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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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#3,733 ·
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

Funnily enough all the casuals i know wanted Ryback-Rock and dissatisfied that they're getting Punk-Rock.

Casuals apparently like to see strongly booked characters collide on PPV. Hard concept for Vince to grasp apparently.
 
#3,736 ·
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

Rock Should open on the 7th, it makes sense for the night to be built around the Title Match and who will face Rock, So Rock cuts a promo and then alludes to the title match and we get a Rock/Ryback face off backstage all building to the title Match.

Rock on commentary like KOTR 2002 would make sense. The Shield interfere again and Cole says something stupid "OH MY... HERE COMES THE ROCK!":cole3

Regarding Mania, Cena's booking makes it so unpredictable. he's in an absolute clusterfuck at the minute regarding AJ, Dolph and Ryblack. I wonder if Cena gets passed on the top two matches for Mania...maybe?

Rock/Ryback wouldn't happen, Ryback needs ring technicians to get the best out of him, the dynamic would kill Ryback's momentum and Rock wouldnt come out of it looking good either.
 
#3,740 ·
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

Daniel Bryan became the most over full timer in the company during this year despite ;

- playing third fiddle to AJ Lee and to whoever else he was feuding with
- Losing in 18 seconds at Wrestlemania
- getting beaten in decisive fashion by the likes of Alberto Del Rio

Do you know how ridiculously hard it is to get over despite HORRIBLE booking ? It's absolutely absurd, to be honest. This is why if Rock sticks around longer than XXIX, he should be put into a feud with the young guy who worked the hardest ; that would be Bryan.

You've given Ryback enough for doing something that anybody with a great look could do. He's essentialy WWE's version of Crimson, and to put him in a match with The Rock would be just NO. Personally, I think Bryan matches up with Rock better than anybody else in the company currently.

BUT OH WAIT ! WWE wants us to think that Bryan is a glorified mid-carder, so that will NEVER HAPPEN. God forbid a guy gets NATURALLY over, looks like we'll give all of the Rock's momentum to a guy who truly needs it to get over, like CENA, or better yet, RYBACK.
 
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#3,741 ·
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

Really hope we get the CM Punk we saw this week in that Flair segment during the Rock feud, not the one who feels the need to use all that insider bullshit and quasi-shoot DWAAAAAAAAAAAYNE stuff. Because that's the CM Punk I really enjoy, charismatic and effortlessly entertaining. The funny thing is I see a lot of similarities between Punk and Rock, at least when they are being heels, both have great facial expressions, both love trolling the crowds and mimicking their opponents, their mannerisms etc.
 
#3,743 ·
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

I love what Punk's been doing in the feud thus far, especially with the new t-shirt and everything. I think it's going to be more of a "I'm WWE Champion and that's why I'm better than you" than "I'm alwayz here LOLZ".

Punk is a full blown heel, meaning they won't protect him like they did with Cena (and I actually lke Cena, but it's true) or give him really shitty plot points to base the story off of. Since Punk is a heel instead of the company's top babyface, they'll also give Rock an open mic to ay whatever the fuck he wants in this feud. This is going to be a great one, but first we have to suffer through two more RAWs full of filler garbage :lol
 
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#3,748 ·
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

I love what Punk's been doing in the feud thus far, especially with the new t-shirt and everything. I think it's going to be more of a "I'm WWE Champion and that's why I'm better than you" than "I'm alwayz here LOLZ".

Punk is a full blown heel, meaning they won't protect him like they did with Cena (and I actually lke Cena, but it's true) or give him really shitty plot points to base the story off of. Since Punk is a heel instead of the company's top babyface, they'll also give Rock an open mic to ay whatever the fuck he wants in this feud. This is going to be a great one, but first we have to suffer through two more RAWs full of filler garbage :lol
I trust Punk to sell this feud a lot better then Cena did.
 
#3,754 ·
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

rock vs punk special referee is austin, u have 500k buys right there for royal rumble.
 
#3,756 ·
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

There's no point wasting an Austin appearance on a PPV where Rock alone has the star power covered.
He wont be there for star power he would be there to set up a WM storyline with Punk
 
#3,765 ·
Will Smarks Turn on Punk at the RR?

I've just wondered about wheather Punk will be walking into hostile territory at the Royal Rumble. I know he's a heel, but we all saw Cena get treated like a heel at WM 28, and since Punk's a heel, the heat should be unified right?

However, will smarks ally with Punk or Rocky...or is everyone here a Rocky mark?
 
#3,767 ·
Re: Will Smarks Turn on Punk at the RR?

Smarks turned on Punk long ago, just like everyone else they claimed to want success for, and when they get it, they determine that they don't deserve it.

Me, personally, I'm dying for Punk to get the win. Anything less than a 500 day title reign is unacceptable, but I know going in that Rock is winning the title, Cena is getting his win back at Mania and Punk is being punished by getting stuck in the midcard with Undertaker.
 
#3,772 · (Edited)
Re: Will Smarks Turn on Punk at the RR?

Smarks turned on Punk long ago, just like everyone else they claimed to want success for, and when they get it, they determine that they don't deserve it.

Me, personally, I'm dying for Punk to get the win. Anything less than a 500 day title reign is unacceptable, but I know going in that Rock is winning the title, Cena is getting his win back at Mania and Punk is being punished by getting stuck in the midcard with Undertaker.
Please elaborate, I would really like to know why you would think something like this.
 
#3,768 ·
Re: Will Smarks Turn on Punk at the RR?

Punk has his die hard fans, and so does Rock, so it's gonna be split just like it was at MANIA even thou it was in Rock's home town. Although it was more in favor of Rock at MANIA, smarks will always smark. Of course I will be rooting for Rock thou.
 
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