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Despite the weekly guest hosts on Raw, WWE's product isn't relevant in popular culture like it was ten years ago. It isn't hot, talk show hosts are not clamoring to get interviews with WWE stars, and domestic business is limp. Yet despite the malaise that grips the WWE product, they do have one link to the mainstream: The Rock. This week, The Rock announced on the Jack Diamond Morning Show that he is looking to collaborate with Vince McMahon on a new WWE television project.
Dwayne Johnson has been unwilling to work closely with WWE after becoming a Hollywood star, concerned that being associated with certain aspects of the WWE's programming could tarnish his image as an actor who makes family movies. Linda McMahon hasn't referenced the WWE in promotional literature for her run for the U.S. Senate. An apparent by-product of WWE's move to tone down their content is that The Rock is willing to work with the McMahons once again.
It's easy to see how the two sides could have come to a mutually beneficial agreement. The format of Raw has been tweaked so that it is now a promotional vehicle for celebrity products, and the WWE's new target market is similar to those who go to see The Rock's films. Conversely, The Rock represents the WWE's strongest line to the mainstream.
It doesn't matter whether he calls himself Dwayne Johnson, DJ, or anything else; he will always be known as The Rock as a result of his rise to fame in the WWE. It was his popularity as a wrestler that enabled him to get Hollywood roles. He will always be associated with wrestling despite the fact that he hasn't wrestled in a number of years.
It would be a massive boost to WWE if they could come to some kind of working agreement with The Rock who, on the evidence of his appearance on Smackdown last month, is still a better promo than the entire WWE roster. His appearances may also be a useful tool in attracting former fans back to the WWE.
The ultimate use of The Rock would be a wrestling appearance, which is one of the few things that WWE could promote that would be guaranteed to draw on Pay-Per-View. There was no suggestion that The Rock is willing to step back in the ring, but another match would be eagerly anticipated by wrestling fans worldwide. Unlike Steve Austin, The Rock did not retire because of injury, and a match with John Cena, Triple H, or Chris Jericho has the potential to be a massive Pay-Per-View success.
Talk of The Rock wrestling again is probably no more than wishful thinking, but he can still be a major attraction with occasional appearances as a non-wrestling personality. The way in which he put over C.M. Punk, The Undertaker, and Dolph Ziggler on Smackdown suggests that he could help some of the younger wrestlers just by appearing on the same show as them.
It is will be interesting to see what comes of the television project that The Rock referred to. His willing to work with the WWE can only be cast in a positive light, and he has a lot to gain via the promotion of his movies. It is a win-win situation for all concerned, especially WWE fans. Send feedback on this article to pwtorch@gmail.com and we'll regularly publish reader feedback in the "Torch Feedback" category on the Main Listing.
