Why is Stone Cold given so much credit, when Rock should get it?

[d_henderson1810]

My thoughts on Austin:-

Firstly, let me say that Austin did impress me as a competitior. Few superstars could adapt from a technical style of wrestling (the Ringmaster) to a persona change and neck injury forcing him to become a brawler, and yet his matches were just as interesting. Also, I thought he was hilarious when he was a heel in '01. So, I am not just hatin' on Austin.

However, the absolute God-like stauts that fans have of Austin bothers me. I have never EVER heard them criticise anything about Austin, like he is perfect or something. Austin is good, but he has done some things I feel he should be condemned for.

Firstly, people here have said that Austin would still be wrestling if he weren't injured, whereas the Rock left for Hollywood. But Austin often threw his toys and walked out. At least three times he stormed out on the company, when he didn't get his own way. He was petulant. By walking out, he deprived you fans of seeing him every week, leaving people ike the Rock to carry the can. I have heard every defense known to man how Austin was right to walk out, yet if it had been anyone else, they would have been criticised by you fans.

Secondly, I am not impressed how Austin was still cheered, even after he did something as reprehensible as beat his wife, Debra. Debra may have not been a fantastic performer, but she didn't deserve to be physically beaten by Austin. I remember a few months later, Austin gave Stacy Keibler a Stunner, and the fans cheered. I wonder if they would have cheered Austin smacking a woman around on-screen. If the attack had been more violent, and he had killed her, would he get the "Chris Benoit treatment" (or it is different because there was no child involved). I have wondered if it was Austin who had done a "Benoit Murder" situation, would you still cheer him. With Austin fans, you never know.

 

[The Love Song Writer]

I don't think any of this would be a debate if it wasnt for Bret Hart. He is the man I feel truly sailed the ship into the Attitude Era, I've heard it mentioned the Rock is nothing without a Stone Cold rub, but what was Stone Cold without a Hart rub....The Ringmaster!

 

[bighomie]

While I respect Austin everything he's done, how can The Rock not receive an equal amount of accolades 4 his run during the attitude era?....at the peak of the attitude era which was fall '99 thru summer '00 it was The Rock who was the top face in the company going toe to toe with HHH, Big Show, and the McMahon-Helmsley Regime n Raw had a record breaking run in the ratings war..and I'll take it a step further...almost every person who had a major heel turn or any first time champion who needed 2 get over do u know who put them over?..The Rock..quietly HE was the company guy

 

[Paradox]

Okay, I love both men, but to me the Rock was always my favorite. He is my favorite wrestler of all time. Now I do agree that Austin helped bring the WWE back. And that he helped win the monday night wars.

Though it does annoy me that The Rock has taken a back seat to Austin. People saying that The Rock would not be as big if Austin never gave him the rub. The same can be said about Austin. Many have pointed out that that Bret helped make Austin. This is true, we don't know if Austin would have been the same guy if He had that submission match with Bret. Same can be said about Austin if he hadn't been in the feud with McMahon.

Do I think that Austin give the rock the rub. Simply no. The Rock was already big by the time he feuded with Austin. He had a great feud with Mankind that brought him up to the main event. If anyone gave The Rock the rub it was Foley in a great set of matches. He put The Rock over more then Austin did. Yes one The Rock's best year was when Austin was injured, and just because of that He's lower then Austin? If I'm not mistaken It was Trips who held the Title the majority of the year. Yeah, Rocky had two title reign's that year, so did Triple h, and he held the title for almost 9 months if I'm not mistaken. (if so sorry.) If anyone benefited from Austin's injury it was Hunter.

By the time that they faced at Wrestlemania 15 both were big. They only made each other better. They had great matches that put each other over more. They set the bar higher then it ever had been set before. Together they helped win the monday night wars. If it wasn't for these two, McMahon, Triple h, Undertaker, Kurt Angle, as well as many others. The Rock was just as big of a part as Austin.

That's my opinion. If you don't like it bash it, but I don't care...

 

[d_henderson1810]

Okay, I love both men, but to me the Rock was always my favorite. He is my favorite wrestler of all time. Now I do agree that Austin helped bring the WWE back. And that he helped win the monday night wars.

Though it does annoy me that The Rock has taken a back seat to Austin. People saying that The Rock would not be as big if Austin never gave him the rub. The same can be said about Austin. Many have pointed out that that Bret helped make Austin. This is true, we don't know if Austin would have been the same guy if He had that submission match with Bret. Same can be said about Austin if he hadn't been in the feud with McMahon.

Do I think that Austin give the rock the rub. Simply no. The Rock was already big by the time he feuded with Austin. He had a great feud with Mankind that brought him up to the main event. If anyone gave The Rock the rub it was Foley in a great set of matches. He put The Rock over more then Austin did. Yes one The Rock's best year was when Austin was injured, and just because of that He's lower then Austin? If I'm not mistaken It was Trips who held the Title the majority of the year. Yeah, Rocky had two title reign's that year, so did Triple h, and he held the title for almost 9 months if I'm not mistaken. (if so sorry.) If anyone benefited from Austin's injury it was Hunter.

By the time that they faced at Wrestlemania 15 both were big. They only made each other better. They had great matches that put each other over more. They set the bar higher then it ever had been set before. Together they helped win the monday night wars. If it wasn't for these two, McMahon, Triple h, Undertaker, Kurt Angle, as well as many others. The Rock was just as big of a part as Austin.

That's my opinion. If you don't like it bash it, but I don't care...

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Austin didn't give the Rock a rub for the longest time. Didn't Austin and Rocky Maivia have an IC Title match in '97 at IYH-DeGeneration X PPV? From what I remember, Austin was IC champion at the time, but beat the Rock in the match. The next night on Raw, he relinquished the IC Title, and handed it to Rocky Maivia. So, instead of seeing the lights to Maivia the previous night, Austin just handed over the title, avoiding doing the job to him. If you look at every match between them then, the ONLY times Austin put the Rock over was at SS '01, (In the "WWE v Alliance Winner Takes All" Match), and at WMXIX (which was Austin's last match). This shows something else the Rock had over Austin, he was a company guy while he was with the company.

Loyalty isn't just measured by how you left the company. If that was the case, then Bret Hart would also be considered a "sell-out" for going to WCW.The Rock was more of a company man than Austin. The Rock did the job a lot to a range of superstars (he even did the job to the Hurricane one time). He also put over Chris Jericho THREE TIMES on PPV, when Jericho was being pushed as Undisputed Champion. Austin, however, played politics, by not doing the job to certain people, and walking out when he didn't get his way.

Think about this. The Rock agreed to fight Hollywood Hogan at WMX8, even at the risk of Hogan "stealing the show", yet Austin wouldn't do a match with Hogan at WM, which I know Vince McMahon would love to have had happen, and would have been massive for the company. Yet the Rock got booed by the fans in the Hogan 'Mania match. He also put over Brock Lesnar at Summerslam '02, and yet got booed in that as well.

You fans should appreciate what the Rock has done for the industry. Just because he has been successful outside of WWE, he should be hated on. Face it, any of you presented with the amount of movie offers the Rock had, and the chance to become a Hollywood movie star, would have thrown in your wrestling career in an instant as well. Tell me you people wouldn't have done the same thing.

 

[GIMH]

The above post is marvellous.

I am a huge Rock fan. I concede that he wouldn't have happened but for Austin, that much is true. However he was massive in his own right and I certainly won't hear it that he rode the coat-tails of Austin.

In 2000 Rock carried the whole company in the face of Austin's injuries. He feuded with Triple H, the Mcmahon-Helmsley faction, Kurt Angle, Rikishi, Chris Benoit, Big Show...basically everybody. If there had been no Rock, WWF would have been in the shit when Stone Cold got injured. Instead we got the best year in the history of the company.

WWF peaked at WM17, since then it's never recaptured those days, and it's no coincidence that that is when Rock went part-time. Whereas in Austin's absence the product went from strength to strength. This isn't a knock on Austin, but the fact is The Rock was amazing, and but for him then WCW might have had an outside chance at regaining some momentum when Austin was sidelined.

 

[Upgrayedd]

Austin brought all the fans back to the WWF and introduced a whole new audience to wrestling. The Rock only kept it going. Sure the "This Is Your Life" segment got a ridiculous rating but really it was more to do with WCW being so bad by that point that the WWF took viewers from them and kept their own viewers.

The Rock should get credit for being one of the most talented guys in the business who can cut a promo that hasn't been matched by anyone. He also deserves credit for keeping the ratings solid when Austin had to have neck surgery. But the Attitude Era becoming a success was all Austin.