In what was one of the more entertaining talking segments in recent memory, The Rock took to the ring last Monday in Miami and did what he does best. He talked some smack, said a bunch of silly stuff and pandered to the audience in the way that only he can. Thanks to how far “off script” he went, though, there was apparently panic backstage.
It does make sense that the powers that be would have worries when it comes to giving fans access to a live microphone to say whatever they want, but that’s why there’s a seven-second delay. The WWE can censor something if need be.
In this case, if Vince McMahon’s biggest yes-man Kevin Dunn was upset, it was because The Rock engaged a group of fans dressed up as superstars from the past, who were moved from one side of the ring to the other so they wouldn’t be seen on TV.
The WWE has a lot more to worry about than a bunch of guys who are sitting in the front row acting silly. They weren’t actively attempting to disrupt the show. Yes, they came dressed as four iconic wrestlers, but from what could be seen, they didn’t rile the rest of the crowd up.
It’s not the fault of the four men or the rest of the crowd that they weren’t more engaged with what was going on in the ring. If you put out a lackluster product, it’s going to be met with lackluster response. It’s not a slight on the wrestlers, but rather on McMahon, who is still unable to admit that he doesn’t always understand what is best for business.
According to reports, if anybody not named Dwayne Johnson or John Cena were to pull a stunt like that, they would have been shown the door quicker than Buff Bagwell. Therein lies one big problem: While it should indeed be frowned upon for a performer to go that far outside the lines during a promo, they should be encouraged to react to the crowd more often.
Randy Orton and Sheamus had some really bad matches, most notably the one on Raw after WrestleMania 29 that saw them completely ignore the very hostile crowd. They kept pushing through their match and went through the motions while the audience buried them and the product as a whole. It was embarrassing and painful to watch.
Stone Cold Steve Austin coined the iconic “Austin 3:16” phrase when he gave an unscripted interview following his victory in the 1996 King of the Ring tournament. There’s no way that would have happened if a bunch of failed sitcom writers gave him a generic “I’m better than everybody” script to say.
Going off script is a good thing — not necessarily on a regular basis in the manner that The Rock did on Monday, but guys know how they talk better than McMahon or the writers do.
