On February 7, Vince McMahon promised to announce the guest host of Wrestlemania XXVII the following week on Raw. The massive hype and sly hints suggested the host would be huge, and many people speculated as to who it would be. Of course, rumors ran rampant, and WWE helped create some of their own (did anyone really think that Lady Gaga would be hosting Wrestlemania?) But I think, deep down, we all knew who it would be. Thankfully, we were not disappointed.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson made a triumphant and electrifying return to the world of sports entertainment on February 14, 2011. Fans all over the world rejoiced and wondered if this were really happening. Was The Rock really "back"?
It is interesting to note that The Rock's arrival back into the WWE fold required little hype and still became the most talked-about topic among fans young and old. The Rock is a perfect role model for many of the young stars in how to command ring presence. Whereas many of the young wrestlers struggle to keep fans' attention during promos and interviews, The Rock, after a seven-year absence, had everyone in the arena, and everyone at home, hanging on his every word. This is a prime example of how one of the best talkers in the business commands respect and works the crowd into a frenzy of excitement. This is "How to Electrify 101". I'm not asking that every young star be The Rock (if we could only be so lucky), but they should definitely be taking notes.
It was very clear that The Rock was indeed back. After wrestling with Mick Foley against Evolution at Wrestlemania XX, The Rock made just a few sparse appearances in WWE. He appeared to confront Randy Orton, he appeared to befriend Eugene, and of course, he made a brief appearance to help hype the Bobby Lashley/McMahon vs. Umaga/Trump Hair vs. Hair Match at Wrestlemania 23. Since then, The Rock had made just one appearance, suggesting that perhaps it was time for him to assume the role of Guest Host for Raw.
Unfortunately, for many fans, most of the appearances felt disingenuous. Most fans felt that The Rock was no longer The Rock: the most electrifying man in all of entertainment. Rather, he had become merely Dwayne Johnson, a man who had once held the wrestling world in the palm of his hand and had "sold out" his "millions (and millions) of fans" for the glamor of Hollywood.
This night was different.
Strutting to the ring to his iconic theme music, The Rock immediately took to each of the four turnbuckles to strike his legendary pose. He donned a snappy new t-shirt emblazoned with the words, "I Bring It", a chilling homage to his infamous "Just Bring It" t-shirt from the golden days of the "Attitude Era". Indeed, for many, seeing The Rock back was an exercise in nostalgia, as though they were seeing a ghost of an age that was now long gone.
But, in fact, The Rock was very much alive, and very truly present.
After waiting several minutes for the deafening ovation to wane, The Rock shed his larger-than-life persona to speak to the fans as simply Dwayne Johnson. He assured the fans that he hadn't returned for money, nor to promote a movie, nor simply to stroke his ego. He had returned for them, and thanked them for their support throughout his Hollywood hiatus, and promised that he would always be here for them.
Whether you bought this particular speech is up to you, but it was a show of class for this man to thank the fans who still showed such strong support for him after so long.
Then, amidst the ovation from this show of gratitude, he again assumed the shades, shrugged his shoulders, and lifted the mic, and after three false starts...
"Finally, The Rock has come back!"
The roar from the crowd was enough to blow the roof off the arena.
From here, everything about The Rock felt right. There were no shameless movie plugs, there were no attempts at stand-up comedy, there was no time wasted. Everything from his tone to his mannerisms hearkened back to that ghost of a memory that was now alive and well. The Rock was all business.
After hyping Wrestlemania XXVII, the Rock suddenly turned his attention to current WWE stars. To WWE Champion The Miz, The Rock said that anyone who had to go around constantly reminding people how "awesome" he is "unquestionably, undoubtedly" sucked.
When the anonymous Raw General Manager attempted to interrupt The Rock's rant, The Rock threatened to shove the computer up Michael Cole's "candy a--", should the announcer take another step. A mortified and indignant Cole took his seat to chants of "Rocky" from the relieved and grateful fans.
Then, in a surprising turn, The Rock turned his attention to John Cena.
The Rock recounted the last golden age of wrestling, and how the lineage of WWE icons had traveled from "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, to The Rock himself, and now, to Cena whom he called a "bowl of Fruity Pebbles" while mocking his colorful wardrobe and signature catchphrase, "You Can't See Me".
This was the most shocking of The Rock's statements, since Cena had been the face of the company since winning his first WWE Championship in 2005: just one year after the Rock's self-induced sabbatical. While the young fans clearly didn't know what to make of this, many of the older fans cheered all the louder and vehemently booed any mention of Cena from that point on.
The direction of the company had certainly changed, and the champion had changed with it. Cena himself had undergone a huge transformation, going from thug rapper to a soldier for the people. But is a soldier really what the people wanted? The attitude that had made Cena and the WWE so successful had been lost as the show's parental rating dropped to "PG". It was oddly exhilarating to hear The Rock's signature one-liners go uncensored.
Yet, Cena's formulaic matches and goody two-shoes character had grown stale for most fans, who were now hankering for something more believable, something more adult, something they could relate to. The Rock was clearly the savior they had been waiting for.
Yet posing two stars of this caliber against each other is a courageous move for WWE, as putting one over the other could risk alienating a segment of their audience, similar to when The Rock beat Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania X8. It's clear that the confrontation between The Rock and John Cena will probably not be a sanctioned contest, but the tension between the two at this point is enough to sell the pay-per-view to children and adults alike.
When he debuted, John Cena carried the hopes of the entire organization (some would argue the entire industry) on his shoulders. The WWE was in dire straits, coming off the Attitude Era with few stars to replace their main event veterans. In just a few short years, Steve Austin, Mick Foley, and The Rock had all but disappeared. Iconic and revolutionary Divas like Trish Stratus and Lita also set out for greener pastures. Meanwhile, WWE struggled to create new stars, culminating in the failure of Brock Lesnar. Many of WWE's top stars were lured (and continue to be lured) to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, such as Kurt Angle, The Dudley Boys, and Christian. It was now up to men like Edge, Randy Orton, Batista, and Rey Mysterio to carry the company. Ultimately it was John Cena who emerged as the most obvious fan favorite, and the torch was passed to him at Wrestlemania 21 by John "Bradshaw" Layfield.
Cena has been the face of WWE ever since, but even fans who grew up watching him are growing tired of the same old song and dance. WWE still has been unable and unwilling to push new stars to the top. Despite allowing The Miz to carry the WWE Championship, men like John Morrison, Kofi Kingston, and Daniel Bryan remain at mid-card level, despite strong support and reaction from fans. Fans struggled to voice their opinions, often booing faces and cheering heels simply because they wanted to see a changing of the guard. But there was no face to this voice: no spokesperson to articulate their displeasure.
Until now.
The Rock's return brings the company and the industry full circle, back to a time when it was once one of the most popular forms of entertainment and wrestlers were household names. It is a chance for WWE to reinvent itself, to put a new face on, to strive forward in a new direction.
The Rock hinted that he may be around for some time after Wrestlemania. If this is true, it should bode well for WWE, as having a familiar and respected veteran like The Rock representing your company will keep old fans loyal, while creating new stars will allow WWE to cultivate a new generation of followers.
Whatever the case may be, the Road to Wrestlemania has certainly gotten hotter and a whole lot more interesting. In the words of Jim Ross, "Business is about to pick up!"
"If you smell what The Rock is cookin'."
