Welcome back to another edition of Cases For The Greatest here at the MWC Blog. This is where I examine some of the wrestlers who are often viewed by some or many as the greatest pro wrestler of all time and why they have an argument in being so. Perhaps the most well known person in the world today: Dwayne Johnson aka The Rock! ProfileRing Name: The Rock From: Miami, Florida, USA Height: 6'5'' Weight: 260 lbs. Trained by: Rocky Johnson Debut: 1996 (inactive) Notable Achievements: WWE Championship (8x) WCW World Heavyweight Championship (2x) WWE Intercontinental Championship (2x) WWE Tag-Team Championships (5x) 2000 Royal Rumble Winner 6th Triple Crown Champion in WWE History WON Best Box Office Draw (2000, 2011, 2012) PWI Wrestler of the Year (2000) Career Overview1995-1996 - Developed his wrestling skills at Jerry Lawler's promotion USWA. November 17, 1996 - Survivor Series. Debuts in the WWF as "Rocky Maivia" combining the names of his father (Rocky Johnson) and grandfather (Peter Maivia.) 1997-1998 - Member of The Nation of Domination. November 15, 1998 - His first of 8 reigns with the WWF/WWE World Championship. March 28, 1999 - WrestleMania 15. The first of his trilogy Mania matches against "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. 1999-2000 - Formed an iconic partnership with Mankind (aka Mick Foley) as Rock N' Sock Connection. 2000's - Final appearances with the WWE before setting off for Hollywood. February 14, 2011 - The Rock's first return in the WWE after several years. April 1, 2012 - "Once in a Lifetime" match vs. John Cena in the main event of WrestleMania 28. Of course the next year they'd face again. 2014-2016 - Various sporadic appearances with the WWE. ArgumentIf we are just talking purely charisma, then there is no doubt about it that The Rock is the GOAT. When they call him the most electrifying man in all of sports, they sure ain't lying. The Rock could just make his entrance and make his way down the ring and the crowd would react one way or another! Whether you cheer him as a babyface or boo him as a heel, sometimes both in one segment, the fans will always be captivated by his presence. But of course that isn't just simply the criteria for being called the greatest. Rock was seemingly destined for it though right from the get-go being a member of perhaps the greatest wrestling dynasty that being the Samoan Family of Anoa'i. His grandfather "High Chief" Peter Maivia basically paved the way not only for Samoans, but all Pacific wrestlers around the world! His NWA partnered promotion in Hawaii blazed the trail for a lot of wrestlers and his impact is still widely felt today. "The Soulman" Rocky Johnson, his father, while not getting the heights his son achieved later on, was also a pioneer of his own. Him and Tony Atlas were the first black tag-team champions in WWE history. Rocky held numerous accolades in multiple territories too throughout his career. Surely combining the names of his legendary father figures would instantly make him a superstar right? It didn't work that way. Rocky Maivia had to work his ass off to eventually become the most recognized person in the world today. The scrappy bland babyface turned into an ultra charismatic figure which in turn would boost his career to new heights and become a household name in the entertainment industry as a whole! That what makes The Rock great, he surpassed the legendary status of being a wrestling icon like Stone Cold or Hulk Hogan, he IS an icon. For the most part, everyone in this world no matter the country know who The Rock is. Dare I say he became even bigger than the WWE. The very thing that could make him the GOAT though can be a detriment for him reaching that status. If we are just going to look at it from a wrestling perspective, The Rock never really became the no. 1 guy. Sure he was a huge deal and deserved to be treated as such, but he was the Randy Savage to Stone Cold's Hulk Hogan during the peak of the attitude era. No matter how many times WWE tells you that Austin and Rock were on equal footing, it is clear that Austin was always the top guy during that timeframe and he is the wrestler that defined what the attitude era was all about. When he made his return in 2011, despite the hatred he received especially back then, John Cena was the clear top guy of the company not Rock, despite him being WWE Champion also. Plus Rock's style of wrestling is very polarizing among fans. It worked in the attitude era where workrate is not really the priority but entertainment, to get the crowd riled up! But nowadays if he were to wrestle in the style he has now, he may be marked as "too gimmicky." Although it could still work because it is well established about him being the most charismatic wrestler to walk planet Earth! Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is a name that will be uttered and thought of for generations to come. Whether it is because of his colorful wrestling career or the dozens of movies he has starred in through the years, he has certainly left a huge legacy that the world will never forget. The Rock is a good wrestler, but he is an even greater entertainer. Which is why he has the Case for being the Greatest! PREVIOUS: KURT ANGLE NEXT: MITSUHARU MISAWA Thanks For Reading. Follow on Twitter: @SuperMastodon Like on Facebook: Super Mastodon |
AuthorSuper Mastodon. Spent countless of hours throughout my life watching professional wrestling. Now I write about it, because I like that too. Archives
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