The Rock

Wrestling journalist Tommy Fierro recently wrote in a column that he believes wrestling stars from the 1980's are more well-known and fondly remembered by the general public than wrestling's modern performers. Fierro said that in his opinion the reason for this is because the wrestlers in the 1980's WWF had character, which is something he believes the WWE lacks in 2008. Looking at The Rock's new DVD, I can't help but agree with him.

The Rock was one of the biggest things in wrestling (and mainstream pop culture) only a few short years ago. We all wore the t-shirts and shouted the catch-phrases. Now Dwayne Johnson is out in Hollywood not entertaining sold out arenas, and I know I'm not the only fan who wishes The Rock could (finally) come back to Raw. Sure I still enjoy many wrestlers on the current WWE roster, but none of them are very memorable from one week to the next. None of them leap through the screen and grab your attention the way The Rock did. These days, WWE wrestlers all follow a very precise script. If you've been watching wrestling for any length of time you can more or less guess what will happen the next time you see your favorite WWE superstar.

Dwayne Johnson followed a script too. In fact his emergence in popularity started right around the same time that the WWF writers started scripting their TV shows down to the very last minuscule detail. So why is an overly-scripted Rock so popular while modern stars fail to connect as strongly with the audience?

Answer: The Character.

John Cena isn't the white rapper anymore, which is what made his character popular in the first place. Now, without that aspect to his character, he continues to get booed in arenas across the country. C.M. Punk has a character, but it isn't emphasized in any of his angles. Compare that to Chris Jericho, who is currently a heel with a legitimate point to his anger. When Jericho announced that the "good guys" had won in reference to injuring Shawn Michaels, a portion of the crowd cheered and the entire audience had some kind of a reaction. There's a reason for that.

The Rock's new DVD The Rock: The Most Electrifying Man In Sports-Entertainment is loaded with Rock promos and matches that will make you long for the Attitude Era of WWF/WWE wrestling. It's not just Rocky that will entertain you though. It's the people he's wrestling. Mick Foley, DX, Kurt Angle, Steve Austin, The Hurricane, Hunter Hearst Helmsley. Guys who were characters! I encourage all my readers to pick up this DVD and re-live some classic wrestling moments that remind us all why we're fans in the first place. Or, if you've never seen The Rock in a pro wrestling context, do yourself a favor and get this DVD immediately! The Rock's new DVD only costs $18.99 (around $13.00 if you get it used) from our good friends over at Amazon AND it's eligible for free shpping! WWE wants you to pay $19.62 plus shipping (more if you get a combo deal). Tell those WWE shop guys to take their overpriced package deal, turn that sumbitch sideways, and stick it straight up their candy asses! Help support this Web site and click the link below to purchase The Rock: The Most Electrifying Man In Sports-Entertainment from Amazon.

That is, if you smell what The Rock is cooking. Otherwise...Well, I guess you could always go watch some TNA or something.