It’s amazing for someone who had a seven year career that he gets so many DVDs. The Rock is undoubtedly one of the most popular performers of all time, and because of his return last year, WWE decided to create another release. This time, we get a two hour documentary plus two additional disks of matches and promos. WWE also insists on the Blu Ray format for whatever reason as they slot important matches as exclusives. Thankfully, there’s more than enough material to put together a quality release. It all begins with an in-depth documentary on the life and times of the Rock.
The Rock spends the early part of the documentary talking about his early influences and being around the business so much. This biography was immediately better than his awful book. Rock talks about his football career, everything from his successful college career to then playing at Miami University. I was stunned by how long it took for them to begin discussing “The U” mentality. If you’re curious, I’d highly recommend checking out the ESPN documentary entitled The U. You’re learn a lot about Miami’s crazy attitude and success. Rock ultimately lost his job as starter to future Hall of Famer Warren Sapp. Poor Warren. He has an amazing career and Super Bowl victory yet he isn’t even close to being the most successful Miami defensive tackle of all time.
With his football career coming to an end, Rock had to make a decision on what to do with his life. Naturally, he gravitated to wrestling. It helped that the people who trained him were Pat Patterson, Tom Pritchard, and his own father. His days in Memphis as Flex Havana are ignored in favor of pretending he debuted at Madison Square Garden during the 1996 Survivor Series. We all know poorly those first few months went for Rocky as the fans booed the holy hell out of him for being a smiling goofball. Because WWF was desperate for stars at this point, Rock wasn’t future endeavored. Instead, he received a chance to repackage himself.
Rocky Maivia became The Rock and he joined the Nation of Domination. Finally, Dwayne Johnson could become a major star. He eclipsed everyone around him and shoved Faarooq to the sideline. WWF was already moving into the attitude era with Steve Austin and an increased emphasis on sexuality and more foul language. Rock became the Intercontinental champion a second time, and now he was a rising star. A fellow rising star, Triple H, was also seemingly embracing the attitude era as he broke out of the blue blood character he had been saddled with the previous three years and became a degenerate with impeccable hair.
A Summerslam 1998 ladder match was an incredible example of how two men could elevate themselves at the same time. Rock’s charisma was shining through so brightly that the crowd was turning him babyface. He broke away from the N.O.D. and embarked on his own. WWF’s response wasn’t to turn Rock face since Steve Austin was so clearly at the top of the babyface ladder. They turned Rock corporate heel and aligned him with Vince McMahon. Mankind also began a rivalry with Rock. Their series of matches showed why Rock wasn’t just a pretty face. Rock showed a vicious side not previously seen, particularly in a Royal Rumble 1999 match where Rock delivered numerous chair shots right at Mankind’s head.
By March of 1999, no one wanted to boo Rock anymore, so he became a babyface shortly after Wrestlemania 15. Rock tells a great story about Steve Austin signing autographs and calling himself number one. Also amazing to really think of two huge stars like Austin and Rock being around at the same time and having so many matches against each other. These two men would each be number one in any other era by a country mile. Jericho calls Rock “The Fonz” in an oddly dated but appropriate moment. Rock really did make everyone and everything he did cool. Who else could have gotten away with wearing the kind of shirts he wore in 1999 and 2000?
The doc shifts into a discussion of the Rock ‘n’ Sock Connection. THAT segment from Raw is also discussed. You know the one. The one about Rock’s life. Shortly after this, Rikishi hits Steve Austin with a car (I mean, he did do it for the Rock, right?). Rock and Triple H take advantage as they each establish themselves as big time players once and for all. Hunter becomes the ultimate heel with Rock as his babyface counterpart. This is as good a time as any to ask WHY THE IRON MAN MATCH BETWEEN THESE TWO HAS NEVER BEEN RELEASED! 18 million Rock DVDs and we still can’t get that match on DVD. Rock eclipses Hunter and Austin by entering the mainstream. SNL comes calling and Rock kills it. Then Rock gets an opportunity to make The Mummy Returns.It was only five or so minutes, but it’s all the impetus Hollywood needed to begin turning Rocky into a big time superstar of a different sort.
With Rock going back between WWE and Hollywood, it became increasingly clear that his days were numbered. Rock still managed to have memorable matches with Steve Austin at Wrestlemania 17, Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania 18, and Brock Lesnar at Summerslam 2002. Even though he was barely a seven year pro, Rock became a seven time world champion and had matches with nearly every major star possible. Therefore, Rock could safely leave the business he loved for the unknown world of Hollywood. Maybe his movies weren’t always of A+ material, but it was probably easier making millions of dollars doing films than taking bumps 180 nights a year for WWE. It’s worth noting they don’t even mention the Goldberg feud for whatever reason. Was Triple H in charge of putting the DVD together? He sure was on this sucker a lot being interviewed.
Although he was no longer a full time performer, Rock did make an appearance at the 2008 WWE Hall of Fame to induct his father and grandfather. Then, it wasn’t until February 14, 2011 for Rock’s next WWE appearance. He announced he was back home and said he’d never leave. He guest hosted Wrestlemania and set up a match with John Cena the next night for the following one. Oh, and Rocky is an amazing entertainer. Want a great drinking game? Drink every time some variation of the word “entertain” is used. You’ll be blitzed halfway in.
Overall, this was a solid documentary that gave a good sense of Rock’s career without diving into his personal life too much. For someone unfamiliar with him, this is a great starting point. For someone who already is a fan, there are some fun memories and stories. This wasn’t nearly as good as the Austin doc, but still very good.
-Crush, Jerry Lawler, Goldust (w/Marlena), and Hunter Hearst Helmsley vs. Marc Mero (w/Sable), The Stalker, Rocky Maivia, and Jake Roberts (Survivor Series 1996, 11.19.1996)
Match in Five Words or Less: Well, That’s A Debut
Match Summary: The Stalker is Barry Windham for the record. Rocky Maivia is… The Rock with a truly awful haircut. No one apparently wants to start. Finally, Goldust takes control Mero. Hip toss by Mero. Series of right hands takes him out. Back drop followed by an armdrag. Series of blocks. Roll-up gets two by Mero. Armdrag into an armbar. Stalker with a punch. Clothesline. Weird to think Stalker and Goldust were former WCW tag team champions together. Helmsey avoids Mero since they have issues over the Intercontinental championship. Rocky makes the tag but gets taken in the corner. Lawler with a right hand. Kip up after a shoulder tackle. Some quickness and a dropkick. Lawler punched all the way out. Lawler runs far away. Here’s Hunter. Quick knee and a right hand. Shot to the throat in the corner. Hard chops. Violence party in the corner. Suplex and Goldust hits an elbow drop. Guillotine. Crush in with a headbutt. Backbreaker. Another shot to the throat. Lawler hits a fist drop. Rocky sent in the corner and into Hunter’s boot. Punch battle between Rocky and Hunter. Hunter whipped and back dropped. Roberts in with a series of jabs and one more right hand. Everyone taken off the apron. Back drop on Helmsey. Short clothesline. He calls for the DDT. Roberts sent in the corner. Heat segment. Roberts out of nowhere with a DDT, and Lawler has been eliminated. Heat segment continues. Windham in with a series of strikes. Hard whip and Goldust is down. Vertical suplex right into a cover. Goldust comes off and gets hit with a shot in the gut. Crush nails Stalker from behind. Curtain call takes Stalker out to absolutely no reaction. Mero immediately in. Running knee lift. Clothesline. Helmsley works over the man he won the title from. Heels have their way with Mero for a bit. Mero tosses Helmsley over on an abdominal stretch. Mero struggles for a sunset flip. Goldust tags in and bails Helmsley out. Back drop by Mero. Helmsley tosses him over the top. Mero hits a Merosault and pins the Intercontinental champion. Crush comes in and gets dropkicked outside. Mero whiffs badly on a dive. Yeesh. Crush simply sends him in the ring and pins him. Everyone misses that. Crush hits a punch in the chest. Roberts covered and gone. Now it’s Rocky versus Goldust and Crush. MSG is actually sort of behind him. Tease of a test of strength. Crush kicks him. Small package by Rocky. Bodyslam. Right hands on Goldust. Heels double team. Cross body on both men. Goldust taken out. Strike exchange with Crush. Low blow by Goldust. Crush nails Goldust with a punch. Rocky hits another cross body and eliminates Crush. Rocky hits a shoulderbreaker… and pins Goldust. Well, we’ll work on getting the kid a different finisher later.
Match Analysis: Crowd was comatose for a lot of this match as they were clearly not at all into it. Rocky was hidden for a good portion of the match, but one could definitely see a lot of potential. This was otherwise an average match that had no significance other than this being Rocky’s WWF debut and his first victory. Better days were ahead.
Winner (s)/Time/Rating: Survivor (s)-Rocky Maivia/23:44/**1/2
WWF Intercontinental Championship: The Rock (w/Mark Henry)(champion) vs. Triple H (w/Chyna)(Summerslam, 08.30.1998)
Match in Five Words or Less: Young Stars Rising
Match Summary: Of the four people in and around ringside, Mark freakin Henry is the only active regular roster member. Amazing. This is one of those matches where both guys are about to explode and this is the powder keg. Series of right hands. Triple H clotheslines Rock. Right hands. Facebuster into the knee. Rock bottom blocked early. Rock takes control, and they go into the corner. Kick by Hunter. Rock takes him over. Brawl in the aisle. Rock eventually is able to bring the ladder closer to the ring. Hunter is sent shoulder first into the ladder. Clothesline. Rock climbs up the steel but Hunter double sledges him. Ladder actually falls on Hunter though. The challenger uses the ladder as a weapon. Rock torques Hunter’s knee and brings him down. Rock uses both his own body, a ladder, and even a chair to continue destroying the leg of his challenger. It’s very good psychology for a ladder match. Rock is able to climb the ladder and nearly grabs the belt until Hunter knocks him off. In a great little moment, Hunter brings down the ladder and tosses it outside. Very subtle but very logical. Rock sent outside as well. Rock slingshots Hunter into the ladder. Then he goes head first into the Spanish announce table on the rebound. Clothesline in the aisle by the champion. Rock back drops Hunter into the ladder off a pedigree attempt. Henry tosses a second ladder into the proceedings. Henry tries to block Hunter from getting inside the ring. Chyna forearms him down. Hunter manages to knock Rock off the ladder again. Baseball dropkick of the head of the ladder into Rock’s head. Um. Ow. Rock is bleeding. Hunter sets the ladder up, but his knee is shot. Rock sends both his opponent and the mechanism down. Rock hits a DDT. They both end up on top of the ladder. Hunter sent face first into the original ladder. He shoots right back and shoves the second ladder down. Jim Ross on commentary does an incredible job putting over the job done by both men. Hunter uses chair to wear out the second ladder and Rock. Bodyslam on the steel. People’s Elbow to an enormous pop. Remember when they hated Rocky? Well, that’s all over. Hunter tries climbing up yet again. Just as Rock is about to stop his ascent, he leaps… right into a Rock Bottom. Rock gets his hand on the belt, but Hunter brings him down and hits a Pedigree. Henry throws powder into Hunter’s eyes. There they go again. Hunter can’t find the belt. Rock is about to win until he gets low blowed. Rock is down. Hunter gets the title belt at last.
Match Analysis: Even in a loss, it felt like Rock elevated himself to main event level. No offense to Triple H, but Rock was the clear star of this match as he was getting more over with the New York crowd. In a way, Hunter had the better performance since he bumped all around the ring and did the unsexy work needed to really get this ladder match over. Great work from both men and it’s easy to see why they both went onto much success.
Winner (s)/Time/Rating: New Intercontinental Champion-Triple H/26:01/****1/2
Steel Cage Match: The Rock vs. Mankind vs. Ken Shamrock (Breakdown, 09.27.1998)
Match in Five Words or Less: Rock Uses His Ingenuity
Match Summary: This match might be worth it just to see the three promos beforehand. Mankind basically shoots on the People’s Elbow, calling it stupid and saying he won’t sell it. This is also weird match for a number of reasons. Rock and Mankind were transitioning into being babyfaces while Shamrock was transitioning into being a heel. This is the first time a triple threat match is being held in a cage, and this has to be one of the last blue bar cage matches of all time. Rock and Shamrock battle. Mankind nearly exits out the door. Crowd is chanting for Rock big time. Clothesline on mankind and he nearly exits. Kick to the upper body. Mankind sent into the top turnbuckle. Right hands and choking. Kick to the gut and an abdominal stretch. In a cage? Rock applies one of his own on Shamrock. Shamrock hip tosses Rock. Mankind gingerly does the same. All three men stare off. Rock and Mankind appear to make a deal. Rock of course punches Mankind. Shamrock takes advantage. Mankind climbs but is torn off the cage. Shamrock tries going out the door. Double team before they were the Rock ‘n’ Sock Connection. Right hand to the midsection by Rock. Mankind knee lifts Shamrock. Clothesline by Rock as the relationship is over. Shamrock takes advantage on both men. Rock joins Shamrock in working over Mankind. Anklelock. Rock from behind. Shamrock sent into one buckle and another. Mankind and Shamrock double up on Rock. Fans boo. Double back drop. Double vertical suplex. Rock clotheslines Mankind but gets nailed with one himself. DDT on Mankind. Shamrock knocks him down. Rock swings around and hits a DDT. Bodyslam on Shamrock. Bodyslam on Mankind. Double People’s Elbow and the crowd is going crackers. Rock gets his body over, but his opponents bring him down. Mankind crotches Rock. Low blow on Shamrock. Rock Bottom on Mankind. 1-2-NO! Back elbow by Shamrock. Crowd dislikes him. Jerry Lawler makes reference to Canada being bizarre world. Is that his first time? Rock with right hands in the corner on Shamrock. Hard whip. Clothesline misses. Belly-to-belly suplex doesn’t. Anklelock. Mankind prevents the submission. Up and over he goes now. Mankind gets completely over and battles with Rock. He nearly drops before being brought back inside. Shamrock sent down. Rock sent down. Mankind, who not by coincidence is wearing a Dude Love shirt, preps for an elbow drop off the top of the cage. He misses. All three men are down. Rock is bleeding for whatever reason. Shamrock tries the door. Although he dragged back inside, Shamrock finds a chair. Shamrock whiffs. Mankind hits a double arm DDT. Shot right to the head sends Shamrock down. Mankind climbs up and over. Rock covers Shamrock… and gets the three count. Mankind is frustrated and pulls his hair out.
Match Analysis: In a lot of three way matches, one guy hits a finisher and the other person takes advantage to get the victory. In this case, Mankind wasn’t smart enough to simply pin Shamrock after nailing him in the head with a chairshot. Rock used his ingenuity to get the victory. This actually helped continue the issue between Rock and Mankind heading into a rivalry that would carry through the fall of ’98 and winter of ‘99. For a triple threat match, this was extremely well executed with a lot of great back and forth. All three guys were really coming into their own and had the crowd into things the whole time.
Winner (s)/Time/Rating: The Rock/18:47/***1/2
WWF Championship: Mankind (champion) vs. The Rock (Royal Rumble,01.24.1999)
Match in Five Words or Less: Brutal
Match Summary: With years of perspective and context, this has to be one of the most brutal matches in WWF history with all the unprotected chair shots to the head… and Michael Cole’s awful commentary. But seriously. After seeing Beyond the Mat, it’s not easy to watch this. Mankind starts the proceedings off quickly. Mankind nails Rock thrice with the microphone. Rock makes jokes despite having his butt handed to him. Rock gets the advantage by sending Mankind into the stairs. He then provides better commentary than Cole before being nailed in the face. Rock sent into the ringside table. Chair shot to the back. Another microphone shot. Double arm DDT in the ring. Mandible claw but Rock is out. Mankind threatens to split the people’s eyebrow. NOOOOOOO! ANYTHING BUT THAT! Into the crowd they go. Rock sort of powerslams Mankind back over to ringside. Rock uses the bell and corresponding hammer. Rock tries hitting a Rock Bottom on the table, but the damn thing breaks. I hope this made Botchamania. Evian spew into his face. Champion comes back. Rock driven into the post. They fight to the entrance way. DDT on the concrete. Mankind counters a ladder shot by shoving back at Rock. Elbow drop on the ladder. Rock sets the ladder up and climbs for whatever reason. Mankind follows and they exchange shots on the edge of the stands. Of course Mankind takes a dump into “electrical equipment.” Since it’s just a flesh wound, Mankind refuses to quit. Shane McMahon shows mercy. Rock wants Mankind to quit and won’t let anyone stop the contest. Rock lays the smackdown as they head to the ring. Now it’s time for things to get brutal. Rock handcuffs Mankind’s hands to his back. Low blow by Mankind. Kick to the gut and he sends Rock down. Biting from the champion. Knee right in the groin. Another headbutt. Clothesline and stomps from Rock. And here comes the chair. People’s Elbow on the chair. Then comes one of the most brutal five minutes in WWF/E history as Rock nails Mankind with unprotected chair shot after unprotected chair shot. They eventually end up in the entrance way. Mankind allegedly quits at last, but we later found out someone played an audio recording of him saying the words. This led to a historical “Empty Arena Match” s a week or so later at halftime of the Super Bowl.
Match Analysis: A match like this would never ever happen today. Thank God. It’s tough to separate the quality of the match with the result. Taking into account the sheer brutality and what we all know about concussions makes it hard to assess f the contest. Ultimately, I asked myself a couple questions. Were the goals of the match accomplished? Was it worthy of a Pay-Per-View main event? The answer to both of these questions is yes. Rock went from being a really over guy who could cut promos to a brutal heel who proved he would do anything to win. This is not anything I care to see again, nor should WWE ever consider having a match like this again. But I can’t say this wasn’t a really well done contest that really showed the abilities of both guys.
Winner (s)/Time/Rating: NEW WWF Champion-The Rock/21:46/****
-WWF Championship-No Holds Barred: Steve Austin (champion) vs. The Rock (Backlash, 04.24.1999)
Match in Five Words or Less: Rematch City
Match Summary: Austin was the champion, but he wanted his smoking skull WWF title back. Rock had it. Shane McMahon was the special guest referee. In storyline, he and Rocky were aligned. Austin starts right away with punches. Rock comes back with some of his own. Thesz press followed by an elbow drop. Rock hits a swinging neckbreaker. Austin kicks his way out of the corner. Rock tosses the champion outside. Clothesline. Fire extinguisher to the head. Well, that was interesting. Brawl continues. They break the entrance down, which used to be sort of a tradition for these Pay-Per-Views. Austin counters a suplex into one of his own. Austin tosses a heavy case right on Rock. Clothesline while both men are on fencing. Austin bangs his head in a brilliant move. Rock sent into the guard rail. Clothesline. They take turns using a rolling case. Can you tell Vince Russo was in charge? Rock uses the boom camera operating apparatus. More touring of the building. Rock sent into the stairs. Back in the ring as Austin stomps away. McMahon becomes involved. Rock tries charging but he gets sent FLYING over the top and to the floor. Time to break down the Spanish announce table. Rock low blow and Rock Bottom. Rock takes over commentary. McMahon takes a chair away from Austin and tosses it to Rock. Austin counters. Rock sends Austin over the railing. Clothesline. Rock tears the English table now. He takes a camera and shoots Austin while talking trash. Give them points for creativity. Rock takes a shot of the crowd. He goes back to Austin and eats a stunner. Table doesn’t break. Austin nails Rock with a little fan. The machine, not a person. Rock sends Austin into the referee. Rock Bottom. McMahon puts Rock’s arm on Austin. Why wouldn’t he just fast count him? McMahon takes the belt and preps it for use. He of course nails Rock. Austin covers. McMahon won’t count and he departs the ring. Vince McMahon comes from behind, since they had been feuding at this point. Vince nails his own son with the title. Rock nails Austin with the other WWF title. Earl Hebner counts two. Austin hits one stunner and nails Rock with the belt. Done. Austin retains. Vince reluctantly gives the smoking skull belt to the champion.
Match Analysis: If you thought their Wrestlemania match was overbooked, yeesh. A whole lot of crowd brawling and some comedy were used to compensate for what I guess was a perceived lack of ability on these men’s parts. Rock and Austin would go on to have an amazing Wrestlemania 17 contest, but this felt like a warm-up act for that. These guys are good enough to still make it a fun back and forth exchange, but I very much feel like these two could have done so much better.
Winner (s)/Time/Rating: STILL WWF Champion-Steve Austin/17:07/***1/4
WWF Championship: The Rock (champion) vs. Kurt Angle vs. Triple H (Summerslam, 08.27.2000)
Match in Five Words or Less: Poor Kurt
Match Summary: Triple H and Kurt Angle had the main issue at this point over their love of Stephanie McMahon. Rock’s championship was merely a backdrop. They call Hunter the smartest man in wrestling for a reason. Angle refuses to apologize for kissing Steph on the previous edition of Smackdown. He should have in fact kissed her sooner. Angle says Hunter didn’t give his wife passion… ruh roh. So Triple H comes out and beats the sweet bejesus out of Angle. Crowd chants for Rocky as they end up on the outside. Hunter side steps Angle, and it’s about to get ugly. Triple H sets up the Spanish announce table for a pedigree. Instead of executing the move, the table breaks and Angle’s face brutally bounces off the table. I believe Angle actually suffered a concussion. Looking at his face, yeah he’s not all there. Sledgehammer comes out. Now here comes the champion. Hunter has the hammer in hand as officials tend to Angle. Right hands from Rock. Hey hey. The bell rings. Samoan drop. Back elbow. Hunter sent into the steps. English announce table about to be broken down. EMTs are shown checking on Angle. Rock sent into the steps. Right hands by Triple H. Stomps in the corner. Back elbow. Hunter surveys the damage outside. Angle is put on a stretcher. Rock comeback. Hunter stun guns Rock and to the outside we go again. Hunter goes after the stretcher. Why wouldn’t he just leave Angle go and battle Rock one-on-one? I know there’s a lot of hatred, but jeez. Rock hits a clothesline from behind. Hunter goes for something near the entrance way. Rock slingshots him into steel pipes. Clothesline. Knee to the gut. Huner sends Rock into the side of the ring. Clothesline. Low blow. Stephanie comes out to check Angle. Hunter sends Rock into the post. Rock slammed on the barrier. Clothesline from Hunter. Stephanie comes to ringside. Hunter yells at her. Right hands by Rock. High knee. Hunter asks Stephanie for the belt. She slaps the timekeeper in the face. She nails her husband. Rock covers and nearly gets three. Rock pulls Steph up. Low blow by Triple H. Stephanie runs away. This is utter chaos. Right hand by Hunter. Rock comes off with a clothesline. Neckbreaker by Triple H. Back to the sledgehammer. Hunter nails him in the midsection. Hebner takes the hammer away. Running punts as Triple H works the midsection. Shoulder tackles in the corner. Facebuster into the knee. He rams Rock’s back into the post. Hebner checks on Rock. More midsection work. Swinging ne Backbreaker by Rock. Knee to the gut. Hunter climbs to the top rope. Rock meets him and superplexes him. Stephanie asks Angle to help Hunter. Rock gets one arm over but only gets two. Belly-to-belly suplex by Rock gets two. Stephanie drags Angle out to the ring as Rock goes to work. Angle trips Rock. Pedigree. 1-2-Angle pulls Hunter out and sends him into the steps. Angle covers. 1-2-NO! Back elbow. Belly-to-belly throw for two. Rock with an overhead throw. DDT for two. Angle sent into Hunter, who gets sent into the barrier. Rock Bottom 1-2-Hunter breaks the count and punches him down. Rock sent into the post. Back in the ring. He calls for the hammer. She tosses it in the ring. Angle kicks Triple H. Triple H punches his wife as Angle sledgehammers him down. Rock breaks the count. Amidst the chaos, Rock knocks Angle out of the ring. People’s Elbow on Hunter. Rock retains.
Match Analysis: There was very improvisational feel to this match. I’d be very interested to hear about what happened, and how much of what Hunter and Rock did was called in the ring. No way would Angle be allowed to head back out to the ring after an apparent concussion in today’s WWE. Again, this should be considered a progress. I can’t believe Angle was able to even come out and finish the match. If Rock and Hunter hadn’t literally wrestled a hundred times during this period of time, I could have seen this becoming a disaster. Rock was the glue that really held this match together. Put him in a ring. Crowd will be with you the whole way. As much of an “entertainer” as he is, people never give him credit for also being an excellent in-ring competitor.
Winner (s)/Time/Rating: STILL WWF Champion-The Rock/20:09/***1/2
WWF Tag Team Championship: Edge and Christian (champions) vs. The Rock and The Undertaker (Raw, 12.18.2000)
Match in Five Words or Less: What’s The Point?
Match Summary: I was a religious WWF watcher at this point, and I completely forgot this took place. Christian comes from behind. Rock dispatches him quickly. Back suplex for two. Edge tags. Kick by Edge. Rock powerslams him. Tag to Taker. Whip across and a clothesline. Another whip. Edge gets an elbow up. Chokeslam blocked. Taker fires away in the corner. Edge reverses. Taker tosses Edge in the corner. Christian gets the same treatment. Christian whipped. Taker hits a side slam. Leaping DDT and Rock reenters. Christian distracts Rock long enough for Edge to spear him. Champions actually get control. Rock Bottom on Edge leads to the hot tag of Undertaker. Right hands on Christian. Whip and a powerslam. Edge gets one too. Edge tossed outside. Taker goes old school on Christian. Rock takes the fight to the floor with Edge. Referee gets taken down. Edge goes for the belts. Taker calls for the Last Ride. After hitting the move, Edge nails Taker with a belt. Christian covers but only gets two. Edge comes from behind with a sleeper. Taker slams him down. Rock hits a samoan drop. Christian doesn’t last long in the ring. Spinebuster on Edge. People’s Elbow. New champs.
Match Analysis: I always hated when WWF would give the tag team titles to these super teams over other more established teams. It’s one of the things that led to the eventual destruction of the division as a whole. This wasn’t mucht but merely a way to showcase Rock winning a championship. Edge and Christian did excellent work over the years. It’s unfortunate more of them don’t get shown on these DVDs.
Winner (s)/Time/Rating: NEW WWF Tag Team Champions- The Rock and The Undertaker/8:42/**
– The Rock (WWF Undisputed champion) vs. Ric Flair
Match in Five Words or Less: Battle Of Legends
Match Summary: Ric Flair was teasing retirement if he didn’t win. This was ten years ago. Sadly, Flair is still active. Rock was back in WWE for three months between film shoots. This is the only singles match these two would ever have. Flair hits a shoulder tackle. Rock hits a series of armdrags. Back drop. Both men take a moment to regroup. Flair with three armdrags. Rock powders. Not exactly a clean break in the corner. Some very Ric Flair like chops. Flair reverses and shotguns him. One more off the ropes. Rock clotheslined to the floor. Chop on the outside. Right hands. Back in the ring. Knee breaker. Back heel trip. Figure four leglock. Rock hits a clothesline. Right hands. Strikes in the corner. Spinebuster. Flair turns a People’s Elbow into a figure four… Rock counters that into a sharpshooter. Flair grabs the ropes. Rock brings Flair back in. Poke of the eyes. Chop down. Figure four leglock. Rock to the ropes. Flair with chops. Back and forth they go. Flair gets Rock down and struts. Rock kips up. Rock Bottom ends the proceedings. Rock brings Flair back up in a show of respect.
Match Analysis: With only seven minutes, these two legends really didn’t have a chance to have the kind of match deserving of their stature. They did look like they were having a lot of fun and seemed to try to craft a match to the best of their abilities. At a time when Flair didn’t seem to have a lot of direction, Rock did his best to make him look good. Very enjoyable in the time given. I only wish we could have seen this somewhere else with more time.
Winner (s)/Time/Rating: The Rock/7:22/**
-WWE Undisputed Championship: The Rock (champion) vs. Brock Lesnar (w/Paul Heyman)
Match in Five Words or Less: Brock Takes His Place
Match Summary: Rock charges in the ring with right hands, but Lesnar sends him down with a belly-to-belly suplex. Pair of backbreakers. Shoulder tackles in the corner and Rock sent outside. Heyman kicks in the midsection. Lesnar clotheslines Rock over the barrier. Rock presslammed on his ribs. Clothesline back over to ringside. Belly-to-belly suplex back inside gets two. Rock battles back but gets tripped up by Heyman. Elbow drop into a series of stomps. Heyman gets involved yet again. Right hands and a kick by Rock. Powerslam by Lesnar. More shoulder tackles in the corner. He rams his shoulder against the post. Rock hits a back suplex. Both men kip up at the same time. Clotheslines but Lesnar no sells. A flying one gets the job done. DDT. Rock tries applying the sharpshooter. Heyman steps on the apron. Rock sends him down. Dragon screw legwhip into a sharpshooter. Heyman distracts the official and puts a chair in the ring. Lesnar hits a clubbering blow on Rock. Chair shot to the injured ribs. Bearhug. Back drop driver into a waistlock. Rock punches his way out of the hold. Rock delivers a low blow. Lesnar drives the champion into the corner. Running shoulder tackle. Rock shoots out with a clothesline. Rock lays the smackdown and sends the challenger outside. The poor Spanish announce table gets broken down. Heyman tries sneaking up. Rock slingshots Lesnar into the post. Heyman gets Rock Bottomed through the table. Rock sets up to finish Lesnar. Rock Bottom. 1-2-NO! Lesnar hits a Rock Bottom for two. Spinebuster leads to an attempted People’s Elbow. Clothesline by Lesnar. Rock turns an F-5 into fists. Series of counters. Lesnar hits the F-5. New champion!
Match Analysis: If only Brock Lesnar would have stayed around and become the type of superstar we all knew he could, this match would have taken on legendary status. Here you have Rock putting over Lesnar clean as a whistle right in the middle of the ring. Lesnar was able to counter everything Rock did. Even with some Heyman interference, Rock still managed to make Lesnar look like a major threat. It’s too bad WWE didn’t continue to let Lesnar showcase his dominance instead of splitting the belts shortly after Summerslam. A really great match that served as Lesnar transitioning from meathead green rookie to very good all around performer.
Winner (s)/Time/Rating: NEW WWE Undisputed Champion-Brock Lesnar/16:01/****
-The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan (No Way Out, 02.23.2003)
Match in Five Words or Less: An Awful Sequel
Match Summary: Hogan’s ovation is just plain ridiculous. Keep in mind this is the same city he got a similar reaction in Montreal the day after Wrestlemania 18. Hey, we’re in Montreal. And this is a main event match. Hmmm. Hogan with right hands. Big boot attempt but Rock slides outside. Rock takes a nine count. Hogan catches up to him. Back in the ring goes Rock and he gains the advantage. Hogan sends Rock into the buckle ten times. Big right hand sends back outside. Guillotine on the top rope. Rock Bottom. 1-2-NO! Rock mocks Hogan by putting his bandanna on. Off comes the weight belt. Good whippin’ ensues. Rock takes a drink. Clothesline sends him down. Hogan takes his turn with the belt. Running clothesline by Hogan misses. DDT and kip up from Rocky. Sharpshooter gets enormous boos from the crowd. Hogan grabs the ropes, but the referee doesn’t break it after Rock pulls him out. Hogan limps around ringside. Clothesline by Rock. He takes a moment to mock the fans in Montreal. Hogan sent into an announce table. Chair shot misses. Hogan fires back and nails Rock in the back. Hogan decides to bring the chair inside. Referee takes it away. Rock hits a low blow. Spinebuster. People’s Elbow. Rock leaps up, mocks Hogan, and delivers a second one. Hulk up time. Big boot and leg drop. 1-2-Lights go out. Damn Bell Centre forgetting to pay their electric bill. They quickly come back, but the referee is down. A steel chair is in the ring. Rock is down. Vince McMahon comes out and feigns confusion. The fans know what’s about to happen. It’s like a bad horror movie really. The referee hands the chair to Rock. Chair shot by Rock. Rock Bottom after about an hour and a half of stalling. Referee wakes up and counts three. Vince, the referee (Sylvan Grenier), and Rock celebrate.
Match Analysis: A lot of people forget these two had another match after Wrestlemania 18. There’s a good reason for that. You would think Rock officially playing heel off of Hogan would create an interesting dynamic. Wrong. An automatic star off for the “screwjob” finish in Montreal. Awful. The match quality wasn’t there beforehand either. Rock was more goofy than anything, and Hogan certainly wasn’t mobile enough to have anything close to a great match.
Winner (s)/Time/Rating: The Rock/12:20/*
–Raw (02.24.2003): Rock beat Hulk Hogan the night before, so he now gets to pick the show he wants to be on. The choice is Raw. Why? He wants to take on the world champion at Wrestlemania. He also has cross words for Steve Austin since Austin won Superstar of the Decade for the first ten years of Raw. He calls out the Toronto fans for booing him at Mania almost one year prior. Rock mocking people for cheering him saying the city name is so funny I’m disappointed more people don’t do it. I also need to start using the word “mothercancucker.” An absolute classic heel Rock promo. He completely turned the crowd against him.
–Raw (04.21.2003)- It’s the second Rock concert, not the very popular Sacramento one, but one he did a few days before Backlash to help build up his match with Goldberg. He sings some tunes about Atlanta being full of hicks and calling out Goldberg. Rock is doing such a great job as a heel he’s being cheered out of the building despite being in Goldberg’s home town. Rock invites out Goldberg… and my God, it’s Gillberg. Having both announcers actually think this is funny… not a great idea. This came off way to comedic and did nothing to actually build up heat between Goldberg and Rock. More singing. Gillberg dances around the ring. Goldberg finally shows up looking stoic. He knocks through security guard to try and get to Rock. Rock wants security to escort Goldberg out. Fail! Gillberg is left in the ring alone. Rock knocks Goldberg from behind. Rock Bottom. The crowd… cheers. Goldberg chases Rock. Rock outsmarts him. That was something. Not funny or worth putting on the DVD.
-Raw (02.14.2011)- After being away for WWE for many years, even longer when it comes to Monday Night Raw, Rock returns to one of the louder ovations you’ll ever hear. Rock says WWE is his home and he’ll never leave. I know this a bone of contention with many people. Honestly, I was never foolhardy enough to believe Rock was ever going to be a full-timer. If the line was said to build up heat between Cena and Rock, I’m okay with that. Nonetheless, I also feel Rock could have saved himself a lot of grief by simply stating that although he cannot be a full-time WWE superstar, but he will always call the promotion his home. He will never not consider himself a part of the family, and when an opportunity arises, he will be a part of WWE. Say that. No trouble. You can really see how much Rock has changed in the last seven years or so. Can’t really put my finger on it though. Rock is going to host Wrestlemania. He makes fun of Miz and turns his attention to one Jaaaaahn Cena. The anonymous Raw GM (remember him, her, or it?) actually tries interrupting The Rock. He makes fun of Cole, uses the usual catchphrases, and just has a good old time. We really need to have a conversation about the lack of difference between “You can’t see me” and threatening to shove things up men’s asses as far as maturity level goes. One thing positive? Rock OWNS any crowd he talks in front of.
–Wrestlemania (04.03.2011)- Rock comes out to warm up the crowd. Long promo where he says nothing. Something about electrifying people. Not gonna lie though. I saw Rocky cut multiple promos on Raw the previous few weeks for free. When paying 20 dollars (show and food with friends people), I’d have rather seen Sheamus and Daniel Bryan as advertised.
-Raw (04.04.2011): John Cena and Rock make a date for Wrestlemania one year from that date. It’s amazing how close we actually are to this match taking place. Who says WWE doesn’t have long term planning? 20 minutes summarized in three sentences or so. Members of the Corre( Remember them?) try attacking Cena and Rock. They fail and are eventually dispatched in short order.
–Raw (05.02.2011): It’s Rock’s birthday! So let’s have Rock make reference to getting Osama Bin Laden. Let’s have some interaction with Michael Cole. Let’s give him a video package. Let’s have Vince McMahon come out and say nice things about him and thank him for gracing WWE with his presence. Hooray Rock!
-The Rock and John Cena vs. The Miz and R-Truth (Survivor Series, 11.20.2011)
Match in Five Words or Less: Stars Versus Jobbers
Match Summary: I’m sure you could find a way to build up two heels as WWE did with Miz and R-Truth, but you’d have to try reeeeeeeeeeal hard. Rock and Cena might as well have been wrestling themselves with the lack of heat these two have. Technically, Rock is the only babyface considering how badly Cena gets booed before, during, and after. Rock looks in great shape coming into this match. Crowd is of course big time into this one. Rock and Miz actually start. Shoulder tackle b y Rock. Armdrags for everyone. R-Truth deposited over. La Majestral cradle for two? Did Rock go train with CHIKARA or something? Yeesh. R-Truth wants an opportunity. Rock says to bring it. Exchange of arm work. R-Truth flips around. One right hand sends him down. Miz gets one too. Rock hits a fisherman’s suplex. Cena is in the ring for whatever reason. Since the referee wasn’t able to count three, Awesome Truth is still alive. Miz gets a second chance. He requests his Wrestlemania 27 opponent. Rock sort of tags out. Cena gets to hear the “You can’t wrestle” chants, yet if Hulk Hogan cupped his ear, they’d wet themselves in excitement. Cena monkey flips Miz over. R-Truth, Cena’s Capital Punishment opponent, takes a turn. Pair of shoulder tackles. Side suplex. Cena teases Five Knuckle Shuffle but taunts Rock instead. Rock comes in the ring. Awesome Truth is only able to get the advantage because the babyfaces are being stupid. Heat segment. Crowd at least takes the chance to amuse themselves. I love how the fans chant that Cena can’t wrestle but then chant “Miz is awesome.” R-Truth makes the mistake of going to the top rope. Cena rolls over on a cross body and lifts him for the AA. Front forward suplex nearly gets three. Miz wants Rocky to bring it. I think calling this a heat segment was stretching the meaning. Cena counters into an STF on Miz. Truth boots Cena in the face. AA by Cena. Well, if we stretch the meaning of heat segment, I guess we can do the same for hot tag. Not yet. Miz nails Rock off the apron. Truth clotheslines him outside and slams him on the rail. Well, not this feels a bit more even. Heels fail to work Cena over as Rock distracts the referee. No wonder they’re midcarders. Some dancing but a leg drop fails. Rock in and he goes to work. DDT on Miz. Truth gets some. Rock Bottom. Dragon screw leg whip into a sharpshooter. Rock drags Miz back to the middle. Truth flatlines Rock. Cena spears him out of the ring. Miz tries working over Rock. Spinebuster. People’s Elbow. See ya. Rock Bottom on Cena after the match just to further tease that Wrestlemania match a little bit more.
Match Analysis: Despite not being in the ring for several years, Rock looked pretty damn good. Granted, he could be hidden in a tag team match a bit easier than a singles, but he showed all of his offense, and you wouldn’t know he was out of the ring for that many years just watching this. Sadly, Miz and Truth were never given the chance to even be considered on the same level as these two. For that reason, this match couldn’t be anything more than slightly above average. They at least worked hard and did the best they could with what they had.
Winner (s)/Time/Rating: The Rock and John Cena/21:35/**3/4
The Verdict: An easy thumbs up if for no other reason then this is a chance to see some very good Rock matches and promos. Considering how cheap these DVDs seem to be now, I’d say this is an easy purchase and watch.