WWE: Should The Rock Pull a Power Play and Refuse to Put John Cena Over?

Upon watching John Cena and The Rock exchange epithets week after week, one can't help but notice the parallels with another classic feud.

Fifteen years ago, Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart also played out their real-life animosity on WWE TV.

Like Cena and Rock, it was not only a rivalry founded on simmering tension that had a way of blowing up on the airwaves, but exacerbated by the inaction of Vince McMahon, who deemed it good for business.

The result was a back-and-forth war of words, and culmination in Montreal, that saw Bret Hart refuse to put the irreverent Michaels over, which led to "The Hitman" being forcefully excised from the picture.

Coincidentally, as WrestleMania 28 approaches, The Rock, representing the long-time veteran a la Hart, will clash with Cena, the brash performer with staying power a la HBK.

The long-awaited bout will transpire in The Rock's hometown of Miami, just like Survivor Series 1997 took place in Hart's home country of Canada.

Although The Rock's best days are likely behind him, he still has much to offer as a stalwart superstar in comparison to Cena, who has the company and a never-ending push in his back pocket.

Still, one would think Cena would be grateful for what "The Great One" has done—essentially returning when he didn't have to—but he has not.

Also, noted for being a selfless wrestler, The Rock, to the chagrin of many, probably came back with every intention of putting Cena over—a realization that's been lost on Mr. "Hustle, Loyalty and Respect."

While Cena is a far cry from the unruly Michaels in the 1990s, he has been disrespectful toward one of the most instrumental wrestling stars in history, The Rock.

Not to mention, Cena has done little to act as a leader and stem the irrational tide of backstage discontent toward his WrestleMania opponent. As Jim Ross has pointed out, why can't Cena (or CM Punk for that matter) see the the invaluable impact that The Rock brings?

Nevertheless, Cena has overstepped his boundaries as a professional, mean-spiritedly bringing up matters that were probably not meant to be broached.

For instance, Cena's off-the-cuff mention of The Rock's wrist notes on a recent edition of Raw was an unwise move on the West Newbury native's part.

Even worse is that, according to reports, the "promo notes" remark was not part of the show, which is not hard to believe given The Rock's all-too-real discombobulated disposition afterwards.

Suffice it to say, Cena's decision to utter a line that wasn't talked about prior to the show was both a show of irreverence and blatant unprofessionalism.

A week later, instead of finally playing ball, Cena continued to act at cross purposes, goofing around like a petulant child as The Rock was trying to deliver a serious promo to sell their match.

Yet, after having every incentive to retaliate on-air, The Rock played it cool during his "Rock Concert," making sure to accent any barbs directed at Cena with tongue-in-cheek expressions.

The ultimate act of revenge—which will never happen because he respects the fans and the business too much—would be for The Rock to completely no-show WrestleMania 28.

It would send a very concrete message that he didn't deserve to be treated as persona non grata by Cena, the locker room and especially Vince, who has blindly condoned the situation.

Apparently, the WWE Chairman has forgotten the fact that when he acted this way during the Bret-Shawn feud, it personally devastated one man and cast a seal of haunting opprobrium on the other.

But if there is one move The Rock can make, it would be to pull a power play and balk at putting Cena over.

After all, why should he reward the same man who has seemingly refused to collaborate with him on the road to WrestleMania? The same person who has failed to rally the troops in support of The Rock, who has made the noble decision to step into the ring when he could make more money on a film set?

Then again, The Rock may find himself being "screwed" in his backyard like Hart was if he refuses to lay down for Cena.

Unlike Hart, though, Johnson has a wildly successful acting career waiting for him on the outside as well as the cachet to rip the WWE in the media if it even crosses the minds of Vince, Triple H and co.

Thus, at the end of the day, the power lies in The Rock's hands.

The question is, does he use it or put Cena over anyway?

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