Has The Rock Worn Out WWE Fans' Welcome?
Have WWE fans had enough of The Rock?
That may be the case as new reports say that the wrestling promotion may alter their upcoming WrestleMania plans for the popular wrestler-turned-actor-back-to-wrestler after heated backlash from the WWE faithful.
The potential change comes after The Rock's WWE SmackDown segment on Friday became the most disliked video of ALL TIME on YouTube, garnering over half a million dislikes in just 36 hours. Of the video's over 4 million current views, only 97,000 fans have liked the video - not ideal for the WWE's comeback plans for their superstar.
The drama surrounds the fact that The Rock returned out of nowhere and is most likely going to wrestle Roman Reigns at the upcoming WrestleMania, forcing fan-favorite and expected opponent, Cody Rhodes, to the sidelines. The Rhodes vs. Reigns storyline had been building up for over a year now, and Rhodes just won last month's Royal Rumble - which should have guaranteed him a shot at the world titleholder, Reigns. That is, until The Rock showed up.
Just last night, there were "Rocky Sucks" chants when Rhodes appeared in the ring for a segment.
ARE WE DONE WITH THE ROCK?
The WWE heads are clearly taking notice of not only the social media backlash that ‘the most electrifying man in sports entertainment,’ is facing, but also the live reaction as well, as The Rock was booed during a wrestling event on Saturday. For a company that is used to scripted moments, let's just say that wasn't part of the plan.
It's the latest setback that Johnson has faced in recent months after his ‘Young Rock’ NBC show was canceled last year and his DC Universe debut in ‘Black Adam’ was a skid mark on his resume with box office numbers coming up depressingly below expectations.
Could fans really be over The Rock though? Say it ain't so!
It was only a few years ago when The Rock was the most popular Hollywood celebrity that could do no wrong. His Fast and Furious cameos helped propel the movie franchise into mega-blockbuster numbers. He was also a Disney star in The Jungle Cruise. And let's not forget the running for President rumors and hysteria.
But now? He's doing damage control by hopping on Twitter and trying to spin the fact that he is now the most disliked video in YouTube history by saying the cheers for his return were ‘explosive’ and ‘undeniable.’
THE ROCK'S IMAGE IS TAKING A HIT
Times have changed since The Rock's wrestling heyday in the 2000's and 2010's. The Internet rules all - for better or worse. And if you think the Swifties are an insane bunch, then you haven't paid attention to the ones that paved the way for Taylor Swift's fans to cause havoc. The wrestling fans were the first ones to do so.
One thing about The Rock is that he is very similar to Alex Rodriguez in the fact that they both care A LOT about their public image and brand. If The Rock is going to continue to get booed and trolled by wrestling fans, I don't care how many times he can say he doesn't care. Because the truth is, he absolutely does. But will it be enough for the WWE to shift gears and allow Cody Rhodes to face Roman Reigns to the delight of the vocal minority, or perhaps the majority of wrestling fans?
We have two months until WrestleMania to find out.