Transcript: The Rock returns to WWE, 14th Feb 2011

The Rock returns to WWE, 14th February 2011


"Now before The Rock gets into that...

Before we electrify, before we turn this out tonight... For those of you who don't know: The Rock has many nicknames: The Great One; The Most Electrifying Man in All of Entertainment; The People's Champion.

But I wanna tell you something that's important to me right now. I need to take this moment, and I need to tell you something as Dwayne: It's been a long time since I've been back, seven years to be exact. But I wanna take this moment, in the middle of this ring, to tell you why I'm back. It's not because of the money, it's not to promote to movie; I am back in the middle of this ring because of you.

When I left, when I left the WWE seven years ago I dreamed big, and you guys dreamed big with me. You helped me accomplish my goals, accomplish my dreams because you never left my side.

And I wanna take this moment to tell you all here, you're live here, millions watching around the world. I wanna tell you 'Thank you', 'I love you', and it is because of you that I am back in this ring and that it is because of you, and I give you my word - I am never ever going away.

Simply put, ladies and gentleman, The Rock is back!

Now, The Rock is back because I wanted to do something unprecedented, something no man had ever done before: I wanted to host Wrestlemania. So it happened; The Rock called Vince McMahon and Vince McMahon said 'Rock, I know why you're calling - I know you know I need a host for Wrestlemania. Rock, there's only one man electrifying enough to host Wrestlemania; Rock, there's only one man that can captivate the world. Rock, that man can only be Justin Bieber.'

But I told Vince, I said 'No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Hey, no. The Rock knows Justin, he's cool. Dig, dig the kid. Cool kid, but make no mistake about it, Vince - there is only one man capable enough to host Wrestlemania. That man is the jabroni-beating, pie-eating, trail-blazing, eyebrow-raising, step-off-the-break,-put-your-foot-on-the-gas, always-ready-to-whup-some-ass, The People's Champ, The Rock.'

The Rock is going to Wrestlemania; The Rock will host Wrestlemania. And at the drop of a dime, The Rock will Layeth the Smackdown at Wrestlemania. But, to who? That's the question. Could it be the WWE champion, The Miz? He's the one that goes around saying 'I'm The Miz, and I'm awesome. I'm awesome. I'm awesome.' I hear that all the time, 'I'm awesome.' Well, The Rock ain't no scientist but he pretty much knows that there's one formula and that's a fact - if you've gotta run around shooting your mouth off, telling everybody how awesome you are, it means you absolutely undoubtedly, unquestionably, one hundred percent, completely suck!

But there's one more man who The Rock wants to see - there's one more man The Rock is gonna see. And that man...

*Raw General Manager's message beeps.*
*Rock stops, looks around. Camera pans to Michael Cole, whom is sitting behind the announce desk laughing.*
*Cole, steps up, grabbing a microphone.*

Michael Cole: "Can I have you attention, please?... I have just received an email from the anonymous Raw general manager."

Rock: Woah, woah, woah, woah woah, woah, woah, woah, woooah..

Michael Cole, if you take one more step towards that computer, I will get out of here and slap the taste so far outta your mouth you'll never get it back. Shut up. Michael Cole, you actually think that The Rock is just gonna let you walk over to that computer and interrupt him when he is live on Raw, is that what you think? You actually think that any of us give a damn what your general manager has to say? Michael Cole, is that what you think?

Michael Cole: "I tell you what I think. I..."

Rock: It doesn't matter what you think! Now what you do, Michael Cole, is you sit your ass down at that announcing booth, you take off your headset, and you don't say a word. And I quote - You know your damn role and shut your damn mouth. Because if you don't, The Rock will have some pretty cool Facebook pictures to post on his Facebook tonight. Does anyone here want to contribute to The Rock's Facebook tonight?

*Video misses a bit here, please let me know what's missing*

The picture you're gonna get is The Rock shining it up real nice, turning that sum-bitch sideways and sticking it straight up Michael Cole's candy ass! Now sit down, you look like a drunk hobbit, sit your ass down.

There is one man who The Rock is gonna see. There is one man who The Rock has to see face-to-face. A guy who I've met, a guy who I thought was a cool guy, wished him well, happy for his success; when The Rock leaves, he comes in and out of the blue, eventually he starts talking trash about The Rock. I don't know why and I don't care, but I'm back now. You might have heard of him, his name is John Cena.

So let me get this straight - The WWE has gone from the powerful Austin 3:16, to the dominant and iconic 'Can you smell what The Rock is cookin'?' All the way to 'You can't see me'. You can't see me. You can't see me, what are you playing, peek-a-boo? You can't see me. I can see you. You can't... Can you see me? Well, believe me, we all can see you. We all can see you. A blindfolded, sleeping, stuck-in-the-basement, Stevie Wonder can see your monkey ass! How the hell do you think we could miss? You come out here in your bright ass purple shirt. And before that your bright green shirt, and before that your bright orange shirt; you run around here looking like a big fat bowl of Fruity Pebbles.

John Cena, The Rock will see you at Wrestlemania. Just like The Rock will see The Miz at Wrestlemania. Just like he will see everyone at Wrestlemania. And just as sure as The Rock, just as sure as The Rock turns Wrestlemania into the most epic Wrestlemania of all time. And just as sure as anything can, and will happen at Wrestlemania. And just as sure as every day John Cena walks out here looking like he just got shot out of Barney the dinosaur's anus, is just as sure as The Rock guaran-damn-tees three things: At this Wrestlemania, the Rock guaran-damn-tees to show the world that he is the most electrifying man in all of entertainment; The Rock guaran-damn-tees at the drop of a dime, just like that, to layeth the Smackethdown on all their candy asses. And the last thing, and most important: The Rock, and the millions... No, no, no, no, no, no... that's not good enough. No, no, no, no, no. The Rock and the millions and... No, no, no, no, no... that's still not good enough. The Rock is the people's champ. You are the backbone of The Rock. When we speak our voices are heard. We all say bringeth Anaheim, the world is watching; Anaheim the world is listening, one more time - When The Rock and the millions *And Millions* of The Rock's fans go to Wrestlemania and electrify Wrestlemania and the world like no one else can... If you smell-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l what The Rock *Is Cooking*

*Pauses*

Is cooking?

* Music hits *


Requests for promo transcripts taken.

Undertaker WM opponent thoughts

Once again, rumours are in abundance regarding who's going to face the Undertaker at this year's Wrestlemania in a bid to end The Deadman's unequaled undefeated streak at the annual super show, and the vignettes we've been seeing of late on WWE television have only added even more interest and intrigue to the guessing game.

It's belief amongst many now that nobody will ever go over 'Taker at Wrestlemania, as the streak has been so vigorously protected over the years and holds such importance to future ventures that it would be an ill fated move to do so; keeping the streak intact thus ensures that there will always be another year's Wrestlemania that can benefit from the hype and speculation, as well as it being a major selling point for future DVD releases and The Phenom's inevitable Hall of Fame induction. That Triple H, Randy Orton, Batista, Edge, Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels to name but a few have failed to score a victory over 'Taker at the big one should be sufficient evidence alone to prove just how valuable the streak is.

In a poll held recently on a forum I frequent, it was the general consensus that if a superstar were to end it then said victory would be held as an achievement on par with a Royal Rumble win or even headlining Wrestlemania. That it would be held in higher regard than a World title reign shows just shows its level of importance...

And doesn't WWE just know this?

Just like years previous, the WWE hype machine begins to plant the seeds for the upcoming clash at around this time of year. Whom do I think will take on the Undertaker at this year's show? Well, let's see...

Sting - A lot of wrestling fans agree that Sting going one on one with the Undertaker is one of the few dream matches remaining that has never previously taken place. Here's a few points for the 'pro-Sting versus Undertaker at WM' camp:

- WM27 is to be held in Atlanta, the home of WCW, the original home of The Stinger. On top of this, 2011 marks the 10 year anniversary of the 'death' of WCW.

- Both Sting and Undertaker's dark and gothic characters can be likened to one an other, ensuring that the match would pretty much promote itself.

- Sting is unquestionably the biggest star never to have worked for WWE and was the biggest star WCW created; Undertaker is arguably the biggest star WWE have ever made who is still a part of the active roster.

- "Sting wouldn't join WWE and lose his first match, would he?" This argument states that it would ensure uncertainty on the outcome of this match.

- There's an untarnished and mutual respect between Sting and Vince McMahon, with both sides knowing how much each could benefit from Sting joining the Dub.

- The hype videos are unduly similar to those used for Sting back in WCW.

Shawn Michaels - Shawn Michaels put Undertaker over at the past two Wrestlemania's, the most recent clash being the last time that HBK wrestled after the match stipulated that he would have to retire, should he lose. Both the efforts have been heralded as two of the greatest matches in WWE history and some believe that WM25 was actually saved by their efforts as the rest of the show was so poor. That the Raw vignette now has the same Johnny Cash track playing over it as was played throughout their feud this time last year has sparked some rumours that it will in actual fact be The Showstopper who will once again collide with 'Taker. The date on the video reads "2-21-11", which is the date of the Raw following Elimination Chamber, the event at which HBK super-kicked 'Taker last year, pushing their feud into full swing mode. Will HBK be announced as being the challenger once again this year, going down a "third-time lucky" route?

John Cena - I believe that out of anybody on WWE's active roster, a John Cena versus Undertaker battle at Wrestlemania has to be the company's last mega draw contest. However, the build up to this match would have no doubt begun before now and I have a feeling that Vince is saving this one for WM30, which may very well be the show where Vinnie Mac takes a bow from the industry for the final time.

Wade Barrett - This is an interesting one for me; Undertaker has stated his respect for Barrett and says that he expects him to have achieve a huge level of success in the future and hopes to do a programme together. Barrett's Corre team have been proving of late on Smackdown that as a unit they can take down bigger guys (see Big Show) and this could be used as a basis to a Barrett - Taker match. However, I have a gut feeling that the two will clash at next year's show after Barrett has solidified himself as a main eventer.

From the evidence here, I've got to believe that Sting will go against 'Taker at this year's event. This however bodes the question, 'Who will score the victory?'. As has been mentioned earlier, would Sting come to WWE and lose in his first match? It's very questionable; everybody has their price and Sting has never been one to stand in the way of the 'right' decision. This however has led many people to assume that a Sting versus Undertaker match would instead be saved until a Summerslam or another PPV, where the outcome would be much less predictable - and Sting could go over, without harming the streak. That's the biggest doubt playing in the back of my mind.

However, I'm still banking on Sting falling to Undertaker at Wrestlemania 27.

Elimination Chamber Preview

We're now just one week away from the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. In addition to the respective Raw and Smackdown Elimination Chamber matches, we also know that we'll be seeing The Miz defending his WWE strap against Jerry "The King" Lawler. Sandwiched in between what was an incredible Royal Rumble and the upcoming Wrestlemania super show, EC is hardly destined to smash any PPV buy-rate records; nonetheless it will answer some questions and add more fuel to the fire in what is already panning out to be a hugely entertaining Road to Wrestlemania.

The Raw Elimination Chamber will see the victor going on to Wrestlemania to challenge for the WWE championship. John Cena, Sheamus, John Morrison, R-Truth, Randy Orton and CM Punk will be making up the numbers in this one. As I will elaborate on shortly, I see The Miz being the WWE champion come Wrestlemania, which in essence bodes the question, "Who will face The Miz at Wrestlemania?". It is my belief that 'The Viper' Randy Orton is to clash with CM Punk at WM, which eliminates either of them from winning this one, no pun intended. Expect to see something play out between the two during the match. John Morrison has been red hot so far this year, and has put on some spectacular in-ring displays (see: Royal Rumble and title match on Raw versus Miz). However, JoMo has to be odds on favourite to win the Money in the Bank briefcase instead, whether it be at WM or the MITB PPV, and that is my reason for discounting Morrison from being the winner here. I'm looking forward to what stunts we'll see from him on the night though. There'd be more chance of seeing me winning the 'Chamber match than R-Truth. I'm striking off Sheamus' name from the list of possible winners here due to the fact that it would lead to a heel versus heel match at 'Mania, which is a no-no. This leaves us with John Cena, whom I believe will be standing tall come the end of the match, before marching on to take the WWE strap from The Miz at Wrestlemania.

Edge is set to defend his World Heavyweight title in Smackdown's Elimination Chamber bout. Ziggler, Mysterio, Kane, Barrett and McIntyre will be the challengers in this one. I can't see there being as much going on here compared with Raw's and I'm guessing that Edge will retain his title. Dolph Ziggler has been booked as such a dweeb as of late that I can't see how he could realistically stand up against the others in this match without the aid of Vickie G. With RR winner Del Rio opting to face the World Heavyweight champion at Wrestlemania, logic dictates that we'll be seeing a face winner here thus removing Wade Barrett, Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler from the equation. Why Kane nor Mysterio should win this and advance to a headline slot at WM should require no explanation, which brings me onto naming Edge as the winner here.

WWE Hall of Famer Jerry "The King" Lawler has never entered an in-ring performance at a Wrestlemania, nor has he ever held the WWE championship. Although I do not see him taking the strap from around the waist of Miz at EC, I expect him to perform at 'Mania in some form or other and perhaps have a nostalgic stint with the strap later on in the year. Though Lawler attracts a healthy level of support from the live crowds on Raw, and a short title run would no doubt be well received, expecting "The King" to enter 'Mania as the reigning WWE champ would be ridiculous. Vinnie Mac will have no problem rewarding Lawler's contribution and efforts to the business and WWE with a WM appearance, though expect it to be in a smaller capacity than a headline slot. In addition to this we must also take a look at the other major determining factor here: who would Lawler or Miz defend the strap against come the 'Granddaddy of 'em all? As alluded to earlier, it looks as though John Cena is to be the man in question here, and what would be the purpose in Cena versus King at WM 27? Expect The Miz to walk out of the Elimination Chamber PPV with his title intact.

As I am to do with all WWE pay-per-views from hereon in, I will be writing a full in-depth analysis of the Elimination Chamber PPV the following night.

I hope you enjoyed reading this and I would appreciate any and all feedback greatly. Please email superslam@hotmail.co.uk with any comments, queries or criticism.

Super Slam.