WWE Report: The RAW Crowd in Boston Favored John Cena over The Rock

Over three-quarters of the way through the March 5 episode of RAW, it appeared as if The Rock had the majority of the Boston crowd on his side, especially during his "history lesson" promos.

However, by the time the final segment came around, everything seemed to change.

As John Cena stood in the center of the ring, waiting anxiously for The Rock—not Dwayne Johnson—the tide began to turn.

Watching and listening to the exchange on TV, it seemed as if the fans abruptly became restless with The Rock's methodical, serious promise to Cena about "ripping out his throat at WrestleMania."

It was in stark contrast to the trip down memory lane earlier with The Rock reminding the audience of his roots as the electrifying "Great One."

Certainly, the observation wasn't lost on the fans in the arena.

While The Rock had his hand pointed at Cena, who goofily grinned in response, the Boston attendees—who have historically rejected their hometown superstar—started chanting "Tooth Fairy" at the crossover icon.

The moment The Rock dropped his microphone and left the squared circle, it was apparent that not only had Cena won the verbal duel for a consecutive week, but the live audience was finally warming up to him.

A live report from PWTorch.com confirms this:

"

The crowd tonight was very lively and the overall show was good and a lot of fun. The Rock was hilarious, but John Cena came out stronger.

During RAW, there was a strange mix of reactions to The Rock. When shown on videos, there were a good amount of boos, but after his "History Lesson" and his appearance, he got lots of cheers.

By the end of the show, Cena was over with the crowd, especially after Rock left. His heartfelt speech after RAW went off the air about his brother battling cancer won people over and he got a big pop in the dark match.

"

If the WWE's goal is to ensure a split crowd reaction heading into WrestleMania 28, then signs point to that becoming a reality in spite of the stacked odds.

In all honesty, who in his or her right mind could've envisioned The Rock being heckled as he stood face-to-face with Cena?

Undoubtedly, all the credit goes to the WWE writers for effectively revamping Cena's character in the last few weeks.

Unfortunately, it has been done by making The Rock look awfully weak in comparison as a past-his-prime performer who cannot get through a live promo without wrist notes.

It remains to be seen if the decision to cement Cena's legacy at the expense of The Rock's will bear the fruit the WWE is hoping for.

Follow me on Twitter @ImaanJK