now what gets me going is that rock just lost clean to benoit, and it isn't going to kill the rock's heat. all it does it move benoit up a little and make any match between the two more attractive and more profitable.
why oh why do the uts and hhhs not see that a few clean losses can do them more good than harm? look at peoples opinion of rock on this board - he's the man who will do what's best for business and there is a lot of respect for him. then look at what people think of the main eventers that don't give the new faces any kind of break. it ain't rocket science, but hhh, the supposed smartest man in wrestling, still can't work it out.
When Rock was champ during the summer of 2000, the only thing I wanted was for him to stop saying If you smell and get off my damn tv(after dropping the title to Benoit of course).
What a difference a couple of years makes. Without Rock, NO ONE would ever put over Angle(end of 2000) and Jericho(end of 2001). He's the MAN. Austin and Triple Aids(he's a disease for those that don't understand the name) never put those guys over. And winning after a 100 run-ins doesn't count. Rock also was trying to help put Rhyno over as a force as well in 2001. Benoit had gotten the best of the Rock a couple of times in 2000, but never a decisive victory. He got that tonight. Kudos to The Rock.
Also, the last two weeks he has taken hard bumps to the outside of the ring. There is no reason for a guy of the Rock's stature to do that. He truly loves wrestling. Rock could so easily become delusional like Hulk in WCW(although he probably deserved creative control because that company would have died before Monday Nitro hit the air without him) and never put anyone over. He could be a superman and tell the McMahon's that he can't lose because he plays superheroes in his movies. The McMahon's would probably accept it too because Rock is the main draw.
I think the Rock can stay fresh by coming in for a couple months at a time. He won't get overexposed and he'll still be seen as a megastar when he comes back because of his film exposure. I think this will probably help his wrestling character more than hurt it. Too much Rock can become well....too much, but a litte rock is just right.
I do love the fact that Rock puts people over. We (the internet crowd) all knew Angle, Jericho, and Benoit were stars, but the Rock made them stars in the eyes of the common WWE fan. I loved Austin in the ring, but how many matches has Austin lost this year (before he left)? He lost in the Rumble, and stormed the ring with a chair to get his heat back, and he lost to Taker and Jericho (when the NWO ran in). He didn't ever lose again I think.... not even aganist Big Show AND Flair, or aganist 20 guys in the lumberjack match. HHH is the same way.
I'm gonna get me an oversized guitar, gain 40 pounds, and become the next D!
The Rock is great, I'll give you that... but since he's on and off doing movies, I don't enjoy it as much anymore, him being a champ.
When he needs to make another movie, he'll just get injured, drops the title and when he's finished promoting his new movie, he'll make another 'great' comeback
Just drop the damn title to Brock and go to your movietrailer... Youre good Rock, but we all know this reign won't last longer then a few weeks (till your next movie). And with that in mind, it's not exiting anymore. At least not to me...
I'll problably wil get heat for this, but hey...It's just an opinion...
No heat, it is a valid opinion. I think that all of us who have insider knowledge of wrestling have a little of the flavor taken out. It isn't Rock's fault, per se. It isn't ours either, due to the proliferation of internet information.
Within these five posts, I've seen a pretty good sumation of the People's Champ. While he's still entertaining on the stick, he can get stuck in an interview rut where one interview sounds like the next sounds like the next and so on. He's having two careers and it makes him less effective as a wrestler, no matter how much fresher he seems when he returns.
Rock puts over mid-carders that are close to being main-eventers. The only other older main eventers doing that with any regularity are the Undertaker & Hogan, both of whom are at a point in their career where this is their role. This is an asset that all of us appreciate, as Rock is one of the few wrestlers who can get another guy over with the fans as a heel by having a match with him and jobbing cleanly.
Rock works hard in the ring and while he doesn't have a Benoit-esque moveset, he certainly tries. Hey, it's better than punch/boot/leg drop, you know? I mean, if I see another useless Samoan drop, I'll fall asleep, but other than that, Rock's moves look pretty good and get sold pretty well. I have no clue as to why there seems to be a standing dictate that everyone no sells the damn Samoan drop, but that thing is getting to near "Worm" levels.
Anyhow, love him or hate him, the WWE is better with the Rock than it is without him. And that's the bottom line, because I said so.
It wasn't just that the Rock tapped, it was the WAY he tapped. It wasn't the frantic OH MY GOD STOP THE PAIN tap, it was a slow, resigned-to-my-fate, "I have to give up" tap. One could make the argument that The Rock is better than anybody else in the WWE at telling an in-ring story.
I LOVE the slow-burn they're doing with Brock and Rock...and Angle. I'm dying for both Angle and Rock to get in the ring with Brock, but I hope we at least don't see much in the way of actual wrestling between Brock and Rock until SS. It's kinda like a heavyweight fight build-up - they taunt each other back and forth, but nary a punch is thrown until the actual night of the event. It really adds to Brock's legitimacy as a contender, and the Undisputed title as a whole. GREAT stuff.
I disagree with anyone who says it's STILL not fun to watch Rock as a performer. He's awesome in-ring, his promo are, for the most part, good (just long winded sometimes). But, the guy is still good as hell in the ring and doing movies hasn't slowed down his wrestling ability. Also, hime being away for those montsh while he films makes audiences miss him and want him even MORE (the Austin effect, back when he was at his most popular and get hurt all the time, he would come back more over). Face it, when a guy's a fan favorite, and he's gone for a long period of time, it DOESN'T hurt his heat, (if he's talented enough) his wrestling, or (and this is best of all) his passion for the business. I could see him leaving for good eventually, but as of right now, him being away seems to make him MORE pumped for when he does come back. He seems to be the most motivated person in the company right now.
As for Triple H and Austin, it's interesting to see that these two guys both got where they were because they were held down at some point in their careers (Austin in WCW and Triple H being held down after the MSG incident). Both complained how the old guys protected their spots and said it wasn't right and that they should be willing to do the job to fresh new faces. Both, once they got their spot stopped doing these things. They started protecting their spot just like their forebears did. It's almost a cycle, where a guy gets held down so long he gets a fire under his ass and does everything in his power to earn that top position, only to do the exact same things the guy who held him down did. I will give Triple H credit for jobbing to Hogan, but until he jobs to Chris Jericho on pay tv then he won't still have my full respect (not that he should do ME any favors).
Rock, Angle, Benoit, Jericho and Edge all seem to have in common that they're willing to do the job or do whatever's best for the company. And all do a hell of a job making it believable when they do.
I RESPECT your opinion. Please respect mine. Or feel the wrath of Buddha!
Giving the 7/29 RAW match of Benoit/RVD 4 stars is like Whitney Houston calling Bobby Brown the "King of R&B." The "King of R&B"!? SHIT! Ribs and Barbecue! Rocks and Blunts! That match wasn't no four stars, just like he ain't the "King of R&B"! You ain't that high! Now, I'm not saying you're a crack-head. Just very...Crackish. (credit to "I Might Need Security" the Jamie Foxx comedy hour)
Angle and Lesnar are going for the title at No Mercy, but during a commercial break before the match, we notice that a dark colored circle has been implanted in the ring. We find out that this title match will be a real NCAA type amatuer wrestling match. Lesnar and Angle do some awesome amatuer wrestling for awhile, BUT SOMEHOW the ref gets bumped and in runs...CAEL SANDERSON who smokes both of them with a chair, gets on the mic and yells, I'm the greatest EVER, and runs off. Angle ends up winning, just cuz I'm from PGH.
Sorry that was off topic and stupid, but I just had to get it out.
As for actual thoughts on him tapping. I LOVED IT. The way he tapped, as has been mentioned, was great as well. It was a slow resignation to defeat. ROCKY RULZ AND SO DOES CHRYS BENOIT.
What a Manuever!
Ross During Jeff's Ladder Match, after the KO chairshot: "CLIMB THE LADDER KID, MAKE YOURSELF FAMOUS!" Just awesome.
Originally posted by WhoBettahThanDeionAs for Triple H and Austin, it's interesting to see that these two guys both got where they were because they were held down at some point in their careers (Austin in WCW and Triple H being held down after the MSG incident). Both complained how the old guys protected their spots and said it wasn't right and that they should be willing to do the job to fresh new faces. Both, once they got their spot stopped doing these things. They started protecting their spot just like their forebears did. It's almost a cycle, where a guy gets held down so long he gets a fire under his ass and does everything in his power to earn that top position, only to do the exact same things the guy who held him down did. I will give Triple H credit for jobbing to Hogan, but until he jobs to Chris Jericho on pay tv then he won't still have my full respect (not that he should do ME any favors
It's like Austin and HHH got there and were scared to give up their spot, right? I can't blame them. I can assure you that Austin and HHH don't give one shit what you, I, or any other IWC person thinks of them. If they have a top spot they are not giving it up easily. In Austin's situation he actually gave up everything he had because someone was moving into his spot. A younger, bigger, destructive force was sceduled to beat him (allegedly) and he couldn't stand the idea of not being the top guy. Hmm...does this mean HHH will quit if he's booked to lose to Brock? Probably not, Austin's situation doesn't apply to everyone. There were probably more factors in Austin's situation than a job to Brock, but that seemed to be the nail in the coffin. I'm getting off an a tangent here. What I'm trying to say is I agree with Deion.
I think the difference betwen the Rock and, say, Austin and HHH, is how they were brought up. Rock jobbed his entire way to the main event as both a face and a heel. Austin, on the other hand, got to the main event by not losing a lot. So he was probably afraid that a loss would hurt him more than it would the Rock because his heat was genereated from (among other things) being unbeatable. Same for Triple H. And they're probably right. So the bigger issue is how guys are handled BEFORE they become The Top Guy.
Mean Gene: "You know, I don't think it's a question - Goldberg, I don't think it's a question of who's next, I think it's a question of who's left?" Goldberg: "No, see, that's where you're wrong. It ain't who's left, it's - WHO'S NEXT?"
"Just how hardcore am I? Well this morning, I drank milk that was two days past the expiration!" -Norman Smiley
Yep, when I read that Rocky tapped to the Crossface, my first thought was "why is just Rock putting people over like this?". He always did it (thanks for mentioning Angle and Jericho, who he put over 3 times in 4 consecutive PPV's), contrary to the other main eventers, who eventually lose a match after a massive run-in or something. Still Rocky looks like the man to beat to get to the top. I mean, he jobbed to Steph!!! He jobbed to Test, to Rhyno, to whoever else, and still is the biggest name. Too bad that he's just part-time wrestling, I love him in the ring at any time!
"Wanting people to listen, you can't just tap them on the shoulders anymore, you gotta hit them with a sledgehammer!"
Thread ahead: The RAW Thread (08/05 Spoilers inside). Next thread: You wanted it, you got it, now SHUT UP!!! Previous thread: Kurt Angle vs. Brock Lesnar. What if....
just got to the portion of the book where he discusses matches in the caribean...MAN OH MAN are these classic tales...talks about how he was paid $5000 for the appearance and piper was paid $500 and a spitoon of cocaine.