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Has Rock's return since 2011 improve his legacy, or worsen it?

  • My thoughts towards the Rock are more negative since his return

    Votes: 96 43.8%
  • My thoughts towards the Rock are more positive since his return

    Votes: 50 22.8%
  • My thoughts towards the Rock are neutral since his return

    Votes: 73 33.3%

Has the Rock's return tarnished or "bettered" his legacy for you?

8K views 96 replies 84 participants last post by  #BadNewsSanta 
#1 · (Edited)
Ever since his return in February 2011, I've only liked 2 things that the Rock has done. His return promo when he was unveiled as the guest host for Mania 27 and his Survivor Series promo at Madison Square Garden. Everything else, I just plain out didn't like or just found extremely underwhelming. His feud and match with Cena was underwhelming, ditto for his Punk feud etc.

Before Rock's return, he was regarded as this mythical figure in WWE history who was an absolute legend, and was far above professional wrestling at that point. Well, 2 years later, have you guys changed your outlook towards the Rock and his career at all after all the matches, all the promo, vignettes etc? And if so, is has it made Rock's legacy even greater for you, or has it tarnished Rock's legacy for you?

EDIT: There is no doubt Rock is the biggest box office draw that WWE has, but let's leave that out of this discussion. Base this PURELY out of whether you like the Rock more or not since his return.
 
#31 · (Edited)
I'm neutral. Ya'll just got way too hyped up and disappointed yourselves. Did Bret stumbling and mumbling and having shitty matches ruin his legacy??? Ric Flair? Hogan at 60 wrasslin? Hell no (maybe a little for Hogan and Flair). People calling the Rock a "one trick pony" might as well call everyone else a "one trick pony." The Rock's style is his style, and it's what made him one of the biggest and most iconic stars in the history of the game. He still controls the crowd like no other, he still gets huge pops despite barely being there. He didn't have to come back and he did.

IWC begged for the man to come back and when ya'll got em ya'll bitched and bitched and bitched and bitched and bitched and bitched and bitched and bitched and bitched and bitched and bitched and bitched and bitched and bitched and bitched and bitched and bitched and bitched and bitched until bitching wasn't cool anymore.

If the rock turned heel and dissed everyone ya'll would be loving it. He's an "old wise man" Rock now who's just enjoying his return. He's not in his prime, you can look back on youtube and clearly see why The Rock is where he is. He can't get away with "Billy Meets God" or "This is your life" or Fake John Cena Funerals, or Calling McMahon a "Silverspoon Mutha****er." Yeah he says "anus" and "penis" but he's always done that, especially since 2002. Rock in 4 (more like 3)prime years (98-2002) has a more loved legacy that outdoes everyone on the current roster, including John Cena. The 99 deep voice Rock that would tell Cena he's a Vanilla Ice thug wannabe be piece of trash and who would show his crappy music vid on the titantron and laugh about it is GONE and NEVER COMING BACK. DEAL WITH IT. lmao

People pissed that Rock beat Punk; Vince gave the title to the Rock so blame him.

The Rock's return promo was AMAZING. The biggest pop of the PG Era, and was actually even amazing for a man that wasn't on live TV for 7 friggin years. THAT's how big the Rock is/was. Legacy tarnished? Yeah, um, right. Survivor Series promo was hilarious and old school Rock.

Rock's ONLINE PROMO ON JOHN CENA IN SUMMER 2011??? Do you really think the WWE in it's PG Era would let the Rock cut a 14 minute rip your character in half promo on their full time golden boy??? come on people just stop it.

Now the feud with Cena just wasn't good, the buildup was awful but people watched. It was poorly planned, and a past his prime Rock had to dumb himself down to make Cena look worthy. Cena was embarrassed for an entire year to the point where he had to find solace in a little section at his hometown crowd chanting tooth fairy to appear to claim that "he made the crowd turn on the Rock."
The promo this week promo that week was dumb and we know Vince did that so people tuned in to the PPV. 1.2 million buyrates says it worked unfortunately. Sucks, but sorry guys. Rock's philly promo and him dissing cena's merch were HILARIOUS tho.

Rock vs Punk? First promo, awesome. Great intensity, awesome start. I didn't mind their rumble match; what's the deal with ya'll saying the rock is "gassed?" If anything I think he's just trying to put over his opponents a little TOO much. Just sayin, any rock fan knows he likes to make his opponent look good. Rock put Punk over better than Cena ever could.

I didn't see the EC match. Rock's promo before EC??? AWFUL.

It's over when he loses at mania. He'll face Brock Lesnar or Cena at mania 30 and then it's over. Deal with it and have fun bitching about it.

So the Rock is not better at all but his legacy is not in any way ruined IMO. People just need to get their expectations in check. You're wanting the Attitude Era when it's not the Attitude Era anymore.

Also, it's clear that younger fans just don't "get it." Which is fine and not a problem. It happens with generations. Like Lebron and MJ debates. Younger fans will take James or Kobe, slightly older fans will take the GOAT in MJ, and even older fans will say Magic or Bird.
 
#15 ·
I was too young to enjoy wrestling before Rock left, but from every AE episode of Raw I've watched and every Rock promo I've ever seen, this Rock is fucking horrible. He has literally lost any sort of charisma.

I'm not exaggerating this, and I'm not really a Punk mark in particular, but it is ridiculous how his current run has gone. I feel that it's like he's not a wrestler anymore, he does legitimately feel like a movie star making a cameo appearance. I can not take his current run seriously and his 2 matches with a reliable worker in Punk have been absolutely awful.

But you really can't tarnish a legacy IMO, he is what he is and he still is the 2nd most successful wrestler of all time and he is one of the most charismatic too.
 
#21 ·
This is so true. The Rock, as much as I love the guy, has lost his in-ring charisma because he's too busy breathing heavily. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, it's understandable he'll be running out of breath, but he shouldn't have returned for a wrestling role. He can promote feuds and WWE all he wants, but the minute he stepped in the ring, you end up forgetting this is the same guy who just cut a promo about beating CM Punk. His promos are at a 50% what they once were. Sure, he has control over the audience like he once did, but it definitely lacks a significant amount of electricity they had, partly due to him having to play so many different roles as an actor, basically toning it down. The Rock isn't "The Rock" anymore, he's Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.
 
#63 ·
The Rock's return to the industry maybe helped it tremendously in the financial aspect, but it exposed it to the astronomical gap there's between him and everybody else. He's in a league of his own, playing checkers in the rules of chess. Everything he did and said turned into money and buzz. He says Fruity Pebbles, creates a campaign. Says Boots To Asses, makes millions of dollars in merchandising and it's chanted in sports games. His cleverness, charisma, naturalism and charm as a performer was unmatched in the peak of the wrestling industry, but now it's scary. He's taking crowds that were in complete silence for 3 hours and turns them into MSG in a 15 minutes segment. All that without mentioning his unbelievable business impact in an era where wrestling awareness is at all-time low. He comes back to a dead industry and goes on a record breaking machine of a run like it's 1999-2000, WM buyrates, gates, fastest selling WM packages, highest grossing events, everything he put his name on it, made record revenue. His return proved one thing and that's that he can do it in every period in history, regardless of the talent pool, regardless of the direction of the product, regardless of the relevancy of the business in the mainstream media, because he's the driving force and the greatest the industry has ever seen. You can't really appreciate something until it's gone, in a few years, people will understand.
 
#71 · (Edited)
The Rock's return to the industry maybe helped it tremendously in the financial aspect, but it exposed it to the astronomical gap there's between him and everybody else. He's in a league of his own, playing checkers in the rules of chess. Everything he did and said turned into money and buzz. He says Fruity Pebbles, creates a campaign. Says Boots To Asses, makes millions of dollars in merchandising and it's chanted in sports games. His cleverness, charisma, naturalism and charm as a performer was unmatched in the peak of the wrestling industry, but now it's scary. He's taking crowds that were in complete silence for 3 hours and turns them into MSG in a 15 minutes segment. All that without mentioning his unbelievable business impact in an era where wrestling awareness is at all-time low. He comes back to a dead industry and goes on a record breaking machine of a run like it's 1999-2000, WM buyrates, gates, fastest selling WM packages, highest grossing events, everything he put his name on it, made record revenue. His return proved one thing and that's that he can do it in every period in history, regardless of the talent pool, regardless of the direction of the product, regardless of the relevancy of the business in the mainstream media, because he's the driving force and the greatest the industry has ever seen. You can't really appreciate something until it's gone, in a few years, people will understand.
and he HOLD BACK clear as day how he losing it and in between at the SAME TIME deliver the return promo the u-tube one the MSG one the one after WM 28 the first one with punk and last night as well so he had some magic thing sometime and some not or WHAT :mad::mad:

he just don't bother to make effort every week because the wwe fanbase today don't care what the IWC want that's what Rock316AE said before at rock / cena thread last year : rock change every run and he has something for everyone
 
#97 ·
It certainly hasn't tarnished his legacy, but what it has done is exposed me to the fact Rock would be just like any other corny-ass babyface if he had the PG limitation on him like everyone today does. I mean, his jokes and promos have been lackluster since returning 2 years ago, and that's with who he is now and the stuff he can get away with. If 1998 Rock came up in 2011, you wouldn't get the cool, serious Rock who happened to be funny... and that's just it. When Rock delivered lines back in 1998, while it was intended to be funny, the way he delivered them were serious and that's what made them not just "haha" funny but "lmao" funny. How he would say it, rarely smiling with his sunglasses on, it was all cool.

Don't get me wrong, in 2002 when he was more like The Rock we see now, he was still hilarious, but there still wasn't any PG limitation and he could run-off his opponents in a hilarious way like tomorrow without resorting to stuff like "twinkie-tits". But anyway, if Rock of 1998 had to come up in 2011... well, it would've never happened. He would've started out as a heel as he did, but extremely toned down. If he got massively over, rather than slowly transitioning him from The Rock we saw in 1998 to The Rock we saw in 2002, it would've happened right with the heel/face turn, but it wouldn't stop there. Shortly after the face turn, Rock would be slapping hands with fans, smiling all the time... he would've been like he was when he first debuted. He wouldn't have the freedoms he has now, and he wouldn't be anywhere near as popular as he is today. He would've been regarded just as corny as Cena, Sheamus, and every other top face and we would never see The Rock rise to his potential.

So anyway, Rock's return hasn't tarnished his legacy, but it makes me think he wouldn't have done much better in this era, especially when it's an era where no man is allowed to pass Cena, and Vince would do everything in his power to make sure Rock never passes Cena (kinda like what some are saying they're trying to do now, only now it's far too late).
 
#9 ·
I don't see how he has worsen his legacy. Sure he isn't the same as before but people need to realise that this is the modern day WWE where babyfaces will sound cheesy and make kiddy jokes. Just look at CM Punk's face run in 2012. Rock hasn't been horrible on the Mic as people like to make out either. His first segment with Punk was great because Rock did his part. He clearly showed the importance of the match and he put Punk over as well by describing how dangerous he is. Some on here think it was horrible because Rock said "Cookie Puss" but that's just silly. You cannot judge a promo by just one word and ignore the rest of the promo.

The fact that people on here are praising the CM Punk and Rock feud shows how well Rock has contributed to the feud (well both Punk/Rock have contributed equally to the feud so kudos to them).
 
#30 ·
To simply put it; this is NOT The Rock I grew up watching and being a huge fan of as a kid.

I don't know what it is. I read an article online about how it maybe Dwayne Johnson trying to play the character of The Rock or something like that, I don't know. But The Rock just doesn't have what he used to have anymore, IMO. A lot of it is boring me, something I never thought I'd say about The Rock. I'm still a fan, but I'm disappointed.
 
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#64 ·
What about his twitter shoot? Did you like it?

LOL mythical? What does that even mean in your world?

Also he's not a Legend but an Icon.

No in 2013 (with decent fued with punk) he has proven to me that he is just about as damn good as he was 10 years prior (face this time though).

As far as Cena thing goes not everything worked since that whole wrestling through setellite thing and not to mention more shooting and less entertaining during 2012 RTWM period(although his twitter shoot is one of the best shoots of all time). Not to mention it was only an evarage performance for a match everyone was waiting for over a year. It didn't live up to the hype just as I knew from the moment they announced it that it wouldn't.

Also he hasn't tarnished anything if anything he did put WWE over (and that's what Icons like him should be doing).
 
#65 ·
you guys are funny.

The Rock is the best thing going in WWE right now. Anytime he comes out it's a big deal, and it's entertaining.

Has he been a little too over the top babyface lately? Maybe. But that's only because the fans cheer for him so...and after a 10 year absence he wasn't going to come back to just be a dick in front of the audience.

If the crowds start to boo him...he'll adapt. Always has. but for now, he doesn't get any boos whatsoever, so why change?
 
#66 ·
He hasn't bettered his legacy but he hasn't tarnished it either, he only came back because he missed it, for the fans and to help bring in more buyrates and viewers, and he has succeeded. In doing so he has given Punk the much needed exposure enhancing him to become a bigger star. Winning the wwe title I would have not had anything against it if he wasn't going to drop it to cena.
 
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#76 ·
really got to enjoy the rock after many years..yeah he wasnt as good as he was before but is definitely better than the other guys in the roster and gives me goosebumps everytime his music hits
 
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#2 ·
Re: POLL: Has the Rock's return tarnished or "bettered" his legacy for you?

It hasn't 'tarnished his legacy', I don't take wrestling that seriously. But I haven't really enjoyed it and I don't think anyone can dispute that it has been extremely underwhelming aside from the obvious nostalgia factor.
 
#3 ·
Re: POLL: Has the Rock's return tarnished or "bettered" his legacy for you?

I soured on the rock from his promo at the royal rumble but this monday he showed he still has it on the mic; it reminded me of his return promo. I still love the guy and he's still my favorite wrestler. The feud with Punk, while the matches weren't that good, was full of intensity and it was a lot better than Rock/Cena.
 
#5 ·
It's completely subjective. To some people, it might. To others, it might not have. Some people may have enjoyed the hell out of him in the Attitude Era, but might not have liked him in his return or vice versa.
 
#6 ·
-I enjoyed his return promo and one/two promos against Cena

-Other than that,I don't feel like I am watching The Rock.It feels like I am watching Rock morph into Cena

-Rocky fans would argue with statistics.Not going to argue that he didn't improve the PPV buys though

-Best moment:Rock's return promo

-Worst moment:Rock beating Punk to win the championship

-Has he over-stayed his welcome:Somewhat considering his star power makes WWE focus just on him
 
#8 ·
The Rock was one of my GOAT his return against Cena and Punk has made him drop about 15 - 20 places.

It just became glaringly obvious how overrated, suck up/pandering, repetitive one trick pony he is. His shtick is for kids and lazy people.

His previous work is still safe and holds a special place in my heart but probably a lot more for child nostalgia than anything else.
 
#10 ·
The Rock's promos since his return have been better and more entertaining that anyone else on the roster other than CM Punk's promos as a heel during his title reign. If anyone disagrees than please post videos of promos that were better. How anyone can criticize The Rocks promos in comparison to today's superstars is incredible.
 
#12 ·
he is a waltered down version of him self and sucks. I root for punk over him
 
#13 ·
Both
 
#16 · (Edited)
People want Rock to bury the whole roster like he did back in the day thats why they have this stupid notion on their heads that this is not The Rock,fans actual fans not some kid who goes to youtube and thinks he saw Rock in his prime would understand why he had to change and why is better for the product and the credibility of the people he fights

as i see it he has made his star even bigger by entertaining a new audience and has brought back a lot of older fans by givin us a lot of memorable moments and as for the business itself well he just put 2 of the biggest Manias of all time back to back one of them being the biggest money show the industry has seen and by the looks of it hes going for the 3rd and 4th when he goes against Lesnar at 30
 
#33 · (Edited)
It didn't tarnish his legacy. There's still plenty of casual fans who like him more than Punk and Cena but he is definitely nowhere near his prime.

The weird thing is, when The Rock return when he was revealed to be guest host, that promo is the very same The Rock from Attitude Era but once he started his feud with Cena, he become downgraded.

Why can't The Rock cut promo like he did when he was reveal as guest host? I keep getting the feeling he was pull down to let other superstars look on level with him on mic skills.
All of my sentiments are summed up here, in The Rock's 2010 return promo, after WM28 on Raw, Raw 1000, a few of the taped segments about Cena, Smackdown promo's with Rhodes Scholars, etc. Those are true Rock promo's, he cuts them as if he's fully in character. People think he's been hogging the spotlight, but in reality he's working the crowd just as he's always been and putting people over his own way.

The Rock of old got over by pretty much shitting on the entire roster, making fun of them and just acting like a elitist piece of shit, yet he never took himself too seriously. He has great delivery and he seemed human then because The Rock was never really protected in his prime, he laid down and put over a shit ton of people, nobody can deny that. His universal appeal helped too.

The difference now is that The Rock can't do that, because it's counterproductive. The roster he worked with in the Attitude Era could take the abuse, because pretty much everyone, even down to some of the midcarders were over and they could eat the insults without getting their credibility reamed if your name wasn't Billy Gunn.

He's not trying to get himself over anymore, and that said, he's trying to give the illusion that the stars of today are on par with him. Look at the "promo notes" shit that they pulled with Cena, look at many of the Rock/Cena promo's last year. In many of the times that they were in promos together notice that The Rock didn't even get a word in edgewise.

If anything, they executed his entire return poorly. Because he already had that aura, they should have built upon it, let The Rock be himself, then put someone up and coming to feud against, someone credible and have them go over Rock, making them stars.

But there is no one other than Cena and to a much lesser extent Punk and Orton. And that just goes back the WWE's shitty booking. So yes, I do believe that The Rock's latest run added to his legacy because it shows how selfless one can be. If anything, when you've done something right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all.
 
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