WWE: Why Has The Rock Become a Business Disappointment?

When The Rock returned in early 2011, the WWE and its fans were sure the savior of professional wrestling had arrived.

While he did initially help move the profit-margin needle in terms of ratings and the WrestleMania 27 buy-rate, he hasn't really been a draw since his birthday celebration on Raw.

That particular episode on May 2, 2011 only did a 3.45 rating—a surprising decline from the previous week's draft-themed show which garnered a 3.47.

The following time we saw "The Great One" was on Raw prior to Survivor Series 2011; however, notwithstanding the fact it was the first time in six months we would see him live and in-person, that show only did a sub-par 3.25.

Another head-scratcher is that the Survivor Series pay-per-view itself, which boasted The Rock's first bout in seven years, barely did better than the event from the previous year (260,000 buys compared to 2010's 244,000).

Now as we approach WrestleMania 28, The Rock's Raw appearances in the last two weeks—on February 27 and March 5— have hovered around an underwhelming 3.1-3.2.

Suffice it to say, The Rock's presence on WWE television/pay-per-view has made little difference since WrestleMania 27—but why?

Five factors should be considered: first, the WWE has done a poor job of promoting The Rock's appearances; second, the creative team has not highlighted him in situations fans want to necessarily see him in; third, newer fans may not be able to identify with his character; fourth, his feud with Cena may not be as riveting as the company thinks; and lastly, the association with an inferior WWE product could be dragging him down.

Primarily, the WWE has not done an adequate job of advertising The Rock's live promos, let alone what was his first match back in seven years.

Despite what the WWE may deem appropriate, one week's worth of promotion has not been enough time to get the word out about The Rock appearing on Raw.

Not to mention, the company has been relying exclusively on their their website and television programs to let fans know.

In addition to that, the WWE should be implementing full-scale media campaigns by investing in more commercials and buying ad space on heavy-traffic sites like YouTube, for instance.

Even worse, the WWE did a horrendous job of promoting The Rock's return to in-ring action at Survivor Series 2011. Besides running a pre-made, uninspiring "Never Before, Never Again" ad, fans weren't sufficiently informed of how big of a deal it was to watch The Rock "lay the smackdown" again.

Next, the WWE creative team has not done a satisfactory job of booking The Rock, often times betraying the integrity of his character.

For instance, who wanted to see him team with his arch-nemesis John Cena to wrestle the grossly outmatched tag team of "Awesome Truth," anyway?

Not only was that joke of a match a foregone conclusion, but an insult to the intelligence of Rock die-hards who waited patiently to see their hero return to the squared circle.

Additionally, in the last two weeks, the bookers have undermined The Rock's character by having him seem over-the-hill in comparison to Cena. Again, fans don't want to see a subdued Rock; they want to see the icon who has built a reputation on smoking out his competition. 

Moreover, today's generation of WWE fans may not really know who The Rock, WWE wrestler, is.

In order to understand and "get" the larger-than-life juggernaut that became The Rock, one had to be around during the Attitude Era.

Viewers during that period understood why The Rock turned his back on the fans to begin with (i.e., the "die Rocky die" chants he received as a babyface) as well as how he evolved into a smooth-talking egoist.

The younger fans of today, who grew up on cut-and-dry characters like Cena, are unable to appreciate the nuances of someone like The Rock, who sprang from a very different time.

That being said, a few history lessons about "The Brahma Bull"—courtesy of the video production staff—could potentially remedy this problem.

Furthermore, The Rock's feud with Cena may no longer be the sure-fire business bonanza the WWE originally banked on.

Because we live in a world with never-ending sensory stimulation, fans don't have the attention spans they used to.

Thus, The Rock-Cena rivalry—which is now going on a whopping year—may have tired the audience's patience.

After all, what else can The Rock say to Cena, and vice versa, that hasn't been already said?

There are only so many times Cena can be compared to a box of cereal and Rock can be accused of being disingenuous before observers roll their eyes.

Finally, The Rock's WWE box-office appeal could be suffering as a result of his association with a filler-ridden product.

Besides the bookended segments on Raw or SmackDown, the rest of WWE programming is largely outside of the big picture.

Consequently, not many may be willing to sit through meaningless matches, failed comedy segments and endless video packages to see even The Rock.

With so many avenues of distraction these days, people aren't afraid to skip a channel or tune out if they're not being constantly entertained.

Could it be that mediocre talent—or performers booked to come across as insignificant—could be casting a dark shadow over The Rock's greatness?

All in all, lest The Rock becomes just another performer, it would behoove him and the WWE to retrace their steps.

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