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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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#1,179 ·
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

I'm looking forward to the Rock winning the WWE title, but I'm not looking forward another Cena/Rock match. In my eyes, these two NEVER had chemistry. A lot of conversation was going on during the match and the match was sloppy as hell, in my eyes.

Punk/Rock would be a fat greater match, only if its at Wrestlemania.
 
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#1,180 ·
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

I haven't seen Green Light's post. But that sounds good to me. Rock doesn't need to show up every week but he can still elevate the title by just wanting it. You have a Punk/Heyman/Lesnar alliance and a mega match in Rock/Brock. But Lesnar/Taker is rumored, maybe we can make that Cena/Taker and have Ryback or Sheamus face Punk for the WWE Championship

As for C2D, you could be right. It's just a thought by me not a fact.
 
#1,182 ·
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

I hate that float over DDT since pretty much every wrestler has it as a running grapple in wwe 12. But of course it would be cool if Rock would do it in real life once more.
 
#1,183 ·
#1,184 · (Edited)
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

According to wrestling observer:
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will have a very busy schedule in the beginning of 2013, with several films being released for which Johnson will be required to do a lot of publicity.

The Rock will be appearing at the Royal Rumble in January, then he will be doing promotion for “Snitch” which comes out on 2/22, “G.I. Joe: Retaliation” comes out on 3/29, “Pain and Gain” comes out on 4/26, and “Fast Six” comes out on 5/24.

The Rock is expected to have some type of role at WrestleMania 29, but with his busy film promotion schedule, it remains to be seen how much time he can devote to WWE leading up to the big PPV.


THE ROCK WILL NOT WIN THE TITLE IF HE EVEN MAKE IT TO WWE NEXT YEAR TO BEGIN WITH​
 
#1,188 · (Edited)
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

Heard that there was big "Boots To Asses" chants in the Yankees game. The Rock can do it all. I think at this point he's just doing things to stretch the ability with his unlimited talent to make people care about anything he says and does. They should add Dwayne Johnson alongside the "Can turn everything into a golden egg" term. The Rock vs Brock Lesnar with that crowd in the New York market.

"The Hero" on TNT:


Casting TNT's The Hero

DWAYNE "THE ROCK" JOHNSON'S NEW REALITY SERIES ON TNT IS CASTING THE FIERCEST COMPETITOR, THE MOST STRATEGIC PLAYER... THE ULTIMATE HERO!!

We are not necessarily casting the fittest or the fastest. We are looking for everyday people who are ready to prove themselves
in the physical and mental adventure of a lifetime!!

Are you ready to win up to Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars?! AND MORE IMPORTANTLY...Will you do what it takes to get it?

Get ready to embark on a journey in an exotic location that will challenge your brains, brawn, moral decisions, motives & competitive spirit!

The show will challenge competitors mentally and physically to prove they have what it takes to be Heroes (or villains) pushing them to the limits to see what they are willing (and able) to overcome, undergo and sacrifice for the sake of their fellow contestants or for themselves and a chance to win A VERY SUBSTANTIAL CASH PRIZE!

*Must have a valid Passport and be willing to travel outside of the U.S. for a 3 week adventure and compete for the prize of a lifetime.
The Rock in "Hercules", "Different than anything he's ever done":


Brett Ratner is gearing up to begin pre-production on Hercules, starring Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, and he told Empire Magazine it's a project he was 'born to direct.'

"There's no definitive Hercules film," said Ratner, who claimed to have drawn Hercules comics as a small boy. "This will be the definitive Hercules. I promise you that."

"It's starring The Rock," Ratner said plainly when asked what will make the movie so memorable. "And it's different than anything he's ever done and it's different than anything I've ever done."
With the huge success of franchises like Batman and Spiderman. Hercules can be the next in the series and it's great that Rock took that role, can potentially put him on another level as a box office power.

@BrosOfDestruction Best part of that brawl was Rock SLIDING on the guardrail, fucking money everytime.
 
#1,190 ·
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

Dwayne Johnson ‏@TheRock
On set. FAST 6. Press just asked what was 1st car I bought? I paid $40 to a crackhead in a Nashville bar. I was 15. True story. #MyFirstCar
looks like he is still filming Fast 6. and lol at his first car story
 
#1,191 ·
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

The Rock/social media connection(Amy Jo Martin):

Do You Smell What @TheRock Is Tweeting?
The Rock didn't want to do the social media thing. Then he met Amy Jo Martin. Now he has 7.2 million friends and 3.4 million followers--here's how to follow his lead.



I was attending an Ultimate Fighting Championship bout, sitting across the ring from UFC President Dana White. That's when I received a text from Dana that said, "Come over here now." Great, I thought, what did I do wrong? I walked around the ring, fingers crossed. When I got there, Dana immediately pointed to the big guy standing next to him and introduced me to The Rock.

Before I finished shaking hands with him, Dana turned and launched into a pitch about how he had to embrace social media and how it was the best thing ever and about how I was the Twitter Queen who could show him exactly what to do. Dana is convincing, but I could tell The Rock was nodding to be nice.

"I have to tell you," The Rock confessed, "I'm a very private man, and I'm really not comfortable blending my personal life with my professional life."

It wasn't the first time I'd heard that sort of response, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. I told him as much and then conceded that using social media wasn't something you could force. You have to want to do it, I said.

"But remember," I continued, "this isn't the paparazzi. You have full control over what you put out there."

I then explained that social media ultimately made his brand, and rough-around-the-edges charisma, more scalable in that he could reach more fans on a more frequent basis. It also allowed him to do more good on a grander scale, and in the end, it could actually be enjoyable.

The Rock took my business card and said he'd be in touch. I wasn't sure we'd talk again and headed back to my home base on media row.

Two weeks after the fight. I received an e-mail from a Dwayne Johnson. I thought, Dwayne who? I opened the e-mail and saw it was from The Rock. (Of course!) He wanted to talk more about social media. Fortunately, staying in a comfort zone wasn't his style. He recognized an opportunity when he saw one, and after a couple of more chats that included his manager, agent, publicist, and assistant, he jumped in with both feet.
I've since become friends with The Rock (I now call him "DJ" because neither "Dwayne" nor "Mister The Rock" ever felt right). He's become a rare branding force in the global community with more than 9 million friends and followers who are as diverse as anyone else I've worked with. He just had to overcome that initial hesitation.

Today the amount of attention DJ gives to social media, along with his hands-on approach, is unmatched in the world of celebrity. He works at it daily, and it's always his fingers to the keyboard or iPhone. Nobody speaks on his behalf. Ever. DJ is successful with these communication channels because he's dialed in and has fully and personally committed to delivering value to his audience.

You may be where DJ was at first, and that is understandable. It's not traditional protocol to bring your personal life to work, and it's not comfortable. I've spoken to many entrepreneurs, celebrities, and executives who get that social media has value. They even agree that the best brands have a human quality to them. But often it's that first leap toward a new protocol, or culture shift, that gets them hung up. They just can't see themselves sharing their lives with thousands of people, let alone millions.

Yes, putting yourself out there feels uncomfortable for most people. But this isn't exactly public speaking we're talking about. Forget imagining your audience in their underwear--you can be in your underwear and your audience will never know. Besides, any renegade knows that no risk worth taking is without some discomfort.

So get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Own it. With more than a billion people using these communication channels, you can't afford not to have an active role in the conversation.

During my time leading Digital Royalty, I've found that the most successful people and brands resolve to make the same trade-off. They trade comfort for momentum. It's not that they embrace discomfort. Nobody likes stress, anxiety, or embarrassment. It's that they understand that avoiding stagnation in any endeavor takes an ability to get used to--to grow comfortable with--growing pains. Today's renegades are not unlike adrenaline junkies who feed off the knowledge that the highest highs can be had on the backside of our biggest fears, anxieties, and chaos.

Fast-forward a year from our first meeting, and DJ enthused that embracing social media was one of the best things he ever did personally and professionally. Fast-forward another six months, and DJ had become a leader in the social space with a higher retweet rate--the percentage of his tweets that are re-sent by his followers to their followers--than most other celebrities: 11 percent. To give you an idea of how huge this rate actually is, a 3 percent retweet rate is typically considered a success. Practically speaking, this means that approximately 300,000 followers have forwarded his message on to their followers. And it doesn't stop there. How many people from that base of 300,000 forward the message on to their own follower base? And then how many from the next and the next? It's an enormous ripple effect that according to my sports and entertainment friends at Twitter headquarters is unrivaled among his contemporaries.

DJ's social media strategy started, as it should for anyone else, by defining his audience and his value to that audience. It wasn't as broad as breaking people into World Wrestling Entertainment fans, moviegoer fans, and military fans, the primary places where he'd gained mainstream exposure. It was a matter of breaking down the psychographics of those different groups and assigning them to smaller categories based on their primary affinity to DJ's value and what resonated most with them.

Initially, removing demographic barriers, increasing his audience, and engaging them in ways they valued was a matter of educated trial and error. Some content didn't cause as big of a splash with any audience category. Others caused a tidal wave across multiple audience categories. DJ learned quickly and always adjusted his offerings toward what worked. Obviously this served as confirmation of what his fans wanted. DJ also remained creative and open to trying new ideas.

In a matter of a few weeks, we were able to create content templates for each audience group and determine which value buckets resonated with them the most. These templates encapsulated the specific types of content that that group most valued. Although these were always prone to change given ongoing audience feedback and the activity reports we provided DJ, the adjustments were easy to make and the templates easy to update. For instance, we learned that DJ's "action fans" valued exclusive behind-the-scenes details from movies he was filming or photos of particular stunts he was asked to perform--but only if DJ's point of view, humor, or personality was injected into the message.
Keep in mind that because social media is a dialogue, you can ask your audience what they value at any point. You'll get answers, and people will be grateful you cared enough to ask. But even if you get it wrong now and then--and you will, just as we all do--the beauty of social media is that followers are quite forgiving if you've built that relationship up first and you've earned it, especially when you can make up for a flat offering with one that's well received--and especially when your audience knows you're listening to them with a desire to deliver what they value most.

Once the foundation of a two-way, dynamic relationship with his audience was established, the real fun began. By constantly delivering value when, where, and how his fans wanted it, DJ was able to consistently increase his reach (larger following) and deepen his existing followers' loyalty (greater engagement)--two goals of every business on the planet.
 
#1,192 ·
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

Can't wait for the Rock/Punk storyline, I hope Heyman is still around then, if so that shit'll be epic. What's gonna be great about this is that WWE aren't gonna have to sabotage Rock to make them look relatively even on the mic, I reckon an on form Punk with Heyman at his side will be able to hang with Rock. It's been a long time since I've anticipated an angle as much as this one.

I'm sure Vince and Stephanie are working on their first mission of 2013 right now - Rock vs. Punk: Great One vs. The Best in the World CAN WE FUCK UP THE UN-FUCK-UP-ABLE? And I'm betting that they manage to find a way to, which will be a shame.
 
#1,195 ·
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

Can't wait for the Rock/Punk storyline, I hope Heyman is still around then, if so that shit'll be epic. What's gonna be great about this is that WWE aren't gonna have to sabotage Rock to make them look relatively even on the mic, I reckon an on form Punk with Heyman at his side will be able to hang with Rock. It's been a long time since I've anticipated an angle as much as this one.

I'm sure Vince and Stephanie are working on their first mission of 2013 right now - Rock vs. Punk: Great One vs. The Best in the World CAN WE FUCK UP THE UN-FUCK-UP-ABLE? And I'm betting that they manage to find a way to, which will be a shame.
Yes WWE will ruin it. lol at Punk right now too. Just caught the end of RAW. Im not even sure I want to see this guy in a feud/program with Rock now with the way they are handling him. Plus, the story is just going to be a rehash from all the shit they had Cena talk about with Rock.
 
#1,197 ·
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

They can't fuck up Punk vs Rock unless they go with the boring 'you're never here I'm always here' shite.

Also, Every week that goes, Punk s getting more and more over as a heel, which means that we're gunna get a proper Face vs Heel storyline with him and Rock, something that hurt the Rock vs Cena angle, as they were trying so hard to get the fans to side with Cena.
 
#1,198 ·
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

With Punk being his ruthless self on the microphone at times and not afraid to upset some people, him and The Rock squaring off on the mic will be the best shit since Austin/Rock went it came to cutting promos with each other. I'm really anticipating it.

We pretty much know Rock will come up with some names for Punk, some catchphrases, Punk will probably come back with some corny stuff too, mimic The Rock as such, it's when both are serious, the stare down, the anticipation, the electricity in the crowd, it'll all get us pumping.

I am much more interested in a Punk/Rock match than I ever was in Rock/Cena, even with its horrible year build up.
 
#1,200 ·
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

With Punk being his ruthless self on the microphone at times and not afraid to upset some people, him and The Rock squaring off on the mic will be the best shit since Austin/Rock went it came to cutting promos with each other. I'm really anticipating it.

We pretty much know Rock will come up with some names for Punk, some catchphrases, Punk will probably come back with some corny stuff too, mimic The Rock as such, it's when both are serious, the stare down, the anticipation, the electricity in the crowd, it'll all get us pumping.

I am much more interested in a Punk/Rock match than I ever was in Rock/Cena, even with its horrible year build up.
oh yeah, i totally agree with this. Cena/Rock had some great jibes at each other, but damn that shit got old quick, it was like these two were replaying the same thing every-week. Expecting much better from Punk/Rock, it will be much more intense and crazy.
 
#1,202 ·
Backstage News On Rock vs Cena II; Rock To Appear On Raw Soon?

http://www.lordsofpain.net/news/wwe...s_John_Cena_Rematch_The_Rock_on_RAW_Soon.html

- There has been talk of trying to get The Rock to return to RAW in the next few weeks to help boost ratings.

- Michael Hayes has been pushing hard to keep WrestleMania Season "simple" with The Rock defeating WWE Champion CM Punk at the Royal Rumble and the losing the title to John Cena at WrestleMania 29. At this point, nothing is set in stone.

At least one person on the WWE creative team has suggested that they not do Rock vs. Cena II at all. The argument is that there are no more one-time-only dream matches, there haven't been any in years and there aren't really any that can be done anytime in the near future - at least dream matches of the magnitude of Cena vs. Rock.

With that said, chances are slim that Rock-Cena II won't happen because they want WrestleMania and the Royal Rumble to be huge this year.

Source: F4Wonline.com
 
#1,205 ·
Re: Backstage News On Rock vs Cena II; Rock To Appear On Raw Soon?

- There has been talk of trying to get The Rock to return to RAW in the next few weeks to help boost ratings.

- Michael Hayes has been pushing hard to keep WrestleMania Season "simple" with The Rock defeating WWE Champion CM Punk at the Royal Rumble and the losing the title to John Cena at WrestleMania 29. At this point, nothing is set in stone.

At least one person on the WWE creative team has suggested that they not do Rock vs. Cena II at all. The argument is that there are no more one-time-only dream matches, there haven't been any in years and there aren't really any that can be done anytime in the near future - at least dream matches of the magnitude of Cena vs. Rock.

With that said, chances are slim that Rock-Cena II won't happen because they want WrestleMania and the Royal Rumble to be huge this year.

Source: F4Wonline.com
I want to find this person and shake his hand.
 
#1,203 · (Edited)
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

I don't get WWE creative's thinking process.

Why waste another Rock program just for a Cena rematch? Just because they want WrestleMania to be huge again doesn't mean Rock/Cena needs to happen again, Rock simply being on the card elevates the PPV. Seeing as most people have no desire to see Rock/Cena II, have him face someone else. For example, Rock/Brock or Rock/Ryback, Rock should face Taker or HBK at WM30 as well.
 
#1,207 ·
Backstage News on The Rock vs. John Cena rematch

Source: http://nodq.com/wwe/351909130.shtml

- There has been talk of trying to get The Rock to return to RAW in the next few weeks to help boost ratings.

- Michael Hayes has been pushing hard to keep WrestleMania Season "simple" with The Rock defeating WWE Champion CM Punk at the Royal Rumble and the losing the title to John Cena at WrestleMania 29. At this point, nothing is set in stone.

At least one person on the WWE creative team has suggested that they not do Rock vs. Cena II at all. The argument is that there are no more one-time-only dream matches, there haven't been any in years and there aren't really any that can be done anytime in the near future - at least dream matches of the magnitude of Cena vs. Rock.

With that said, chances are slim that Rock-Cena II won't happen because they want WrestleMania and the Royal Rumble to be huge this year.
 
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