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Rate The Rock vs. CM Punk Feud

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Official The Rock vs. CM Punk Discussion Thread

823K views 9K replies 1K participants last post by  Nimbus 
#1 · (Edited)
wwe.com said:
Perhaps the parade was premature. Perhaps the celebrating, the humble tweets to The People and the legions of Team Bring It, and the proclamation that FINALLY, The Rock was WWE Champion once again jumped the gun by just a bit. Maybe, just maybe, The Rock put the horse before the cart when he celebrated his latest triumph on Raw Roulette, because CM Punk is not done with The Great One by a long shot.


How could he be, either? When a Superstar holds the WWE Title — Punk’s “life’s work,” in his own words — for 434 days spread across three calendar years, he does not just simply throw up his hands and call it a good run when the prize is taken from his clutches. So it was of no surprise when, during The Rock’s celebratory address to the WWE Universe as its new champion, The Straight Edge Superstar himself declared would be evoking his rematch clause – “granting” Rock a rematch was how he earned it – at Elimination Chamber. It was also of no surprise that The Rock gladly accepted.

But once again, maybe Rock is counting his proverbial chickens too early, because for all CM Punk’s feverish boasting in his final days as champion, he was right about one thing after the Royal Rumble: Hedidpin The Rock. It was one-two-three in the middle of the ring, although it took a sneak attack by who we can only assume was The Shield to weaken The Brahma Bull enough for Punk to make the pin. And it was only after Mr. McMahon restarted the bout that The Great One found enough of a second wind to silence CM Punk and put The Straight Edge Superstar to sleep, claiming his eighth WWE Championship in the process.

So at Elimination Chamber, the most brutal pit stop on The Road to WrestleMania, The Rock will face his own personal demon yet again. And The People’s Champion will have to be very, very careful, because CM Punk does not make the same mistake twice, and he is very, very angry. The very real opinion exists — depending whom you ask — that Punk should still be WWE Champion. And with it, the very real possibility exists — should The Rock think one victory equals winning the war — that The Brahma Bull’s parade could end as soon as it began and that CM Punk will be champion again, with history in his hands for the third time.


Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson said:
Over 100 years of Heavyweight Champions.

3 generations in my blood.

New WWE Champion.

My honor. TEAM BRING IT.


wwe.com said:
Attitude Era original Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will compete in his first World Title match in more than a decade when he challenges WWE Champion CM Punk, the longest-reigning WWE Title holder of the past quarter-century, at Royal Rumble on Jan. 27.

The WWE Universe has anxiously awaited The Great One’s return to the WWE Title picture since he announced his championship opportunity on Raw 1,000 last July. Though there was no guarantee at the time whom The Rock’s opponent would be, the always-confident Punk fired an opening salvo that night, cutting down The Rock with a clothesline before knocking him out with a picture-perfect Go to Sleep. The following week, The Voice of the Voiceless defended his actions by suggesting The Great One, having been “gifted” a WWE Title match, viewed victory at the Royal Rumble as a foregone conclusion.

Whether a real or perceived slight, the implication that The Rock places himself on a higher plane than the current WWE Champion was seemingly all the motivation Punk needed to make sure he would still have the title on Jan. 27.

In the half-year since Raw 1,000, The Second City Saint stunned WWE fans by aligning with Paul Heyman and ratcheting up the vitriol of his speech. More important than either of those details, he has — by hook or by crook — maintained possession of the championship gold. Having turned back challenges by John Cena and Ryback in recent months, The Best in the World now looks ahead to testing himself against the seven-time former WWE Champion who vowed in 2012 to regain the title.

For The Rock, an A-list Hollywood action star and third-generation Superstar who has sports-entertainment coursing through his veins, the Royal Rumble title match represents the start of a potential career renaissance inside the ring. Since March 2004, The Most Electrifying Man in All of Entertainment has competed in only two sanctioned WWE matches, teaming with John Cena to shred The Awesome Truth (The Miz & R-Truth) at Survivor Series 2011 and overcoming the Cenation leader at WrestleMania XXVIII.

But by vying for the most treasured prize in sports-entertainment, The Rock is committing to more than another appearance as a “special attraction.” Rather, he is setting his eyes on again becoming WWE’s gold standard.

Hell-bent though The Rock may be on introducing a new generation of WWE fans to The People’s Champion, there is no discounting Punk’s deftness once the bell rings. Controversial endings to several high-profile title defenses may have tarnished The Second City Saint’s reputation in the eyes of some critics, but they have done nothing to change the fact the WWE Championship still sits around his waist. Before his seedier side came into focus in late summer, Punk spent much of 2012 disposing of WWE’s best and brightest, ranging from Chris Jericho and Daniel Bryan to Dolph Ziggler and Kane. How will the WWE Champion match up against one of the pillars of The Attitude Era?

As the WWE Universe excitedly counts down the days until Jan. 27, the back-and-forth between two of WWE’s most compelling talkers is bound to pick up steam. It will not be until the Royal Rumble, however, that the trash talk gives way to the gravity of a game-changing WWE Championship bout, the likes of which hasn’t seen in years. Will Royal Rumble mark the rebirth of a championship Brahma Bull, or will it only underscore what Punk has claimed all along, that he is untouchable and in a class by himself?
The Rock explains why he wants WWE Title

WWE part-time star The Rock revealed why re-capturing the WWE Title is important to him in a new interview with WWE Magazine. It's a statement that has been missing from WWE television leading up to the Royal Rumble PPV.

"It starts with recognizing what the WWE Championship represents to me," Rock said in the February 2013 issue. "Every time I hold that title over my head in victory, it not only signifies the fact that I have delivered the absolute best entertainment that I could to the WWE Universe, but that I'm taking a moment to live an experience that all the generations of wrestlers in my family strived to achieve.

Rock continued, "There is no other award that I could receive that's as deeply ingrained in my blood and history as the WWE Championship - and that's why it means so much to me."

At the same time, Rock said that after his first WWE Title reign - which came in 1998 - he decided that he would never allow his possession of or lack of the WWE Title define his career.

"After my first WWE Championship run came to an end, I made a conscious decision that night that I would work harder than any other Superstar in the locker room to become the type of WWE entertainer who, if I never had another championship run again, it would not define my career. I never wanted to rely on a title run for success."

Rock's next statement reflects his recent approach to mixing "entertainment" with "seriousness." Rock concluded, "My goal was to get to a place where I relied only on what I could bring to the table in terms of being entertaining and having a one-of-a-kind - and electrifying - connection with all of the WWE Universe."

[ FYI: Rock's interview is part of a cover-feature on Rock in the latest WWE Magazine. ]

Link - http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/WWE_News_3/article_68014.shtml














 
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#1,856 ·
WWE.COM: How Will The Rock Electrify at Wrestlemania 29

http://www.wwe.com/shows/wrestlemania/29/how-might-the-rock-electrify-wrestlemania-29-26062406



The Rock will be at WrestleMania 29. We know this for certain because The People’s Champion has gone on record saying he will be present when The Show of Shows sets up shop in the N.Y./N.J. region at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. What we don’t know is in what capacity The Rock will be participating at WrestleMania 29, and that, WWE Universe, is where things get interesting.

As any Superstar, host, guest star or spectator can tell you, the roads to WrestleMania are windy and come in multitudes. Competitors who began the year in obscurity can just as easily find themselves featured in a showcase contest (see: Zack Ryder, who clawed and scraped his way up the ladder and made it to Team Teddy at WrestleMania 28 in Miami), and Superstars who already ascended the mountaintop can see their fortunes rise even higher (see: Daniel Bryan, whose “Yes!” chants truly took off in Miami even though he lost the World Heavyweight Championship to Sheamus in 18 seconds).

Therefore, while we know The Brahma Bull will grace WrestleMania for the third straight year, we don’t know what the path The Great One will walk en route to The Show of Shows. Happily, speculation is kind of our thing here at WWE.com, and we have a few ideas of how the jabroni-beatin’, lalalalalalala PIE-eatin’, trailblazin’, eyebrow-raisin’, heart-stoppin’, elbow-droppin’ People’s Champ THE ROCK, will electrify the multitudes at MetLife Stadium this coming April
.

(following pages in link list theories on what he might do)
 
#1,857 ·
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

Let's try this again. After this I'm not posting any more warnings in this thread...


As for the latest WWE.com article, I'm happy to see the idea of Rock challenging The Streak is on their website. The match may never happen but I feel it is an option that may get tossed around in creative meetings. Give me Rock/Brock, Rock/Taker, or even Rock/Punk at Mania over Rock/Cena II.
 
#1,858 ·
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

I agree with not wanting Rock/Cena again Clique.I don't see how Rock/Taker would work storyline wise given both wrestlers current story-arcs and characters. Starbuck touched on it in earlier posts. Undertaker seems to be facing more and more brutal and ruthless opponents. Whereas Rock is not portrayed in that light currently, nor is Punk. I still say we are getting Rock/Cena and Brock/Taker. I would love Rock/Cena/Punk though, to have a bit of a mix up.
 
#1,859 ·
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

I too would like to see the triple threat over Rock/Cena II but if Rock and Cena are going to be involved with each other at WM29 I can imagine Vince seeing more money in a rematch oppose to adding Punk to the equation.
 
#1,862 ·
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

I've read people toss out the idea of Rock/Ryback at Royal Rumble. :argh: I'm not sure Ryback is ready for a match that high profile, yet. His performance this Sunday at Hell In A Cell with Punk will likely be a good gauge of where he stands as a main event performer. The guy is certainly over at this moment in time to say the least.
 
#1,863 ·
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

Honestly RyBack winning the title will hurt him more than not winning it. He will have to have a definate countable loss to either Punk or Rock himself depending on which way they go. Although I am certain it is Rock/Punk at the Rumble. As for your comment on Vince seeing more money in Rock/Cena than Rock/Cena/Punk, I don't know. Rock/Cena/Punk has Rock/Cena interactions in itself in the match along with the addition of the wildcard Punk. It has 2 of the top draws in it, along with the companys top heel. I think it would look just fine to Vince from a financial perspective. Although Rock/Brock would blow any other match out of the water. It just leaves the question of Undertaker's opponent.
 
#1,864 ·
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

if The Rock wants to work with Punk at Rumble (seems like it). Than he will get his wish.

I can see Ryback/Rock down the line (after Mania), but depends on The Rock wanting it and his schedule (its down right crazy what his 2013 calendar looks like).

IMO Ryback shouldn't get involved with The Rock yet (if at all). I really don't want to see Lesnar jobbing to Ryback either (at least I would stomach this than HHH getting his revenge).
 
#1,866 ·
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

We're back I hope you all behave yourselves this time and learnt your lessons :Rock

Taker will be there, every year the dirtsheet's report that he's too injured to wrestle and every year he's there.

If it is Rock/Cena as expected then Taker vs Brock is a huge match that has to happen IMO.
 
#1,871 ·
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

Yeah I don't think Taker's working Mania, whether its actually injuries or just excuses not to work with Brock I dunno. I think Brock/Trips is most likely with Rock/Brock still a possibility.
I still think he would be there even if doesn't work a big 30 min match like he has been. His match with Batista at 23 was only 15 min long and it was a great match so if we can't get a 30 min match from taker I still believe we can get a good 13-15 min match out of him at wm 29
 
#1,868 ·
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

John Cena ‏@JohnCena
Bit of advice @ExcuseMeWWE I know u r proud of your 'actions' but if u wanna run your mouth about me, it wont work. Ask @therock
Cmon John. I like you man, but Really?
 
#1,870 ·
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

Looks like they're gonna have Rock and Cena trading insults over Twitter again, eventually building to a confrontation and a rematch. Load of crap.
 
#1,874 ·
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

John Cena ‏@JohnCena
Bit of advice @ExcuseMeWWE I know u r proud of your 'actions' but if u wanna run your mouth about me, it wont work. Ask @therock
Yeah Vickie, he'll just no sell everything you say then say you're reading notes so he instantly superior cause he also loves people!
 
#1,876 ·
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

I get the feeling Rock may not wrestle at all at Mania, I know he confirmed he will be there but that doesn't necessarily mean in a match, could be as a guest referee or some other role. Or if he does I think it might be a lower profile match that he doesn't need to be around every week for to promote on the RTWM. I know GI Joe comes out around March/April so he'll be off around the world promoting that, then Pain & Gain comes out early April I think so it seems unlikely he will be at Raw as much as last year

So I think they might put the title on Cena at Survivor Series and do the Cena/Rock rematch at the Rumble to give back Cena the win he so desperately needs*


*sarcasm
 
#1,877 ·
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

I get the feeling Rock may not wrestle at all at Mania, I know he confirmed he will be there but that doesn't necessarily mean in a match, could be as a guest referee or some other role. Or if he does I think it might be a lower profile match that he doesn't need to be around every week for to promote on the RTWM. I know GI Joe comes out around March/April so he'll be off around the world promoting that, then Pain & Gain comes out early April I think so it seems unlikely he will be at Raw as much as last year

So I think they might put the title on Cena at Survivor Series and do the Cena/Rock rematch at the Rumble to give back Cena the win he so desperately needs*


*sarcasm
It would be a HUGE let down if Rock doesn't wrestle at WM.
 
#1,880 ·
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

Rock's definitely working WrestleMania in a match, like Clique said, how much build will be required to 'setup' Brock/Rock if they do go with it.

Rumble run in, Challenge and accepting the match segment. you can then just build it with pretaped promotion packages similar to how they did Summerslam with a face to face confrontation on the go home show.
 
#1,881 ·
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

My storyline for Rock vs Brock at WM 29

(At the rumble The Rock beats CM Punk for the title with some help from Austin. (U will know why Austin is there in the next match) Brock Lesnar enters the rumble but gets eliminated after a bunch of superstars gang up on him. Brock is pissed that happen. The next night on raw Paul Heyman comes out and demands a spot for Brock in the raw chamber after what happen to him in the rumble. GM Ric Flair comes out and says Brock has to earn his spot in the chamber. Paul Heyman says Brock shouldn't have to earn his spot after what happened. Flair says forget it Brock wont get a spot in the chamber. Later in the night Brock comes out and forces JR in the ring and threaten to break his arm uness Ric gives Brock what he wants. Ric comes and has no choice but to give in to Brock. Brock is now in the raw chamber. At the PPV its Rock vs Punk for the wwe title in a rematch since Punk has rematch. Rock beats Punk. Later that night the Raw chamber match is a #1 contenders match for the WWE title at WM since Jericho chose to face the World champ right away after the rumble. Brock wins the match by last eliminating cena. Now at WM its Rock vs Brock for the WWE title and I would have Brock win cause The Rock will be leaving right away after WM 29 and that Brock wont be leave right away after WM 29 but soon after that tho like at Extreme Rules so he can drop the title then. Now I know a lot of u will be like these guys are not full time they shouldn't be in the wwe title match. Well I know that but I think it would be a great idea and the match could have a lot of heat by the fans in it. Just like Brock vs Goldberg at WM 20 when they knew both guys were leaving. Its a NY/NJ crowd so there will be a lot of hardcore wrestling fans there so they will know Rock will be leaving again after WM 29 and they know its obvious Brock will drop the title at Extreme Rules or the next night cause he will be leaving soon as well. So I think this match would be great. Just cause of the fans heat)
 
#1,884 ·
#1,885 ·
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

Why would you want Rock vs Brock to go on before Austin vs. Punk? That doesn't make any sense to me. The Rock and Brock are the only 2 mainstream wrestlers they have. A match between the 2 would create a HUGE buzz, and I mean HUGE! The rematch The Rock never got and the former UFC champion beast of a man who's fresh off of making Triple H seemingly retire going at it at Wrestlemania? That's got mainevent written all over it.

Austin, although a GOAT, is not all that relevant anymore. And Punk doesn't have the starpower to balance this thing out. The promos would be amazing yeah, but The Rock and Paul Heyman potentially going at it on the stick, that would be just as good if not better. Those 2 are probably the 2 greatest when it comes to selling matches.

You can also guarantee the match won't be a bust. Provided Rock work on his endurance and Brock stop that boring 'Kimaura Lock time muthafucka!' gimmick. Austins, while a great worker in the past, has got a bad neck, bad knees and who knows what else. Punk is a pretty good worker, but he's not that good. That match has the potential to be a bust.

The Rock got screwed out of the Main Event at WM18 and look what happened in the main event.... the crowd didn't respond. They saw the real main event and didn't care for anything else. The show was already over for them.

Austin vs Punk may be a IWC smark dream, and I myself want to see it, but Rock vs Brock definitely deserves to go on last. Maybe if they wait until Wrestlemania 30 Austin vs. Punk can happen, but until then...leave it alone.
 
#1,886 ·
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

Why would you want Rock vs Brock to go on before Austin vs. Punk? That doesn't make any sense to me. The Rock and Brock are the only 2 mainstream wrestlers they have. A match between the 2 would create a HUGE buzz, and I mean HUGE! The rematch The Rock never got and the former UFC champion beast of a man who's fresh off of making Triple H seemingly retire going at it at Wrestlemania? That's got mainevent written all over it.

Austin, although a GOAT, is not all that relevant anymore. And Punk doesn't have the starpower to balance this thing out. The promos would be amazing yeah, but The Rock and Paul Heyman potentially going at it on the stick, that would be just as good if not better. Those 2 are probably the 2 greatest when it comes to selling matches.

You can also guarantee the match won't be a bust. Provided Rock work on his endurance and Brock stop that boring 'Kimaura Lock time muthafucka!' gimmick. Austins, while a great worker in the past, has got a bad neck, bad knees and who knows what else. Punk is a pretty good worker, but he's not that good. That match has the potential to be a bust.

The Rock got screwed out of the Main Event at WM18 and look what happened in the main event.... the crowd didn't respond. They saw the real main event and didn't care for anything else. The show was already over for them.

Austin vs Punk may be a IWC smark dream, and I myself want to see it, but Rock vs Brock definitely deserves to go on last. Maybe if they wait until Wrestlemania 30 Austin vs. Punk can happen, but until then...leave it alone.
Take a chill pill broski this just my opinion and what i would like to see happen doesn't mean it will
 
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