Here I go again on my own. I just had the lovely experience of watching Raw, I wasn't planning on it, but yeah. Let's get this show finished.
Yawn, do you see what I mean when I talk about two greats of different eras battling it out become dull and repetitive? When Hogan vs Rock was called for Wrestlemania 18, it was the tale of the number one guy of the Golden Age of Wrestling against the edgier and younger generation in the Attitude era. And after that match, Rock came out victorious. The younger, and newer Superstar outlasted someone past his era in Hulk Hogan.
And here we are again, except Rock is now Dwayne Johnson, a man past his prime, after alienating the WWF/E and his fans, wants to recover that moment of glory. He wants to remember what he left behind so he can be paid millions of dollars to go out and wear tutus on Disney studio sets. The Rock was the number one guy of the Attitude Era, and maybe the number two guy in the world as a Professional Wrestler. But he isn't Rock anymore, and if these last few months have shown anything, he will never bee the Same Rock we all grew up with and loved over the years. Then you have John Cena, who is on the top of his game, against someone who is no longer able to Bring It like he used to. When Cena beats Rock, it will simply just feel like another formality for the death of the past era. Which is something we are always going to see in ten or twenty years when WWE grows into a new era and gets its new number one guy. Then we will have the new star take on Cena and the vicious feeding cycle continues. No one benefits other than the victor and the fans get that nostalgia kick seeing their favorite guy give one last match.
You say, when "Cena beats Rock". How do you know this? Do you live in next Monday, having already found the results for Wrestlemania and enjoyed them? How was the match Pancake, please tell me. OH WAIT, it's not here yet. You don't know Cena's gonna beat The Rock. This could all end up with Rock beating Cena, thus truly proving that he is better than him and this could all go in a different way. Not once have I really looked at this as "Passing the torch". Granted, there's a huge rub coming from The Rock onto Cena what with them fighting each other in a Wrestlemania match, but I've never seen this as Cena beating Rock. Maybe he's there to kick ass and beat this fruity pebble into next week. You can predict a result, but you can never know what's happening until... well until it happens. Maybe Rock beats Cena and Cena takes a look at himself and all of this leads into some kind of personality dialysis and Mr. Fruity Pebble becomes something new. Maybe this match could lead to the biggest change of character you've ever seen eh? Maybe THAT's what makes it so damn interesting, not that it isn't already.
In all honesty, I can admit that when this match was announced, I couldn't have cared less about it, but now...a few months back I was finally drawn into it, cheering for John Cena? Well fuck my ass and call me a bitch, I'm cheering on a guy who I couldn't stand? If it's been able to do that, these guys have been doing something right. It's led me into believing that I will be watching the greatest Wrestlemania Main Event in history...and I will be. So will you and so will everybody else watching it. Don't doubt it because it's right. You might not want to admit, but every person out there is thinking it. What if Cena gets hit with 3 Rock Bottoms and still manages to kick out? Or, has anyone ever survived a 2nd Attitude Adjustment? Could The Rock spend a few minutes in the STF, only to manage to get to the ropes and break it up? Maybe one man uses the others finishing move to end the match & get the win. All these moments can spark a reaction in a crowd and they will, they will only add to making this great.
Did you know that Cena/Rock match will be the fourth passing the torch match in Wrestlemania history? I don't know about you, but if I watch 3 movies that involve the same plot, just with different characters, you wouldn't bother watching the fourth movie.
I saw The Hunger Games & Battle Royale. I've seen 13 Going On 30 & 17 Again. I liked them all. Screw you.
What makes you so sure that will be the case, in Wrestlemania III, Hulk Hogan was scared to death if Andre wasn't going to play along with their finish. He didn't know if his match with Andre the Giant was going to be a giant disaster and cause the death of the WWF. And remember, this is Hulk Motherfucking Hogan. If his middle name wasn't Motherfucking it would have been Confidence. This is a guy who inspired billions and gave birth to Hulkamania. But that Sunday Night he was sweating bullets looking up at Andre. He knew his career was on the line if this match wasn't any short of a success.
His name is Terry Gene Bollea. Motherfucking doesn't even come into it. And I can guarantee you Hogan wasn't scared of the finish. I've read in multiple books, mainly Bret Hart's, that Andre The Giant was one of the sweetest guys they ever knew before he died, so there was no way it was gonna be stunted.
How do you know Rock/Cena be a legendary match? Or for that matter, a bigger main-event than Andre/Hogan? Just because it is two legends doesn't mean it will be bigger than Hogan/Andre. When Rock/Hogan had their match, was anyone putting that in contention with Hogan/Andre? No, when Rock fought Austin, was that in contention with Rock/Cena? Once again no.
I know this in a few ways. Cena, in my eyes evokes emotion like no other superstar in WWE history. I know that once he makes his entrance, I'll be hanging on every move in the hope that he kicks the shit out of Rocky & wins this match. That's another thing that goes towards making a match, emotion. If Cena wins and finally the crowd are on his side, I'd guarantee a tear or two. How about a handshake? That would either go down badly or blow the (figurative) roof off. There's a huge list of little things that I have in my head that could just blow this one into history as being the most memorable thing anybody's ever watched in the history of Wrestling.
These matches are great on paper, because you are putting together two giant names that can, and will draw. But unless Rock/Cena produce a story that will be captured in the hearts of wrestling fans throughout the world like Hogan and Andre did, hell if they can even replicate a moment as awe inspiring as Hogans body slam, then maybe you can say Rock/Cena was a bigger Main-Event.
There will be a story. The personal animosity (I love that word) between these men, I'm even struggling to tell what's real and what's on a script. I think we're at the point where none of this is typed onto paper, this is all in the minds of Cena & Rock. It's already been an amazing match and they haven't fought. They're firing this up to 500% and there's nothing you can do about it.
Or you know, the torch that got carried for 25 years all the way to Cena is still as good as the day it was made.
Is it? Tell me more. Wait, you can't.
After Hogan beat Andre the Giant, the WWF was solidified as the best wrestling promotion in the world. Everyone wanted a piece of Hogan in Andre, the WWF expanded and became an international business thanks to Hogan/Andre.
Rock/Hogan didn't have that same effect the least bit. After beating Hogan, Rock went on with being a bad ass, he was. Nothing changed, Rock didn't become a bigger star, he was still Rock. And the year later, when Rock beat Stone Cold, nothing changed for either of them. The WWF/E didn't grow any larger or any smaller. It didn't provide the long term ramifications that Hogan/Andre did. So why would Cena/Rock be any different?
We're not talking Rock/Hogan, we're talking Rock/Cena & Hogan/Andre. Look up, I've explained that all these personal verbal attacks from both men have added to this. I won't repeat myself.
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So you're honestly going to throw away everything Hogan has done in his career that brought Professional Wrestling into main-stream media simply for wrestling way past his prime?
Not me, but a lot of people have done so.
Which is the same thing people thought when Rock beat Hogan. And then a year later thought the same thing when Rock beat Stone Cold. These matches are where they are because of the star power they shared. Not for the actual match itself. Hogan and Andre made their moment and created their legacy at Wrestlemania III. Wrestlemania 29 will simply be a celebration of the twilight years of Dwayne Johnson.
Don't sound so confident there Mr. P. We've not celebrated anything yet and this could go either way.
Of course this match itself will be good technical wise. But unless all those weights Rock is lifting is making his match at Mania bigger than Mania 3, you are sadly mistaken.
I am? Rock lifting weight isn't gonna make Cena any heavier, but you're focusing on one bodyslam way too much. What about the rest of the match, remember that? Or when you mention Hogan/Andre, do you just go... "BODYSLAM" & that's that?
I'm sure they will, but the question is if Rock/Cena is bigger than Hogan/Andre. And unless this Wrestlemania is picked up by alien races and creates a interplanetary fan base, then their is no way Rock/Cena can be bigger than Andre/Hogan.
Of course there is. The millions (and millions, pun fucking intended) will be watching this and I predict record Wrestlemania buys. Now obviously, WM3 was a long while back, but still brought in over 850,000 buys. Last year, we had over 1 million.
WrestleMania 23 - 1,250,000 (Highest Buyrate Record)
WrestleMania XXIV - 1,041,000
WrestleMania XXV - 960,000
WrestleMania XXVI - 885,000
WrestleMania XXVII - 1,042,000
There's the past 5 years when it comes to WM Buyrates. Three of them are over 1 million. Wrestlemania 23 leads last year by 200,000 and I think this year, we're surpassing that completely for one reason. Rock/Cena. You don't wanna miss it, do you? You're buying Wrestlemania and you're buying it for this reason, don't deny it. I know I am.
Uh, what? So if you give Rock/Cena a whole year to build up a match it will be epic. But if you make it two years? That goes right out the window?
If it's meant to come to an end this year, it's going to be epic. But if we got a sloppy ending, I grant you, it won't beat Hogan/Andre. I for one, don't believe we're gonna get an interrupted ending, or a DQ finish, but one man going clean over the other.
You obviously didn't watch the Wrestlemania match between Andre/Hogan. Which is fine, considering it was 20 something years ago. But if you did your research and actually watch the match, you would understand the story that Hogan and Andre told in their match. It was Hogan, someone who everyone thought was unbeatable. The real American was finally at risk of losing his WWF title. To the eighth wonder of the world, Andre the Giant. The match itself went on with Andre beating down Hulk and quelling every hope Hogan had beating Andre. Then Hulk gathered the power from all his Hulkamaniacs and gathered his strength to pick up the giant, and slam him straight on his back, then perform his signature leg drop.
The body slam was symbolic, that no matter what the odds, no matter the foe, anything can be achieved if you follow the righteous path and keep the fans behind you. It captured a national audience, and still to this day, Hogan/Andre is the perfect example of Wrestlemania, with the only thing to come close is Undertakers streak.
I've seen it. Multiple times thank you very much. The second thing I've highlighted there, that's what the WWE are doing with Rock/Cena. They want it to be the biggest and best Wrestlemania match ever, you can tell because of;
- The date they announced it. A year in advance? It's gonna be big & we know it.
- It's Rock & Cena. Two massive legends in different ways. I think in the future, we'll be calling Cena above Hogan after everybody really realises what Cena has done. You're gonna miss him when he's gone, I know I will.
It matters because that Body slam tore the roof off the Silver dome in Louisiana. That body slammed caused massive tremors that caused a large demand in Professional wrestling and the WWF. Only if Cena gives Rock a Attitude Adjustment off the top of the Sun Life Stadium, it will be close to impossible to top that and capture a moment for the next Wrestlemania's to come.
It was a bodyslam. Once other's have shown they can do the same thing, it was less significant. It was the defining moment... IN THAT MATCH. Oh & in response to the other thing about Hulk getting the power from his Hulkamaniacs, I hate that. The "Hulk up" thing? Stupid. We're not going to see THAT on Sunday night, that's a guarantee. Yes, we may have seen the obvious Super Cena thing before, but he's up against a true opponent in Rocky.
And then we would still be having the same discussion. Just with the stars switched around. That would be like saying 2 x 3 = 6 isn't the same as 3 x 2 = 6.
It isn't, the numbers are in different positions.
Great, Cena gets the 2% of the fanbase that chooses to boo him because he isn't as edgy as Rock. Simply because Dwayne forgot how to be Rock again. How does that add up to making their match any better than Hogan/Andre ? And what happens 6 months after Wrestlemania 28? Cena goes back to getting the ire of the IWC because he is still his fruity pebbles, Rise Above Hate gimmick. The WWE will continue being the number one wrestling promotion in the WWE. And Rock will go back to wearing dresses for Disney.
2%? In the words of The Miz, really? It's a LOAD more than 2%. So many people boo Cena now we could almost call it 50/50. Let's see him turn everyone into a Cena fan on that night by proving he's the best, or have everyone cheer him because he put up everything, put all this emotion into it & maybe didn't come out on top. If The Rock & Cena were best buddies or something, this could've been like Ric Flair vs HBK, with the "I'm sorry, I love you" moment, but it isn't. This is "I'm gonna kick your ass" all over the place, whilst showing everyone that we're the best when it comes to putting on a show. Cena is a valuable commodity, more than possibly anyone else. This is why we're looking at the best match in Wrestlemania history. It's because one of the men in it is the most dedicated man in all of sports entertainment, who will put everything in has into this match even if it means killing him.
Oh that was your goal? I thought it was being the first one in the Losers bracket.
No, I'm not you.
Neither Cena or Rock know what it is like to push a wrestling company into a Million dollar business. Hogan and Andre had to give an amazing performance our they would be selling fish out of a van with Eric Bischoff. Without Hogan and Andre's epic battle, their wouldn't be a Wrestlemania 28, their wouldn't be a Rock, their wouldn't be Cena, and their most likely wouldn't be a WWE.
This is my closing statement. Best of luck to yeah CP Munk. You're my bro, win or lose.
They might not know what it's like, but Cena sure knows how to keep a wrestling business going as a "Million Dollar" business. As I've just mentioned, he busts his ass more than anyone else has done. Ever. I have to doubt your last sentence because... it might've been great, but Hogan/Andre didn't create your "WWE/Rock/Cena", but the business did. Hogan/Andre might've kicked it in the backside a little bit, but come Sunday, John Cena & The Rock are bringing this to a whole new level.
The level of the greatest match in Wrestlemania history.
With that, I rest my case.
All the best Pancake, you've done yourself proud. Judges, do your worst.
