Back in 2002, when Lesnar had just arrived in the professional wrestling scene, WWE already had a plethora of established superstars - The Rock, Triple-H, The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels to name a few. Absorbing storylines spanned for several months PPVs produced all time high ratings. Fair to say, WWE was at the helm of the TV-14 network.
Also read: Rock vs Brock UPDATE for WrestleMania 32, Stardust teases new outfit, Xavier Woods
It was a period of boom, a period that required no tweaks or miracle, a period in which a new wrestler would’ve been treated as a sidekick to the big names. WWE even found an appropriate name for this period – The Ruthless Aggression Era.
However, the ruthlessness was about to get a new meaning in the face of ‘The Next Big Thing’.
The night after WrestleMania X8, Lesnar announced his arrival on Raw in the most dominating fashion. He single-handedly desecrated Al Snow, Maven and Spike Dudley to sent shockwaves through the wrestling universe.
Over the next few months, Lesnar’s domination was all but established. He manhandled several other seasoned superstars and won the King of the Ring to earn a title shot against the Rock, who was then rated as the number 1 star, at Summer Slam.
The stakes were high but pretty much in favour of The Great One who had been known to be a good ‘carrier’ of new talents.
WWE was changing; they wanted an industry-defining swerve which looked pretty real.
What happened on the night of August 25, 2002 is pretty much etched in the history books of WWE. At just 25, Brock became the youngest WWE champion of all time as he humbled The Rock and won the title.
Fast forward to 2015, WWE is a shadow of its former beliefs and principles. Quality of the matches has suffered with top stars leaving for other businesses. To improve ratings, WWE kept going back to former superstars.
The Rock’s crowd pulling cameos since his return in 2011 has been welcomed well by the WWE universe, but even ‘The People’ will agree here that his matches have not delivered the desired quality. Maybe it’s fair to put the blame on a certain John Cena who is known for his limited moves and Fruity pebble like T-shirts. But, blame games go nowhere. Rock is a top superstar who can elevate himself and others. He is also known to be a closer of chapters – Stone Cold x 3
Till about mid-2013, there were rumours that Rock, who had already defeated John Cena at WrestleMania XXVII, would lock horns with Brock at some major PPV. These rumours, however, were laid to rest by WWE writers. Fans though are still hopeful.
Now, coming to this year’s summer slam – Both Rock and Brock have held the title once after their much-awaited return. Both are breathtakingly brilliant performers. And both are physically capable of delivering ‘The perfect Summerslam match’.
If this match takes place, the feud must not be a short one. Rock and Brock need a good story. The friction has gone cold for 13 years now. What or who can revive it?
It is no hidden fact that these two are perhaps the biggest draws in the pro wrestling business at the moment. People have shown immense interest to watch the PPVs in whichLesnar has competed. And as far as the Great One goes, his return always engages the fans and revives interest in the product.So, for obvious reasons, a Wrestlemania match involving the two can help WWE achieve new heights in terms of viewership.
Many would suggest that this feud would require Paul Heyman, arguably the best speaker in the WWE right now. His razor like words can cut open the toughest skin.
Heyman must play a central role for this feud to prosper. He must provoke all the wrong sentiments to lure the Rock back into WWE. Perhaps a leaf out of the CM Punk shoot promo, why not!
The legacy angle looks promising for now. Brock was the one behind the one in 21-1. He pulled the plug on The Undertaker’s thriving WrestleMania career. Can he do the same to the Rock? Let’s just wait!
