave everything he could for the WWE. He grew up in the business and he knew that he could make more money (at least more than what Vince was willing to pay) as an actor with less pain and more reward. He has every right to do that. I'm amazed that fans are so ridiculous to actually believe that wrestlers don't have a right to move on to better career paths.

I can't bash Austin. He was a star for the company and he knew from previous experience if he didn't speak his mind and put his foot down he would be taken advantage of. I don't necessarily agree with everything he did, Vince isn't an easy to deal with. He can be fucking difficult to communicate with and if Austin felt there was only way to make your message clear to him, then I can't fault him for doing what he felt he needed to.

 

[akrassikauda]

What makes Austin different from The Rock is that he came back. Far earlier. Stone Cold still did nostalgic appearances here and there after he left. He also kept on putting over the organization that made him a star. The Rock not only vanished for 7 years, but he at one point was SO focused on his movies that he refused to answer to "The Rock" and insisted everyone call him Dwayne Johnson. It's almost like he was ashamed of his wrestling past. That rubbed a lot of fans the wrong way and felt like a big middle finger to his supporters that got him to where he is today. Granted he is back now helping build up the dream match of a generation, but that doesn't change what he did. He could at least have come back sooner to do some appearances here and there. Not video recordings, legit appearances. Stone Cold did several AND kept putting over the product. Then there's Tough Enough. People give The Rock a harder time than Austin because of how long he was absent and the time period where he did not acknowledge his wrestling past.

You've said in one post everything I've said for years.

How many times has RAW or Smackdown been in Miami over the last seven years with no Rock. A whole lot but one. It was a RAW when Bischoff was there Randy Orton and Rock going at it verbally(that's my little pony) Bischoff has Rock escorted out at that moment it looked like a dream match 3rd generation star vs 3rd generation star but nothing came of it, it would have been cool. Since that moment the only time Rock was seen(via satellite) was to promote a movie of his nothing live even in Miami. The arena roof would have blown off when his music hit everyone would have marked out with all the RAW guest host's that we've seen it would have been great to have Rock do just one because the biggest complaint about that gimmick was not a lot of wrestling people as guest host but once again no Rock.

 

[boywithbluehanger]

You've said in one post everything I've said for years.

How many times has RAW or Smackdown been in Miami over the last seven years with no Rock. A whole lot but one. It was a RAW when Bischoff was there Randy Orton and Rock going at it verbally(that's my little pony) Bischoff has Rock escorted out at that moment it looked like a dream match 3rd generation star vs 3rd generation star but nothing came of it, it would have been cool. Since that moment the only time Rock was seen(via satellite) was to promote a movie of his nothing live even in Miami. The arena roof would have blown off when his music hit everyone would have marked out with all the RAW guest host's that we've seen it would have been great to have Rock do just one because the biggest complaint about that gimmick was not a lot of wrestling people as guest host but once again no Rock.

So it's ok to bash a wrestler just because he chose to take a hiatus for a few years? Isn't that his own personal decision to make? Does he owe you appearances?


This type of mentality is very misguided and probably just stems from either an already strong dislike for the character of The Rock or from a petty, childish, spoiled, greed.

 

[MFR0mack]

You forgot to mention how The Rock would state before interviews he didn't want wrestling related questions, how he didn't want to be referred to as The Rock so that people would take him seriously, how he was at one point stating he'd never return to wrestling because he'd done it all; he stated this in interviews as recent as 2008. The Rock left WWE to go to Hollywood, nobody holds a grudge with him for that, what you don't seem to understand is, it was the way he conducted himself when he left that make some fans see him as a "sell-out."

None of that matters, though. None of that is "selling out." That's all completely reasonable. Why would he want wrestling-related questions when he's trying to focus on his future and people just wanna ask questions and make jokes about the past? Pop Culture Media does not take wrestling seriously and the questions they ask performers tend to be laced with jokes and insults. Why put himself through dealing with that? Why would he want to continue to go by his wrestling name when he was no longer part of wrestling and was trying to make a career as a real person? What's wrong with saying he'd never return to wrestling? None of these things are bad.

Stone Cold Steve Austin on the other hand was a guy who didn't like how he was to be placed in an unadvertised match with Brock Lesnar, with no build where he was going to lose. Austin walked, Vince McMahon publicly cut a promo telling the fans the details leading up to Steve walking, but how long did it take Steve to come back? Seven months. In those seven months Steve didn't publicly state his name was to be only Steve Williams, that he didn't want to answer wrestling related questions and that he'd "done it all." He shut up and stayed quiet.

Man, you got a lot wrong. Lemme help ya. Things started turning sour for Austin as far back as 1999. He refused to job to Triple H during Summerslam that year, and so Mankind was put into the match to take the belt from him. He even got out of doing a job to HHH at No Mercy the same year, by pushing for a DQ finish that left him as the winner, but HHH still champion. They never wrestled at all in 2000 after Austin came back and when they did finally meet again at No Way Out 2001, Austin finally did the job... But only because he knew he was getting the WWF title at Wrestlemania the next month.

By the time 2002 rolled around, there were several straws that broke the camel's back. First off, he refused to job to Hogan at WrestleMania. Then he no showed a week of events and cut a ridiculous shoot interview on the company on live TV. When he refused to job to Lesnar, it was because he hated the idea of being destroyed. This wasn't some unhyped match, it was a King Of The Ring qualifying match and the whole suspense behind the idea of it was "Well, the Rattlesnake can beat anyone, but this guy's a monster...!" and then have Lesnar destroy him, to prove a point. Just like he destroyed Hogan and Undertaker. He can say it was for Lesnar's benefit all he wants, but he was being completely selfish. He walked out of that show. Went home, got drunk, beat up his wife, got arrested and even after WWE paid for his bail, he still no-showed Raw's he was scheduled for.

It wasn't that he "shut up and stayed quiet" as much as it was that he was completely embarrassed, humiliated and depressed. He'd made an ass out of himself, he turned his back on the company that made him a star and he got in trouble for beating the shit out of his wife. He didn't talk to anyone for the rest of 2002. And he wasn't trying to make a new career in another field, so of course he would not ask the things that a movie star would.

The guy attempted to isolate himself from ever being The Rock for well over a year.

No, the guy tried to move on from being The Rock for well over a year. Because he didn't want to be known as that wrestler that acts, he wanted to be known as an actor. Nothing wrong with that.

Two completely different stories here and comparing them is nonsensical and asinine.

Yeah, you're right. One guy was the biggest name in wrestling, held every fan in every arena in the palm of his hand from 1998 to 2011, put everything he had into the company for eight years, then decided he wanted to switch to a career that was not only one he enjoyed, but one that took less of a toll on his body. The other guy's star was falling, had a huge ego problem, refused to lose and walked out (with no words or apologizes or promises) twice on the company and the fans that made him a star.

The Rock didn't "sell-out" by any definition of the word. And he never put the WWF through the ridiculous, DIVA-like problems that Austin did.

 

[Davi323]

What makes Austin different from The Rock is that he came back. Far earlier. Stone Cold still did nostalgic appearances here and there after he left. He also kept on putting over the organization that made him a star. The Rock not only vanished for 7 years, but he at one point was SO focused on his movies that he refused to answer to "The Rock" and insisted everyone call him Dwayne Johnson. It's almost like he was ashamed of his wrestling past. That rubbed a lot of fans the wrong way and felt like a big middle finger to his supporters that got him to where he is today. Granted he is back now helping build up the dream match of a generation, but that doesn't change what he did. He could at least have come back sooner to do some appearances here and there. Not video recordings, legit appearances. Stone Cold did several AND kept putting over the product. Then there's Tough Enough. People give The Rock a harder time than Austin because of how long he was absent and the time period where he did not acknowledge his wrestling past.

Yeah. I agree 100% with this. It's not that they left, it's what they did after they left, their attitude, their willingness to make occasional appearances, etc. that make the biggest difference with me. Austin retired, but never completely left, either. Steve Austin never completely severed the ties. In every movie he is in, he is billed as Steve Austin, his wrestling name, not his birth name of Steve Williams. He always appeared on WWE TV to promote them, sometimes acted as a special guest referee, come out and give some deserving fool a stunner or two, he was gone, but he was still around, kinda sorta. When the Rock left, he LEFT. In the prime of his career, not because of years of nagging injuries creeping up.

The Rock used the WWE as a tool to gain popularity in order to do other things. The Rock is an entertainer who used wrestling as his medium of choice for a few years.

Steve Austin is a wrestler. That is his identity, that is who he is. The movies were a hobby, something to do because he can't wrestle anymore. If Austin had never gotten his neck broken, not gotten his knees wrecked, he probably would still be wrestling.

It's about focus. The entertainer who wrestles vs. the wrestler who entertains.

 

[Trill Co$by]

I don't know about anyone else, but when comes to myself, even though he basically led the charge of the most dangerous era of wrestling I still think that Austin is WAY more respectable than Dwayne will ever be.

For starters, Austin will show up at a WWE event whenever Vince makes that call. In the last year a lone, he's made more WWE appearances than The Rock has in ages. He willingly hosted Tough Enough, which gave possible future WWE superstars a chance to show what they're made of and get advice from THE greatest cash cow in WWE history.

Also, Stone Cold didn't willingly walk away from the ring. Like Edge, and Shawn in the attitude era, Stone Cold was injured beyond repairs that he HAD to retire from the ring. I get it, The Rock had done it all, but did he really have to just up and disappear for no reason without putting over a few guys? I mean hell, even Austin comes to the ring every once in a while to Stunner a future main eventer...

And second, Austin hasn't left WWE. He's always welcoming his fans to remind him of his wrestling career, because he's been a wrestling guy since day one. He knows that people actually know of his true history and respect him for all he's done to get to the top of the mountain. Hell, I remember when Austin was still in USWA and we got frequent Texas footage with a few Memphis matches...

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

The topic has been done quite a few times in the past but the answer has always been a very simple one. No one is painting Austin as some saint. What he did in 2002 was very unprofessional and completely out of line. I guess even Austin would admit to that, or at least some part of it, now. The thing, however, is that he came back for one final run and left only because of his neck injury. He has said countless times in interviews that had it not been for the injury, he might have wrestled a couple of more years at least. He still makes regular appearances for the WWE and has even hosted a show. All that has led to his misdiscretions in 2002 becoming a distant memory.

Rock, to be fair to him, has been very professional about everything. His contract was up in 2004 and so he left. He did not want Vince to earn off what he was making in movies and so he removed "The Rock" from his name. Fair enough. But the fact remains that he has made quite a few dick moves under the mask of professionalism. I mean why do you have to go out of your way to stop your fans from calling you "The Rock" when you are signing autographs? That is totally uncalled for. He distanced himself for the WWE for a number of years and while people do understand what he did, his unwillingness to admit these facts in front of wrestling fans puts people off.

 

[TheHitMark-SirJoseOle]

I am going to chime in again on this topic and just mention that those who are bashing The Rock for not continuing a full time relationship with WWE must not have the foresight to think that maybe just maybe The Rock wanted to have more credible movie roles and paydays with films like Fast Five, The Other Guys, Get Smart, and GI Joe: Retaliation and not get saddled with motion picture jokes from WWE like The Condemned, The Chaperone or Legendary. Those outings make No Holds Barred look like Gone With The Wind by comparison and trust me that's a Herculean effort all within itself when you think about how cliched a film that was!

Heaven forbid that The Rock finishes up a lengthy contract with WWE and moves on to a movie career where he'll do films that aren't going to be in the theater for one whole weekend and then left to rot exclusively at your local Wal-Mart movie bin.

So yeah say The Rock had stuck around all this time with WWE and committed more to them, he'd probably have ended up gipping himself out of some really prime movie roles, can't say I blame someone for not wanting to have the same cinematic fate as guys like Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin and Triple H.

 

[Frostrike]

Austin also kindly let fans know prior to his name change that it would be best to call him Steve Williams as opposed to Stone Cold Steve Austin for royalty reasons. As for the reason why The Rock distanced himself from the product is because he had a falling out with Vince after '04 and he is too loyal to his WWE/WWF/WWWF roots to ever bring this out into the public or to ever call them out.

 

[Davi323]

I am going to chime in again on this topic and just mention that those who are bashing The Rock for not continuing a full time relationship with WWE must not have the foresight to think that maybe just maybe The Rock wanted to have more credible movie roles and paydays with films like Fast Five, The Other Guys, Get Smart, and GI Joe: Retaliation and not get saddled with motion picture jokes from WWE like The Condemned, The Chaperone or Legendary. Those outings make No Holds Barred look like Gone With The Wind by comparison and trust me that's a Herculean effort all within itself when you think about how cliched a film that was!

Heaven forbid that The Rock finishes up a lengthy contract with WWE and moves on to a movie career where he'll do films that aren't going to be in the theater for one whole weekend and then left to rot exclusively at your local Wal-Mart movie bin.

So yeah say The Rock had stuck around all this time with WWE and committed more to them, he'd probably have ended up gipping himself out of some really prime movie roles, can't say I blame someone for not wanting to have the same cinematic fate as guys like Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin and Triple H.

Except that he was already getting mainstream roles while he was still in the WWE. Prior to his leaving in 2004, he had already appeared in an episode of That 70's Show, an episode of The Net, an episode of Star Trek Voyager, was in the Scorpion King, The Rundown, Walking Tall, and depending on when they were filmed, (not released) possibly Be Cool and Doom. Those roles aren't any less "prime" than any of the films you mentioned, and there is no way to know if he wouldn't have gotten those roles anyway.

 

[TheHitMark-SirJoseOle]

Except that he was already getting mainstream roles while he was still in the WWE. Prior to his leaving in 2004, he had already appeared in an episode of That 70's Show, an episode of The Net, an episode of Star Trek Voyager, was in the Scorpion King, The Rundown, Walking Tall, and depending on when they were filmed, (not released) possibly Be Cool and Doom. Those roles aren't any less "prime" than any of the films you mentioned, and there is no way to know if he wouldn't have gotten those roles anyway.

While you raised good points, I definitely will stand by what I said in regards to his current roles being much bigger ones now than they were then. I hate The Fast And The Furious, not going to lie, but honestly one role in a Fast And The Furious film trumps his appearances on shows like Star Trek Voyager and The Net (how many people here even really remember that TV adaptation of the Sandra Bullock film) and then the GI Joe follow up.

I do absolutely feel that The Rock's movie roles would have been limited had he stayed with WWE. Keep in mind Doom and Be Cool were being filmed towards the end of The Rock's contractual obligations with WWE, he was finishing up with them regardless.

Just considering WWE's history with how it deals with its performers, I could easily have seen Vince limiting what The Rock would be able to do in Hollywood and therefore I think that's why The Rock ended up severing his full time ties with the company in 2004 because I think he realized there was more he could do without being under WWE's rather large thumb.

Again keep in mind the hypothetical here...Rock stays in WWE he would have been committed to still probably wrestle and then when a movie role would be available for him it probably would have been a WWE studios shit fest instead of an A-List Hollywood film. That's just my opinion but when you look at how WWE's other stars have pretty much been doing this since WWE studios became an entity...I'd have to say it's a solid rationale to think this way about what The Rock's movie future might have been had he stuck around in WWE instead of going into business for himself.

 

[kokoBawesome]

We aren't bashing Austin as hard because he isn't back. The Rock is back so he's on our radar. I'm sure if Austin comes back we'll give him some shit too.

Plus don't you read these forums? Every time someone starts bashing the Rock a bunch of his fans bring out the "Austin took his ball and went home" card. Do you think your the first person to point this out?

I'm bashing the Rock because I don't like the idea of someone coming back and taking over Wrestlemania. The guy shows up twice and he gets to interfere in the main event of the last Wrestlemania, in the process making himself bigger than the show. Than he gets to show up a handful of times and main event Wrestlemania again? Fuck this guy. He may have paid his dues, but the guys that are around now have paid their dues too.

The Rock had his moment, step aside and let the next generation through.

 

[Davi323]

Again keep in mind the hypothetical here...Rock stays in WWE he would have been committed to still probably wrestle and then when a movie role would be available for him it probably would have been a WWE studios shit fest instead of an A-List Hollywood film. That's just my opinion but when you look at how WWE's other stars have pretty much been doing this since WWE studios became an entity...I'd have to say it's a solid rationale to think this way about what The Rock's movie future might have been had he stuck around in WWE instead of going into business for himself.

And he would have avoided completely emasculating himself with Race to Witch Mountain, the Tooth Fairy and the Game Plan. Overall, considering he never became the huge action star that he thought he was going to be, staying in the WWE might have been a better career move.

 

[TheHitMark-SirJoseOle]

And he would have avoided completely emasculating himself with Race to Witch Mountain, the Tooth Fairy and the Game Plan. Overall, considering he never became the huge action star that he thought he was going to be, staying in the WWE might have been a better career move.

I doubt it...at least those films while they might not be my cup of tea don't have the same "groan factor" as movies you'll only find at your local Wal-Mart. Let's be honest here those WWE Studios gems are exclusives at Wal-Mart for one reason and one reason only and it's not because they're prized collector's items, that much I can assure you.

Because I'd tell you this much I'd rather have the Walt Disney Company paying me the change to do their films as unentertaining as I find their films to be instead of sticking with the WWE Studios formula of showing a movie for one weekend that virtually no one will see and then have it lay dormant on Wal-Mart shelves for all to pass by and just laugh at.

So yeah maybe he's not an Arnold or a Sly level of action star, but no one in the wrestling business has done as well crossing over into the motion picture world as him...Hogan, Austin, Triple H have not been able to have that same consistency in the box office that The Rock has had. Period.

 

[MFR0mack]

\For starters, Austin will show up at a WWE event whenever Vince makes that call. In the last year a lone, he's made more WWE appearances than The Rock has in ages. He willingly hosted Tough Enough, which gave possible future WWE superstars a chance to show what they're made of and get advice from THE greatest cash cow in WWE history.

None of this makes him respectable. It just means he needs a paycheck and WWE is one of the few places that will give him one. It's never Vince asking Austin a favor, it's Vince offering Austin cash.

Also, Stone Cold didn't willingly walk away from the ring. Like Edge, and Shawn in the attitude era, Stone Cold was injured beyond repairs that he HAD to retire from the ring.

Actually, Austin's injuries are way overplayed. His original neck injury and the fusion surgery he required were pretty severe, yes, but he was never in 2001, 2002 or 2003 at the point Edge is this year where if he took the wrong kind of bump, he'd be fucked. And it's pretty silly to say he's "injured beyond repairs," considering since 2008 he's been talking about how he wants to have one more match and how he thinks he could do it well. Sounds like repairable damage to me...

I get it, The Rock had done it all, but did he really have to just up and disappear for no reason without putting over a few guys? I mean hell, even Austin comes to the ring every once in a while to Stunner a future main eventer...

Austin stuns everyone. That's not putting anyone over, it's not doing them any kind of favor. In a lot of people's eyes, it's a truly embarrassing moment for the performer. And the Rock didn't just "up and disappear for no reason without putting over a few guys." Did you miss his last two years completely? During that timeframe alone, he put over Jericho, he put over Lesnar, he put over Goldberg, he even put over The Hurricane and gave a huge rub to Christian on his way out the door. He gave a farewell speech and then he came back for one more match and put over Randy Orton and Batista at Wrestlemania XX. How can you say he just disappeared or that he didn't put a few guys over?

And second, Austin hasn't left WWE.

Yeah, he has. The same way The Rock has. Just 'cause Austin has more free time on his plate to make personal appearances while The Rock is out still fulfilling his dreams, keeping him occupied doesn't mean Austin hasn't or didn't leave any different from The Rock. They've both done their part for the company since they've left.

I mean why do you have to go out of your way to stop your fans from calling you "The Rock" when you are signing autographs?

Because he was trying to move forward with his life, not stay in the past. His new career is very different for his old one. Maybe he just wanted the respect of someone calling him by his name instead of a cartoon name, too.

his unwillingness to admit these facts in front of wrestling fans puts people off.

They have no right to be put off. This is why the people who bitch about the Rock are childish idiots. He did nothing but make a decision in his life to better his future. He didn't abandon anyone. He didn't turn on anyone. He didn't sell-out. He changed careers, to one that was healthier on his body and better for his family.

Except that he was already getting mainstream roles while he was still in the WWE. Prior to his leaving in 2004, he had already appeared in an episode of That 70's Show, an episode of The Net, an episode of Star Trek Voyager, was in the Scorpion King, The Rundown, Walking Tall, and depending on when they were filmed, (not released) possibly Be Cool and Doom. Those roles aren't any less "prime" than any of the films you mentioned, and there is no way to know if he wouldn't have gotten those roles anyway

Actually, the roles that were previously mentioned (Get Smart, Fast Five, G.I. Joe, The Other Guys) are definitely more prime than any of the ones you mentioned, as they featured higher budgets, more skilled writers & directors and strong casts (along with typically better reviews). A couple TV shows are pretty meaningless, The Scorpion King was pretty much a test-the-waters film to see if he could hold a whole film himself (as opposed to the brief role in Mummy Returns), and The Rundown & Walking Tall are pretty much jokes of the film world. Jokes of film would actually apply to Be Cool and Doom, as well, if only for their directors & writers, but those two are irrelevant because they were most definitely filmed after he left the WWE.

He's definitely done better for himself in recent years when it comes to movie roles, but staying in WWE while trying to tackle Hollywood would have been nearly impossible, just 'cause Hollywood doesn't take WWE that seriously. One thing people don't seem to get is that The Rock didn't want to be just an action star, he wanted to be an actor. Like, all kinds of movies. The problem was, he was pretty much always cast in action roles while he was wrestling and it wasn't until after he distanced himself the WWE that he started to get multiple types of roles.

And he would have avoided completely emasculating himself with Race to Witch Mountain, the Tooth Fairy and the Game Plan. Overall, considering he never became the huge action star that he thought he was going to be, staying in the WWE might have been a better career move.

He never emasculated himself, those are roles and most movie-goers are smart enough to separate reality from what's on the screen (I know that's tough with ICW marks, tho!). Again, he never tried to be a big action star. He just wanted to be an actor. And if you think staying in the WWE, working unending schedules and constantly putting your body on the line is a better career move than being an actor in Hollywood, you need legitimate mental help. Undertaker can barely even walk anymore, let alone show up for one show a year. If Rock had kept at it through the years, he'd be broken like everyone else ends up in this business.

 

[boywithbluehanger]

1000% Wrong. That type of mentality is very misguided probably from a smark who has a dislike for intelligent conversation and hates anyone who has another opinion to call someone petty selfish childish spoiled and greedy who didn't bother for one second to put a post in perspective or disagree with a proper retort before calling names thus showing the world who really is the selfish childish petty spoiled greedy one.

Actually, I made clear my disagreement with your post by asking you the three rhetorical questions regarding your disapproval of The Rock never making an actual appearance in seven years.

And since you so desperately would like me to expound on this:

The Rock made a conscious decision to take a break when he left the WWE. Just because you or anyone else would have preferred that he came back sooner OR disapprove that he left in the first place, doesn't mean that he owes anyone an appearance. That's what I meant when I (basically) called that type of mentality selfish.

I work in a place where everyone seems to like me and I get paid decent money. But you better believe that if I got an offer to make twice or even three times what I make doing something else I love, I would heavily consider taking that job full time instead. Hell my boss actually said (and has shown) that he encourages people to take opportunities that put them in better situations. I take this long way home to pretty much draw a comparison to The Rock's decisions to leave the WWE to truly focus another career he began feeling passionately for.

I'm a big fan of his so yeah I'm pissed that he didn't come back but I NEVER thought for one second that he should have come back to the WWE just because I want him to. And like I said, I find that to be a selfish way of thinking.

 

[dman1373]

ok lets not anything twisted here. First off the rock wrestled from 1996 to 2001 and then came back a couple of times up to the beginning of 2004. Second off the rock has had a longer acting career then a wrestling career.

Now about this whole taking his ball and going home, that happend for a week. And even as bad as that was, he didn't leave for 7 years.

 

[TheHitMark-SirJoseOle]

ok lets not anything twisted here. First off the rock wrestled from 1996 to 2001 and then came back a couple of times up to the beginning of 2004. Second off the rock has had a longer acting career then a wrestling career.

Now about this whole taking his ball and going home, that happend for a week. And even as bad as that was, he didn't leave for 7 years.

Actually The Rock wrestled a little bit longer than that, in fact his wrestling days began in the early stages of 1995, before the days of Ohio Valley Wrestling and Florida Championship Wrestling, the USWA was the training ground for a lot of guys to polish their skills in before going to the WWF. So despite The Rock's connections in the business by being a third generation star he still had to work in a smaller forum before going up to the big time in the WWF. Granted it was only about a year's time but he was being prepped for the big time and not rushed right on camera, however I will admit that maybe his IC title win was rushed a tad bit but at the same time considering the experimental and transitional phase the WWF was in back in 1997 that issue was fixed rather quickly when Owen Hart beat him for the strap.

But anyway, let's not kid ourselves here, sure The Rock's full time phase lasted from 1996 to 2001 and then from 2002-2004 his appearances were not as plentiful but in that time they used him to put Brock Lesnar over for the World Title and again just like Hulk Hogan's situation when he put Lesnar over you can't fault The Rock because that didn't work out, considering the fact The Rock's star power outside of wrestling was increasing, he probably could have vetoed wrestling Lesnar.

Also, let's not kid ourselves here, WWE was benefiting just as much from The Rock crossing over into Hollywood as The Rock was, therefore The Rock earned his liberties to do what he chose to do for his own best interests. And then when the time came for his contract to end he moved on. He fulfilled his obligations so the fans who bitch incessantly about The Rock's prerogatives need to get a grip, simply put. Because when The Rock left for seven years it wasn't because he broke a contract, he fulfilled it.

 

[Peoples_Champ]

I don't bash Dwayne for leaving to go to Hollywood, like I don't bash Lesnar for trying out in the NFL / doing MMA. Austin did "take his ball and go home," but I blame the WWE creative more than Austin. Austin was exhausted at the time and wasn't a fan of the storylines, fair enough. He should have been given a 4-6 week vacation, so that he could rest and relax. He wasn't the WWE champ at the time, writing him off TV wouldn't have been a problem.

 

[The Champ]

I don't bash Dwayne for leaving to go to Hollywood, like I don't bash Lesnar for trying out in the NFL / doing MMA. Austin did "take his ball and go home," but I blame the WWE creative more than Austin. Austin was exhausted at the time and wasn't a fan of the storylines, fair enough. He should have been given a 4-6 week vacation, so that he could rest and relax. He wasn't the WWE champ at the time, writing him off TV wouldn't have been a problem.

See, I can understand forgiving Austin, and I even get why he's not treated like Rock is in regards to leaving, because he did come back a lot sooner.

When people start making excuses for the incredibly unprofessional decision to walk out, that's where the problem is. Yes, his reasoning was correct. Yes, it would have been moronic to have Lesnar go over him on a Raw instead of building up to it on a pay-per-view. But that doesn't mean you just leave. Does anyone here walk out of their job when they don't like the way things are going? Because if you do or did, my guess is they're not taking you back. And just because Austin knows he's big enough to come back whenever he wants doesn't mean he should treat his employers with disregard.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

For the most part, the people bashing Dwayne Johnson/The Rock are Lil Jimmies. If Stone Cold started a feud with John Cena, people would bash Stone Cold too.

Both guys left for bigger things, can't fault them for that.

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

I'm not sure why we're bashing either one. Sure, Stone Cold acted like a bit of a baby (reportedly) during the whole Lesnar ordeal, but who gives a shit? It's not like it hurt Lesnar, who is now the biggest PPV draw on the planet, outside of two boxers.

Rock left with good reason. There's no chance in hell Vince could pay him even close to what he was going to make in Hollywood, so seriously, shut up about that. Any person in his position would have done the same thing (Austin, Cena, Punk, whoever).

Here's a reality check - Rock didn't need to come back. He could have stayed away, forever. That's right- for-fucking-ever. He didn't. And don't tell me he's just looking for money. He doesn't need more of that, he's set. He did something he didn't have to do, which is entertain all of us one more time. How about some gratitude? He doesn't owe any of us a fucking thing, plain and simple.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

I'm not sure why we're bashing either one. Sure, Stone Cold acted like a bit of a baby (reportedly) during the whole Lesnar ordeal, but who gives a shit? It's not like it hurt Lesnar, who is now the biggest PPV draw on the planet, outside of two boxers.

Rock left with good reason. There's no chance in hell Vince could pay him even close to what he was going to make in Hollywood, so seriously, shut up about that. Any person in his position would have done the same thing (Austin, Cena, Punk, whoever).

Here's a reality check - Rock didn't need to come back. He could have stayed away, forever. That's right- for-fucking-ever. He didn't. And don't tell me he's just looking for money. He doesn't need more of that, he's set. He did something he didn't have to do, which is entertain all of us one more time. How about some gratitude? He doesn't owe any of us a fucking thing, plain and simple.

And many of these people bashing The Rock conveniently forget that HE PAID HIS DUES. It's not like he's just some no name celebrity that came out of nowhere to steal the spotlight. He earned his stature in the WWE and 99% of that roster right now will never even reach half of the level that The Rock (or Stone Cold) reached. Cena and the Lil Jimmies always call the Rock out for appearing via satellite or saying how he's never there. Of course he's never there, HE'S NOT ON THE FULL TIME ROSTER!!! He was though, many years ago and when he was there, he busted his ass to reach the top of the mountain and the right to headline any WWE PPV.

 

[Davi323]

It's the way he left, it's the way he came back. I don't even care about the fact that he left the WWE for Hollywood...he's gotta do what he's gotta do to make money. But, when he came back, and told the biggest crock of shit lies to the fans, about how it was in his blood, how he would never leave again, etc...that is what soured me on him. I used to be a huge Rock fan, not anymore. Had he simply said, I was gone, now I am back, no harm no foul. But, he didn't. He told us a bullshit story, and expected everyone to eat it up.

 

[Y-2-Jay]

In my opinion what Austin did was worse than The Rock. Austin walked out while under fucking contract and while advertised as the major star of the night and i still remember it now when this happened it hurt and hurt bad (Was still kinda young at the time). I understand why he did it with his injury's/booking and at least he came back but damn that was pretty bad.

The Rock left after his contract expired and is now back when he could of said "FUCK YOU" and kept doing movies for life. None should really be hated for what they did even though i still think what Austin did was kinda bad but like i said though he came back finished up his career and also apologized for walking out. It's all in the past just keep it back there and enjoy that they are both still entertaining us on WWE TV.