[nchan]

I've been wondering about this from time to time for 7 years now. Why did they chose the People's Elbow as the Rock's ultimate finishing move? It looks so much weaker than the Rock's bottom. Even as a huge Rock's fan, I never bought it. It looks weak as hell. The Rock's Bottom looks a lot more powerful and more painful especially when it put people through tables. They should have chosen this move instead.

 

[Hiplop]

i dont think that was creatives choice.

 

[Thumbinthebum]

I read that the action, where he lifts his leg before dropping the elbow, was to mock Hogan's leg drop. As for the move becoming his finisher, it got over, simple as that.

 

[What 3:16]

To be fair, the Rock made it look way more powerful than a regular elbow drop. Something about the way he went down said "BOOM" to me. Granted, I was a 9-year-old at the time.

 

[Kratosx23]

Every face of the company has to have a shitty finishing move, it's law. Thankfully Austin was a notable exception.

 

[Nocturnal]

I don't know who chose it, but I'm sure it had a lot to do with the massive crowd reaction it received.

 

[Mister Hands]

I remember hearing it started as a joke at house shows, and then got over huge as a happy accident. No idea where I heard that though, alas.

 

[Noel]

To be fair, the Rock made it look way more powerful than a regular elbow drop. Something about the way he went down said "BOOM" to me. Granted, I was a 9-year-old at the time.

This.
To be fair though, there was plenty of matches that Rock ended with a Rock Bottom, some even with a Sharpshooter (always loved Rocks sharpshooter actually).

 

[bellywolves]

The over effect of the People Elbow got the move over with fans. The build-up always got fans going crazy tbf.

 

[What 3:16]

I remember hearing it started as a joke at house shows, and then got over huge as a happy accident. No idea where I heard that though, alas.

Lol, I love that kind of shit. Cracks me up.

In a similar vein, apparently Cena was just messing around with his brother when he invented the "You can't see me" thing. His bro was all "you should totally do that" and now look. :lmao

 

[Cowabunga]

The People's Elbow became his main finisher because the crowd loved it and the whole ritual of it made it look powerful, same deal with the Atomci Leg Drop basically.

He did win soem matches with a Rock Bottom, the two times he beat Austin being the most notorious.

 

[The_Jiz]

He did it as a joke on house shows and apparently someone dared him do it on TV.

 

[radiatedrich]

Probably because it was over and was a showman-esque finisher. I always just found it weird that he did it all the time before his big push in mid 1999 and no one ever gave a shit and he never won matches with it. But as soon as it went from being the Corporate Elbow to the People's Elbow, it became the most electrifying move in sports entertainment and no one ever kicked out of it.

 

[Reservoir Angel]

I remember hearing it started as a joke at house shows, and then got over huge as a happy accident. No idea where I heard that though, alas.

A lot of stuff in wrestling was probably a happy accident. I remember hearing what Austin's "What?" thing started as a private joke too...and look now. Years after him leaving, the crowd still do that shit.

 

[Cowabunga]

A lot of stuff in wrestling was probably a happy accident. I remember hearing what Austin's "What?" thing started as a private joke too...and look now. Years after him leaving, the crowd still do that shit.

Triple H spitting water during his entrance and Hogan putting his hand in his ear were also random things, since the crowd liked them they kept doing that for the rest of their careers.

 

[CC91]

He used the finisher because it was over, check the reaction to his move here:

 

[HeatWave]

Supposedly Rock did it as a locker room joke at a house show and the crowd loved it so much he started doing it at live shows, and it was over so much everyone probably said why not have it as a finisher

 

[abv]

So that John 'the overrated botching boring' Cena could copy that move since his imagination is not so great like The Rock's. Any way I've always thought Rock Bottom was his finishing move, especially from 2000 to when he retired.

 

[Natsuke]

So that John 'the overrated botching boring' Cena could copy that move since his imagination is not so great like The Rock's. Any way I've always thought Rock Bottom was his finishing move, especially from 2000 to when he retired.

Oh great. Another new member who doesn't actually watch wrestling but loves to join the "it" crowd.

It always seemed to me to be a play on the Hogan leg drop feinted to an elbow, but just eventually gained a life on its own.

Look at the worm, for god's sake, lol

 

[HHHXpacRDBG]

to me the peoples elbow was more of putting the icing on the cake after the rock bottom