The Rock's new interview-- Says he wants to work with WWE- do MORE than Guest Host

[Fizzy]

The Rock recently had an interview on the Jack Diamond show and said some interesting things. He was asked whether or not he wanted to work with WWE again. The Rock stated that he would love to work with the WWE whether it be cutting a promo or guest hosting. He then said that while he'd be open to hosting raw he would like to do something more to "give back to the fans."

Any thoughts on this? As for me I would LOVE to see The Rock back in the WWE. The Rock is one of my favorite wrestlers ever and I would completely mark out if he indeed did come back. I believe this would be great for WWE's fanbase, and draw in many new viewers. So what do you all think of this? What do you think he has to offer WWE?

 

[dansaint]

My guess is it will either be the 1st RAW of 2010 or the RAW after Wrestlemania...both which should get high viewership just for history (they always seem to draw well their 1st show of the new year and the RAW after Wrestlemania).

I wouldn't announce it. Have it be a major surprise. Actually announce the guest host as Vince McMahon someone still on the roster...just to have the audience erupt and get that true "oh my god" moment when Rock's music starts up. Get viewers and people in the audience to call their friends and say "Hey...Rock is on RAW"

 

[WWEIsLife]

That would be awesome if The Rock did some more things for the WWE and to help give back. I loved his promo on the Smackdown 10th Anniversary Show and it was classic Rock. I would love to hear him say Finally The Rock Has Come Back To RAW. So im hoping he does some more stuff and him Guest Hosting in 2010 would be sweet.

 

[Y2J420RKO420]

wow i am so happy that we can shut up all the rock haters saying he sold out. i think he should host raw to promote his movies coming out. and he said he wants it to be a great show which is awesome. now to something more. isnt teddy long still on probation????

i would love for him to be the gm of sd but i think he would be better if he became the gm of raw cause the geust host concept cant last much longer i see it ending by wm or soon after. the rock would make a great gm him and randy could do a gm superstar feud.

now how i would do it is announce him being the guest host for the first raw of the new year on the dec.7 of raw so they can hype it up for ratings and not announce anther guest host and then the night he hosts i would have vince come out and say that the rock is the last guest host

then have vince say he is looking for a new gm and have alot of segments were he interviews a whole bunch of legends and people who could legitimately be the new raw gm and not interview rock so we wont think its a possibility

then the night after ec have vince say he has picked the new gm of raw and go all night hinting it then as the mainevent vince comes out and say say hello to the new gm of raw and rocks music hits and the rock has a speech about what he wants to see on raw

here comes the great part the rock gets attacked at the end of his speech by a mystery person and a week or two goes by the rock gets attacked again by a masked person and then again the next week. then have the rock say he wants the attacker to come out by this time the rock is way way over with the fans the kids by this time know who he is. so the attacker comes out in mask and does not say anything and just him and the rock have a stare off then the attacker waves his hand in his face and says YOU CANT SEE ME and the attacker takes off his mask and its john cena to set up the rock vs john cena at wm26 and turn john heel
sorrry so sloppy i just suck at grammer and stuff like that hahaha

 

[jayteeERA]

Yeah it would be cool but what will he do? Show his face make a promo thats it. He says he wants to do a show. Thats good, I hope he gets in the ring and lose to a few mid- carders so he can elevate their career. Even if he comes back ppl will still complain, he will most likely pander to kids and everybody will say he is not the same. I would rather Stone Cold to be back and Rock stay in Hollywood

 

[People's Champ]

We'll I'm sure this validates people (including myself) who would talk on these boards about The Rock and if he would return and then proceed to get blasted for it. Now I know he didn't say anything about a full blown return yet we don't know exactly what this means. However if he says he wants to do more than I'm allllll for it.

I agree with the poster earlier that when the Rock guest host Raw it shouldn't be announced that its him. of course everyone would love to see a Cena- Rock match but whatever he decides to do is going to be great. WWE is freakin lucky the Rock wants to work with WWE again. This would be huge.

 

["Cool Guy" Jensen]

Well, I would love to see The Rock return to the WWE in one capacity or another. However, I must ask... what changed his mind? Just earlier this year and before that, The Rock was saying that he wanted no more association with the WWE, other than him being a former WWE Superstar. He wanted to keep a lot more focus on his acting career. He was at the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in 2008, he appeared at the Smackdown 10th Anniversary Special, and now he wants to work with WWE again. What has changed, I wonder?

If it's indeed true, then I feel it's best for The Rock and the WWE. Their ratings haven't exactly been up to par with what they were when The Rock was in the WWE, and the year following his departure. So, I'm sure that The Rock will easily be able to raise the ratings. The Rock feels he wants to "give back to the fans?" I say... it's about time! Had it not been for us fans, then The Rock wouldn't be nearly as successful of a movie star, I'd say. It isn't like their that good.

"I'm sorry if the last part seemed a little harsh."

 

[Suneeboy]

Maybe he is being inducted in the Hall of Fame this year so he needs to get into a program so that WM and the HOF ceremony can draw more. I'm just speculating.

Would be great TV if the greatest promo cutter in the history of the business makes his return. Would be even sweeter if he worked some kind of program as well. Maybe a match with Cena? I'm geeking myself up too much there.

Well regardless whatever he does I'm sure it will be fun to watch, and I'm looking forward to it. We need someone with some natural charisma to work in the WWE albeit for a short period of time. Maybe his presence will encourage others to step their game up.

 

[Ambiguous Turd]

The problem with The Rock coming back, and I hate to say it because I love the guy's personality so much, is that it ultimately shows the entire audience how awful the WWE product of today really is. The guy simply is in a league of his own compared to every single person on the damn roster ... and nobody touches him in ability to light up a crowd and capture an audience's attention.

Having The Rock around, even for a night, ultimately shows how Cena actually pales in comparison to him in just about every way imaginable. And Cena is the biggest star they have.

It would have been a lot more interesting if Cena was able to keep the Rapper character and had a showdown with The Rock, but once again, we can all thank the PG rating for that one. So what can you do?

 

[The Doctor]

If he is confirmed to host the Jan. 4th RAW, I will mark the fuck out. I have front row seats for that taping already, since it's about five minutes away from my house.

However...Sidious is right. The Rock is amazing at cutting promos, and his return would just make people realize how bland things have gotten. I've said before that the current product isn't bad by any means, but with the exception of ECW (which is genuinely good), RAW and SD are Average at best. Entertaining, but nothing to write home about as a whole. Of course, some people like Punk and Kingston are entertaining, but sad to say none of them can hold a candle to The Rock. If he returns, and he outshines everyone even for one night...Well, things would be bleak.

 

[Southwind]

Yeah, Sidous is right while the Rock would be amazing while being a huge draw he would expose John Cena. It's not good for business long term, Cena has ultimately failed as the companies top babyface, and the Rock would just outclass him in every way imaginable.

It would be really cool to see but for one night is it really worth it ? Cena works hard but he's no Rock and it's counterproductive to leave him out there with the Rock.

Plus, don't have him come back in cities like Philly NY or even Boston, it could be worse for the crowds there are very smarky and would eat Cena alive when he tried shooting on the Rock.

Very limited upside with a huge downside.

 

[shafe_41]

...Cena has ultimately failed as the companies top babyface....

This is the most hilarious comment I think I have ever heard. No personal attack to you Southwind... but how in the blue hell has Cena failed as the company's top babyface? How? Because he's a publicity machine? Because he's granted more Make-a-Wish wishes than anybody in history? Because he's the company's top merchandise seller? Because he's making movies (albiet not great ones) on a pretty regular basis? Because he's one of the only WWE guys on the talk show circuit? Because the man is... well... everywhere?

John Cena is not The Rock. John Cena is not Austin. John Cena is not Hogan. That's something you can't stress enough. Austin and The Rock are a rare breed. And to have the pleasure to have them working at the exact same time was just a stroke of luck. You have to quit comparing John Cena to The Rock, Hogan, or Austin in terms of how effective they are at being the face of the company. Hogan, Austin/Rock, and Cena all have worked under very very different circumstances and eras. The Hogan era was totally different than the Austin/Rock Era. The Austin/Rock era was totally different than the Cena era. The Hogan era and the Cena era... also totally different. If you ask me, John Cena has been nothing but stellar for the WWE. I would say that he's easily the top face of the company, succeeding as such, and doing so in the most difficult era. My reasons are this:

Fans of the WWE and wrestling in general are much smarter now than they were even 10 years ago. They're smarter now than they were 20 years ago when Hogan was the thing. Hogan captured the interest of every single wrestling fan ever in his day. Austin and The Rock did the same, but you have to remember in what capacity Austin and The Rock did so. It was the "Attitude Era." The era of the Monday Night Wars. The era where the WWE pushed the envelope every single week to win fans, win the ratings war, and win our interest. The Rock and Austin were on much longer leashes than John Cena. The PG Era holds John Cena back in that respect. You're forgetting that Austin's actual goal for his character was to go out and be the hell-raising most "I don't give a shit" heel ever to be created. It somehow made him the biggest face ever. The Rock was much of the same. Look at The Rock's body of work. His promos, ring work, and overall character were EXACTLY THE SAME whether he was a heel or a face. It was just whether the E had him as a face or a heel at that time. His last heel run barely counts since it lasted all of like 2-3 months when he did the "Rock Concert" on Raw. The fans just decided "He's The Rock, we love him no matter how much he tries to work the crowd as a heel." He had his fans. Austin had his fans. But they had all that where there was an undeniable niche in the market of pro wrestling. That niche no longer exists. The niche has weathered away and just leaves us real fans of wrestling.

This leaves John Cena. Again, he's working on a MUCH shorter leash. He doesn't have the creative freedom Austin or The Rock had because of the PG-rating. John Cena is making the best of what he has to work with in today's product and he's doing a damn fine job if you ask me. John Cena is not a failure because he doesn't capture the entire 16-25 male demographic. That demographic thinks its still cool to shit on "The 5 Moves of Doom." That demographic doesn't want to be on the side of the squeaky clean face character. That demographic in my eyes... is jealous of John Cena. Yes you heard me. They're jealous. You know why? Because every one of us knows a John Cena. The squeaky clean guy that works hard, earns everything he gets, is well-respected (as a man, not a character), could take your girlfriend from you in 2.5 seconds, and looks like the guy next door in his late 20's-early 30's that your girlfriend watches cut grass with his shirt off every week in the summer. That's why the main demographic of the pro-wrestling market hates John Cena. Because John Cena is an everyman. But that doesn't make him a failure. Not for one second.

As for The Rock wanting to do more than guest host. I personally believe that he will return, for one feud, in some capacity. It might not be in the next year, but it will happen. This interview... and I'll get flack for it... makes me believe that he will be back just one. more. time. One more feud. One epic match with John Cena. I think it'll happen. As for what The Rock has planned, we will see. We know this... it WILL be entertaining.

 

[dansaint]

good breakdown shafe and I do tend to agree with you about the reasons people don't like Cena. I'm not a Cena hater by any stretch of the imagination...but I'm also not one of his fans either. He's good for what he is...a pretty good stick man who's average at best in the ring (like a lot of guys in WWE).

He does sell moves pretty well and does tell a compelling story with body language and everything.

I would love to see a Rock/Cena match at WM (although I still think it's gonna be Undertaker/Cena since the seeds were planted for that on Monday).

 

[Ambiguous Turd]

MODERATOR COMMENTS:

I simply would like to request that all of our posters who would like to participate in this thread be mindful of the thread topic .... which is The Rock coming back to the WWE to partake in something.

This was not intended to be a John Cena vs The Rock thread.

If someone would like to create one of those, then feel free to do so. But 90%-100% of each post made should be about The Rock in this thread, not John Cena.

Thank you.

 

[DiscipleofWrestling]

Honestly, I don't believe a word that comes out of The... Dwayne Johnson's mouth when it comes to his involvement in WWE. The man has pretty much kept wrestling as far away from his career ever since August 2004. So now, I'm supposed to expect Dwayne Johnson to not only host Raw (probably only to promote his next crap movie) but to have any other involvement. Right.

And as far as this fantasy of Dwayne Johnson making a long term return as The Rock in the wrestling ring, I would say that there is more of a chance of John Cena turning full-fledged heel at Survivor Series than to ever see The Rock return to a semi-regular wrestling career. If he gets back in the ring, he puts his acting career in jeopardy. And god knows we don't want The R... I mean, Dwayne Johnson..... to ever do that, to risk a lost tooth in his million dollar smile. Why did I call The Rock "Dwayne Johnson?" Dwayne Johnson went Hollywood and abandoned any connection with WWE and its fans. And at the risk of sounding like a McMahon-ite, he owes Vince McMahon everything. Without McMahon, Johnson would be working at a fitness club in Miami. Now, he wants to come back and give back to his fans. How heartfelt. It's like one of your kids taking your money, using it to buy a lottery ticket, somehow winning it, keeping the money to himself, and five years later saying "You want your money back?"

The Rock is the past. John Cena sure isn't the future, but please spare me all of these "THE ROCK IS COMING BACK" posts. It's not happening. As much as I dislike Cena, he's at least remained loyal to WWE. That might have to do with the fact that he can't act his way out of a paper bag, but he is loyal.

I like the memories I have of The Rock. He was entertaining as hell and provided a lot of classic moments both in the ring and on the mic. But the days of Dwayne Johnson performing in a wrestling ring as a regular performer are over. If he even graces a WWE ring to grab a mic, it will be a HUGE improvement over the last five and a half years. So, I will give Dwayne Johnson this. If he does walk back on WWE TV, it will be electrifying.

 

[drobs85]

I also wondered what changed the rock's mind. Maybe he really does still watch wwe and just finally got tired of watching this current product like everyone else. Rock is still just 37. Kane, taker, batista, jerichoke, michaels, triple h, finlay, and a handful of others are older than rock. I think he's pulling a shawn michaels. Took a long hiatus, and is rejuvenated. I hope since lesnar may not be able to seriously fight anymore, that the rock brings him with him. I really hope rock comes back as a wrestler and stays for a while. That would be awesome.

 

[amar1212]

I also wondered what changed the rock's mind. Maybe he really does still watch wwe and just finally got tired of watching this current product like everyone else. Rock is still just 37. Kane, taker, batista, jerichoke, michaels, triple h, finlay, and a handful of others are older than rock. I think he's pulling a shawn michaels. Took a long hiatus, and is rejuvenated. I hope since lesnar may not be able to seriously fight anymore, that the rock brings him with him. I really hope rock comes back as a wrestler and stays for a while. That would be awesome.

Rock in WWE as a full time wrestler..no chance in hell...
he has found a good acting career in hollwood and is getting alot of offers.

same goes with brock because he has found HUUGGEE succes in UFC and is still considered by many the future of UFC..he is just sick and will recover.

its never bad to dream..

 

[mral82]

The Rock will eventually return to the ring just give it time and all. He would make a great Guest host and all. The Guest host concept aint leavin anytime in the near future as the network execs love it so McMahon has to deal w/ it. I Can't wait to see it happen. How will the Rock if he does GH Raw interact w/ Chavo and Santino We're in store for some comedic Gold if it happens "If You Smell What The Al is Saying".

 

[drobs85]

Yea i guess it aint nothing wrong with dreaming, but i wouldn't care less to see Rock as just a guest host. Hell i'd rather see a promo. Guest host would only make a person upset because they would be wishing he was in the ring. He did say he wanted to do more than guest host. Yes, but never say never. Rock could have a schedule like undertakers. Money talks, and whether people believe it or not, Rock would have stayed if he was offered a ton more money and a relaxed scheduled. He never had any major injuries so it's not like he got tired of being injured! It's a stretch but if Brock lost a few fights or whatever, never say never. He's john cena's age.

 

[AztekAngel2406]

Does anybody think it may be "more than a coincidental" that Dwayne Johnson's movie career has taken a direction geared specifically to kids, WWE's new target audience? His last few movies have all had the same rating that WWE programming has. His first few movies were much more mature, somewhat darker in nature. Now they all seem to be Disney movies. Is it just me, or did this change in direction closely mirror the WWE's same change in direction? Am I overthinking this?

 

[And I'm Awesome]

Bringing in The Great One to start off 2010 with a Three-Hour RAW would be a huge ratings boost, which WWE is probably looking for since they'll be going up against the Orange or Fiesta Bowl (can't remember which one off the top of my head). I'm tossing the three-hour idea out there, it isn't suggested or confirmed by anyone. However, can we put The Rock on with less than 3 hours? He'll be able to cut a 15 minute in-ring promo alone...and then we have to actually have him get involved with the other guys on the roster! I'm not sure a 2-hour RAW could have Dwayne come in and make the most of his appearance while still maintaining any kind of focus on wrestling and storylines. While I'm all for a Rock appearance (If ya smell!), I don't want it at the cost of building storylines heading into Royal Rumble, and ultimately setting the stage for Wrestlemania.

As far as going beyond Guest Hosting...Rock doesn't need to actively compete anymore. He's made enough money that beating up his body in the ring would be stupid. Entertaining as hell for us, and possibly fun for himself for a while, but incredibly stupid in the long run. Now, putting him in a longer-term non-wrestling role would seem to be the way to go here...as a GM, Rock could actually bring some pizzazz to the midcard storylines that seem to be missing at the moment on RAW (yeah, Miz/Swagger had something going, but this is the first serious midcard feud on RAW this year, in my opinion).

Of course, all of this is speculation and wishing of fans who often don't get what we want. As a "WWE Shareholder" (Thanks for that, Sidious), I have no problems pointing out that we'll get what Vince thinks is best for Vince. Short term Rock would be good for Vinnie Mac. Long-Term Rock would show us just how things have fallen since we lost The Great One and Stone Cold. (Note: I like John Cena, think he's actually fairly entertaining. But he's no Rock.)

 

[jayteeERA]

That's what i been trying to get out. The Rock is gonna take that Cena role. Sure everybody is gonna enjoy The Rock with the millions and millions chanting his name. Then about 3-5 months later half of those millions are gonna chant. "Rocky Sucks" (which are adults viewers or kids in their right mind) and the other half chanting Rocky. Like I said he should job to the mid-carders, elevate their career and get lost.

 

[CMKDurfee]

Some people are asking what could have changed Rock's mind. I say nothing else but the green stuff. McMahon is probably looking for something to counter all the stars TNA is picking up so he waved a boatload of money at Johnson and the Rock decided to come back for one last hurrah in the "E". Maybe it will work, they could bring him back during the RR as a surprise entrant and have him start a feud with Cena for WM26.

 

[wolvdog316]

Ya know I posted a thread few weeks back stating TNA should have made a play for Rock instead of Hogan. I said TNA and Spike could promote Rock's movies, try to draw in fans that might not see them, and in turn draw in fans to TNA. I was called an idiot, somebody feedbacked me "superfail" topic. But if indeed this report is true and Rock wants to return, then I think TNA dropped the ball big time on this one.

It seems like with WWE and PG, and maybe The Rock getting the itch again, he just might return. If you LOVE wrestling, and you LIVE it for years, then making a movie won't compete with the pop of the crowd.

Now about this Rock joining is bad for WWE shit, man you fucking haters will think of all KIND of bullshit to run down the WWE. Think back when Rock was gold. There was Austin, Jericho, HHH, Mankind. That was it as far as top tier stick guys. Now, you still have Jericho and HHH but you add Michaels, add CM Punk and with fresh talent WWE will be fine.

Did WWE suffer when Rock faced Billy Ass? No. Nobody is going to hear the Rock cut a promo and think "Wow, CM Punk is really shit, Cena is REALLY crap". If you need the Rock cutting a fresh promo to see Cena is crap, then your below average intelligence anyways.

What the Rock WILL do, and what he has ALWAYS done is elevate the talent if he returns. He won't make anybody look worse, they will look better. I can't believe some of you even brought that up.

Nobody in the NFL or NBA or MLB says hey we have Texiera now, MAN that Jeter really can't hit, I just never noticed it til now. Come on.

Rock vs CM Punk, Rock vs Cena, Rock vs HHH, Rock vs Michaels, Rock vs Jericho, not to mention Rock vs Badtista, or Rock vs Rey Rey.

I don't think Rock will return full time, but it's not out of the world he won't work a few matches, at least with Cena and Michaels.

Stay tuned wrestling fans, we might be in for an exciting ride

 

[M_Montana]

hmmm...i see seeds planted for a rock vs. cena match at wrestlemania...am i just the only one? I mean just look at all the interviews cena has done dissin the rock, i can see the rock coming back doin an amazing promo, stopped short by cena they have a war of words and a face off, sumthin like the rock and hogan had back when hogan was a part of the nWo. It was that moment where you knew this would be special.