6. The Rock Going To Hollywood
The April to July absence of The Rock in 2001 was a major factor in WWF losing popularity. How could it not be? This was the biggest pop culture icon the WWF had, whereas Austin may have been the bigger draw, Rock definitely had more fame, appearing in everything from Star Trek to Wyclef Jean songs. By spring 2001 it was clear that The Rock had evolved beyond being a wrestler. He had became bigger than the WWF. His absence after WrestleMania 17 was a clear indication of the way things were headed, like Hulk Hogan in the past era, Rock would now be cutting back on wrestling to appear in more films. Many fans looked on this and decided that the story they'd been enjoying had now concluded, so they closed the book shut on the WWF. With the main character gone, fans figured it was time to move on. Many people only watched for The Rock and with him gone the show was just less interesting. You could even argue that the WWF never got popular, The Rock got popular, people watched for him. The difference he has made in Mania buyrates in the last few years reflect that he is indeed a specific draw for popularity.