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Keller on what went wrong last time Rock-Austin headlined WM Mar 3, 2003 - 2:46:00 PM
Two years ago just before WrestleMania, I looked at what was disappointing about the hype for that year's Rock vs. Steve Austin headline match. This article was originally published on PWTorch.com on Mar. 28, 2001...
Original Headline: WrestleMania hype has been huge disappointment thus far
As Vince McMahon gloats about winning the Monday Night War and acquiring Ted's Rasslin Company, as he displays the marketing wisdom of a clown car without a steering wheel when it comes to the XFL, the product that brought him to the dance is suffering.
WrestleMania hype this year has been a huge letdown.
The WrestleMania hype has lacked any imagination. Debra manages Rock. Why does she have to do that? Why doesn't Rock just say no? Why does Austin allow it? And who cares, anyway? Her character has been developed less than Masa Funaki's.
The hype for the WM main event is reliant upon the inherent charisma of the two wrestlers. That's enough enough for an everyday PPV, but not WM.
Even considering the long Smackdown interview last week, when it gets right down to it, there's not a lot to talk about. There's no real hook. Who's better? That's pretty much the main selling point of the match. That's a good hook for football, but Austin and Rock are character-driven performers. How many awkward, empty staredowns can we take?
There is no buzz about Austin vs. Rock because it's just a match. Sure, it's the top two performers in wrestling going at it, but how many times in various tag matches have they been in the ring together in recent times. This doesn't exactly carry the intrigue of Ultimate Warrior vs. Hulk Hogan or Andre the Giant vs. Hulk Hogan, yet it's being hyped that way.
Fans don't know what to think or whom they should be cheering for. It varies from city to city. Some towns cheer Rock more, others Austin more.
But if fans want to get into an argument over the water cooler at work, what are they supposed to argue about? There are no "discussion points" for this match. There isn't an intricate storyline where subtle hints have been laid out and it's up to each fan to interpret them how they wish.
There have been plenty of such subtle undercurrents to WWF many recent WWF storylines, especially those involving Kurt Angle, Triple H, and Stephanie.
Rock's character remains a one-dimensional bully, but because of his charisma he's popular. Steve Austin's character remains a beer-guzzling bad-ass, the same as he was three years ago.
The hype for the undercard hasn't been much better. Not once that I've seen on Raw or Smackdown have they sat down and laid out the entire card for viewers. Keeping track - and telling the difference - between matches hyped for next week's Raw or Smackdown versus what's scheduled for WrestleMania hasn't been easy. It's up to the WWF creative team and production staff to make sure viewers know the matches at WM are monumental, not just everyday matches. They haven't done that.
There are elements of the hype that are excellent. Certain segments with Rock and Austin have been really strong. Certain video packages have been state of the art, as usual. All together, though, there isn't a lot to talk about. The potential to be a great card is there, but how many casual viewers - the ones the WWF chases each year when trying to reach the one million PPV buys plateau - realize that?
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