Quote:
Originally Posted by Nate Essex
The only one with a selective memory is you. I have this entire run on DVD and you are easily underscoring the Rock's reactions and impact. It's to be expected though since you fit the mold I mentioned before. No revisionist can change the Rock being more over in that Rock, This is Your Life segment than Austin's whole run that year. Nothing. And it's on the record because the ratings for that are legendary.
At Breakdown '98, the Rock blew that crowd away. Austin did not. Austin was the only face they had who stayed really over against Corporate Rock though because they kept chanting Rocky in all of those rematches he had with Foley leading to WM 15. The first Smackdown? 3 nights after the Rock turned himself face, what happens? He and Austin team up and Austin intially gets the huge Austin chant when he's in the ring but the crowd chants Rocky endlessly as soon as the Rock gets tagged in. This is filed. There is no debate on the matter. You and Austin101 can lead these childeren astray with false depictions of the past but not me. Doesn't work like that. I must commend you in thinking you could change the past though. Very cute.
Rock turned face? Video games done in tribute to him. All the music is marketed with him on the cover. Smackdown becomes his playground because it's named after him. After 2000, he was bigger than the industry. He helped put Austin back majorly over in 2001@ Mania and gave Hogan the last of his big returns after he was a non factor in the business for two years. That's who the Rock is. The guy that bridged your favorites and kept them acceptable as he stood there and put things on his back. And what I mean by him putting over Austin, Austin fans, is that the Rock was still the leader of the WWF until that match. He wrestled more and was in all the main events while Austin did more segments and wrestled once a week. Rock took 4 months off and that established Austin concretely into history as a legend. Of course it worked for the Rock as well since he returned to a hero's welcome and turned a 4.4 rating from one week without him to his hyped return getting a 5.7. That's why he gets Icon vs Icon matches and the Lesnar payoff was to go against him. It was best for business.
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Ok, as far as Breakdown was concerned...Rock actually had a normal entrance and he got a great pop for sure. The live crowd had already seen Austin on Heat before the show, AND he didn't even make a formal entrance which is why there was no pop. He attacked Undertaker from behind.
You spoke to me in this last post as if you thought i was a huge Austin mark. Ask Austin 101 if i'm an Austin mark, he will confirm that i am most definitely NOT. I don't particularly love the guy, but as i've said before i'm able to appreciate him now that i've gone back and watched old stuff.
The Rock will always be my favourite. BUT, that doesn't mean i'm just going to believe he was the biggest thing since sliced bread. He is definitely one of the greatest of all time. But history is history, and history shows us that NOBODY could touch Austin in 1998 and the first half of 1999.
Nobody will argue that Rocky wasn't over when he was the Corporate Champ, and that's because as a heel was was hilarious and i love watching it. The fans wanted him to turn face and then when he did the crowd reactions grew and grew. In the second half of 1999, his crowd reactions at times equaled Austin's. And when they started giving Austin less time on the mic (because they were preparing for him leaving for surgery, which you've just totally ignored), they pushed Rock more and then he became the biggest star in 2000.
I would LOVE to just say that my all-time favourite guy was the most popular guy ever. But i'm not going to ignore reality; Rock may be remembered more fondly now to some people, but back then he was always second to Austin in popularity.
Edit - When it came to promos, Rock definitely had the crowd in the palm of his hand. Austin only had two phrases that the crowd could participate in -
"And that's the bottom line..." and
"Gimme a Hell Yeah..." whereas The Rock had a million that the crowd could sing along to. I guarantee that if Austin had a million different phrases then the crowds would have been right there singing along with him. Things can be deceiving, off promos alone it would look like Rock was more over, but it wasn't necessarily the case.