Everybody has said it already... The Rock gave us the impression that he loved wrestling and it was what fueled him day to day. We learned that wasn't the case and he wanted money, fame, and limelight. Now is that the fault of the wrestling fans? Yes it is. In part. A lot (not all) wrestling fans are too deep and too involved in the spectacle and characters on TV, that they lose all objectivity and the simple fact that "The Rock" doesn't actually exist. Dwayne Johnson wanted to go on to bigger and better things. I mean let's get real here people... There is only so many times that winning a prop title means something to you regardless how much you love the business. So he left to go do something different. Something that challenged him more. If he hadn't left, sure he would deliver a lot of epic promos in that 7 year span. Sure he would have given us some damn classic matches. Sure he would have won countless titles. But that runs the risk of getting stale. Stale to the audience. Stale to Dwayne. What else was there for him to accomplish? Assuming winning matches is a real competition... he beat Austin. He beat Hogan. Arguably, those are the 2 best of all time. Face it kiddies... The Rock did it all. And he did it quickly. It was time for Dwayne to move on.
Would I have liked him to stay? Sure. But with that... he runs the risk of serious injury, and not loving what he does anymore. You also have to look at wrestling in that 7 year period. Who the hell was there to feud with? Cena? We're getting that right now with A LOT of build-up. It feels personal. It feels real. This is something wrestling has lacked for a long time. The only guy the Rock really missed in feuding with in that period of time is Edge. I would have loved a Rock/Edge feud. The mic work and them screwing with each other would have been legendary. But to hang around an extra 4-5 years at the least to have 1 great feud with a Hall of Fame guy like Edge? It's not realistic. As fans, you have to step back and look at Dwayne Johnson as Dwayne Johnson and not The Rock. But that's the consensus. As fans, The Rock did turn his back on wrestling and on us. But The Rock isn't real. So how mad can you really be?
That's your difference. Jericho never gave us (as fans) the feeling he'd be back, and stay away for 7 years with the exception of sending in 3 or 4 pre-recorded videos. And we (again... as fans) have been VERY lucky with Jericho staying away from the injury bug and give us A TON of great memories. Jericho is also a different superstar than The Rock. You can move Jericho up and down the card better than anybody in recent memory. And it's believable. You could not have done that with Rock. Could you move the Rock down the card and have a believable feud with Cody Rhodes over the IC Title? Hell no. If you wanted to with Jericho, you could do that. I'm not saying the Rock wouldn't put a guy like Rhodes over, but it's just not realistic in a wrestling mind. Once the Rock hit the pinnacle, he was not a guy you could stick mid-card and have it believable. So that goes in with the Rock not having anything left to prove. In 6-7 years, he put himself IN THE CONVERSATION to be the best of all time. No feuds between 2004-2011 would have moved him any higher in that discussion.
Should the Rock have said to the fans "I will never...ever leave again..." no he shouldn't have. I'm saying he's forgetting the power of the microphone, but I think it does slip his mind. But just remember, he's back and I think he will give us... AT LEAST 3 more matches. He could work with Miz, Punk, and maybe a couple other guys. He's still got it and even in 5-7 years, I think he will still have it to maybe put another guy over that makes a Cena or Orton-like impact. But only time will tell.