Seth Mates, who worked with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as a creative writer for WWE in the build-up to his 2002 match with Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam, finds it odd that some wrestlers are resentful of his return to the organization.
“The resentment towards Rock always struck me as a little bit funny,” he tells the Pro Wrestling Torch. “Because the thing about Rock is that people like are jealous of Rock not for stealing the spot but for being one of the guys who got out. You know he made it. He made it in a big way. He made a ton of money. And then he had an exit plan. And now he can come back and work when he wants. And it’s not like Rock is coming back and working with a guy who – he’s coming back to help make John Cena bigger than Cena ever was. He’s coming back to work with a guy who works house shows and who works Raw. You know. He’s coming back and he’s bringing mainstream attention. I can’t speak to the locker room leader this and whatever. I just know that wrestlers like to talk, wrestlers like to stir the pot, wrestlers like to cause trouble. Not a knock on them. Everybody does in every profession. You know every job I’ve ever had people talk you know what about other people in the room. Rock’s not stealing anybody’s spot. Rock is bringing a lot of eyeballs.”
Mates believes Triple H’s jealousy of Johnson (based around his success in wrestling and in Hollywood after he left) is the driving force behind much of the negativity.
“I know that a lot of the stuff that Cena has said about Rock and his feelings towards Rock sound like something that would be coming directly from, you know Mr. Helmsley and his view,” he said. “Because, again, as I said, I always sensed some insecurities as related to Rock and to [Steve] Austin and how, again, in my mind and perception, he never was at that level. And so he wanted to position himself as, well, I’m as good, if not better. Which I don’t know that he has done that.”
Mates also comments on his verbal spats with John Cena and Trish Stratus being welcomed back to the organization. The full article is available here.
