WWE deliberately sabotaging Rock?

There are theories in the wrestling media that WWE is deliberately trying to make The Rock look bad at the expense of John Cena. I can see why these have come about and I'm starting to subscribe to them.

Rock was destroying Cena in their verbal battles building up to Wrestlemania. But ever since the two started going face-to-face, Cena has been booked to be the much stronger of the two.

In their first promo, Cena came across far more sympathetic when he asked The Rock if he was judging the way he looked, dressed and talked. Rock's only response was the pathetic "Only God can judge you".

Last week, after costing Cena the WWE title in the main event of Wrestlemania, The Rock told Cena he respected him. This seemed out of place in the feud. Surely you've got to really hate someone to cost them the title in the main event of Wrestlemania? Cena (who didn't seem all that bothered about the title anyway) was the one who challenged him to a fight; Rock was the one who said "ok, but not for a whole year". Rock was the one who reached in for the handshake (twice!); Cena was the one who both times had to think long and hard about it. In that promo especially, Rock looked really weak. Cena looked like the tougher, braver and cooler of the two. He ripped his shirt off and was ready to fight there and then. It was The Rock who was booked to ruin everyone's fun by saying he'd wrestle, but not for a whole year. Imagine you've got a personal issue that has got out of hand. The other person challenges you to sort it out (physically or otherwise), and you say ok, let's sort it out, IN APRIL 2012! How pathetic do you look?!

I'm sure many reading this are thinking that too much thought has gone into this, that WWE wouldn't go to that much effort, that it's just a conspiracy theory (which it is!). I'm sure some may also be thinking "Why would WWE bring The Rock back only to make him look bad?".

Well, Cena is the guy who will have to carry the company in Rock's absense. It's only sensible that one of the biggest stars in history should be used to give the current top guy some rub. It's another one of those subtle things that a lot of fans miss, and a lot of fans would dispute are just a figment of the imagination, but seasoned wrestling politicians know how crucial these subtleties are. Which leads us to the most seasoned wrestling politician of all: Vince McMahon.

Vince is still bitter about The Rock leaving seven years ago. He would have taken it as a betrayal (the same way he always feels betrayed when someone decides to leave). His bitterness would only have grown as The Rock's movie career blossomed. Now he has The Rock back under his command, and he wants to send a message to him: Don't you dare succeed anywhere else. Vince is a petty man; he has done many petty things which weren't good for business. Settling scores is more important to him than another million on top of a fortune that he'll never have the time to spend.

John Cena is the perfect puppet to do his bidding. Loyal to a fault, barely embraced by the mainstream, and able to look after himself on the mic. Don't think for a second the messages about Rock deserting the people haven't come direct from Vince. His two rapping promos were abysmal and completely bombed, and the fans seem to have turned on him more than ever. Vince must have been getting worried, hence why Cena has been written to look so much stronger in the face-to-face promos.

While I thoroughly endorse using the star power of The Rock to elevate Cena to his level, I think this plan may have the opposite effect. Rock's star power is diminishing by the week. The fans aren't going crazy for him like they did in his first few weeks back. Rock isn't dragging Cena up, rather Cena is dragging Rock down. The brutal truth is that Cena will never appeal to a certain (large) section of the fanbase. He isn't cool, he doesn't show any kind of vulnerability, he has a terrible sense of humour, he looks like a large child, and while he is confident on the mic he very rarely says anything of any meaning (he barely mentioned the WWE title in the build up to Wrestlemania, which was criminal. And he wasn't even bothered about losing the match). And the fact is that a large number of fans don't want to see The Rock shaking his hand or saying he respects him. I'm fascinated to see how they build up WM28 without making Rock look like just another guy.

Has anyone else noticed WWE deliberately shifting the momentum Cena's way? Do you agree with this move seeing as Cena is the guy being relied on for the next year and beyond? Or do you think WWE is wasting the potential of having The Rock back?

I agree with you on the fact that they have certainly shifted momentum in Cena's favour. The question is, will the fans shift and support Cena? He was booed to hell at Wrestlemania. The Rock is and always will be one of the biggest WWE superstars ever. I'll support The Rock even if he is poorly booked and made to look weak.

I do agree that the WWE are wasting the potential they have with The Rock being back but that seems common place these days.

yeah wwe are wasting the rock potenial they should turn cena heel as his getting booed same happened with orton he was cheered now his a tweener with not with cena ?

With a year to go until their match I don't think WWE can keep booking both men strong. The Rock will probably be in and out of programming for the year and I think the two need to take it in turn to be booked strong and weak.

Hopefully the balance will be redressed and shift in The Rock's favour and then rock back and forth until hopefully they are seen as equals next March.

With regards to fan reaction I would love to see them really play on the fan split. Have Cena turn on the boo-bys and pander to the kids and women, whilst The Rock does his trash talking but in such a way that it will alienate the kids. If done right there should be a split crowd at Mania leading to a brilliant atmosphere!

I've never gone as far as too think the WWE were deliberatley sabotaging The Rock, but I thought it was strange that Cena was able to use The Rock f'ing off to movieland as the core of his promos. Strange because The Rock has absolutely no comeback to it whatsoever (except maybe playing on Cena's crowd reactions or going deeper into his look, which probably would have seen Cena buried) and so that prevailed with his horrible, 'Only God can judge you' line followed by 'Why don't I just kick your ass right now'.

The Rock seemed very restricted in his promos. Is that because the WWE are desperate for Cena to look his equal or because Vince is being his usual petty self? Difficult to tell at this stage, so only time will tell. It wouldn't surprise me if Vince was up to something. There is a strange feeling about the whole thing, certainly.

Edit: One other thing that struck me about this is that I think The Rock is clever enough to know what Vince is playing at, else he doesn't care about his character, but then why comeback? Also is Vince stupid enough to urine off one half of next year's WrestleMania main event? Especially as it's already been announced and with plenty of time for The Rock to change his mind.

It could also be that the Rock is, probably, the only guy who is or could be bigger than the WWE. Why book a guy strong who will go over the company's No. 1 man when his future appearances are likely to be sparodic at best?

Also, totally unrelated, do you guys think that Jack Swagger looks like "Mad Dog" Lewis Moody?

Davies you're spot on with the "Cena is dragging Rock down" comment

as for Swagger, he looks like Biff Tannon

Biff Tannon, definitely. The real shame of it is that Swagger would be perfect as a bully, and Biff is a great example to model him on given the way he looks, but nobody seems to want to go that route with him.

The way I see it, Rock has put over WWE in his promos saying he loves the business, is proud of his family heritage and that he's still the peoples' champion. He came back for Mania and has now set up one of the few dream matches out there by costing Cena the title. That sounds like a man Vince should be proud of and he should be thanking his lucky stars that the Rock has returned. The reason Rock stipulated that the match should take place at Mania 28 is twofold: 1. a Rock/Cena dream match is one of the biggest matches in the WWE and therefore deserves to be on the grandest stage of them all. 2. Mania 28 is in Miami - Rock's home city and therefore will attract more ticket sales/PPV buys.

I don't believe WWE are sabotaging Rock and making him look weak - I think they are trying to set them up as equals (coz Cena needs all the propping up he can get). Just because Cena was first to offer the match and just because he took his shirt off first does not mean he was being made to look the braver and stronger of the two. If anything it just shows how little he cares about being champion and how he has devalued the title in his time. Cena doesn't care about the Rock costing him the title all he wants is to 'please the fans' like the babyface he is.

I would say Cena was presented as the braver than the two, Cena was made to look like he wanted to give the fans what they wanted and was willing to go to war, Rock wasn't

It was definitely a heelish thing for the Rock to say "I'll fight you.....at Wrestlemania 28".

The more I think about it, the more it does seem that the Rock is becoming deliberately undermined in this feud. I can understand them wanting Cena to look strong because he was buried by the Rock but surely you try and raise John Cena to the Rock's level, instead of dropping the Rock down to Cena's level?

Completely agree with talkingpoint. They have been booked as equals, not one above the other. It should be noted also that they represent the past vs the present, it would undermine Cena and all the other current superstars if The Rock was booked stronger. On the other side, to have Cena booked stronger makes no sense either, since Rock was the joint biggest star of the most popular era in wrestling (and is also still a youngish man). I think the WWE have handled this right, I only wish that the Mania main event was decided clean.

One poster said that Rock's crowd reactions had diminished, I don't know if I agree with this. The reaction he got on his return night in February was incredible and to me it has stayed like ever since.

Good article Crips.... Very thought provoking at the being I did think you were thinking far too much into it but there's no doubt that line about god was extremely weak & gave Cena the upper hand in the verbal jousting.

I think where your theory begins to gain monmentum is your mention of Vince & his pettiness here I think it's possible you could be onto something. Anyone heard of Montreal?

Brady12 wrote:Anyone heard of Montreal?

Nope that's a new one on me mate, what happened?

Montreal? Isn't that a place in Canada?

Completely agree with the opening post, and I was going to make a similar thread by suggesting The Rock has come across as borderline heel since his return:

Bringing it via satellite - heelish action, avoiding getting hurt in the ring

Constant pandering to the fans - not so heelish, but extremely obnoxious in the way he is trying so hard to be loved and to turn them against Cena

Cheap-shots - restarts the match at Mania only to cost Cena the title with a cheap-shot. I thought the point in restarting a match is to have a clean winner?

Playground insults - constant jibes at Cena about the way he talks and the clothes he wears. Is that the best you can do, Rock? Again, quite heelish behaviour really, and yet to back it up in a fight with Cena.

And finally:
The "I'll fight you...at Wrestlemania 28" moment. Just awful! Cena was shown as ready to go there and then, and The Rock of old would never back down from a fight, but he was shown to there! Made The Rock look frightened of Cena and only ready to fight him in a year's time, and on his own turf - classic actions of a heel.

I'm surprised someone as intelligent as Dwayne Johnson was happy to come back and have his character portrayed in such a bad light.