People Bash Dwayne - What About Austin?

[jacdnwarrior]

If I'm not mistaken the moniker 'The Rock' is owned by both Dwayne and WWE 50/50. I could be wrong, but that's what I heard. If he were to keep using that name, it could cost him a shitload everytime he uses it. Austin who made 'Stone Cold' worth millions, had to stop using it or at least tell people to refer to him only as Steve Austin as he made a round of interviews. The Dudleys lost their name to Vince and have to call themselves 3 D, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash lost their monikers Razor Ramon and Diesel when they went to WCW. CM Punk refused to let WWE take his moniker or give him another one. So under these conditions, it can be understood why Dwayne stopped using the Rock as his name in Hollywood.

Rock left for greener pastures. The money who makes now making films is far more than anything Vince would ever pay him for making films for WWE studios. If I went to any person on the street, and offered them a job or career that paid them more and had a lighter workload than what they are currently doing, most people would jump at the chance. Those few that don't must have the luxury of doing something that they love and truthfully that number might be very very small.

 

[J.J.]

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.

Who is this "we" you are referring to? I see this quite frequently in your posts and not once had I agree with your opinion when in reference to "we". I like the idea of Rock/Cena. Rock as an in-ring performer is still phenomenal and he still gets over with the crowd. I think many like yourself fail to realize Rock/Cena = higher buyrayes, merchandise sales, ect. Honestly if The Rock was back full time how many people would like you would still complain or part of the "we" equation.

I wouldn't dislike an Austin return, I don't frown upon veteran wrestlers being involved in storylines or being in main event feuds. It makes for good business, regardless of what people here may think.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

Rock didn't start out wanting to be a wrestler, he wanted to be a football player. Then after a few years, left WWE for movies.

Austin paid his dues and worked his way up and has since come back to WWE more and did other wrestling-related things.

that's why people aren't as hard on Austin. When austin says "I love wrestling" people believe him. He competed with a broken neck. Personally, I DO think that Austin/Cena/etc love wrestling more than Dwayne, Dwayne plays that up too and I like it.

Rock and Cena is good for business. You need these passing of the torch moments and it's going to draw big numbers.

I also think people hate on Rock more because he's not really a "movie star". WWE and Rock (character) seem to act like he's Brad Pitt or Johnny Depp. He's not. He's been nominated (won?) a Razzie, been in some realy horrible movies, and then been in a supporting role in successful franchises. Essentially, he's about as much of a "movie star" as David Arquette, WCW title reign and all.

 

[ae_wrestler123]

Rock didn't start out wanting to be a wrestler, he wanted to be a football player. Then after a few years, left WWE for movies.

Austin paid his dues and worked his way up and has since come back to WWE more and did other wrestling-related things.

that's why people aren't as hard on Austin. When austin says "I love wrestling" people believe him. He competed with a broken neck. Personally, I DO think that Austin/Cena/etc love wrestling more than Dwayne, Dwayne plays that up too and I like it.

Rock and Cena is good for business. You need these passing of the torch moments and it's going to draw big numbers.

I also think people hate on Rock more because he's not really a "movie star". WWE and Rock (character) seem to act like he's Brad Pitt or Johnny Depp. He's not. He's been nominated (won?) a Razzie, been in some realy horrible movies, and then been in a supporting role in successful franchises. Essentially, he's about as much of a "movie star" as David Arquette, WCW title reign and all.

What else can austin do besides "wrestle"? What do all wwe stars try to do post retirement, not act? WWE is a platform for them to pursue acting, even randy said he wouldn't mind doing acting. If you love "rasslin" then you wouldn't be in the WWE. It is a showbiz.
Dwayne had been in 18 films none of which went straight to dvd so i would say he is a pretty could actor considering also that they were all different genres, not just action movies. Not everyone is a johnny depp or brad pitt. With that stupid mentality then you would only be watching few hollywood movies. I guess if we say johnny depp acted in some really bad movies like secret window and blow then he must suck as an actor?

Also Dwayne's father didn't want him to get into wrestling because it was not worth it to him. Dwayne said his dad told him that he had been a wrestler for many years and had nothing to show for it. ie: broke and maybe addicted to drugs.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

What else can austin do besides "wrestle"? What do all wwe stars try to do post retirement, not act? WWE is a platform for them to pursue acting, even randy said he wouldn't mind doing acting. If you love "rasslin" then you wouldn't be in the WWE. It is a showbiz.
Dwayne had been in 18 films none of which went straight to dvd so i would say he is a pretty could actor considering also that they were all different genres, not just action movies. Not everyone is a johnny depp or brad pitt. With that stupid mentality then you would only be watching few hollywood movies. I guess if we say johnny depp acted in some really bad movies like secret window and blow then he must suck as an actor?

Also Dwayne's father didn't want him to get into wrestling because it was not worth it to him. Dwayne said his dad told him that he had been a wrestler for many years and had nothing to show for it. ie: broke and maybe addicted to drugs.

The whole direct to DVD thing doesn't mean shit. A lot of bad actors are in movies that aren't direct to DVD. "all different genres" so action and family-friendly comedy huh. Wow, what range.

FACT is, my girlfriend's parents and virtually any non-wrestling fan I know, every review of his movies, especially in the early days, and his Razzie prove that most people see him as "that former pro wrestler who sort of looks like Vin Diesel and is a bad actor". He's not a huge movie star. He's not Depp, he's not Pitt, he's not even Galinafanakis or whatever the fuck. He's David Arquette with muscles and without the drug addiction. The only people who take him seriously are wrestling fans. If not, then why is there that Razzie? The Razzie is what hollywood people give to the WORST at something. WORST. He's not just in bad movies, he's seen as a BAD ACTOR.

Dwayne also said he wanted to be a football star, that it was his dream.

No, if you love wrestling, WWE is where you want to be. CM Punk, Cena, these guys LOVE pro wrestling. They love the entertainment aspect of it.

Rock never really sacrificed as much as the other guys. He was talented and had a golden ticket with his connections in the business. He got in, got his, and got out. That's it pisses people off.

Personally, I don't mind it. I think it's great for the dynamic of him vs Cena.

 

[ae_wrestler123]

The whole direct to DVD thing doesn't mean shit. A lot of bad actors are in movies that aren't direct to DVD. "all different genres" so action and family-friendly comedy huh. Wow, what range.

FACT is, my girlfriend's parents and virtually any non-wrestling fan I know, every review of his movies, especially in the early days, and his Razzie prove that most people see him as "that former pro wrestler who sort of looks like Vin Diesel and is a bad actor". He's not a huge movie star. He's not Depp, he's not Pitt, he's not even Galinafanakis or whatever the fuck. He's David Arquette with muscles and without the drug addiction. The only people who take him seriously are wrestling fans. If not, then why is there that Razzie? The Razzie is what hollywood people give to the WORST at something. WORST. He's not just in bad movies, he's seen as a BAD ACTOR.

Dwayne also said he wanted to be a football star, that it was his dream.

No, if you love wrestling, WWE is where you want to be. CM Punk, Cena, these guys LOVE pro wrestling. They love the entertainment aspect of it.


Rock never really sacrificed as much as the other guys. He was talented and had a golden ticket with his connections in the business. He got in, got his, and got out. That's it pisses people off.

Personally, I don't mind it. I think it's great for the dynamic of him vs Cena.

Gridiron gang and walking tall were dramas. I'm sick of "i love wrestling" shit. Why is cena in movies then? You say the entertainment aspect of "rasslin" Then what is that not acting? If you say kurt angle loves pro wrestling then i will believe you. So i guess brock lesnar doesn't love pro wrestling either. Neither jericho nor batista? WWE is a showbiz. Plain and simple. Not about "rasslin". And every "superstar" knows that. You getting into wwe you getting into acting. That is why there is WWE FILMS.
"Action soap opera" as vince calls it. Does that sound like pro rassling?

 

[leydier]

This really comes down to jealousy.

Dwayne dominated sports entertainment (pro wrestling), he's dominated the acting world (so to speak), he sells more seats then the current faces (CM Punk and Cena) and he's better then 90% of the roster in the ring and 100% of the roster on the mic and he's 40 years old and has been gone for 7 years.

Say what you will, my opinion is that this is basic human nature. He excels at what he does, has a great attitude, and people are jealous.

I say good for you Dwayne, you ventured off did something unprecedented, and succeeded beyond reason.

Furthremore, he still makes an effort to be there for the current fanbase.

Do you guys really think he needs to come back to wrestling? Hell no. He's doing it because he loves it. It's his roots. His Father, his Grandfather, without wrestling there would be no The Rock. His twitter, is theRock not Dwayne Johnson.

CM Punk making snide remarks about "Dwayne" is cowardly and pathetic. Maybe "Dwayne" isn't the most friendly anymore, but I'm sure he's so damn busy, that he just can't take the time to do it anymore. He's been there done that, doesn't have the time, yet he wants to give back. He doesn't want to talk to a whiny CM Punk, don't really blame him, Punk's ego is going to explode.

 

[remyx]

I don't see why so many people are pissed about Rock saying he was never going anywhere. He probably meant that he's not going to go away for that long a time again... who knows, he could be back for a match at wrestlemania next year, even as early as summerslam. I'm pretty sure he realised that he can do the hollywood thing and word the occasional match as it makes the WWE better off, makes his wallet better off, keeps his standing with the WWE universe and gets him more exposure.

As far as people bitching about Austin, well its as easy as this. People don't complain about Austin because he's had a boat load of injuries, bad knees, bad neck, bad heart. Not only that but the the last 6 months of his full time WWE career weren't the best... not entirely his fault. His waining popularity is as much to do with the office as it ever was Austins. He seemed like an after thought the entire duration of his post alliance career. Fair play he didn't want Hogan to come in and take his spot after all the bashing he had done of the WWE, also the fact that Hall, Nash and Hogan decided to sit out the duration of their WCW contracts instead of coming back and making REAL history.

Hogan did not want to put Austin over, simple as, he didn't mind putting over the Rock. Why should Austin, the man who had reignited the publics love of wrestling again, want to put over a fading star way past his prime? After that he was put in a shoddy feud with the nWo, Ric Flair & the Big Show... to top it off they wanted him to job to a guy who had been around 2 minutes in an unscheduled match. Absolutely barmy!

Nobody should hold gripes against Austin or the Rock, they have done shit loads for the business everyone on here loves. Stop bashing wrestling and enjoy it.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

Gridiron gang and walking tall were dramas. I'm sick of "i love wrestling" shit. Why is cena in movies then? You say the entertainment aspect of "rasslin" Then what is that not acting? If you say kurt angle loves pro wrestling then i will believe you. So i guess brock lesnar doesn't love pro wrestling either. Neither jericho nor batista? WWE is a showbiz. Plain and simple. Not about "rasslin". And every "superstar" knows that. You getting into wwe you getting into acting. That is why there is WWE FILMS.
"Action soap opera" as vince calls it. Does that sound like pro rassling?

No, walking tall had drama aspects, but it was closer to action than drama. Had several fight scenes. Gridiron Gang is a sports movie. Maybe it's a sports drama. Bottom line is Rock is a comedy/action guy. some of his movies add elements of drama, but he's not daniel day-lewis. I don't see how people are arguing with me that Rock is seen as a joke, FUCKING RAZZIE. Holy shit, a Razzie, is when hollywood people...get this....THINK YOU'RE THE FUCKING WORST AT SOMETHING. It's the opposite of an Academy Award. How in the hell are you guys trying to convince me that he's seen as a good actor or even is a good actor? RAZZIE http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Raspberry_Award

Also, http://www.imdb.com/list/VhMiVg7B4xE/ IMDB, one of the most widely used movie sites, has a list of bad actors, and guess who's on it? Dwayne Johnson. Now, Cena is ranked above Rock (being worse). The difference is, Cena doesn't pretend to be a movie star. Cena is a sports entertainer. Rock, and any other pro wrestler is only taken seriously as entertainers by wrestling fans and dumb hicks who like action movies (large % likely wrestling fans).

I'm not talking about "rasslin" I'm talking about the live-performance "action soap opera". There is a distinct difference between performing a physical act in front of 10-70k people in what is really a niche form of entertainment and being a movie star.

Jericho loves wrestling, he was on the indies and in japan and worked his ass off under bad conditions in WCW.

no, batista doesn't love wrestling, he even admitted that at first it was just a way to make money.

You don't understand what I'm saying. I'm not one of those ****** "DIS IZ A SPORT, IT'S W-R-E-S-T-L-I-N-G". I'm a guy who will tell you that it's showbiz, that it's a business primarily.

What I'm saying is like if a guy is a great athlete, and he plays basketball, but also plays football. It requires a similar skillset and are both sports. If he choses football over basketball, clearly he likes it more.

That's what the Rock did. He took a similar skillset and made a choice. When you love something you don't leave it. Rock only wrestled for about 8 years. It was clearly a career move, that's why people don't like what he did.

 

[boywithbluehanger]

What I'm saying is like if a guy is a great athlete, and he plays basketball, but also plays football. It requires a similar skillset and are both sports. If he choses football over basketball, clearly he likes it more.

This seems like a very flawed perspective but would explain your point of view. Just because you have more than one interest and make the decision to devote yourself to one of those alternative interests doesn't mean you love it more than the other.

For example, I'm a programmer and I love programming but if I were to get an offer to become a project manager, I would take it because I'm interested in the field and it pays more money. However, I do not like project management more than I like programming. I just came to the decision that it would be beneficial to me to try something else I am interested in that also allows me a financial gain.

Which also proves you can leave something you love.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

This seems like a very flawed perspective but would explain your point of view. Just because you have more than one interest and make the decision to devote yourself to one of those alternative interests doesn't mean you love it more than the other.

For example, I'm a programmer and I love programming but if I were to get an offer to become a project manager, I would take it because I'm interested in the field and it pays more money. However, I do not like project management more than I like programming. I just came to the decision that it would be beneficial to me to try something else I am interested in that also allows me a financial gain.

Which also proves you can leave something you love.

Our definition of love is different. If you love your wife, you're not going to go fuck someone else because it could also be beneficial to you.

 

[boywithbluehanger]

Our definition of love is different. If you love your wife, you're not going to go fuck someone else because it could also be beneficial to you.

However a traditional marriage is bound by the constraints of being an exclusive relationship between two people. We're discussing the love (a preferential comparison) of an activity. But I do agree that we seem to have a different take on "love" when it comes to this subject.

I don't think that The Rock loves pro wrestling less just because he chose to focus on filming movies for the past seven years. There seems to be a group of people who just prefer Austin over The Rock simply because they don't like how easily people flocked to him. Even his rise to popularity brought more viewers who initially weren't even into wrestling. Austin definitely re-sparked interest but even he didn't have the affect on pop culture that The Rock had.

There's the underdog affect when it comes to those two. Some will always look at fanboys gushing over The Rock as idiots who overlook or under-appreciate Stone Cold. But I always tell people this, inside the ring and out, there wasn't anything that Stone Cold could do that The Rock couldn't do or do better. SCSA paved the way and The Rock was the epitome character/product of that direction. Seeing this as an overshadowing, many might tend to forgive Stone Cold or be more lenient towards him and instead use The Rock's actions against him as if he owes them something.

This is just my theory though..

 

[#hamler]

The Rock left. On his way out, he cut a promo after his match with Goldberg that said he'll be back; he has to go way for a little while. He came back a few times and then hios appearence became few and far apart. He started sending us messages via satellite. Then comes back 8 years later and says he'll never leave again - and most believed him. That's why he's looked at the way he is. Austin comes back and raises hell, then leaves. It says it on his damn shirt. As far as I'm concerned, Austin never really left the business; Austin is still pretty much involved. If the WWE needs him, he's there. That can never be said for The Rock.

FACT is, my girlfriend's parents and virtually any non-wrestling fan I know, every review of his movies, especially in the early days, and his Razzie prove that most people see him as "that former pro wrestler who sort of looks like Vin Diesel and is a bad actor". He's not a huge movie star. He's not Depp, he's not Pitt, he's not even Galinafanakis or whatever the fuck. He's David Arquette with muscles and without the drug addiction. The only people who take him seriously are wrestling fans. If not, then why is there that Razzie? The Razzie is what hollywood people give to the WORST at something. WORST. He's not just in bad movies, he's seen as a BAD ACTOR.

I've seen you menton the Razzie on a couple of occasions. Doesn't mean shit. Just because you're a bad actor, doesn't mean people won't pay to see you. There have been plenty of actors who have won a Razzie that are hugely popular: Arnold Schwarzenegger, John Travolta, Burt Reynolds, Al Pacino, Sylvester Stallone, Patrick Swayze, Tom Cruise, Kevin Costner, Michael Douglas, Bruce Willis, Adam Sandler, Robin Williams, Leonardo DiCaprio, Cuba Gooding Jr., Eddie Murphy, and Dwayne Johnson (for Doom- a horrible shitty movie) have all won the award at some point or another. Dude, stop using your Razzie arguments. It doesn't work at all. All you're proving is that Dwayne Johnson is popular enough to receive an award from a pretigious award show. His acting is personal preference, but to say he isn't popular or to say the only people who care about him are wrestling fans is complete horseshit.

I'm guessing you don't live in the US. He's pretty huge of a star here and you haven't said anything that proves other wise.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

The Rock left. On his way out, he cut a promo after his match with Goldberg that said he'll be back; he has to go way for a little while. He came back a few times and then hios appearence became few and far apart. He started sending us messages via satellite. Then comes back 8 years later and says he'll never leave again - and most believed him. That's why he's looked at the way he is. Austin comes back and raises hell, then leaves. It says it on his damn shirt. As far as I'm concerned, Austin never really left the business; Austin is still pretty much involved. If the WWE needs him, he's there. That can never be said for The Rock.

I've seen you menton the Razzie on a couple of occasions. Doesn't mean shit. Just because you're a bad actor, doesn't mean people won't pay to see you. There have been plenty of actors who have won a Razzie that are hugely popular: Arnold Schwarzenegger, John Travolta, Burt Reynolds, Al Pacino, Sylvester Stallone, Patrick Swayze, Tom Cruise, Kevin Costner, Michael Douglas, Bruce Willis, Adam Sandler, Robin Williams, Leonardo DiCaprio, Cuba Gooding Jr., Eddie Murphy, and Dwayne Johnson (for Doom- a horrible shitty movie) have all won the award at some point or another. Dude, stop using your Razzie arguments. It doesn't work at all. All you're proving is that Dwayne Johnson is popular enough to receive an award from a pretigious award show. His acting is personal preference, but to say he isn't popular or to say the only people who care about him are wrestling fans is complete horseshit.

I'm guessing you don't live in the US. He's pretty huge of a star here and you haven't said anything that proves other wise.

I live in the US. People see pro wrestling and wrestlers as a joke. Most of the guys you mentioned are either jokes or they have won academy awards to make up for their bad performances.

 

[#hamler]

I live in the US. People see pro wrestling and wrestlers as a joke. Most of the guys you mentioned are either jokes or they have won academy awards to make up for their bad performances.

Doesn't matter if they see prowrestling as a joke. He's still pretty damn popular. The guys on that list are respected actors in Hollywood. Dude, the Razzie means nothing at all.
In fact, Razzie.com says, "The RAZZIES are a light- hearted parody of award shows ." If anything, it proves that Americans are willing to pay to see bad actors. Look at some of the movies these actors received a Razzie for, Eclipse, The Karate Kid, Rambo, Roadhouse, Rocky, Pearl Harbor, Waterboy; all very popular movies that made a lot of money. Just because YOU and your friends see the Rock as a bad actor doesn't mean the general public does.

 

[Alastor]

In case any of them decide to return full time,

I want to bash Jericho for leaving WWE for his music, I want to bash Big Show for leaving and pursuing other interests. I want to bash Taker for taking 6months or more off each year. I want to bash Stacy Keibler for pursuing a television career. I want to bash anyone leaving WWE while still able to contribute to the wrestling business wrestling is the only industry for them to work in.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

Doesn't matter if they see prowrestling as a joke. He's still pretty damn popular. The guys on that list are respected actors in Hollywood. Dude, the Razzie means nothing at all.
In fact, Razzie.com says, "The RAZZIES are a light- hearted parody of award shows ." If anything, it proves that Americans are willing to pay to see bad actors. Look at some of the movies these actors received a Razzie for, Eclipse, The Karate Kid, Rambo, Roadhouse, Rocky, Pearl Harbor, Waterboy; all very popular movies that made a lot of money. Just because YOU and your friends see the Rock as a bad actor doesn't mean the general public does.

People like making fun of things too. Rock is a joke. He's not seen as a serious actor, or a good actor. Like i said "he's that pro wrestler who's now a shitty action actor". People go see it, Transformers is popular, Twilight is popular, but both are also the ass end of a LOT of jokes.

 

[naveenchandru]

Bad Actor,Shitty movies blah blah blah...The guy is a natural onscreen even without any knowledge about acting professionally.Regarding the Razzies even Pacino was nominated couple of times.Nobody believes that dwayne is a great actor.Maybe he'll never will be.But the guy has the charm,looks and physique and comic timing to be an entertainer or a star.Look up if you want Dwayne was one of the main reasons for Fast five's big success than its predecessors.Critics unanimously praised him for his Role.He could pull off a tough guy role or a funny guy role with ease.Thats a rare combination not even in the likes of Arnie or Sly could do both.He has made a name for himself better than anybody in wrestling could make.People still cast in family movies and action movies continuously.He did achieve breaking the stereotype of his action guy image.You are just reading things about Dwayne too much with hate.

 

[#hamler]

People like making fun of things too. Rock is a joke. He's not seen as a serious actor, or a good actor.

Your opinion of course. But do you have anything to prove that? Besides the Razzie. You say you and your girlfriend's family see him as a joke, I can say mine sees him as a phenomenal actor. Does that give me the right to give the general assumption that he's a shitty actor? No. I need something that proves he's shitty.

Like i said "he's that pro wrestler who's now a shitty action actor". People go see it, Transformers is popular, Twilight is popular, but both are also the ass end of a LOT of jokes.

Those movies make money so they're obviously doing something right.

 

[J.J.]

Bottom line people can bash The Rock for leaving but nobody can strongly criticize him as an in-ring performer, as he looked just as good at SS as Cena has all year. A handful of people can criticize his promos but the "Boots To Asses", "Fruity Pebbles", "Homeless Power Ranger" has gotten over with the crowd. No reason to criticize Austin either, his injuries over the years are legitimate enough reason for him to be out of the ring.

 

[martymcfly]

Interesting point and question made back when this thread started. I have no idea if my contribution has already been entertained, as I did not read through 10 pages of replies. But as to why people bash rock and not austin, I have four possible considerations. I'm not saying I necessarily agree with them, just offering some food for thought.

First, I think a part of it may be do the public vs the privacy of the two stories. To illustrate, the story about SCSA taking his ball and going home....the real story seems to still be more or less an unknown. Sure there are suspicions and conjecture, but judging by the posts in this thread alone (that I did read through) indicated that there is quite a bit of disagreement on what actually happened to lead to SCSA taking his leave. So the real story does not seem to be public--or at the very least not as well known--so it is harder to feel angry or even betrayed by SCSA. And I would further add that the majority of wrestling fans (by that I mean those who don't follow the behind the scenes stuff or subscribe to wrestling sites) have no idea that there was ever really an issue between SCSA and management.

On the other hand, Rock's leave was very public and obvious, as was his (until recently) promise to return.

Second, SCSA's leaving story aside, since then, he has appeared at many WWE events, often showing up as a guest host, guest ref, or "special enforcer." He appears to still be passionate about the WWE. On the other hand, the same could not be said (until recently) about the Rock.

Third, the WWE portrays its relationship between the 2 wrestlers in a different light. From everything seen on WWE programming, it would appear that the WWE and SCSA have a very positive relationship. If there were off-camera issues between him and management, they are not alluded to or discussed. He was given a role on tough enough, which also seems to indicate a strong, positive relationship.

On the other hand, through Cena (on camera) and I think to some extent Punk (off camera), a spotlight is shown on the fact that Rock left and only recently seems to remember how he got his start. Now perhaps this is just to build a storyline, but it does put Rock's decision to leave, and his claim that he will never leave again under a microscope, which by comparison to SCSA, makes the Rock look like a liar.

And finally, and this may be my own personal opinion, but just seeing how the two act on camera at WWE events these days, they are a world apart. Every time SCSA shows up on a WWE show he seems to be having a good time and happy to be there. Every time Rock shows up, whether it is in person or via satellite (except for his very first return promo), he seems to just be going through the motions. He doesn't look like he's genuinely happy to be there. And (yes this is just my opinion) I almost feel like he's got this "I'm going to throw out some catchphrases for the audience to eat up, dance for me puppets" vibe going.

So back to the original question...why is it easier to "forgive" SCSA than Rock? Because in retrospect and in their current capacities, SCSA seems to be more passionate and has more love and respect for the WWE, and it shows.

 

[ae_wrestler123]

Interesting point and question made back when this thread started. I have no idea if my contribution has already been entertained, as I did not read through 10 pages of replies. But as to why people bash rock and not austin, I have four possible considerations. I'm not saying I necessarily agree with them, just offering some food for thought.

First, I think a part of it may be do the public vs the privacy of the two stories. To illustrate, the story about SCSA taking his ball and going home....the real story seems to still be more or less an unknown. Sure there are suspicions and conjecture, but judging by the posts in this thread alone (that I did read through) indicated that there is quite a bit of disagreement on what actually happened to lead to SCSA taking his leave. So the real story does not seem to be public--or at the very least not as well known--so it is harder to feel angry or even betrayed by SCSA. And I would further add that the majority of wrestling fans (by that I mean those who don't follow the behind the scenes stuff or subscribe to wrestling sites) have no idea that there was ever really an issue between SCSA and management.

On the other hand, Rock's leave was very public and obvious, as was his (until recently) promise to return.

Second, SCSA's leaving story aside, since then, he has appeared at many WWE events, often showing up as a guest host, guest ref, or "special enforcer." He appears to still be passionate about the WWE. On the other hand, the same could not be said (until recently) about the Rock.

Third, the WWE portrays its relationship between the 2 wrestlers in a different light. From everything seen on WWE programming, it would appear that the WWE and SCSA have a very positive relationship. If there were off-camera issues between him and management, they are not alluded to or discussed. He was given a role on tough enough, which also seems to indicate a strong, positive relationship.

On the other hand, through Cena (on camera) and I think to some extent Punk (off camera), a spotlight is shown on the fact that Rock left and only recently seems to remember how he got his start. Now perhaps this is just to build a storyline, but it does put Rock's decision to leave, and his claim that he will never leave again under a microscope, which by comparison to SCSA, makes the Rock look like a liar.

And finally, and this may be my own personal opinion, but just seeing how the two act on camera at WWE events these days, they are a world apart. Every time SCSA shows up on a WWE show he seems to be having a good time and happy to be there. Every time Rock shows up, whether it is in person or via satellite (except for his very first return promo), he seems to just be going through the motions. He doesn't look like he's genuinely happy to be there. And (yes this is just my opinion) I almost feel like he's got this "I'm going to throw out some catchphrases for the audience to eat up, dance for me puppets" vibe going.

So back to the original question...why is it easier to "forgive" SCSA than Rock? Because in retrospect and in their current capacities, SCSA seems to be more passionate and has more love and respect for the WWE, and it shows.

SCSA came and did appearance only. He never worked a major angle. He just came for the paycheck not cuz he love the wwe. How was those appearance benefitting the wwe in the long run? He himself said he would come back to feud with punk if the MONEY is right. Dwayne doesn't need wwe nor their money. He came back cuz he loved the business. He could have just stayed away. But just somethign to think about. Would you have wanted to see dwayne in the wwe ring whilst he was under disney contract and filming disney movies? He couldn't be the bad ass rock at that time.

 

[thelegacywillremain1]

to be honest i think both of them did the right thing with the way they left the company leave while u could still stand we try so hard to hold on to these icons but thats what they are icons they dont wanna be has beens like ric flair ,sting and who eva else is in tna as long as they come back from time 2 time u should be happy

 

[dotty_84]

I haven't bashed either but to bash Austin why mainly because he wouldn't job to Hogan ( A money grabbing snake who care about the company at all, jumped ship just for money ) Yeah i can see people being pissed at Austin for that...

Secondly so what he never wanted to get his arse kicked by a 'rookie' maybe just maybe Austin didn't believe on giving to world to a guy who then would leave after a few years, Brock proved everyone wrong though he's still here till this da... a wait!

It's a case of Austin actually knew better than other in the company did, is this his right, no but sometimes that doesn't matter, Austin was bang on with what he did.

 

[The Champ]

The Rock left. On his way out, he cut a promo after his match with Goldberg that said he'll be back; he has to go way for a little while. He came back a few times and then hios appearence became few and far apart. He started sending us messages via satellite. Then comes back 8 years later and says he'll never leave again - and most believed him. That's why he's looked at the way he is. Austin comes back and raises hell, then leaves. It says it on his damn shirt. As far as I'm concerned, Austin never really left the business; Austin is still pretty much involved. If the WWE needs him, he's there. That can never be said for The Rock.

That's not really a fair comparison to make either, since Austin probably has a much more relaxed schedule than Rock does. Rock is a major movie star and is always filming the next one, which probably takes some time when it's something huge like Fast Five or whatever. Austin's probably doing a lot of sitting around nowadays because he's made his money and he's not doing anything of even remotely similar importance. WWE has to clear things with both ahead of time anyway so they can advertise it to the arena and whatnot, but when you think about it, their live appearances this year are about equal. Plus, The Rock is participating in a major storyline whereas Austin is not.

None of this is a knock on either guy, I just think they live very different lives now that aren't worthy of that type of a comparison.