If the Rock turns heel, would he get bigger pops..

[Guest Angle is Wrestling]

Here's the way I see it, EVERYONE wants Rock to turn heel. Even in the arenas when fans boo him, of course some of them feel he sold out, but a lot of people are just tired of his shtick and want him back as a heel. Now it seems that if everyone wants him back as a heel doing the cocky arrogant asshole gimmick, then everyone is going to cheer for him when it happens. Of course there's always going to be the marks that boo him for turning, but I think the cheers will outweigh the boo's. I just can't see a bunch of people saying.."Yes the Rock is a heel! Now I can boo him!!"

[Guest mickberna]

Personally, I don't want Rock to be a cocky, arrogant asshole again. It's been done, and done to death. It's pretty much what his babyface character was, as well.

 

I want Rock to come back as a plain and simple mean fucking jerk. Tell the fans right out that they're shit. Tell opponents they can kiss his ass. No catchphrases, no HEE-Larious "jokes", nothing. Just straightforward dickhead.

[Guest HartFan86]

The legit, Hardcore, Long time WWF(E) fans aren't going to cheer someone who is totally Anti-Pro Wrestling and Pro-Hollywood (gimmick purposes)...and the fans are sick of the Rock. PERIOD.

[Guest Justwitty]

I think they'll boo him quite easily, even moreso than before with a heel turn. It's like 1997 Rocky Maivia turning into The Rock on a grander scale this time. The people booed him as a face but when he turned heel, they absolutely hated him! His popularity as a heel didn't come for many, many months. I think it was Summerslam 1998, during the ladder match, that the crowd basically turned him face.

 

I agree with mickberna too, this version of The Rock should just be an asshole through and through. Maybe a meaner version of William Regal's initial character in the WWE. Waves to the fans, pretends to be cordial but then is just a dick with his actions.

[Guest ISportsFan]

It has to be handled in the simple, predictible way for it to work. Don't pull any crap and humor.

 

Rock is an arrogant jerk from Hollywood who is too good for WWE. He runs down the promotion and proclaims movies to be his calling, and that WWE sucks.

 

It's that simple.

 

Then Benoit can kick his BUTT at WrestleMania.

 

OK, wishful thinking on the last one, but everything before that MUST be done.

 

Jason

[Guest RavishingRickRudo]

So how much do you want to bet Rock brings "This is not sing-along with the Rock" out of the closet?

[Guest Jobber of the Week]

Personally, I don't want Rock to be a cocky, arrogant asshole again. It's been done, and done to death. It's pretty much what his babyface character was, as well.

Except that's what his babyface character was, too. It's what he's always done, and done well.

 

The problem is, the "stick it up your candy ass" style barbs were eventually slown down (perhaps not to bury guys. After his promos about Big Show being a sack of shit, even marks never took Show seriously again,) the stylish shirts and Rolexes and stuff disappeared, and he just started wearing gym pants and his latest T-shirt.

 

The character lost all the style that made people interested in the guy. Bringing it back will make everyone go apeshit.

[Guest Choken One]

EXACTLY. Rock has Flairitis.

 

They loved Flair as a heel so much, they had to turn him Face. Then they loved him as a face for a little while and then they got tired of Face Flair so they begged for Heel Flair. They got that, it worked for awhile and then they wanted Face Flair again, so the cycle continued to the point it pretty much killed Flair's credibility.

[Guest RavishingRickRudo]

Rock should be gone before the fans start to re-cheer him.

[Guest Choken One]

Logically, Yes but for the sake of my arguement, let's assume he stays

[Guest Super Pissed Smark]

For the sake of your argument they would definitely start cheering the Rock again. Oh, they'll play along for a while and get the booing out of their system, but eventually, six months or so down the line, they'd cheer him again. Heel Rock was incredibly entertaining and all the fans want is to be entertained. Sooner or later they'd have to match him against a face who wasn't nearly as entertaining and that would do the trick. The only way he could sustain as a heel is if he came in for a month or two every year, which just may be the way it works out. Though somehow I doubt that Rock will want to stay heel if it means just coming back once a year to get booed out of the building at WrestleMania. That's got to get to you eventually.

[Mecha Mummy 0]

So how much do you want to bet Rock brings "This is not sing-along with the Rock" out of the closet?

Actually, he used that line after Summerslam when the cameras stopped rolling.

[Guest RavishingRickRudo]

^^^ Really?

[Guest Super Pissed Smark]

He used to pull that line out when he still had to be heel and the fans were getting too into him. He won't need it. They're as ready to boo him as they'll ever be. All he needs to do is cut a weak face promo and have it interrupted by a phone call from some Hollywood big shot, which he has to take because it's more important than the interview, and he's a heel until Wrestlemania.

[Guest RavishingRickRudo]

Having Rock stop to take a call in the middle of a promo or match.... genius

[Guest Super Pissed Smark]

Ravishing Rick says you should hire me Vince.

[Guest RavishingRickRudo]

I also said Vince should drive out to the middle of nowhere and drop Steph off and tell her he'll be back to pick her up in a few minutes... and never come back.

 

He didn't like that.

 

Well, I don't know whether or not he liked it, but I would assume that had I told him to do so, he wouldn't like it.

 

We aren't on speaking terms...

[Mecha Mummy 0]

"If ya SMELLLL WHAT THE ROCK IS --"

 

*RRRRIIINNG! RRRIIING!*

 

"Hello? You want me to star in a live action Johnny Bravo? This interview can wait, I've got important HOLLYWOOD business to attend to! Johnny Bravo, you say? Wow..."

[Guest Choken One]

Rock=Johnny Bravo? I dunno about that...

[Mecha Mummy 0]

Believe it or not there have actually been rumors about that.

[Guest RavishingRickRudo]

It would be neat to see the rock do his 'punch, punch, spit-punch' but rather than spit, pull out a phone and answer it...

[Guest RavishingRickRudo]

OOOR have him do the peoples elbow - or the "Your people call my people"s elbow...

[Guest Super Pissed Smark]

"The Rock says we'll do lunch."

[Guest RavishingRickRudo]

Rock needs a personal assistant, a hair dresser, some body guards, an agent, someone to shine his shoes, and lots and lots of yes men... Plus someone to help him 'keep it real'. He also needs to make outrageous demands like "The Rock asked for an Expresso with SKIM milk and a dash of nutmeg and a hint of chocolate and these cashews are hurting the rocks teeth, GET THE ROCK SOFTER CASHEWS!"

 

THEN he needs to do the phony hollywood kiss with every wrestler he comes into contact with.. "Hey Take, mind if I call you Take... How bout T-daddy? Ah I'm just kiddin T-Bone, what's goin on that's great hey let's talk about this conversation later I gotta jet"

[Guest Super Pissed Smark]

The Rock should also be very difficult to talk to. His time is very valuable. Lots of thirty-second shots of Kevin Kelly or Funaki standing outside his dressing room door, trying to get updates on when he may decide to address his billions, and billions, of fans. Does anyone in the WWE even vaguely resemble Barbara Walters?

 

Uh, I'm not too sure about actually kissing anyone, even air kisses. Maybe he could send 'Taker to get him that Expresso, though.

[Guest RavishingRickRudo]

Well they are those 'cheek-to-cheek' kisses. The Rock should take like an hour to talk to, and when he finally speaks he is either interrupted by a cell phone or one of his 'people'; act's like he is doing charity and be really patronizing to the crowd and announcers; be really bitchy and talk about how kevin kelly is blocking part of the screen and how Larry King doesn't do that..then again, rock berating announcers isn't anything new...

 

The Rock should also do a hollow-act, like hug an old lady and again, act really patronizing and give her a button or an 8x12 B/W Photo of himself and then smile a big-ass goofy smile like he cured cancer.

[Guest Jobber of the Week]

I think you need less over-the-top Hollywooodism, and go for a more realistic approach with some subtledty.

 

I posted in this thread with an idea for video packages of a fake celebrity interview style show having a conversation with him, and things like him talkign about putting people over while video clips of him burying guys in promos play and whatnot. All sorts of stuff that looks like something a general entertainment show would put together with that subtle heel twist to it.

 

Change his entrance ever so slightly so that the ring lights and whatnot stay off and all the lights and attention are focused on him the whole time until the match starts. Get rid of the "smelalalala" in his opener and go back to the old "Do you smell what The Rock is cooking?"

 

Although I do like the idea of the cell phone conversation cutting off an audience participation bit.

 

"You can take that mic... Shine it up real nice and good... You can turn that sum-bitch sideways, and st..." (over the PA system) *diddleyee doo doo... diddleyee doo doo* "Hold on a minute... *click* Yeah... Well, fine, tell them that if the numbers aren't right, then I'm not going to do it... No, I don't care what the merchandise cut is, I want the guaranteed cash, man... Okay, good... You do that, I gotta go. *beep* Okay... So... Where was I?"

[Guest RavishingRickRudo]

Oh no, do this sumbitch over-the-top like an arm wrestlin trucker tryin to bond with his son.

 

You don't have to go in for the kill right away, of course. A phone call interuption here, a patronizing act there, a "I was talking to Billy the other day...Billy Baldwin that is...and he tells me "Rock, buby, when are you going to come over to the estate and teach me how to wrestle. And The Rock says "Billy, sweetheart, it's not that hard, all you gotta do is raise an eyebrow and have a cute saying and the fans will love you like trained seals. And just when I think the conversation is over along comes Demi and the party has just begun, OH MY"

[Guest EternallyLazy]

Why did Rock stop using all of his earlier catchphrases? Like "know your role and shut your mouth!" or the great "know your role blvd and jabronie drive" spiel?

 

And another question now that I think about it... anyone else notice how, when the Rock was being interviewed for Beyond the Matt back in 98, his voice sounds incredibly different...? At least to me it does. Like he has more of a Memphis like accent. Oh yeah, and he looks different too. Not just the sideburns, but the entire shape of his face.

 

Could it be that the REAL Rock died at the end of 98, and has since been replaced by the man known as Dwayne Johnson that we all know and love?

[Guest RavishingRickRudo]

Rock should come back with all new, incredibly bad, "but they work so well on the set" terms that leave the crowd clueless but make all of his 'people' and 'actor friends' laugh their ass off.