Here we are with part two of Know Your Role! I wrote the first piece back in December and trashed Kevin Nash pretty heavily. Since that time, Nash lost at TLC and has disappeared from WWE tv. I like to pretend that I had something to do with that. For part two, I’ve got a few names I want to toss out there for discussion. These are men that are a part of that dying breed that keeps getting mentioned from time to time. That said, let’s do this.
The Rock – Does The Rock know his role? Before the Survivor Series, his last match was a three on two handicap match with Mick Foley against Batista, Ric Flair, and Randy Orton at WrestleMania 20. He went away and made several more movies on top of the ones he had already made. Dwayne is an impressive actor. His appearances on WWE television were very scarce during his seven year absence. He hosted WrestleMania 27 and stole the spotlight after being away for so long. As a fan, this angers me. I don’t care that he is head and shoulders above the rest of the talent as far as star power goes. It’s ridiculous that he can come and go and just be accepted back by most fans like he never left. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great that he’s accomplished everything that he has in the acting world, but I have a very difficult time as a fan enjoying his returns knowing that they are only going to be for such a brief moment and that they are going to take away from the spotlight of the younger talent. Does The Rock know his role? For me, I think not.
Side Note: I really hope WWE does the right thing and books him to lose to John Cena in Miami on April 1st. I can just imagine the reaction from the crowd after being delivered the greatest show of all time. Can’t you just picture the fans faces as they watch Cena celebrate defeating their hometown hero? With the possibility of having a worse crowd reaction than when the nWo formed, I love the idea.
Chris Jericho – The Rock is great, but Jericho is an innovator. Jericho is both a rock star and a top notch WWE performer. His return in late 2007 led to him repackaging his own character and ultimately becoming one of the best villains we’ve ever seen. Jericho was at the top of his game when he left in 2010 and was apart of the most intriguing storylines at the time. I’m not exactly certain how I feel about Chris Jericho right at this moment. This feud with CM Punk has the potential to produce one of the greatest WrestleMania matches of all time. The rumors circling say that Jericho isn’t sticking around for very long. I have mixed feelings about that. Jericho is going to elevate Punk to a whole new level with their match on April 1st. It’s a huge favor to CM Punk for these two to collide on the big stage. Despite my complaints on the side effects of Y2J coming back, I am glad that he is back. With him leaving so soon after WrestleMania, I believe that leaves a spot open for a top heel(Ziggler, perhaps?) to challenge for Punk’s WWE Title. Jericho has been brought in to make CM Punk into an even bigger star, and I firmly believe that he knows his role in this situation.
Booker T – Booker T is without a doubt one of the best tag team wrestlers and most successful African American wrestlers of all time. After finishing his lengthy career, Book has taken to the announce table on Friday Night Smackdown. I’ll be honest, it took me about four episodes of the Friday Night show to fully be able to understand most of what Booker was saying. I love this guy’s ever changing fave five comments. Book recently stepped back in the ring to help build the career of the rising star, Cody Rhodes. The two put on a really good series of matches. It reminded me of what he did during the best of seven matches series that he had with John Cena back in the day. Booker has helped develop younger guys as they become stars. Even now, he knows his place in the announce booth but is more than willing to step back in the ring when he is needed to give a younger guy a boost. I like Booker T for what he’s done in the business and for what he continues to do on commentary each week.
Triple H – I see two different sides to Triple H. On one hand, I see this guy that comes to the ring with Shawn Michaels to the DX theme and cracks jokes and cuts some of the funniest promos you’ll ever hear. This is the same guy that comes to the ring and cuts intense promos to heat up rivalries with whomever he feuds with. He is a terrific wrestler in the ring and never fails to deliver a great match. However, there is also a guy that conducts interviews and says dumb things like “UFC needs to evolve, not WWE.” This is the same guy that has the Vince McMahon mentality that the big muscular jacked guys are the ones who should be pushed to the top first. This is the same guy who called for the last second change to the Royal Rumble match this year to cost Chris Jericho and have his former lifting buddy win the match. Triple H was booked to defeat CM Punk at Night of Champions. Outside interference or not, this was bad booking. Beating Kevin Nash at TLC? Good booking, but we should have been spared from seeing that match. The game can still go. His match with the Undertaker at WrestleMania will deliver as the last one did. Will it be the best match on the card this time around? Doubtful, but it will be fun to watch these two try to duplicate what they left in the ring last year.
Stone Cold Steve Austin – The Texas Rattlesnake was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2009. Since then, he’s appeared a couple different times on WWE tv and has filmed a lot of movies. He was pretty much the only comic relief during the long and drawn out match between Jerry Lawler and Michael Cole at WrestleMania last year. Austin’s biggest contribution in my opinion would have to be the performance he delivered on the rebirth of Tough Enough. Whatever happened to big Andy, anyway? Austin’s on the show wasn’t a character. It was an honest hard working guy that had accomplished a lot in his short career sharing his knowledge with people that claimed to want to do what he has done. It was impressive and I’m excited for the next season if Austin hosts again. I’m also looking forward to whatever movie he puts out next(I like cheap action movies). Austin has talked about wrestling one more match and wanting it to be with CM Punk. Punk and Austin would work a great match if Austin were in good shape for it and you know the hype would be astronomical. If Austin were to actually do it, a final match with CM Punk would be a very fitting way to pass the torch and shut the book entirely on his career. If Austin chose not to come back for one more match, he still had a great final match with the Rock in Houston and doesn’t have anything to prove. Austin, beyond a shadow of a doubt, knew when to let go and knows his role in the industry.
These five that I discussed have made up a large part of wrestling history. Three out of five are tentatively penciled in for WrestleMania this year, with Booker still being a possibility to have a match on the show. Jericho will possibly wrestle a five star match with CM Punk. The only way his match with Punk doesn’t outshine the Rock and Cena is if they purposely dumb down their match. Enough of the Mania talk though. This was about these five being the stars from the past that still shine today. Booker, Jericho, and Austin seem to handle things exactly how they should. The Rock? Not so much. As far as Triple H goes, I’m skeptical. It’s hard to see WWE being run by anybody but Vince. Triple H has a role as an executive in WWE, but does he really know his role in the business? I guess time will tell. Feel free to leave your thoughts below like always. Until next time, you’ve been ThunderStruck!
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