Let's say The Rock signed with TNA.

[D Mac]

What would happen?

[Fabien Barthez]

He would keep being booked into tag matches with various 'draws' on Impact, and booked into 12 way dance, gimmick matches at PPV's, with various 'draws'.

Did you really not assume this to start with?

[Afterlife]

He'd quit to make movies.

[Pardeep 619]

What would happen?

He would be mis-used

[RVDmark]

I think he's looking for a discussion as to what effect would it have on TNA's ratings etc. Yeah I agree The Rock would be misused. But if The Rock returned to TNA I'd watch.

[Afterlife]

But it's TNA. Plus, it's not The Rock. It's Dwayne Johnson.

[Afterlife]

It wouldn't even be "The Rock Bottom". It'd be called "Down the Dwayne".

[Destor]

Dwayne "Barack" Johnson

[Afterlife]

lol, No, thank you.

[Fabien Barthez]

I would like to refer to him from now on, as The Dwayne.

[Afterlife]

Sounds like an Adamle joke.

[GD]

He would job to Kong.

[Destor]

Honestly though, if The Rock were to go to TNA he would probably put AJ over.

[Afterlife]

Does TNA really matter, tho? He's not the Rock anymore -- it's like Warrior saying "I'm fifty! Help me pretend I'm the same amount of fun I was 20 years ago!" It's just not the same thing anymore. Evolution of a character is one thing, but leaving, becoiming less than your best, and then acting like nothing changed and it's time to get back to it, is not how you get a good reaction.

[Destor]

Does TNA matter? Hell no. Would The Rock ever step foot in TNA? Nah. But in a hypothetical scenario where The Rock goes to TNA you could call him anything you wanted and he would still be crazy over even if he phoned it in every night of the week. The iMPACT! marks would go crazy for him every time he came around.

I mean look at the hall of fame ceremony, The Rock came in and was just his old self. To me I found that pretty awkward tbh. It felt out of place to me. The that crowd at it up, and th Orlando impact would be times ten given how markish they are.

Despite the fact he may not deserve the reactions he gets any more he's still gonna get them just due to nostalgia al la Hulk Hogan...and Probably the Warrior too...

[Destor]

And I do think an AJ/Rock program would be hot and I cant stand Styles or The Rock tbh.

[Afterlife]

I dunno. I don't think it would go over well. A return in general seems a bad idea, now, even on WWE. I really don't think he's got the rasslin' touch anymore.

[Porcupine]

He could come in as Dwayne Johnson, hollywood actor with no mention whatsoever of his wrestling past.

The commentators can acts amazed by "how quickly he's picking up the art" when he wrestles in a few matches with some B list celebrities.

[Destor]

I dunno. I don't think it would go over well. A return in general seems a bad idea, now, even on WWE. I really don't think he's got the rasslin' touch anymore.
If you saw him at the HoF ceremony you know he's still over (to most any way.) And if you ran with the Hollywood ego gimmick (Circa his last run) you'd have the hottest heel in ever. His promos are the same diatribe he's always spit out, nothing really needs to change just do the same old same old (works for Austin, Rock, Hogan, Flair, Cena, it will work for Rock too.) My only question is can he still perform in the ring. He works out 4 hours a day still so I'd imagine he could probably do it. Jericho came back all right and Rock has always had better timing than Jericho...it's debatable.

Now his passion for the buisness...there's the real issue. No way his heart would be in it. But again, I don't see the impact zone caring if he phoned it in or not.

[Dorkchop]

Nothing would change. Impact's ratings would go up slightly for a couple of weeks, but TNA is so shitty they'd go back to their usual. Christian, Sting, and Kurt Angle all helped ratings for a couple of weeks, but they always go back to their usual HeAt ratings.

Not that he ever would, but I would rather him go back to WWE. TNA doesn't need more ex WWE guys. TNA needs to make stars out of their home grown talent.

[Afterlife]

Now his passion for the buisness...there's the real issue. No way his heart would be in it. But again, I don't see the impact zone caring if he phoned it in or not.

But this is all I"m talking about. He wouldn't be the same guy. And that's going to effect the performance big time.

[Afterlife]

And let's not forget: I don't watch programs that "honor" Ric Flair.

[Destor]

But again, I don't see the impact zone caring if he phoned it in or not.

[Destor]

And let's not forget: I don't watch programs that "honor" Ric Flair.
I'll make sure to give you heads up when they do that S2H induction. :y:

[Afterlife]

I"m not talking about the in-house audience. Those ppl are stool pidgeons. I'm talking about Rock fans. They will be saddened to see the empty hack he'll surely bvecome if he returns --especially if he has to return. I don't see him failing in the movie biz at all, but should he hit a slump and fall back on wrestling, it's surely going to be depressing for him, and his emotional status will seep thru to his nostaligic fans.

[Afterlife]

I'll make sure to give you heads up when they do that S2H induction. :y:

My penis + Your mouth = I'll tell you when I'm done.

[Destor]

It's a safe bet. But I'll say this, if I'm depressed in real life it doesn't always translate into my work. It is possible to separate real emotions from the ones you show the world, and The Rock isn't a terrible actor. It's easier when you can give it away, but they do call it selling for a reason. you gotta make the people buy it ya know? He could probably turn it on for at least 6 months before the masses caught on that he wanted to die.

..In theory.

[Destor]

He is a professional of the highest caliber. He'd be alright for a short stint at least.

[Afterlife]

I dunno. I have sneakin' suspition that he just wouldn't be the same. Granted, this whole debate is void of purpose....but I gotta go with my gut.

[Destor]

Well..The Rock aint no Scotty 2 Hotty but I think he could pull a little something out of his ass.

[Afterlife]

Now, if Scotty went to TNA, watch out! Talk out "turning up" the ratings! :y:

[Mr. Nerfect]

It wouldn't even be "The Rock Bottom". It'd be called "Down the Dwayne".

I suggest the Rock Bottom becomes "Down the Dwayne" if he ever uses it again.

To be honest, I think The Rock going to TNA would be huge. Even if it were just for a few appearances. Will it happen? Almost certainly not. But in the hypothetical situation that it did? I think a lot of people would watch. The Rock is a draw. He brings in viewers.

As for what TNA would do with him: First thing's first, I think they'd put him into a dream feud with Sting. Don't pretend like you wouldn't want to watch it. Neither guy may be at their best, but the electricity would be there. The Rock wins that match, and then turns right away into a feud with another Samoan -- one who is trying to rid TNA of guys who just walk in expect everything handed to them on a silver platter, forcing the hard working guys coming up from underneath to do nothing more than open the card.

Samoa Joe vs. The Rock for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship would be an epic feud, to be honest with you. One of the biggest figures in sports entertainment versus one of the most iconic examples of "independent wrestling." If Rocky put over Joe, it would set him and the TNA World Title up for life.

[Xero]

He wouldn't wrestle and TNA would just use him in commercials.

But he won't, because wrestling is (and should be) behind him. And if he ever were to return, he wouldn't choose a second-rate shithole like TNA.

[Mr. Nerfect]

He wouldn't wrestle and TNA would just use him in commercials.

But he won't, because wrestling is (and should be) behind him. And if he ever were to return, he wouldn't choose a second-rate shithole like TNA.

I don't know. I'd never say never. The Rock is very good friends with Jeff Jarrett, apparently, and a TNA appearance would appear more "charitable" than a WWE appearance, which may appear "desperate." Plus, if he's doing a movie for Universal, working for a company that bases themselves in Universal Studios may not be a bad move. :shifty:

[Mr. Nerfect]

I just realised by juggling the thought of The Rock returning, and Vince's desperate attempt to attract viewers by giving away money thing, how awesome it would be if Vince made a call to give away $200,000 or something, and he called up whoever it was, and it turned out to be The Rock's number.

Or hell, I'd mark out for Scotty 2 Hotty on the other end of the line.

[Afterlife]

Scotty 200,000 Hotty.

[RGWhat316]

Rock was always good with the crowd, and I would love to see a heel Rock just rip into the TNA crowd.

[FourFifty]

Rock was always good with the crowd, and I would love to see a heel Rock just rip into the TNA crowd.

You're a great heel!
*clap-clap, clap-clap-clap*
You're a great heel!
*clap-clap, clap-clap-clap*
You're a great heel!
*clap-clap, clap-clap-clap*
You're a great heel!
*clap-clap, clap-clap-clap*

[MCEazy]

He could come in as Dwayne Johnson, hollywood actor with no mention whatsoever of his wrestling past.

The commentators can acts amazed by "how quickly he's picking up the art" when he wrestles in a few matches with some B list celebrities.

:rofl:, that could work

[The One]

I think the more likely "What if..." question is what if God showed up and tagged with Shawn Michaels back at Backlash a few years back.

But to your point, there would be an instant ratings spike. People would love him. He would single handedly bring the ratings to a very respectable 2.5 or so...then as people slowly got over the instant "OMG! THE ROCK!" sensation, TNA's repetitive book would settle in. TNA's rating would decline to a solid 1.5-2.0 rating. The Rock would lose many many millions in bankability with the Hollywood crowd, his career would never be the same, and TNA would continue to march on.

Seriously, everyone, put the idea of Dwayne Johnson ever coming back for more than a one night WWE appearance out of your head. He is, pardon the wrestling term, so over in Hollywood right now. All anyone is talking about is how he's the next A-List guy, and in many ways, he's not the next anything, he is an A-Lister. The man has a 12.5 million asking price. For one movie, working 3 months tops, at the level he's at now it would take him about 6 or 7 years busting his ass every night to make in WWE.

He's rich, he's happy, and possibly best of all he has an entire industry kissing his ass BEGGING him to work with them as opposed to having to play nice politics with the, let's admit it, ego maniac jackasses backstage.

[Xero]

The Rock is not worth 2+ points of a rating in the long run.

2 MAYBE for three weeks, but after the buzz died down Impact would drop down to its normal ratings relatively fast.

One wrestler will not make that much of a difference no matter who it is. If the booking's good, people will watch it no matter who is wrestling. If the booking is bad, not many people will watch it no matter who is on. My point can be backed up in the fact that TNA has tremendous star power in multiple wrestlers who would far out-weigh anything Rock would bring in and yet they haven't gone above, what, 1.2?

Wrestlers don't make people turn in. It's their characters and the storylines in which they're booked that will bring them in. Case-in-point, everyone being so excited about Jericho returning. But uh-oh, he's being booked by WWE creative. By the second month he was just another nameless face in the crowd, and those who were tuning in for him were no longer doing so.

[The CyNick]

I think he asking price took a hit after a couple of his movies did not so great business wise (ie Doom), but then he had a big run with that Game Plan movie from Disney.

Now I think people see his versitility and are not looking at him like a Hulk Hogan just using his wrestling fame to jump into a couple of action flicks.

I really dont think people get the money aspect of it. I realize this thread was meant more as a joke (or at least I think it was), but you read a lot about "rock should come back", or "what if Rock came bacK". But I think he made something like $40 million on his first 5 films (Scorpion King to Doom), and he's had several movies since then. So he's probably hit close to $60-$70 million by now, maybe more.

Nobody in wrestling makes that kind of money in such a short period of time. And unless he invested everything he had on Big Brown, I doubt he will ever be hurting for cash again. So he would never need to come back to wrestling.

No matter where he came back, I would watch, to me he was the single most gifted performer in the history of the business. But hey, thats why they have DVD collections.

[NeanderCarl]

One wrestler will not make that much of a difference no matter who it is. If the booking's good, people will watch it no matter who is wrestling. If the booking is bad, not many people will watch it no matter who is on. My point can be backed up in the fact that TNA has tremendous star power in multiple wrestlers who would far out-weigh anything Rock would bring in and yet they haven't gone above, what, 1.2?

Wrestlers don't make people turn in. It's their characters and the storylines in which they're booked that will bring them in.

Try telling that to WCW in 1994, when Hulk Hogan turned the company around, despite incredibly bad booking.

[KingofOldSchool]

The ratings would go up to 1.2

And then it will drop to .6 once Rocky jobs to Soma Fat Joe.