10 Booking Steps For The Rock vs Brock Lesnar At WrestleMania 32

2. The Rock Explains Why He Never Asked For That Rematch

We all know that The Rock had a career lined up in Hollywood from as early as mid-2000, after a successful stint at hosting Saturday Night Live before Wrestlemania 2000 (a stint he replicated 15 years later for this year's Wrestlemania). But the kayfabe story goes that Lesnar brutalised The Brahma Bull so much at Summerslam 2002 that The Rock felt he had no choice but to leave, as he couldn't keep up with Lesnar's rise to dominance. Remember, Lesnar had been a part of the company for a mere FIVE months when he beat The Rock, and the story here should really emphasise that. There's a really powerful story to be told with this. The Rock has barely ever shied away from a challenge, and has been a leader both in the ring and out of it. The WWE strapped a rocket ship to his back in the late '90s, and he helped to define the Attitude Era and win the Monday Night Wars. In the Network era, Rock should recall all this, and say that he'd become complacent and was genuinely stunned when Lesnar dismantled him from his position at the top. Have him acknowledge all of this on Raw, and have him reference his 2003 heel run, saying that he only returned so that he could get victories over past opponents Hulk Hogan and Stone Cold Steve Austin to retain, in his mind at least, a sense of mis-guided greatness. Reference his 2004 return with Mick Foley, where they unsuccessfully took on Evolution in 2004, which was the last time anyone in WWE saw The Rock until he was announced as the host for Wrestlemania 27. Play on all the ideas that Lesnar's brutal victory (and the crowds that turned on Rock that night in New York in 2002) was too much for The Rock to handle. Even coming back and beating John Cena and then winning the WWE Championship was just a temporary illusion of success; his next loss to Cena and the resulting injury left him once again in a position of fear and uncertainty. The Rock isn't a character that should be nervous or scared of an opponent. Use this potential vulnerability to harbour more fire, more passion, and more anger from The Rock than we've seen in well over a decade. The Rock challenges Lesnar to a rematch at Wrestlemania 32, with a huge amount of pride and honour at stake between these two sports entertainment giants.