The Case
In normal circumstances, there's no real reason for anyone to have their
former employer put out a video of their work, but when you're in professional
wrestling, there are always exceptions to the rule. Dwayne Johnson, who
sustained a career in the business as "The Rock," is about to appear
in the feature film remake of Get Smart, and without any shred of
coincidence at all, World Wrestling Entertainment is releasing a multi-disc set
that covers some of The Rock's best work.
To sum up Johnson's life as The Rock in a nutshell, Johnson was the son of
Rocky Johnson and grandson of Peter Maivia. As a 24-year old named Rocky Maivia
in 1996, Johnson was green to say the least. However, as his talent and
athleticism started to stand out, Rocky Maivia became "The Rock," a
brash and cocky young ma, with the athletic skill to back up his outlandish
hyperbole. His success in the WWE grew by leaps and bounds, and he began to
explore his options in Hollywood, taking a prominent role in The Mummy Returns before taking the
starring role in The Scorpion
King. As his movie work has grown, appearing in Doom, Gridiron Gang and The Game Plan, to name a few, his wrestling
work has trickled to the point of virtual non-existence, his new path helping
guide the way. His work in feature films might be due to his charisma, but most
successful pro wrestlers are also terrific salesmen who know that part of the
job requires time on a microphone and in front of a camera, cutting promos (or
interview segments) to tout their skills and abilities and shoot (or verbally
slam) their future opponents. It was clear Rock possessed the physical
attributes, and his verbal abilities were better than anyone expected. He
redefined what a strudel was, he turned the words "roody poo candy
ass" into a creative insult, and while he would insult the fans in every
town he visited, they knew the Rock's phrases and hung on every word. His common
use of the word "Smackdown" took on several meanings: it became a
verb, a noun, and eventually it became a brand, as the WWE's network television
show uses the catchphrase for its title.
It hasn't stopped the WWE from getting as much out of him as possible.
The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment is the WWE's fourth
video release focused on the Rock, the other three being Know Your Role,
Just Bring It and The People's Champ. Not having seen the other
releases but being familiar with the WWE's video releases, this current release
is a departure in the sense that its main participant does not contribute to it
whatsoever. Featuring voiceover from an NFL Films style official, mixed in with
full- length footage from matches spanning Rock's eight-year career with the
WWE, the footage is spread out over three discs. For the sake of continuity, the
terms and match ratings are in line with Judge Bill Treadway's explanations in
his review of the Ultimate Ric Flair Collection. The matches are as
follows:
Disc One
• Rocky Maivia vs. Hunter Hearst Helmsley Thursday RAW
February 13, 1997
Considering where both of these performers are a decade
later, to see them in a very green form battling for the Intercontinental
Championship is a nice trip through nostalgia, and their greenness shows in the
match.
Rating: **1/4
• The Rock vs. Owen Hart Raw April 6, 1998
What
disappoints me, other than the fact that Owen Hart's tragic death 13 months
later deprived fans of a talented performer and co-workers of a generous man, is
that this match was the first of many on the disc that feature
"run-ins" of some sort, designed to stack the deck in one man's favor
and hopefully get a cheap win, so while I liked where it was going, the end was
a disappointment.
Rating: ***1/2
• The Rock vs. Triple H Raw June 22, 1998
The second
of four matches between the two performers, this time a tournament birth in the
King of the Ring was at stake. With run-ins from Triple H's valet Chyna proving
to be unsuccessful, Rock wins a battle before members of Triple H's Degeneration
X and the Rock's Nation of Domination make things a slobberknocker. Was the WWE
"Attitude" really about all those nutshots and schmozes?
Rating:
***
• The Rock vs. Mankind Survivor Series November 15,
1998
The first match on the set to feature a pay-per-view matchup, this
was also one of a number of memorable meetings between Johnson and Mankind,
a.k.a. Mick Foley. Foley's propensity for high risk and potential injury on his
spots (or moves), and The Rock's ability to work with them, led to a good
program (or feud) between the two. Considering what happens at the end of the
match, this was worth the time and multiple ref bumps.
Rating: ***3/4
• The Rock vs. Mankind St. Valentine's Day Massacre
February 14, 1999
By now, these two performers had fought on TV, on pay
per view, in an empty area during a Super Bowl halftime segment, and once when
Foley was handcuffed and Rock would pummel his unprotected head with a chair (a
recommended companion for that would be the documentary Beyond the Mat). This was fresh in
everyone's mind as the pair met yet again for the WWE World Championship, with
the Last Man Standing winning the title. The two beat each other with their
fists and other objects for almost a half hour, until a double countout resulted
in a sister-kissing draw. Despite the finish, it was a hard fought battle.
Rating: ****
• The Rock vs. Mankind Raw February 15, 1999
Why
not, another match between Rock and Mankind, this time on TV! With Stone Cold
Steve Austin at ringside, a run-in by Paul White to the benefit of the Rock led
to his claiming the WWE Championship. Austin finishes his ringside commentary to
beat on Rock for a minute, setting the stage for their match at WrestleMania six
weeks later.
Rating: **
• The Rock vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin WrestleMania March
28, 1999
Ugh. Well, the program between Austin and WWE owner Vince McMahon
was still white hot with intensity, and Rock, being part of McMahon's
"Corporation," was a legitimate target for Austin. All the ref bumps
and McMahon run-ins in the world wouldn't stop Austin from beating the Rock in
an emotionally charged match, even if the product is diluted from the
extracurricular activity.
Rating: ****
Disc Two
• The Rock vs. Triple H Raw July 5, 1999
Much like
the King of the Ring match, except in a Steel Cage where there should be no
run-ins or interference, right? Wrong. More Chyna interference, but Rock manages
to overcome the distractions in a match that was a little more enjoyable than
the last.
Rating: ***1/2
• The Rock & Mankind vs. Undertaker & Big Show Raw
August 30, 1999
What better a way to celebrate a loved one's birthday than
watching a wrestling show, right? Well, not really, but after many matches, Rock
and Mick Foley team for the "Rock and Sock Connection" against two 7-
foot garguantuans. It's not like the big ugly guys are going to prevail, are
they? Rock pins Big Show for what I believe was his first tag team title.
Rating: **1/4
• The Rock vs. Kane Smackdown December 30, 1999
In
the last match of the century for Rock, he fought the maniacal man "from
hellfire and brimstone." The circumstances for why these two fought were a
little bit silly, and as for this match, I've never been a fan of Rock against
bigger guys, because his athleticism is good but his command of the ring has
never been good enough to carry his opponent.
Rating: **
• The Rock vs. Triple H Backlash April 30, 2000
Funny thing that I'd like to mention; apparently Triple H threw a couple of
verbal jabs at the Rock at a recent WWE event. While I don't know the exact
nature of these comments, I'd only say this: some people make their own success
and appear as stars in Disney films, while others marry the boss's daughter and
appear in Blade: Trinity. That said,
the match, while good to a degree, is over-McMahoned, if you will.
Rating:
***3/4
• The Rock vs. Shane McMahon Raw May 1, 2000
Sure,
if a 265-pound wrestler couldn't beat the Rock, then the boss's son could,
right? I mean, he's only 50 pounds less and maybe a few years older. It's only
logical. Rock wins and retains the WWE Championship that he regained the
previous night.
Rating: **
• The Rock vs. Kurt Angle No Way Out February 25, 2001
Well, there's no McMahons here, which is nice. Say what you might about
Angle, but he can get great matches happening with just about anyone, and when
the other party is a guy well steeped in wrestling background, the only thing
wrong in this battle for the WWE Championship is that it wasn't long enough.
It's not the best match I've seen, but it's quite possibly the best on this
set.
Rating: ****1/4
• The Rock vs. Booker T Summerslam August 19, 2001
A
funny thing happened a few years ago; while McMahon's WWE and Ted Turner's WCW
were intensely feuding for ratings on Monday night cable television, one entity
had to blink, and Turner did just that. In buying WCW, McMahon got the talent
with it, including WCW star Booker T. In a battle for the WCW Championship that
was better than expected; Rock pulls it out for the win.
Rating:
***3/4
• The Rock vs. Chris Jericho Royal Rumble January 20,
2002
After the WCW and WWE titles had been unified by Jericho, Rock
challenged him for a shot at the title that most presumed he would win easily.
Rock's athleticism matched up against Jericho's wrestling ability, with both
trying to outduel the other in confident optimism. Run-ins by Jericho's
compatriots aside, this was a good match that got a little bit silly during the
end.
Rating: ***3/4
Disc Three
• The Rock vs. Hollywood Hulk Hogan WrestleMania X8 March
17, 2002
A memorable match on St. Patrick's Day, not for the reasons you'd
think. Held in Toronto's Skydome, the program had Hogan coming in as the heel
and Rock as the face, but no one told that to the Canadians, who cheered Hogan's
every move while booing Rock. While Rock won the match, but it's remembered less
for the win and more for the spectacle, as the match revived Hogan's wrestling
career for a little while, while Rock moved onward and upward.
Rating:
**
• The Rock vs. Kurt Angle vs. Undertaker VengeanceJuly 21,
2002
This "triple threat" match has the formula where a couple
of more athletic guys battle a prodding veteran. But as far as triple threat
matches go, it wasn't all that bad, and Rock managed to prevail over the others
to capture the WWE Undisputed Championship yet again.
Rating: ***1/4
• The Rock vs. Eddie Guerrero Raw July 22, 2002
The
third such match on the set that was held the next night after a grueling
pay-per-view, Rock met up with fellow third-generation wrestler Eddie Guerrero.
Like the Angle match, this was a back and forth battle whose ending was a little
too premature, if you ask me. For a TV match, it was very entertaining.
Rating: ***1/2
• The Rock vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin WrestleMania XIX
March 30, 2003
By this point, Rock had built a solid reputation as an
actor, and wrestling was becoming more of a part-time job, so his presumed
sell-out status made him a bit of a heel as he faced Austin for the third time
at WrestleMania after losing the first two. However, Rock made the third time a
proverbial charm, beating Austin before approximately 50,000 at Seattle's Safeco
field in an entertaining bout.
Rating: ***3/4
But wait, there's more! On disc three, there are 16 promos with announcers
and celebrities, and Rock skewers them all to effect. Calling one of the
announcers "Hermie" was hilarious. Combine that with about 10 minutes
of one-liners from some of these promos, as well as some others, and you've got
yourself about nine hours of Rock. Laid out in full frame and presented in
stereo, things are as straightforward as they come.
Bottom line, I'm a little conflicted as to this release of The Most
Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment. While the match selection is
pretty good and the inclusion of so many promos are outstanding, there's no
participation from the man himself. Having said that, since you're probably not
going to see him return to his old job anytime soon, this is a more than
adequate greatest hits collection of work in the ring and with a microphone, and
it's well worth the time.
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