By Jason Remillard (AKA BJP)
28 February 2000
Steve Who? Vince Who?
In recent weeks, one man has helped WWF fans forget that Steve Austin and
Vince McMahon have not been on their televisions for months. One man has
proven that he is deserving of being passed the torch as the number one
drawing card in the wrestling business. And above all, this one man has
proven that he's not just using a catchphrase by calling himself "the most
electrifying man in sports-entertainment today."
Of course, if you haven't figured out that I am talking about The Rock,
then I sincerely wonder what planet you have been on the past few months.
With Stone Cold sitting home in Texas recovering from neck surgery and
playing with his new puppies, many wondered whether the WWF's huge ratings
would suffer at all. With Vince McMahon taking a backseat and plotting to
take over the world of professional football, many wondered whether a hole
was opening up for Vince Russo and Ed Ferrara to make WCW competitive
again against their former employers. Of course, we all know Russo and
Ferrara lost steam, and WCW eventually underwent a massive crisis and
leadership change.
But that notwithstanding, the WWF continued to bang out large audiences
for RAW and SmackDown on a weekly basis, completely trouncing the
miniscule numbers put up by WCW's Nitro and Thunder. Part of the WWF's
success can be attributed to the success of the McMahon-Helmsley Era, but
the lion's share of it can be placed on the large shoulders of The Rock.
I cannot believe just how over The Rock has become. Of course, I always
long for the days when I was one of the few people who actually liked the
guy, back when he supplanted Faarooq as "ruler" of the Nation of
Domination and started using the now-immortal "Do you smell what The Rock
is cookin'?" catchphrase. I like to say that I was probably Number 3 or 4
of what now numbers as millions... and millions! I still prefer The Rock
as the cocky, arrogant heel who only talked about being "The People's
Champion" because everyone knew the people didn't give a damn about him.
Alas, I know things will not soon go back to that, or even to the time in
early 1999 when Rock was the crown jewel heel in Vince McMahon's Team
Corporate. But I have stayed loyal to The Rock, and I am damn proud of
how far he has come and how popular he is.
If you told me back in 1998 that in two years, The Rock would be so
popular that he would...
-- pose for a "Got Milk?" ad
-- be voted People Magazine's "Sexiest Wrestler"
-- host "Saturday Night Live" on NBC
-- be rumored for a starring role in a sequel to a box-office smash ("The
Mummy 2")
...I would have wondered what you were smoking! But I probably would not
have called you a complete fool because I recognized his special talents
early on, even when he was the poofy-haired, goody-twoshoes babyface Rocky
Maivia.
I haven't been to a live WWF event since June, so I can't imagine how
immense the crowd reaction is when The Rock's theme music starts up and
The Great One appears. The reaction from the crowd at the house show I
went to in June in Springfield, Mass., was loud, but not the Hogan-esque
pop he reportedly gets now.
And never since Hogan have I seen a man who has been able to mesmerize the
crowd the way The Rock can. He may not be able to perform moves like
Shawn Michaels or Bret Hart, but, like Hogan, he doesn't need to. The Rock
Bottom/People's Elbow combination is reminiscent of the Big Boot/Leg Drop
combo from the Hulkster. Once you see the first move, you know what's
coming, and the crowd goes nuts for it!
WrestleMania 2000 is shaping up to be the crowning achievement in The
Rock's career. One way or the other, I think he will walk out of the Pond
in Anaheim with his fourth WWF Championship. You think the reaction was
huge in Philadelphia when Austin beat The Rock last year at WrestleMania?
I lay you odds that the pop in Anaheim when Rock beats either Cactus Jack
or Triple H will be heard in San Francisco!!
If ya smell... ahhh, you know the rest!