wrestling / Columns

Mishandling The Rock: Every Return Benefits… The Rock

October 9, 2014 | Posted by Greg De Marco

This Monday’s Raw featured Lana and Rusev refusing to accept The Big Show’s apology for disgracing the Russian flag one week prior. Big Show was sent to sensitivity training and unable to answer the insults being thrown by the Ravishing Russian. The heat was enormous, as Rusev continues to look more and more brutal each week.

Enter The Rock.

What happened from there is yet another example of how the WWE continually mishandles every return by “The Most Electrifying Man In All Of Entertainment.” The Rock insulted Rusev, reducing him to nipples and a moose knuckle. Then he verbally destroyed Lana, turning her into a “Soviet Street Walker” with “Smirnoff in her Putin.”

Funny? Hell yes—it was hilarious! It popped the crowd, giving Brooklyn a surprise that most of them weren’t prepared for. Truth be told, I had very little issue with the insults directed at Rusev or Lana.

It’s what followed that I take issue with.

After all the insults, Lana and Rusev finally had enough. Rusev removed his “Hero Of The Russian Federation” medal, only to eat repeated right hands and be knocked out of the ring by The Rock.

Even this I could have swallowed! It’s again what followed that I take issue with.

In response to eating the right hands of The Rock, Rusev did…well…nothing at all! That’s right, the Russian Hero who destroys everything in his path, including sending Mark Henry into a depression induced state of hysteria, walked away from The Rock. Eleven right hands left him lying on the floor, seemingly unable to get up.

There was no retribution. There was no revenge. There was no CRUSH!

And THAT is the problem with this, and so many other Rock returns.

The Rock Guest Hosts WrestleMania XXVII
The Rock served as the guest host of WrestleMania 27, one of only two WrestleManias to end with a victorious heel, this time being The Miz. The Miz didn’t win on his own accord, or even his own dastardly deed. Oh no, he won because The Rock decided to attack John Cena, costing him the WWE Championship and a main event victory.

It wasn’t long before John Cena was WWE Champion again, proving that The Miz couldn’t beat Cena without the help of The Rock. What could have solidified one man as one of the best heels of his generation ended up derailing his run, one that never fully recovered.

The Miz didn’t benefit from winning a WrestleMania main event. John Cena looked terrible. But The Rock? He looked great coming out of WrestleMania 27.

The Rock & John Cena defeat The Miz & R-Truth at Survivor Series
The stage was set for John Cena and The Rock to finally do battle—“Never Before, Never Again”—at WrestleMania 28 in Miami, Florida. En route, The Rock and John Cena would team up to face The Miz and R-Truth at Survivor Series, a scene that ended with yet another Rock Bottom to John Cena.

The final moment didn’t need to change. The Rock hitting the Rock Bottom on John Cena was fine—it helped further their rivalry for WrestleMania. But it came after the clean victory over Awesome Truth. And thatwas unnecessary. Why couldn’t The Rock and John Cena’s dissension cost them the match? Why not elevate The Miz, who was just the WWE Champion and one of two heels to win in the WrestleMania main event, back to the status that my first example erased? There was no need for The Rock to pin The Miz, it did nothing but elevate The Rock.

The Rock Captures The WWE Championship From CM Punk at the 2013 Royal Rumble
434 Days.

CM Punk held the WWE Championship for 434 days, spanning from the November 20, 2011 Survivor Series to the January 27, 2013 Royal Rumble. CM Punk survived a WrestleMania title defense against Chris Jericho, a Money In The Bank cash-in by John Cena and even missing a pay-per-view title defense due to injury. He defeated all comers and set the standard for the carrying a championship during the last decade.

How was that used? To put The Rock over. A complete waste to the end of CM Punk’s title reign. No epic battle that showcased Punk’s skills. No reason for Punk to have any respect for the guy that finally ended his reign.

Hell, even The Shield was made to look weak when Rock survived their attack and still won the match!

434 days, ended by an elbow drop. Only benefiting The Rock.

Oh, and CM Punk’s successful WrestleMania title defense against Chris Jericho? It didn’t go on last, thanks to The Rock. To this day, CM Punk never main evented WrestleMania—and that likely played a role in his walking out.

John Cena defeats The Rock at WrestleMania 29
WrestleMania 29 was built on a confluence of events that allowed “Never Before, Never Again” have a rematch: The Rock won the WWE Championship from CM Punk and John Cena won the Royal Rumble. It set the stage for Met Life Stadium, where John Cena finally defeated The Rock.

I mean, surely that benefits John Cena, no? He beat The Rock at WrestleMania!

Which, at last count, makes them even?

Yes, The Rock is at worst tied with John Cena, and at best has the upper hand because he beat him in the first ever encounter.

Oh, and that WrestleMania 29 loss? Turns out The Rock was injured and required emergency hernia surgery to repair torn abductor and abdomen muscles. The injury received more publicity than John Cena’s victory over The Rock, as evidenced by the Us Weekly article that never once mentioned Cena’s win. Was it their job to mention Cena’s win?

Doing the honors for John Cena?

No. But it’s another example of The Rock seeing a bigger benefit than his opposition. Far less was made of John Cena’s injuries when The Rock beat him one year prior.

The Rock Confronts Rusev
This past Monday on Raw, The Rock confronts Rusev, which I’ve already pointed out made the Bulgarian Brute and the Ravishing Russian look foolish and weak.

(What would Putin think?!?!)

It was the most Rusev has been dominated since his debut. The man who did it may never actually wrestle him, according to recent reports. What’s more, if the linked report is to be believed, The Rock didn’t use any additional offense as to keep Rusev strong.

I’m sorry, what? In what world does retreating after taking a few punches—and none of The Rock’s best—keep Rusev strong?

And he might never get his revenge? Wow, what an amazing rub for Rusev!

Smell the sarcasm, people. Rusev was made out to be a bitch, and once again, The Rock looked strong.

How many men have tried to overcome Rusev and ultimately failed? Each one of them was just buried by The Rock. Could this role have not been played by someone else on the roster? Either a different heel (one who isn’t supposed to be dominant) or a different face (one that Rusev could still cruch).

All this did was make The Rock—and no one else—look strong. Amazing even.

And for what? That, I can’t answer.

Greg DeMarco is a wrestling fan of over 30 years and has also worked on the independent circuit as a promoter, announcer, character and booker. Greg a weekly contributor at 411Mania.com, applying his opinionated style to the world of pro wrestling on Sundays and Thursdays.

He began writing for 411Mania in October 2010 and has been pissing readers off ever since!

Greg’s latest series of must read articles at 411Mania.com:
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