I think The Rock missed his calling. That's right, I don't think "The Most Electrifying Man in All of Entertainment" was meant for entertainment. Or perhaps just a different form of entertainment. I don't think Dwayne Johnson should have been a wrestler.
I think Dwayne Johnson should've been a politician. Why? Because for the second year in a row, The Rock has shown us just how good he is at skirting the issue.
Last year, when the WWE was in a fevered anticipation for The Rock's bout with John Cena at Wrestlemania XXVIII, Cena cut scathing promos about how The Rock had all but completely forsaken his sports entertainment origins and sold out to do Hollywood movies. The Rock, who rekindled a fire in the WWE Universe harkening back to the bygone days of the "Attitude Era", responded by making fun of Cena's genitalia, his former rap star persona, and his status as the unbeatable Superman of the WWE. The Rock railed against Cena for marketing his image to children and the younger fans of the WWE Universe. He mocked Cena's mannerisms and his ring attire, even going so far as to call Cena a "Fruity Pebble": a moniker that follows the 13-time World Champion to this day.
Cena defended himself by taking the stance of loyalty to the audience who has supported him from the start. Even in the face of one of the greatest trash-talkers the industry had ever seen, Cena stood, unflinching and unashamed of his brightly colored t-shirts, his denim ring attire, and his commitment to fans of all ages. As a fan who grew up watching WWE at the height of the "Attitude Era", I was shocked to find myself actually pulling for Cena more often than not right up until his defeat on the "Grandest Stage of Them All".
Why?
Because rather than defend his decision to use his star power to become a successful (a term I use loosely) Hollywood star, The Rock had nothing in his verbal bag of tricks but the same catchphrases we've been hearing for the past fifteen years or so. In the midst of the launch of WWE's anti-bullying campaign, The Rock did everything he could to belittle a man whose mantra was "Hustle, Loyalty, and Respect." Few were the instances in which The Rock actually addressed his career path, his ignorance of his beginnings as a truly great WWE Superstar, or even the fact that he hadn't shown his face in the company for almost a decade, save for some random promos aired "via satellite."
The Rock may have won the match, but he lost the war, as John Cena's truths cut much deeper in the long run than Rock's cheap jibes. The funny thing is, Cena had some measure of respect for The Rock as a pioneer in the industry, and John Cena as a character, and perhaps even as a man, would only take his comments about The Rock so far out of respect for the younger fans who may have been watching.
Ironically, less than a year later, The Rock is now in the same position against a man who is not concerned with crossing lines: a man who, for the last two years, has made a bigger name for himself by proclaiming "the truth". Granted, CM Punk does not have the advantage of year-long build up to his match with The Rock in just three short weeks, but that hasn't stopped "The Voice of the Voiceless" from spouting his truth in the face of the Brahma Bull.
This past Monday on Raw, CM Punk had his first confrontation with Dwayne Johnson since making the latter a victim of the GTS on the 1,000th episode of Raw earlier this year. After dropping one of his infamous "Pipe Bombs", Punk stood toe to toe with the sure-fire Hall of Famer, and though he didn't get a chance to say much while the two were face to face, I'd have to say that if we were keeping score, Punk would be up 1-0 on The Rock heading into the Royal Rumble main event.
Punk has turned heel since knocking out The Rock, so his rants are largely filled with his mantra of "Respect", but he was still able to paint a picture of The Rock as a fly-by-night Superstar who'd much rather be in Hollywood than in the ring. Punk also made it clear he was not intimidated by The Rock's trash-talking abilities, nor his larger-than-life persona. The Rock answered Punk's truths in much the same way he answered Cena's: with tired routines and references to Punk's man-junk. He even attempted to form a moniker for Punk the way he'd created one for Cena, as the crowd chanted "Cookiepuss" at their once revered WWE Champion. Punk responded immediately by calling the WWE Universe a collection of "puppets" whose strings were in the hands of The Rock, even citing that he got them to chant "ice cream bars" just a few short months ago. Even as The Rock continued in his attempts to degrade Punk before his audience, Punk simply stood firm, his eyes never leaving The Rock's. Whereas Cena attempted to play off The Rock's jests with a polite smile, Punk's expression alone made it clear there was no room for laughter. Whereas The Rock was out to start "trending", Punk was out to make a statement, and he made it, ironically, without saying a single word. He will not budge. He will not be intimidated. The Rock may be "the man", but his sophomoric humor did little to buckle the knees of "The Best in the World", and that is a huge plus for Punk heading into the last stretch of his WWE Championship reign.
It's probable that WWE had Punk turn heel specifically to build him as a good opponent for The Rock. In the meanwhile, Punk's following hasn't dwindled in the wake of his attitude adjustment (no pun intended). Make no mistake, Punk's 400+ day reign as WWE Champion will, most likely, come to a screeching halt at the Royal Rumble, but he will go out with far more than a whimper, and if WWE is smart, it won't be the last time we see Punk in the WWE title spotlight.
Obviously that is speculation at this point, but no matter the outcome of their match on January 27th, the battle has already begun, and thus far, it's The Rock who has wound up on the short end.
It may be for one night only, but this past Monday, The Rock got "Punk"ed.
