Wrestling is booming. Ratings are up. WWE is on the road to eight consecutive TV sellouts, and there’s a buzz heading into WrestleMania that’s louder than it’s been in a long time. The momentum started a few years ago when Triple H took over control of creative, but it’s really been noticeable since The Rock returned. The People’s Champ has meshed perfectly with the bigger stars on the main roster and is in the middle of telling one of the best stories we’ve gotten in decades, but if the latest rumor is to be believed, not everyone on WWE’s roster is quite so pleased, at least with one aspect of The Rock’s return.
WWE is a whole lot more family friendly than it used to be. Over the years, the Attitude Era gave way to the Ruthless Aggression era which gave way to the PG era. There’s a lot less blood, a lot less skin and a much less colorful vocabulary. You wouldn’t know that last part by watching The Rock on social media, however. He’s dropped several utterly brilliant social media videos calling out Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins over the course of the last few weeks, and in these videos, he’s used the full extent of his vocabulary, whether it was to call Cody Rhodes’ dog a “shithead” or just to pepper in some well-placed f-bombs. That freedom to swear reportedly isn’t sitting too well with some other WWE wrestlers, according to SE Scoops.
The outlet claims WWE recently sent out a memo reminding wrestlers that they need to keep it clean on social media. The Rock clearly did not listen, which led to one talent reportedly complaining and saying it’s not fair he gets to go there while everyone else is “handcuffed.”
On the one hand, I understand why that’s frustrating. The Rock is now a member of The Board Of Directors at TKO, WWE’s parent company, which means he’s kinda sorta responsible for making the rules. So, I’m sure it’s a little frustrating when the company sends out a set of rules, and the boss so nakedly does whatever he wants to do. Being mad at double standards related to your boss is a story as old as working.
On the other hand, The Rock we all know and loved worked in The Attitude Era. When he first came back to challenge Roman Reigns, one of the biggest complaints fans had was that he felt very stale and neutered. He had to switch to being a heel to win back fans, and as part of that heel turn, he got a lot more aggressive in his comments. As much as he’s adapted to the current era, he’s still a product of his, and what’s clearly best for business is to give fans the version of The Rock they want. If you have any questions about that, just check the ratings or the live gates or the recent multi-billion dollar deal WWE signed with Netflix.
Long story short, I get where people are coming with these complaints, but at the end of the day, it’s your responsibility as a performer to figure out how to get over. The reason why you’re not connecting with fans isn’t because you can’t swear. Maybe you’re fighting an uphill battle with a bad gimmick or lackluster creative, but you could say that about many of the all-time greats. The Rock was booed without mercy when he first started until he found an angle that worked for him. Steve Austin was The Ringmaster long before he worked out Stone Cold, and more recently, we saw LA Knight get over through sheer force of will.
The Rock and his cousin Roman Reigns will take on Cody Rhodes and Seth Freakin’ Rollins in the main event of night one of WrestleMania 40 at the beginning of April. On the card, he’ll be joined by a whole variety of different performers, most of whom have gotten over with the crowd whether they can swear or not.
