OT: Finally, The Rock has come back to the WWE
Hey WWE fans: I haven't really watched it since what to me were the glory days of the Attitude era with Austin, Triple H, The Rock etc. I tried a couple times to watch over the last few years and was underwhelmed, but then I saw that The Rock is back in the ring for Wrestlemania this year, has been on a couple of shows, and will be on Smackdown tomorrow. I watched a YouTube clip of him on last week's Smackdown, and he has lost nothing from his ability to totally command the mic. How are today's WWE fans feeling about this?
Can the Rock give the people's elbow to the two candy asses, the ad and bball coach and send them on their way?
I haven't watched wrestling since I was a kid in the 90's, but I've been reading a lot of very negative reactions.
Aren't people annoyed that it derailed the Cody/Roman storyline they had been building for a year?
You youngins. It's been all down hill for wrestling after Bruno Sammartino retired.
No love for Mil Mascaras, the man of a thousand masks?
I'll see your Sammartino and raise with one Edward Spulnik. Also known as Killer Kowalski, the Masked Executioner.
I'll see your Kowalski and reraise you Haystacks Calhoun and Bobo Brazil.
Don't forget Leaping Larry Chene and Lord Layton.
And The Sheik.
The Wild Samoans!
It threatened that way in the beginning but they pivoted to something thats clicking pretty good
Last Friday night was spectacular. That might have been the Rocks best performance in anything, ever.
It looks like a big monkey came down here, took a CRAP! and out came Mankind!
I am also a child of the Attitude Era but have been a more casual fan the last few years and I always pop big time whenever The Rock (or anyone I loved from that era) appears. For those that don't know, here's a very basic version of what's been going on:
- Cody Rhodes wins the Royal Rumble, seems to be headed toward a rematch with Roman Reigns for the title
- Separately, Rock has been teasing for months that he wants to take out Roman
- Cody seemingly steps aside allowing Rock to take his spot
- Fans revolt
- In response to the revolt, Rock turns heel, joins the Bloodline (faction led by Roman), Cody reneges on his "stepping aside" and will face Roman at Wrestlemania; Cody separately challenges Rock to a one on one
- Rock declines one on one but proposes a tag match between Cody/Seth Rollins and Rock/Roman
- Cody and Seth to appear on Smackdown tomorrow night with their response
For those not following the Bloodline story, it has been one of the best long form storytelling in wrestling since the Attitude Era. I'm absolutely eating it up.
I'll give you one weird personal reason why I haven't gotten back into WWE, one reason was I didn't think the wrestlers had nearly the personality that the Attitude generation did, and the storylines didn't grab me. But the weird reason is that I miss the guys like the
Rock, Lessner etc. who were large gladiator type guys, bulked up and larger than life, which helped the sports entertainment value to me. Now, most of the WWE guys look like my in-shape next door neighbor who goes to the gym a lot. Rhodes is one example. A normal size in shape guy.
I’ve got the secret, if they’re interested…..
Obligatory: Username checks out.
The Hulkster body slamming Andre (with a little help from Andre) was the apex of WWE. All downhill from there.
I’ve been following, and I strongly suspect that the current series of events was the plan all along. They made it look like a swerve, but I think it was just good storytelling. Which even if it isn’t, it’s pretty cool that wrestling is finally telling stories that feel even a little unpredictable these days. I haven’t watched a non-Roman or non-WM match in years, but I do still tip my toes in the promos.
Besides, Rock is older w/ movie muscles, and Roman’s clearly been knocked down a bit by his Leukemia. I worry that they wouldn’t put on a particularly good match - at least not at WM main event quality.
I was big into wrestling for a while as a kid. This probably sounds stupid, but for me everything fell apart when I realized it was fake. The storylines weren't great--in retrospect they probably sucked--and they became harder and harder to not just believe, but get into. But at least I could lean back into the illusion that it was real. But once that was gone, I just couldn't be interested anymore. It was no different than any other series that had long run out of good ideas...
The real problem is that most of them cant make you believe that they mean what they say, or that they are even a real person.
I agree. I watched the attitude era every week, but then got older and had kids and stopped watching for a long time. It think the biggest issue they had for a while was overly scripting the wrestlers so you never saw their personalities, and everyone was super boring. Then Vince kept changing ideas and stories so there was no cohesion.
To be honest, I was watching the old NXT primarily for a while because they had excellent matches, and interesting personalities. Then the wrestlers got called up and were used the wrong way for forgotten about. When they changed NXT, I gave up completely and have not watched a match in years. May check out the rock segment at some point though.
IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT TODAY'S WWE FANS THINK, JABRONI!
IF YA SMELLLLLLLLL
The Rock has made a few appearances back in WWE since the Attitude Era, but always as a good guy, so this has been a fun run as a heel insulting crowds and getting booed.
Early Nation vibes that Im kinda into
The Rock (and later John Cena) were the complete package as far as charisma and showmanship and promo ability - my friends and I used to watch every episode from the Attitude to the Invasion era, and in another timeline I'd be stoked to see the Brahma Bull back in the squared circle.
However in this timeline, I just can't with the WWE anymore. We all knew that Vince was pretty damn shady, but it turns out that his on-screen heel persona is Mr. Rogers compared to the real life dude. The revelations that he was basically human trafficking for decades with the tacit approval of people who are still highly placed in the organization are a bridge too far. He told us who he was for decades and we all should already have known. There are many basically decent people in the industry (and I love me some New Day) and I hope pro wrestling fans enjoy Mania, but for me personally the whole brand is far too tainted by the people at the top for me to be a fan anymore.
Feels like they're trying to reboot the NWO era, which I'm fine with, so long as Stone Cold comes back and gives Shane a stunner.
Here's an even more basic version of what is going on: The Rock is an investor in the organization that bought WWE from Vince McMahon - who remains a minority, but large, shareholder. Vince is now caught in a massive sex trafficking scandal that is hurting WWE's brand value right after the purchase. So, the Rock has come back less for actual content than to serve as a distraction from the scandal and to use his own brand capital to shore up WWE's image during these early days of Vince's final fall.
Period.
This ain't about him wrestling or putting on a quality show. This is about investments.
Its always about the money...
Harbaugh to Day...
"Know your role and shut your mouth"
Proceeds to take the "Jabroni" to the
"Smack Down Hotel"
George “the Animal” Steel was my high school football coach. His tongue was not actually green, and he didn’t go around eating turnbuckles, but his back did resemble a yeti. He was actually a very well spoken man (unlike his WWF persona), & his house was directly across the street from the football field. Like Prime, he was not hard to find.
He lived around the block from me when I was in my early teens. His wife was a very sweet woman who loved to garden.
THOSE were the glory days??
Shit man I remember Super Fly, Hulk, Rowdy Roddy, Andre, Nature Boy, Macho Man, Junkyard Dog, Sgt. Slaughter.
One of my favorite moments of all time was Macho Man running around backstage like an insane person yelling “Where’s Krush?” He then looked in a trash can like a 350lb man could actually be hiding in it. The good ol days.
R-Truth does stuff like that now in the WWE. His character is all entertainment at events, but outside of the ring.
3:16
WWE seems to be returning a bit to the old days. L.A. Knight is part Rock and part Stone Cold on the microphone.
I’ll still take George “The Animal” Steele eating turnbuckles any day of the week though.
The Attitude Era was filled with superstar wrestlers. WWF and WCW were crawling with talent, and the scripts were creative. Nowadays, everything is overdone and a cliche.
People loved Trish Stratus, but Velvet Sky will always be the hottest female wrestler to me.
yes there are now way too many legit women wrestlers in WWE. Zero interest in watching, for the same reason I don't like the average size guys now-hard to suspend disbelief
what about the iron sheik
My son (7) loves WWE and got me back into it. It’s silly but entertaining
The Rock is for sure back and he is actually a bad guy now. Which i love, bringing it all the way back to when he first came in.
My son (7) loves WWE and got me back into it. It’s silly but entertaining
The Rock is for sure back and he is actually a bad guy now. Which i love, bringing it all the way back to when he first came in.
He’s not really a bad guy. He’s making the Bloodline fan favorites. Cody Rhodes is going to be a heel by Wrestlemania at this rate.