If you doubt the popularity of the strange bromance between The Rock and Mankind, just remember that their "This is Your Life Rock" segment drew an 8.4 rating. That's about triple the rating the company gets right now. Think of that. With countless great matches and hot angles over the years, a skit featuring Yerpul The Clown is one of the most watch moments in the company's history. It all comes down to entertainment. There have been a lot of great oddball pairings in the company history, but perhaps none greater than The Rock 'n' Sock Connection. In 1999, The Rock was the coolest man in the business. Hed wear $500 shirts, had dozens of catchphrases in his arsenal ready to go, and had his millions of fans backing him. Foley, meanwhile, appeared to wear the same pair of sweatpants every night, copied The Rocks mannerisms and had his dozens of fans in the arenas. Together they created magic. It took awhile to make it happen. Initially, The Rock was downright hostile to Foley. The two had been enemies for so long, then suddenly found each other on the same side to battle The Undertaker and Big Show. While it could have been a one-off match, Foley wouldnt let go. He felt a bromance brewing, and needed to see where it was headed. Luckily he did, as the team created some classic moments together. In the ring, they captured the titles on three occasions. Not too bad for a comedy team. And unlike most WWE humor, these two were actually clever and made the fans laugh. They also brought their own careers to new heights, and left each other stronger than before they teamed. We've seen quite a few teams top The Rock 'n' Sock Connection in terms of wrestling ability, but none yet who were simply better at entertaining.
As Rust Cohle from True Detective said "Life's barely long enough to get good at one thing. So be careful what you're good at."
Sadly, I can't solve a murder like Rust...or change a tire, or even tie a tie. But I do know all the lyrics to Hulk Hogan's "Real American" theme song and can easily name every Natural Born Thriller from the dying days of WCW. I was once ranked 21st in the United States in Tetris...on the Playstation 3 version...for about a week.
Follow along @AndrewSoucek and check out my podcast at wrestlingwithfriends.com
