Wrestling Forum banner

Rate The Rock vs. CM Punk Feud

  • Underwhelming :punk3

    Votes: 78 20.6%
  • Decent/Good :rock

    Votes: 171 45.1%
  • Great :punk:rock3

    Votes: 130 34.3%

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














 
See less See more
9 2
#3,115 ·
Re: Any chance of the shield interfering the rocks royal rumble match?

I'm sure they'll claim The Rock getting a title shot despite not being a full time wrestler is an injustice. I doubt it will stop him from winning the WWE title.

I'm wondering what part they will play in the Rumble itself. Will they be entrants or will they cause the elimination of someone like Ryback or Cena or both.
 
#3,118 ·
Re: Any chance of the shield interfering the rocks royal rumble match?

Don't see it happening. Hype for this one started back in July and it's starting to heat up. WWE does some bullshit things a lot of the time, but to not keep this a straight, one-on-one match with a decisive winner would be a terrible way to start off the year and Wrestlemania season.

Let Ambrose, Rollins and Generic Big Guy Who Doesn't Speak For Lack of Mic Skills do their thing with Ryback or be in the Rumble. They belong nowhere near the Title match.
 
#3,130 ·
#3,134 ·
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

After the match, Ryback fought The Shield off when Kane and Daniel Bryan ran out to help. Punk tried to attack Ryback from behind but got his mouth busted open and caught Shell Shocked to end it. Ryback closed the show by cutting a promo and saying he would win the WWE Title at TLC. He added that when The Rock asks at the Royal Rumble if Ryback smells what The Rock is cooking, he's going to respond with a, "Feed Me More!"
:mark: :mark: :mark: :mark: :mark: :mark: :mark: :mark: :mark: :mark: :mark: :mark:

:Rock
 
#3,141 ·
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

HAHA I'd love to hear him call him that in January I don't think they'll hold him back as much as they did with Cena
 
#3,151 ·
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

This has to be one of the most boss pictures of all time.



Anybody have a pic of when he wore this golden lion shirt back in the day? I remember it was one of his attires in No Mercy.

RAW after Royal Rumble 1999, was on YouTube a few weeks ago. It was in the segment where Mankind stole Rock's money and they agreed to the awesome Empty Arena Match on Halftime Heat.


 
#3,148 ·
Ideas For The Rock/Punk/Cena

what do you guys think

-punk beats rock in a solid match that goes over 20 min, narrowly escaping a victory at rumble
-punk says he has nothing left to prove, he has beat everybody, including the returning great one, undertaker returns and punk has 1 more big battle for ultimate "respect"
-cena/rock 2 happens but cena says its all or nothing, losing two years in a row simple cannot happen
-punk says his match at mania is the true main even no matter if rock/cena goes on last or not

punk vs undertaker wrestlemania 29
undertaker wins after a hard fought classic 25-30 min match, they shake hands and its ironic that after losing he finds respect from the fans, they embrace and thus teases a face turn for punk

rock cena 2 wrestlemania 29
last match on the show, back and fourth, cena gets aggressive at the end, now there are different ways to book it by turn him heel, maybe either himself or a faction, beating the rock

then the next night to cement his heel turn take on taker in a unfair match winning the title, taker is not sticking around much anyways, so he drops it the next night, this creating cena as the new heel champ

punk and cena could continue there fued, and younger guys for once could beat a heel cena creating new stars
 
#3,154 ·
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

I honestly dont understand the heat Rock is getting for having a title shot.

People claim he didnt "earn" it, really? That makes no sense on so many levels. Reminder people: he was a full time wrestler and the biggest draw in wrestling history. Not to mention tons of other people over the years have came back after a long time away and quickly gotten a title shot.

Whats really funny about it is how its well documented Punk has been lobbying big time for a long time to get a match with Rock while he bashes him ahahahah what a joke.

WWE has already discredited/devalued the title by having Cena headline over it every time even wit the likes of Luranitis/Big Show so why not let the GOAT have 1 last title run.

Punk winning will only hurt his career much like Y2J beating the 2 biggest stars ever in 01 ruined his. You cant go from being booked like crap forever to beatin an all time great. If Punk was positioned properly when he was red hot last summer to be equal to Cena id be all for it but he hasnt.
 
#3,155 ·
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

Two things:

1) I'm sure someone else has put this out there (probably many, I don't read THAT much on here), but is it completely out of reach to think that The Shield is working for The Rock? That they are his stable? He's a huge, huge fan favorite...but, with Cena in place, and possibly a WM29 rematch in the works, why not turn Rocky heel? He would be able to do it better than anyone in the WWE right now, and heel Rock was great.

It would definitely be unexpected, at least. A heel Rock would immediately change the belt design, throw Cena under the bus, and criticize the fans for calling him a sellout for the longest time, then kissing his ass when he returned. He could say that Vince didn't want to promote his movies, and didn't want to give him enough money for all the years he was away...but made money off Smackdown, which ripped its name off The Rock's phrase. He can go after current stars for trying to duplicate his People's Elbow (Cena's fist drop, Sandow's elbow, Kofi's boom drop), even confront Booker on Smackdown for using the Rock Bottom as a finisher. He could go as far as saying that the current product is horrible (much like Jericho did when he made his debut in front of Rocky), and that he will defend his title when he wants, against who he wants, because he has earned that right.

I mean, I'm almost certain Vince would never go that far with him, but it would be interesting, to say the least.

2) If The Rock does win the WWE Championship, and we rarely see him on television, it could give new life to the World Heavyweight Championship. That way, if Cena somehow wins it (not my choice, just makes sense if Cena is due to beat Rocky at WM), a unification match could happen at WM29. Or, if no unification, Punk can take part in that race, and help bring back value to the WHC title.

---------------

The Rock holding the WWE title isn't out of the question, all because of his limited appearances. If anything, that could be used as an advantage.
 
#3,157 ·
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

Cena on his rivarly with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (in recent part 2 interview on wwe.com):

That whole year-long with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, there were little moments of thuggery in there, I thought it was really cool. It gave a different approach to me validating my position right next to Dwayne Johnson. He seems to claim that he's the best ever (to) hold the microphone. I seem to dispute that title.
 
#3,158 · (Edited)
Re: Official The Rock WWE Championship Discussion

Cena on his rivarly with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (in recent part 2 interview on wwe.com)

Quote:
That whole year-long with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, there were little moments of thuggery in there, I thought it was really cool. It gave a different approach to me validating my position right next to Dwayne Johnson. He seems to claim that he's the best ever (to) hold the microphone. I seem to dispute that title.:
that right there almost certifies the ideas of rock being watered down in order to make cena look good amongst the all time greats
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top