Rock leaving WWE?

[haws bah gawd 0]

Credit: PWTorch.com

 

As reported late last week, Vince McMahon and the Rock are currently struggling to come to an agreement about a contract renewal. The Torch is now reporting that the Rock wants to face Sting at WrestleMania and a 'special' card could be on the cards if the issue is sorted out.

 

With Steve Austin back in the fold, there is speculation that McMahon is showing the Rock he doesn't need him. Right now do not expect the Rock at WrestleMania unless he agrees terms with McMahon. There's no word on if Sting will appear either.

If there is a shred of sanity left in Vince, he will do whatever it takes to make this happen. Sting hasn't had any major exposure, outside of TNA, in nearly 4 years and I'm sure he hasn't been forgotten. I'm sure the match wont be great on a technical level, but the fan reaction alone, for this one will make it worth it. Here's hoping Sting gets to see at least one match in a WWE ring.

[Guest Fook_Theta]

Rock vs Sting with a year of build up would rock the fucking charts of the wall.

 

Sting could probably bring in Mr. Money Ted Dibiase to try out his face version of the character. Maybe get him to play another Heel after a few months, and let him breath some serious life into the IC title and maybe even the Tag Titles.

 

2006 looks like it could be a steller year if Vince is smart enough to start cashing in on some easy to book feuds.

[Guest Trivia247]

I can't see the Sting thing happening, He had been all his career Avoiding the WWF/WWE like the plague, and that was before his religious turn and suddenly realized that Satan's Earthly Form runs it with his Minions and Demon spawns

[Guest bigm350]

I don't think Sting would add anything to the PPV buyrates or ratings. Wrestlemania will get a good buyrate because its WM. Sting is an aging, and pretty much, inactive wrestler. What would he bring to the table? Besides, we know Vince will shit all over him anyway, since he represented the competition for so long. Example:Goldberg.

[MikeJordan23 0]

I don't think Sting would add anything to the PPV buyrates or ratings. Wrestlemania will get a good buyrate because its WM. Sting is an aging, and pretty much, inactive wrestler. What would he bring to the table? Besides, we know Vince will shit all over him anyway, since he represented the competition for so long. Example:Goldberg.

Vince Mcmahon is a mark for pops/big crowd responses and I'm sure Sting would get a huge reaction.

[Guest Trivia247]

I never seen the value of just bringing someone in for a one time thing at a Wrestlemania without some sorta of angle or contract that keeps them on afterwards.

[Guest Hass of Pain]

It might pop the crowd and add 100,000 buys if they did The Rock vs. Sting at Wrestlemania, but it would do a lot more long term damage than it would be worth.

 

Look at Wrestlemania X-8. The show, in a perfect world, would have had the most fan anticipation and the hottest crowd reaction for the last match on the show, The World Title match between HHH and Chris Jericho. Nobody even remembers that match though, because the show was stolen by The Rock and Hulk Hogan, neither of whom stuck around long and neither of whom helped the business continue to grow after Wrestlemania. It was a spectacle, but it made all of the wrestlers who had to stick around and carry the company for a few years pale in comparison.

 

WWE has been building Batista, John Cena, Randy Orton, Edge, Shelton Benjamin and others for the last year as the guys who get the star level reactions. They should be the one to create the memories at this years Wrestlemania, and use those moments to further build their careers the same way Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit did last year.

 

It would do absolutely no good for anyone if The Rock and someone out of left field like Sting wrestled at Wrestlemania, stole the show and killed the crowd for the rest of the night. I love guys like The Rock and Hogan, but that Wrestlemania moment should be a reward for the guys who have worked hard all year to build towards it, not an ego-trip for guys to return, make a big paycheck and disappear again.

 

Let Batista or John Cena or anyone have the spotlight, their careers are the one's who could benefit from it.

[Fökai 0]

From Meltzer on the WrestlingClassics.com board...

 

Dave (RE: Rock. v Sting)

It was in the Observer a month ago or so, and again a week ago. If you are questioning whether Dwayne Johnson wanted to wrestle Sting at Wrestlemania, the answer is he did.

 

Dave

Also, it's not happening.

 

Also, it was hardly the only idea he had.

 

Random Poster

It sounds like the Rock is still intrested in being involved with the WWE in some capacity. In my opinion it would be good for his career. The WWE is a great platform for him to advertise his movie career.

 

Dave

You have no idea how interested he is in being involved in wrestling.

 

Random Poster #2

I'm also intrigued as to why he thought of wrestling Sting at WrestleMania? Still, Sting is the only major wrestling star never to work for Vince McMahon. Hopefully, that'll change and we'll all see Sting howl in a WWE ring sooner than later.

 

Dave

He wanted a special match that had never been done figuring his best role in Mania was to do a dream match people had never seen before. Sting was not his only choice, but it was, in my opinion, the second best of his options and was a match he came up with.

 

It made sense, because Sting's biggest regrets in wrestling was that he never wrestled Rock or Shawn Michaels.

 

Random Poster #3

Does this mean that Rock badly wants to be an active wrestler but feels pressured by his family, agents, handlers, etc. to pursue a film career?

 

Dave

It means Rock was a genuine affection for the wrestling business, enjoys watching it, reading about it and talking about it when he can. His schedule does not allow him much free time.

 

He's not an idiot, and only an idiot, given the choices he has in life, would take the route of being a full-time wrestler with the kind of opportunities he's been given. From the start, there have been people who have advised him to steer clear from wrestling now that he's a near A-list star, but he's ignored that advice.

[Lil' Bitch 0]

He wanted a special match that had never been done figuring his best role in Mania was to do a dream match people had never seen before.

 

Well hopefully at WM 22, we can get Rock Vs. HBK

[Promoter 0]

Now the rumour mill is that Vince doesn't feel he needs Rock or at least that's what he's trying to imply to Rock.

 

I really don't see the harm in having Rock/Sting at WrestleMania besides obvious rust on the part of both men. It would help bring back some lost fans and if they are planning for Batista and Cena to be crowned what better way than an increased audience? It's better than having a friggin celebrity match like LT vs. Bam Bam that makes the whole industry look bad. The Rock can be used as an attraction at least. Hogan and Rock stole the show at Mania 18 because Jericho and HHH was a forgone bore of a match that HHH help bury on national television on TSN. Not to mention Jericho looked like a tool in the HHH/Stephanie title match. They are building Batista/HHH much better and I don't think Cena/JBL is that obvious because there has never been two title switches at Mania before. Besides who in the crowd wouldn't want to see JBL finally lose the belt?

[cabbageboy 0]

Yeah but really how many times have 2 world titles even been at stake at WM? I mean it was mainly just two years, wasn't it? Jericho/HHH was for the unified title, and then the next year is when it broke down into HHH/Booker for the Raw title and Brock/Angle for the SMDN belt. Then of course last year was Eddie/Angle and HHH/Benoit/Shawn.

 

If anything I think Bradshaw just HAS to lose the title at WM or it risks really pissing everyone off and boring the shit out of the fans. If Cena doesn't beat him there really isn't anyone else left.

[Youth N Asia 0]

Does anyone really still consider him part of the roster? Other then his twice a year shot on RAW and maybe a ppv he's a non factor. Just as well that he's gone for me.

 

He's still not proven as a huge boxiffce draw

[Guest jumpingbombangel]

I haven't considered Rock as a part of the active WWE roster for the *longest*. I don't even see him as a full-time Hollywood actor, either. Really, I've just been considering him as a retired wrestler.

[Hogan Made Wrestling 0]

The Rock should do a match with The Coach. It's been built up better as a slow-burning feud than most other stuff on RAW right now.

[Guest netslob]

The Rock should do a match with The Coach. It's been built up better as a slow-burning feud than most other stuff on RAW right now.

that's actually not a bad idea. have Coach win on a fluke or massive interferance. as kinda payback for all the abuse Rock's given him over the years. hell, have Kevin Kelly do the interferance. that'd be poetic justice.

[Fökai 0]

He's still not proven as a huge boxiffce draw

Bullshit.

 

None of his starring films (Scorpion King, Rundown, Walking Tall) would've been as successful in the box office if it was ANY other actor. The problem doesn't lie with his drawing ability, but with bad word-of-mouth due to the rest of the cast around him (remember the last time Seann William Scott was an action star in a film? Bulletproof Monk, anyone?), and how poor the story was written (i.e. the "remake" of Walking Tall).

 

99.9% of the box office gross was due to people wanting to see the Rock -- you're delusional to assume it was anything else.

 

Scorpion King:

BUDGET: 60,000,000

GROSS: 90,341,670

Supporting cast: Michael Clarke Duncan, Kelly Hu

 

The Rundown:

BUDGET: 85,000,000

GROSS: 47,592,825

Supporting cast: Seann William Scott, Rosario Dawson, Christopher Walken

 

Walking Tall:

BUDGET: 56,000,000

GROSS: 45,860,039

Supporting cast: Johnny Knoxville, Neal McDonough

 

Seriously, tell me any other actors that would've made those films work.

[Guest Coffey]

Any other actor? Seriously, the Rock didn't do anything that someone else couldn't have done.

[razazteca 0]

Ben Afflect?

[justcoz 0]

The Rundown was way too good of a movie to pull in so much less than Scorpion King and barely more than Walking Tall. I've even seen it rated *** on cable which never rates anything well (whoever rates those movies).

 

With the Hollywood theme, wouldn't it make sense for The Rock to work with someone from Hollywood? Rock vs. Michael Clarke Duncan or Rock vs. Vin Diesel. I understand him wanting to work with Sting in a wrestling dream match scenario but it would also be logical for him to use his Hollywood connections to pull off something that would draw legit media attention to the event and not make today's stars play second to two non-active wrestlers.

[Slickster 0]

Rock - Sting could be better used to boost a May-June-July PPV buyrate, not to put a WM over the top. WM sells itself, but JDay/Vengeance/GAB do not.

[CBright7831 0]

They're planning another GAB?

 

Fun times await.

[Youth N Asia 0]

Right, so only 2/3 of his starring roles are bombs and lose money. That makes perfect sense. He's only put producers about $20 in the hole...so far. Sure the movies MAY have done better because of him, but that doesn't mean he's a sure thing. He's still far from it.

 

And you can imagine there are a good amount of people who wouldn't see The Rundown or one of his other movies just because it's starring "some wrestler."

[Guest M. Harry Smilac]

I haven't considered Rock as a part of the active WWE roster for the *longest*. I don't even see him as a full-time Hollywood actor, either. Really, I've just been considering him as a retired wrestler.

I've got one up on you and the other guy.I've never considered Rock to be a living breathing human being or even acknowledged his existence!

 

Silly smarks.

 

 

I'll admit the guy has done just decent in hollywood but it's already 100 times better financially then Hogan,Piper or anyone that's tried to do movies.

 

I don't see Cena,Kane or Austin having as much success combined.