Should WWE dump the Rock

[LyricalGomez]

With Rock close to signing a deal for another movie that would start filming in summer, and with several other offers being thrown at him, should the WWE keep Rock?

Yes, Rock can be entertaining, yes he helps ratings when he comes back, but how long will that last before people get tired of Rock showing up for a few weeks or months before leaving?

Also, because of his popularity Rock takes up valuable space in the Main Event that might be better used for a Mid to Main eventer who won't leave after 2 months.

Of course there is the other side, Rock is a fantastic heel and is one of the few main eventers willing to job cleanly. But another problem is that he really isn't around long enough to make him a really hated Heel. I also think it might be nearly impossible for Rock to be a heel, he could insult the fans and they'd probablly cheer for him.

So what do you say, keep him or dump him?

[GonzoStyle]

They'll never dump rock, while it's not right and disrespectful to the business they won't dump him. He's making mcmahon a lot of money making those films and taking wrestling to a more mainstream audience, so mcmahon wins in the end. Couple that with the fact that no matter what the fickle fans will be on the rocks jock a couple weeks after his return.

[Sir O]

I personally don't like him, but they'd be foolish to let him go. The fact is, people pay money to see him, and that's all that really matters. Besides Hogan, Austin, and Rocky, there really aren't any other draws...

[LyricalGomez]

I don't think they'd dump him either, I'm just wondering if people think they should dump him.

Yes he brings in money, but do you think he is detrimental to the company? Every time he returns you know they are going to make it a big deal, push him into the main event right away so they can take full advantage of the spike with a nice buyrate for the ppv, but think about it, that Main Event Spot he gets means someone else, someone more "deserving" (debateable, I know) gets pushed down. If he returns to say Smackdown, Benoit will go right back to Mid-carder, same with Angle unless he is champion at that point, if he returns to Raw Jericho will get pushed out of that Main Event spot.

I don't think they'd dump Rock in a million years, he's too much of a cash cow, but it's still interesting to discuss it, personally I think it might be better for the product if they'd dump him.

[Sir O]

Yes he brings in money, but do you think he is detrimental to the company?

No, not at all. I see where you're coming from though, I actually can't disagree with any of your points. I just see Rocky's role with the WWE right now as similar to Flair's role in any given territory in the 80's. He'd come in for a couple of months, work a program with the top guy in the territory, then move on. Nobody was hurt by this, though Flair was a much better worker and 80's style booking was better than today's self-indulgent soap opera fantasy writing. I guess my point is, that if done properly, it is possible to book Rock in a brief main event program to spike ppv buys without sacrificing guys like Angle and Jericho who the company should be counting on to be the draws of tomorrow. I just wouldn't expect it from the current writers, who I think are the real detriment to the company. And really, an argument could made against any main eventer at any point. I mean, just look at Hogan's run in the WWF in the 80's - his mere presence knocked everyone else in the company down a notch. And yeah, by the time 92/93 came around, it was pretty apparent that they hadn't done a good enough job of elevating the next generation. But in hindsight, would you say Hogan from 85-91 was detrimental?

[Teenweek]

No, keep him but turn him heel. Have his redebut in New York where they will boo him like crazy like at the world and at Summerslam.

How can you get rid of a guy who during his busy filming schedule showed up a month on Raw before he was supposed to come back and gives maybe one of the best speeches at least in recent history, a few days after Stone Cold took his ball and went home. That was one of the classiest things I ever saw and a very good speech. Like Gonzo said he is making the WWE money with his films and when he comes back all his little people will come back and lift ratings. He has to update his insults a lot as they blew at the 10th anniversary show.

[LyricalGomez]

Yeah, but how can you take a speech like that seriously when it's coming from a guy who doesn't seem to have wrestling as his first priority?

Acctually that speech is one of the reasons I really don't like him, he talks about commitment to the company and all, but then he goes off for months at a time to film movies. I may not really like Austin for leaving, but Austin never let anything come inbetween him and wrestling, sure he'd do a guest spot or two, but he'd still be at Raw, he'd still be at Smackdown.

[Teenweek]

Major story from 1popup.com about the rock

THE ROCK TALKS ABOUT HIS FUTURE PLANS, AND THEY WILL SURPRISE YOU

by Jake T. Icon Updated: 1/25/2003 6:00:34 PM


The Three Count By Jake T. Icon

"An interview with the Rock"

I was just an extra on the set of Rock's latest movie Helldorado and within those five days I was there, I got news that will "Rock" the wrestling world.

Day one, I got to have lunch with The Rock and Arnold Schwarzenegger

Day two, had two guys with guns walk on set and got arrested.

Day three, I find out Rock bought the name the Rock and now can use it without Vince McMahon.

Day Four, Goldberg walks on set.

Day Five, I get my interview and find out that the Rock is returning to wrestling as a heel, wrestling Hogan at No Way Out, wrestling Goldberg at WrestleMania and after that he is QUITTING WRESTLING FOR GOOD to pursue a movie career. That's the news, want the story, read on.

Two months ago, I wrote an article about Rock's behavior on set, saying that he went Hollywood.

I would like to go on record as saying, maybe he did, but the guy I met this month was one of the most humble men I have ever met. It was day one and the shoot took place at Club Ivar in Hollywood. This scene was to be the beginning of the movie where Rock comes into the club as a character named Beck, a bounty hunter, to collect a one hundred thousand dollar debt from a quarterback that is celebrating his Super Bowl win with six other big football players. Rock ends up taking the Super Bowl ring off the quarterback as collateral and ends up kicking ass.

On his way through the club he bumps in to Arnold who ends up doing a small cameo, because Rock does a small cameo in T-3.

It's kind of like a passing of the torch, very similar to John Travolta bumping into Stallone in the movie Staying Alive. Anyway, when these guys had lunch, Rock ate a Caesar's salad out of a bowl you usually serve it out of and a steak. He always ate healthy and that is hard on these sets when craft services serve steak on one end and Snicker bars on the other.

The guy in the picture, whom we will call Showstopper, was just an extra and approached Rock about a script his buddy wrote based on the video game, Spy Hunter. Now usually when extras do this they get kicked off set. Instead Rock heard him out and insisted on seeing the script. Security there was so loose, that the guy who wrote the Spy Hunter script was able to get on set, hand it to Showstopper who in turn handed it to Rock. Rock read it that night and the next day returned the script to Showstopper requesting that he send it to Rock's agent for legal purposes. Rock made that kid's day and luckily I was able to snap a shot with the two together.

Day two, was the same club scene. However two guys who looked like hoods walked right on set and started harassing one of the extras. Mind you, there are about two hundred extras on set. It seemed the extra that was being threatened owed some money to these guys. There were cops on set already and they ended up escorting these guys out. As they did this, the cops found that each guy had a gun on them and they were arrested immediately. Since that moment, anybody that looked suspicious or that had a camera on them had it taken away and security became tighter. Peter Berg, the director, was fuming.

Day three, everybody couldn't stop talking about the Rock. This guy was a star. The way he handled himself on set was all professional. Everybody on that set had a story about him. One that intrigued me was the fact that Rock went out of his way to buy out Vince McMahon for the use of the name The Rock. So expect Vince McMahon not to get an executive producer credit next Rock flick.

Day Four, Goldberg walked right on set, bald head, sunglasses and a big biker outfit. He went right up to the Rock, who was reading his script. Rock was looking down and Goldberg, who towered over everybody in the room, tapped him in the chest and said, "I'm here"! The way he said it, it sounded better then his old quotes, "I'm back" or "Who's next?!" Rock laughed, and said I'll be right there. Rock walked out a minute later had a five minute meeting with Goldberg in the back room. After five, Goldberg left. This made me think, "Why the Hell is he there" and "I know something the wrestling world doesn't".

It was day five and everybody was used to one another. There's a lot of sitting around on these sets because the director and crew have to set up the next shot. I noticed that the Rock would only talk to people who used wrestling terminology, not people who said, "I loved you in Scorpion King" or "I smell what you're cooking!" When our boy in the picture, ShowStopper, went up to Rock and said, "when are you turning heel" and Rock responded, "As soon as I get back", I knew that was the in to get my story. So a group of people asked him questions, and I was one of them. Rock said he doesn't mind jobbing to people to get them over. He said there are current people in the business that won't do that, and that is a problem. Rock went on to say he's back for two pay-per-views.

At No Way Out he's going to fight Hogan again, but this time as a heel. This will lead to a Hogan/Vince match at Wrestlemania when Vince sides with his new star, The Rock. I actually pitched the idea to Rock to call himself Holly Rock, but we will see how that turns out.

Hogan will bring in Goldberg and there is your WrestleMania dream match. Rock said after that he is doing the Hollywood thing and leaving wrestling until Hollywood doesn't want the Rock. From there, Hogan and Goldberg will have their much deserved rematch.. Rock finished by saying he misses the ring, "But I feel that Hollywood is my next challenge".

[LyricalGomez]

Someone ought to tell Vince and the writers that the match people acctually wanted to see was Austin vs Goldberg NOT Rock vs Goldberg.

[Teenweek]

well it looks like goldberg will stick around a bit after wrestlemania so it could happen.

[LyricalGomez]

Maybe it's just me, but I don't remember ever, EVER hearing about someone wanting Rock vs Goldberg

Goldberg being a copy of Austin however, that was talked about seeminglly non-stop.

[Teenweek]

I would actually like to see Goldberg vs HHH as in real life they hate each others guts. I heard they almost fought at some signing HHH was doing.

Goldberg will be a fan favorite when brought in. So will Austin. Austin will more than likely face HHH at Wrestlemania so than Rock gets Goldberg. If old Billy boy is still around have Austin vs Goldy at Summerslam.

[Sir O]

Major story from 1popup.com about the rock

You'd think by now, Ryder would know when people are working him...that story reeks of BS.

[Teenweek]

sir o, probably. Hey 1wrestling broke the story that bret hart was coming back. Just a rumor, but you never know.