Opinion : Do Current WWE Superstars Have The Right To Be Mad At The Rock?
Wednesday
Feb 22, 2012
So here we are on the fast-lane to WrestleMania 28. Things are picking-up fast and The Rock / Cena feud is garnering heat. Some of the heat seems to be real, too. According to the dirt-sheets, certain superstars backstage seem to be elated at the fact that Cena managed to rip The Rock apart on Live TV. More importantly, there seems to be a message from an “anonymous superstar” that berates The Rock and thrashes his decision to return at WrestleMania 28. It got me thinking, “Do the current crop of WWE Superstars have a legitimate right to be mad at The Rock for taking the main-event at WrestleMania 28?” Here’s what I think…
Here’s what our “anonymous superstar” had to say to a certain dirt-sheet / wrestling news site :
(take note, there’s no proof if this is an actual message but it very well may be)
“He’s here for himself, he keeps to himself, and he keeps someone who’s actually touring here all year from making a bigger payday at the bigger shows. It’s all about making this the “biggest” Mania of all time. OK, then what do we do the rest of the year? Who’s been made? You think he took ANY blame for Survivor [Series] not drawing? Of course not, but how do you feud with a guy on the Titantron? Cena nailed the guy dead on tonight.
“Say anything about HHH, Taker, etc. still being in the top spot but if they were needed to work the road, they would and they would still work their asses off as much as they needed to. Rock is out for Rock and the idea he’s here to better anything but his own wallet is the biggest work of 2012.”
Even if it wasn’t for the comments stated above, there’s no denying that there has been some legitimate dislike regarding The Rock’s return backstage. You’d think that these guys would be ecstatic about arguably the most popular superstar in wrestling history coming back to put on some amazing matches, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Guys like Randy Orton have made it very clear that he’s vouching for Cena at WrestleMania 28, and so have other young superstars.
Before we go on, let me make one thing perfectly clear. I respect each and every person backstage who wrestles on Raw, SmackDown!, Superstars, NXT, and who knows what else, just to keep us entertained. It’s a tough business and these guys and girls risk their health (saw what happened to Wade Barrett on Raw?) to put on a show that’s worth our time and hard-earned dollar. That being said, what’s with all the whining?
In the event that the comments above by Mr. Anonymous are true (for some reason I keep picturing Dolph Ziggler in my mind!), then it’s a real shame. It just comes to show that the current crop of WWE superstars aren’t willing to aim for higher benchmarks. They see The Rock as a threat, plain and simple. No one complained when Bret Hart came back after 13 long years and then grabbed a pivotal spot at WrestleMania 26, and that’s because Bret Hart was a one-off deal. He’s not a threat to anyone. No one complains when Steve Austin returns every once in a while simply and sadly because he’s no longer a threat…for now. But when The Rock returns and is in the best shape of his life even at the age of 39, people panic because now, the bar has suddenly been raised and the lack of talent and charisma within the newer superstars becomes all too apparent.
But let’s give the current backstage folk the benefit of the doubt. Let’s assume that The Rock really is a jerk and does move around with an entourage. Let’s say he snubs everyone and sits on a golden pedestal. In the event that The Rock is a complete @$$hole, I still can’t help but wonder why it tugs at the egos of certain superstars who aren’t main-eventing WrestleMania instead. If someone like The Rock can come back after an 8-year absence and take hold of the main-event of WrestleMania 28, thereby making this the most important WrestleMania in the last 10 years, it can only mean two things. One, The Rock’s popularity is astounding and he deserves the spot for his contributions to the world of sports entertainment and two, that the current breed of superstar has yet to break the mold and create their own pop-culture phenomenons.
This whole assumption that Dwayne is somehow obliged to ‘put over’ new talent is crazy. If superstars in the mid-90′s could pave their own way while legends like Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage were collecting paychecks at WCW, what’s stopping the newer superstars from doing the same? They’re being paid more, they have better facilities and infrastructure, and have the benefit of a less-aggressive environment. So if someone’s not getting ‘put over’, instead of blaming Austin or Triple H or The Rock, why not blame themselves for not stepping-up enough? The Rock’s two feet aren’t special by any means, so there’s no unfair advantage at play here. This whole “spoon-fed” mentality has to stop for bigger, better superstars to rise.
It all boils down to lack of creative writing and a genuine lack of drive and effort. It’s a shame, because guys like CM Punk go all out and do their best to rise above the current state of pro-wrestling and turn into pop-culture icons. Then they have to fall back in line simply because the rest of the crew aren’t ready to go toe to toe with him yet.
Coming back to the initial question, I’d say the answer is ‘No’. Veterans like Jim Ross will understand that The Rock headlining WrestleMania is well-deserved and is something that the company definitely needs. I hope that whatever heat is brewing backstage is put to rest and the newer talent can see past The Rock’s Hollywood persona and learn a thing or two from the guy. He is, after all, one of the greatest superstars of all time. What do these guys have to lose? In fact, they have everything to gain from his return.
