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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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#589 · (Edited)
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

The Rock
- The biggest superstar in this indusy ever[outside of the wwe]
- The greatest superstar of all-time along with Hogan/Austin
- The most charismatic superstar of all-time
- The most entertaining superstar of all-time
- The Richest wrestler of all-time
- Has Best Mic-skill in wwe history.

Anyother?
 
#593 ·
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

Why is everybody taking HHH/Lesnar as a lock? It's far from a lock. Just because somebody posted it on the internet doesn't make it certain. I for one would be very surprised if it happens. It leaves Taker without an opponent and that simply isn't going to happen. All this whining will be over nothing as usual. Rock/Cena on the other hand, that's the match to be worried about.
 
#604 ·
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

Why is everybody taking HHH/Lesnar as a lock? It's far from a lock. Just because somebody posted it on the internet doesn't make it certain. I for one would be very surprised if it happens. It leaves Taker without an opponent and that simply isn't going to happen. All this whining will be over nothing as usual. Rock/Cena on the other hand, that's the match to be worried about.
I know no one wants to hear this but there is one obvious match for Taker besides Lesnar, Cena, Rock at WM 29.

Sting. As unlikely as it sounds Sting has thrown some hints that this would indeed be his ideal retirement match.

Rock v Cena for the WWE Championship
Undertaker v Sting
And something along the lines of Triple H and Mayweather v Punk and Lesnar
 
#594 ·
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

I am certain HHH VS Lesnar is not happening. I'll put it this way, if Rock,Cena,Lesnar are all busy, who will fight legitimately to Taker? CM Punk comes to mind as he would also be free from his expected opponent of HHH, but in realistic terms, he is not of the kayfabe credibility to face Undertaker at this stage at all. The right man to face Taker this year is Lesnar or Cena.

As Starbuck and Rock316AE have alluded to, Rock/Cena is the big match that we should be hoping they avoid. Mainly because we have already seen that match and anything outside of a Cena heel turn(which frankly, won't happen right now) would be very disappointing. People have seen it, and it should not be brought up again really.
 
#595 ·
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

I'm willing to give Cena/Rock 2 a chance, but only if WWE will give us what they should have given the first time and that is an intense feud over the WWE title with both guys actually wrestling during the build-up to get people more invested instead of just talking every other week.

That's the main thing I hate about Icon vs Icon or Legend vs Icon matches, they try to sell the match by name value and promos alone. This may work in boxing and UFC but not so much in wrestling.
 
#597 ·
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

I'm willing to give Cena/Rock 2 a chance, but only if WWE will give us what they should have given the first time and that is an intense feud over the WWE title with both guys actually wrestling during the build-up to get people more invested instead of just talking every other week.

That's the main thing I hate about Icon vs Icon or Legend vs Icon matches, they try to sell the match by name value and promos alone. This may work in boxing and UFC but not so much in wrestling.
I actually feel very similarly. And I think it's because, in terms of a compelling feud/storyline/angle... there wasn't any for Cena/Rock I. All of those segments on Raw, all of that bullshit... It sucked. Let's be real, it was lame and obnoxious for a whole host of reasons. The match itself and the business end of it for WWE was a wild success for what it was going for. But the build-up toward it? Eh. Nothing special at all, especially once we hit autumn 2011 with all of that nonsense with Cena simply wanting Rock to be his partner for no reason. I swear a crack-addled monkey could have written a better storyline in five minutes than that horse shit. How about... Miz and R-Truth pummel Cena nearly to death at three WWE shows in a row (Vengeance and two Raws in a row), Cena seems in peril because of their unpredictable tactics. Rock shows up and says, "Hold the phone, I don't want my historic dream match vs. John Cena at Wrestlemania XXVIII ruined by these two jabroni bitches, I'm here to save Cena for the sake of whooping his ass at Wrestlemania!" Instead we had the biggest, most absurd clusterfuck of an angle (as well as cruelly disappointing in too many ways to list) and that segued to the following year's crap with Rock and Cena.

A real storyline this time, with the WWE Championship at its center? I think it could be cool, and it might even redeem them for the huge swing and a miss (or did they swing at all?) with providing a strong storyline for Wrestlemania XXVIII's main event. Ever since Wrestlemania III, there has been a tradition of Wrestlemania main events becoming rematches at future Wrestlemanias, a theme that will apparently continue with Rock and Cena.

And Starbuck's right. The Streak has proven to be a definitive draw of Wrestlemania. Lesnar is being set up for that match. It's not like the Summerslam main event between Triple H and Lesnar was some kind of universally adored instant classic that everyone wants to see again. It'll be interesting to see how well it did when the Summerslam buyrate comes out, but it seems rather clear that the two likely matches underneath Cena/Rock II are Lesnar/Undertaker and probably Punk/Triple H (since they can link Punk and Triple H up through the Heyman/Lesnar connection), and on top of those you can probably bet they'll pull the trigger on Sin Cara/Rey Mysterio along with something big involving Sheamus/Orton/Ziggler/Barrett from Smackdown, probably, and something for Daniel Bryan, The Miz and Alberto Del Rio. Maybe Damien Sandow can finally win the Intercontinental Championship there from someone, perhaps Christian?
 
#596 · (Edited by Moderator)
Apart from those victories, what Raw or SummerSlam moment sticks out for you?
"I've had so many cool moments on Monday Night Raw. I remember when The Rock first came back and every time his music played everyone would go 'Aaaaah!' Well since they did that every time and I was getting overlooked by everyone - and I was the WWE champion at the time - I decided to dress up as The Rock and come out with the music.

"I thought people would know it was me from the beginning, but they were just so amazed that The Rock was there. I think Cena was getting beaten up and all of a sudden you hear 'If you smell...!' and everyone goes 'Aaaaah!' and all of a sudden I walk out like I was The Rock. Then there was another 'Aaaaah!' and then I took off the sunglasses thinking people will get it now... No! An even bigger eruption happened.



© WENN / Carrie Devorah


"Then I started walking down and people started getting it and then I beat the crap out of Cena. That was one of my highlights. I thought this is awesome... I messed with everybody."

If you could have a bout with anyone, who would it be?
"I would say The Rock. The reason I wanted to be a WWE Superstar was because of The Rock. I used to watch him in The Attitude Era. There was no-one more electrifying and no-one more must-see than The Rock. Seeing that I just always wanted to have a singles match with him.

"I had a tag match with him at a sold-out event at Madison Square Garden, which I was the main event in. I don't mean to brag about that but I sold out Madison Square Garden in two minutes. Note to self."

Cody Rhodes On The Rock and Brock Lesnar's recent returns: "Well, I mean, I walked into The Rock's dressing room at WrestleMania and thanked him for the number of people who were there that night and the number of people who ordered it on pay per view. I have such respect for The Rock. And now with the return of Brock … it's completely different than The Rock. But for me, it kind of just made me angry and not in a way like, 'Oh, blast. They get to be on another pay per view.' More in a way that – I'm out there working. I never take a day off. I never plan on taking a day off. I'm so in love with the wrestling business I couldn't see myself going away. And these guys have that ability to come back in because they have that presence, they have that following and are just automatically accepted as superstars again. So there's something to learn and something to be kind of irritated from that whole Attitude Era generation, but I get it from both the good and the bad."

WOW Cody is the rock'fans
 
#601 ·
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

Miz:
Apart from those victories, what Raw or SummerSlam moment sticks out for you?
"I've had so many cool moments on Monday Night Raw. I remember when The Rock first came back and every time his music played everyone would go 'Aaaaah!' Well since they did that every time and I was getting overlooked by everyone - and I was the WWE champion at the time - I decided to dress up as The Rock and come out with the music.

"I thought people would know it was me from the beginning, but they were just so amazed that The Rock was there. I think Cena was getting beaten up and all of a sudden you hear 'If you smell...!' and everyone goes 'Aaaaah!' and all of a sudden I walk out like I was The Rock. Then there was another 'Aaaaah!' and then I took off the sunglasses thinking people will get it now... No! An even bigger eruption happened.

"Then I started walking down and people started getting it and then I beat the crap out of Cena. That was one of my highlights. I thought this is awesome... I messed with everybody."

If you could have a bout with anyone, who would it be?
"I would say The Rock. The reason I wanted to be a WWE Superstar was because of The Rock. I used to watch him in The Attitude Era. There was no-one more electrifying and no-one more must-see than The Rock. Seeing that I just always wanted to have a singles match with him.

"I had a tag match with him at a sold-out event at Madison Square Garden, which I was the main event in. I don't mean to brag about that but I sold out Madison Square Garden in two minutes. Note to self."
Cody Rhodes:
Cody Rhodes On The Rock and Brock Lesnar's recent returns: "Well, I mean, I walked into The Rock's dressing room at WrestleMania and thanked him for the number of people who were there that night and the number of people who ordered it on pay per view. I have such respect for The Rock. And now with the return of Brock … it's completely different than The Rock. But for me, it kind of just made me angry and not in a way like, 'Oh, blast. They get to be on another pay per view.' More in a way that – I'm out there working. I never take a day off. I never plan on taking a day off. I'm so in love with the wrestling business I couldn't see myself going away. And these guys have that ability to come back in because they have that presence, they have that following and are just automatically accepted as superstars again. So there's something to learn and something to be kind of irritated from that whole Attitude Era generation, but I get it from both the good and the bad."
Miz is a known huge Rock fan but it's nice to know that Cody also gets it. Especially the part when he said that he walked into Rock's locker room and thanked him for the gate and the PPV. That's what every worker in the company should have done. But Cody grew up in the industry with his father as one of the greatest performers of all time so it's not surprising that he's ahead of the curve.
 
#602 ·
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

some one before told me that rock winning the wwe title would be like when david arquette won the wcw title. i just died lmao
 
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#605 ·
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

I don't have a problem with Rock vs Cena II happening again at some point but that time isn't WrestleMania 29. the match last year was fresh and they gave us spoons full of both going back and forth (wether you thought it was awesome or sucked) they interacted a lot.

I just think you should let the dust settle on it and do it again when it would feel fresh and big again, both guys are young enough that come WrestleMania 31+ where they might not have the same amount of big matches or megastar talents they have right now, doing that one again with different dynamics with Cena's character possibly it would be much bigger deal.

I think Rock and Cena have matched they both could be doing for the next two WrestleMania's which could happen right now which are bigger than the possibility of a rematch which could still happen in 3/4 years when these couldn't.

for example

29
Rock vs Punk
Cena vs Austin

30
Rock vs Brock
Cena vs Undertaker
 
#613 · (Edited)
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

I don't care what Jabroni will shine The GOAT's belt until January because he needs to bring this for the first time ever:


Perfect opportunity.

Rock/Angle NWO 2001 was fucking classic, Rock/Angle/Taker Vengeance 2002 was even better, 5* best 3 way in wrestling history. In the 2001 match Hebner almost ruined the finish, you can see Rock wanting to kill him when he missed the 3 count spot.




Countdown is ON - 140 DAYS.

140 Days until The Rock gives a wrestling belt again the one and probably last shot at greatness and relevance.
 
#619 ·
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

Oh boy. This is not a good sign. Below are two excerpts from the Rock VS John Cena DVD, where it appears CM Punk calls out the Rock in much the same way Cena did. Obviously this is working up for their feud. But it spells the same stuff we got with Cena/Rock last year. This is not what I want from this feud at all

CM Punk: “It’s been a frustrating year. Not just for me but a lot of other Superstars. The Rock waltzes in and he wrestles two days a year. Rock says this place is family, well, I hang out with my family as often as I can.”

The Rock:“I strip away all the BS that can be fostered in the locker room with some of the guys. Strip away all that, because I don’t hear all that, it’s all noise, and it’s all bull**** to me.”

Source: www.wwedvdnews.com (Taken from a large article)
 
#621 ·
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

Oh boy. This is not a good sign. Below are two excerpts from the Rock VS John Cena DVD, where it appears CM Punk calls out the Rock in much the same way Cena did. Obviously this is working up for their feud. But it spells the same stuff we got with Cena/Rock last year. This is not what I want from this feud at all
not surprised too be honest. Add in respect angle and Heyman too it as well. There is your feud.

What I want to know is why these idiots don't say anything about Lesnar, but only go after The Rock. They must be afraid that he would destroy them.
 
#623 ·
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

I like Punk but is it really that hard to get it? I mean, seriously is it that hard to understand that Rocky is so much bigger than the WWE. If you put anyone else in Rock's shoes they would NEVER come back. It's a privileged that Rock returns to cut a promo or two a couple of times a year but it's a fucking honor that he comes back to work a few matches. He should thank Rock for that new Suite he bought because if it weren't for Rocky single-handily saving Wrestlemania 28 than Punk and everyone else on the roster wouldn't even get 1/8th of what Rock earned for them.
 
#624 · (Edited)
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

This year i felt that except for a few moments that the built to Rock/Cena was awful.
I was more hyped for Taker/HHH 3 and with Rock/Cena i had an attitude of "lets get this over with", out of the big 3 Rock/Cena was may least favorite,

I'm anticipating Punk/Rock alot more than Rock/Cena 2, i'm just looking for a heel turn out of Cena.
 
#625 ·
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

I just hope to God that this doesn't turn into Cena/Rock with Punk. We don't need him bitching about how Rock isn't here. If that's the case then the same needs to be said about Lesnar.
 
#626 ·
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion



5:55 "Rock coming back is great"

I think Punk gets it, I think Cena got it too but for God knows what reason this seems to be the only way WWE knows how to book Rock's feuds anymore. They ruined Cena-Rock with it so I have no doubt they'll do the same thing with Punk-Rock

Brock is a different character completely though, he's never been someone who gave a fuck about the fans so bringing up those kinds of points wouldn't mean a thing against him
 
#627 ·
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

That's part of the Locker Room noise section of the DVD. That was all done last year. You don't hear much anymore, do you? Funny eh.

Phil got it. He was just angling for a match. He's not stupid. When you've got The Rock around, you try to get a match with him because it'll be the biggest match you've ever had.

It's all storylined BS anyway. Cena throughout the whole feud said how much he disliked him and hates how he's always away. Then they are smiling and shaking each others hand while kicking crap outta Big Show. Wrestling is all a work and it took me a while to see this feud was just another work. (People said there was legit heat there, my ass)

I said it a few months ago, Punk was so vocal about him all year was so if Cena got injured, then Rock could still work WM and slot right into another ready made program. I have a feeling the Punk/Rock feud wont be about the same shit Cena/Rock was. It'll be about respect and how Rock takes the spotlight from him and the WWE championship.
 
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