Fight Club Flashback: A Little Less Rock and a Lot More Stone (Cold)

Back when I was just breaking into the wrestling writing business, things were a lot different than they are today. Almost 10 years (!) after I began writing for Wrestling-Online.com, there is just one major organization, another one trying to get on that level and less fans watching and following the product than a decade prior.

In an effort to help take you back, I have begun these Fight Club Flashbacks every Thursday, digging up my old "The Fight Club" columns for 411wrestling/411mania that helped somewhat put me on the internet map. Consider them a look into wrestling's past, written in an era where there were still two major federations that made Monday nights the best night of the week.

Today's entry deals with The Rock.

The Fight Club - November 21, 2000

Let's face it—even the most ardent WWF fan got some Rock overexposure during the past year. It was hard not to as the WWF poster boy for 2000 took the ball and ran with it onto almost every facet of American pop culture today. It was harder not to find the Rock than it was to search for him.

However, the man that was the figurehead for the WWF's resurgence—Stone Cold Steve Austin—finally returned and, after this past weekend's events, Austin has retaken his spot as the No. 1 star in the company. While it can be argued that Triple-H is the most versatile wrestler on the planet, there is something about the Rattlesnake that is captivating to watch.

Take his Survivor Series contest against Triple-H and compare it to RAW's dream match vs. Chris Benoit. In two totally different scenarios, Austin played his part well and took hard bumps on his way to two solid outings that prove he is physically ok to perform.

While Sunday's match was a straight-ahead brawl that ended very poorly, Monday's match was a real wrestling encounter, rare in today's TV dominated wrestling landscape. Stone Cold essentially flipped off all of his critics that said he was just a straight kick-punch wrestler and matched the Crippler move for move.

Real wrestling is so rare these days—and done so poorly when attempted—that a match like Monday's makes the real fans yearn for more like it.

Why is Austin's resurgence so important? One reason is that the Rock is still mega-popular but needs a break from the top slot for a while. He will have plenty on his hands later on when the eventual Austin-Rock saga erupts again and keeping him out of the title picture is a great move for the WWF.

Another is that while Austin looks great now, one wrong fall and he could be out again for good. One has to think that Austin has less than five years left in the business, which could be a conservative estimate. Enjoy him now—he won't always be there.

Finally, the WWF now has someone that can carry a televised main event. There is only so much Rock-Triple H one fan can watch in any period of time and Austin provides another top card to throw into the mix.

He also is allowing the WWF to groom Chris Jericho and Billy Gunn for the top face spots in the upcoming year while not pushing them too quick. In Jericho's case, he is a diamond that the WWF has yet to shine and when they do, put on your sunglasses. When the time comes for Austin to step aside, Jericho or Gunn will be the one to take his spot.

Overall, it is just fun as a fan to watch someone the crowd gets into again. The pop Austin gets when that glass breaks still makes me proud to be a wrestling fan and is proof that even a beer-drinking bald guy with bad knees can make 20,000 people get up off their feet.

So what do I think now?

The first thing that came to mind as I re-read this: 'Good lord...Billy Gunn? That's who I thought was going to be a big future star?' In those days, the Rock was everywhere and whenever another major star - like Austin - was out, they seemed to overcompensate...and they certainly gave us way too many HHH/Rock matches. I got to thinking about whether John Cena might suffer the same fate, but I think the fact so many people like to boo him helps. Still, it's something to watch. Can you see Cena still wrestling 10 years from now?

Interesting that less than three years later after I cautioned about Austin not being around for long, he did in fact wrestle his final match (unless you believe the Wrestlemania 25 rumors), leaving a major void in the WWE's roster. Guys like Jericho (and apparently Gunn) were supposed to fill the void, but WWE really dropped the ball on striking when the Y2J iron was hot and lost a chance to cement a main-eventer for life. Thankfully, he is still relevant today but it took a long absence and a heel turn to do it.

I have to tell you that putting everything aside, I really miss Chris Benoit. Remembering that RAW match with Austin brought back positive memories of how great he was and how on point he was in the ring. While most that will remember him solely for what happened in that Georgia home that awful night, never forget there was once a man who made people take notice and look forward to when he wrestled.

Josh Nason—josh [at] ropesringandcage [dot com]—has published MMA, wrestling and boxing blog Ropes, Ring and Cage.com since 2007. If you are using any content or recapping from this site, please include a link to www.ropesringandcage.com. Thank you for your support!