WWE WrestleMania 29: Why It Matters And What It Means For The Future

(WWE World Champion) The Rock vs. John Cena

It must be good to be The Rock. He has somehow convinced everyone that matters that he is, in fact, bigger than professional wrestling. Which is why it must be trying to be John Cena, at least at moments like this. To be asked to put building your career on hold all for the glorification of a failed actor who turned his back on the business over a decade ago, only to return from time to time to claim victories over the company€™s top competitors -- and who now is here to take his top spot back with no quarter asked or given. This will be the same match we have seen from The Rock at every show over the past five years. The Rock will win, and people will cheer; but for how long? How long before this nostalgia stroke-fest turns south? Because it will. No matter how big they book him, The Rock is not bigger than professional wrestling; but they will try to convince you, and themselves, of this notion to no end. Look at how they booked him at the Royal Rumble. They judged his poorly booked run-of-the-mill championship match to be of such a high profile that they decided to put it after the Rumble; which, perhaps, is the only time in the history of the the pay-per-view that a single competitor was judged to be a bigger asset than the show€™s flagship match itself. But did it really matter? The match was still horrible, and according to all sources their ratings are still sinking faster than Brodus Clay in a canoe. The real question is €œwill they learn?€ Will those-in-charge of the WWE booking sheet finally understand that what we want when we tune into their programs is actually honest-to-gawd wrestling? All of the chairshots, tables, and million-dollar special effects can€™t buy them ratings, but I would wager that solid-booking, properly handled angles, and some legitimate wrestling (like that we saw in years past when the WWE was at the top of their game, and the ratings charts) would bring the fans back in droves. The problem with this is that Vince would have to start promoting wrestlers, and booking them in wrestling matches, which is something he may no longer know how to do.
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Mr. Plageman is a freelance journalist, professional wrestler, small 'L' libertarian, and traditional Chinese medicine student in Santa Cruz, CA.