10 Years Ago We Had....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7laVzukxb4

This for me remains the biggest match I have witnessed at WrestleMania. The electricity which I have only felt with Hogan v Andre, Hogan v Warrior, Austin v HBK and HBK v Taker II.

We now have Cena v Rock which is built around it being the biggest match in the history of the industry.

If we rewind the clock. The Rock was in Cena's position in some regards. The crowd wanted a heel Rocky and it wasn't long after that a short lived heel turn occured. Yet despite that Rock was able to still captivate the crowd. Hogan was immense. He worked the crowd brilliantly and Rock was the perfect foil. Had the Rock not been able to promo for the love of taffy I would've only seen this match become a massive let down. His promo before the match was brilliant. The energy and momentum going into this match was electrifying. Rock and Hogan had it all in that respect.

Cena v Rock is proving to be the biggest let down since Lesnar v Goldberg. What hasn't helped are the following:

1) Scheduling. Booking the match a year in advance was always going to hamper any momentum. The Rock also not being able to work a full time schedule hinders it even more. Yes we had the tag match at Survivor Series, but again it breaks down. Stop start stop start is all I have seen. Interest in Cena builds up, then declines. We have Rock and Cena tag match, then Cena and Kane which has the fans in some state of confusion. Now all we have had is Rock Cena promos which got boring after Boston. Had there been some contact, it might have given this match some much needed life.

2) John Cena. He is where Hogan was after Wrestlemania VI. Character has gotten stale, crowd wants something fresh, WWE are unwilling to make any radical changes, dare I say it Cena has outgrown the Main Event picture. The Warrior may have dropped the ball and gave Hogan some new life, Hogan had run his course in the WWE in the Main Event. Take his return almost 10 years later, people remembered Hulking up as youngsters and it was nostalgic. The Rock in some ways has gotten the same response. I think Cena and the WWE need to think of maybe parting ways. There is no reason why the WWE need to keep Cena. For me Cena could easily fork out a TV career. I just think that without a competitor like the WWE had in WCW makes difficult for talent looking for new directions without fading entirely out of the limelight. Cena doing the whole serious promo thing does not match his fruity pebble outfits! I don't even think a Heel turn could keep him fresh enough to keep interest.

3) Post Wrestlemania. When the Rock leaves, he heads back to Hollywood. For Cena it is just that much more difficult. When Rock and Hogan finished, Hogan had a new momentum and new fanbase. He hung around. Had the Rock still been an active wrestler, Cena might have had a better profile and also be able to have a new energy because there still could've been room for another match further down the line. Cena will struggle. If he feuds with Punk, he sinks him. If he feuds with Orton, he sinks him. There for me is only 2 directions available. Match with Taker at Mania or Y2J. Other than that all the other routes are tried and tested.

I disagree entirely. I dont think its been a let down at all. I think booking the match a year in advance was a good idea and has been booked well, and i also feel Cena and Rock have been great in their roles.

Its a huge match, its box office and no one can predict the outcome. Its a genuine Wrestlemania Main Event.

Do you work for the WWE?

Because only they would call the them 'great' in their roles.

I definitely agree the build has been awful considering the match they were building to. I wish they'd played it differently....

Have Rock come out and do his speech like he did last year, just don't have him call out Cena straight away. Have Cena and Rock meet backstage a couple of times before WM27 and tease tension. Have the Wrestlemania Main Event play out exactly the same except the ref gets bumped instead of the double count out, and Rock comes down and makes himself the replacement referee. Late in the match Cena gets in Rock's face about a 2 count, and Rock simply stares him down. Have Riley come out and interfere, and as Rock is dealing with Riley he accidently costs Cena the title and makes the count for Miz 1-2-3.

Have Cena challenge Rock straight up next night. Rock says No. Crowd boos.

Rock shows up when he can and every time he does, Cena is in his face with the challenges but Rock keeps saying no he is retired.

Have the Summer of Punk play out as it did and next time Rock shows up and Cena challenges, Rock points out that Cena let Punk leave the WWE with the title while back in the day it was Rock who finally put WCW to bed. Rock points out for all Cena's talk of being the man thats there every week, he sure let everyone in the company down when it mattered. At this point Awesome Truth show up and because Cena and Rocky can't work together they get beat down by Truth and Miz.

This of course sets up Survivor Series and that can play out pretty much the same except the show ends with Cena AAing The Rock and doing the "U Can't See Me" after Rock embarasses him with the same pose down contest they have.

Rock does not show until the Rumble where he is surprise entrant No. 30, at the time Cena is still in the Rumble, Rock comes out eliminates himself and Cena simlutaneously.

Next night Cena calls out Rock who simply asks what Cena's problem is? Cena says its because of what Rock did at the Rumble. Rock responds by asking why Cena is desperate to face the The Rock? Let Rock really lay into Cena (which Rock wouldn't have done at this point in my booking) but Rock still says no to the match.

Then have Rock announced as going into the Hall of Fame at WM28. Make a big deal of it with a fake press conference but have Cena show up, call Rock out and then destroy the press conference when he syays no again, ending it with Cena giving Rock an AA through a table.

Rock comes out on the next RAW to decline the Hall of Fame inivitation because he's got one more ass kicking to dish out... to John Cena. (This would be in early February).

After that just let them go at each other on the mic, and I mean really cut loose on each other, until Wrestlemania...

Without the year long announcement, Cena chasing Rock it adds to Cena's desperation to prove he is the man now and its easier for Rock to be heel by seemingly be a coward and turn down Cena constantly. Plus ebcause we don't know for sure there is a match the tension builds the whole year long instead of just one month.

legendkillarV2 wrote:Do you work for the WWE?

Because only they would call the them 'great' in their roles.

No, i just think they've been great in their roles. Is that ok with you?

Mr H wrote:

legendkillarV2 wrote:Do you work for the WWE?

Because only they would call the them 'great' in their roles.

No, i just think they've been great in their roles. Is that ok with you?

I have no problem with that. Just seemed a stange comment.

I think Rock has been a slight let down, almost nervous at times on the mic. The pre recorded stuff he's done has been much better. Apart from Cena interrupting the Rock to chat to the crowd I think he has been excellent in the whole build up.

Seems actually a good angle you played there Don.

The build up has been a let down in recent weeks and the lack of contact has killed any energy going into their showdown. For what is the 'biggest match' the build up has been crap!

I think WWE have been fairly comfortable that they could rely on it selling itself to a degree, and I think they're right.

Regardless of the build-up it was still clearly the big one - and people would be buying. They could have done more than just play on animosity but it has been effective enough.