WWE WrestleMania 28: 5 Things the WWE Doesn't Want You to Know About The Rock

Dwayne Johnson's return to the WWE for WrestleMania XXVIII has definitely been rocky at times as John Cena and the WWE hype machine have launched a not-so-subtle smear campaign against what they want fans to believe is a Hollywood phony. 

There has been palpable jealousy and pettiness displayed this WrestleMania season by uneducated jobbers, insecure figureheads and/or myopic toy soldiers all at the expense of The Rock. 

Such trivial animosity is enough to make any other Hollywood megastar in a similar situation dismissively throw his hands up in frustration before walking onto the health-insured set of his next movie. 

Lucky for the WWE, The Rock loves pro wrestling too much to do such a thing during a period where they need him most. 

It has become quite apparent during the WrestleMania buildup period that the WWE simply doesn't deserve The Rock. 

They're like the redneck uncle who received part of his successful nephew's fortune, yet when they ran into hard times after becoming careless with their fortunes, they blamed The Rock because he didn't give them enough money.  But like a good nephew, flawed only by his allegiance to a struggling family member, The Rock scratched Uncle Vince a check.  No questions asked.

And while many of the jabs at The Rock's Hollywood persona have been lobbied in character by John Cena in an attempt to sell WrestleMania, one cannot help but feel a sense of mean-spirited propaganda considering the rarity of a wrestler escaping the WWE's iron fist and creating his own brand only to return as a conquering hero.  

They hate it when that happens. 

Pro wrestling headlines have been dominated with controversy surrounding The Rock's return.  Superstars from all areas of the pecking order weigh in on how they feel about Dwayne Johnson coming straight out of Hollywood and, in some cases, "stealing their spot."

What you're probably not reading are the headlines that make this alleged Hollywood phony more human.  Who he trains with, who he speaks to and what he still means to the WWE present day may be enough to surprise you. 

1. The Rock Trains with Curt Hawkins and Michael McGillicutty

So whose high-profile services has The Rock sought out as he prepares to compete in his first WrestleMania match in eight years?  Surely, preparation for such a grand occasion cannot be dependent upon tutelage of just anybody.  Especially for an A-list Hollywood star like The Rock. 

TAEBO's Billy Banks, Tony Little, The Biggest Loser's Jillian Michaels or even Tony Horton of P90X fame are all suitable choices to head up Team Bring It given their highly touted fitness acumen, if not appear in Rock's camp simultaneously. 

Instead, The Rock has spent much of the past year participating in routine mat work with talented WWE understudies Curt Hawkins and Michael McGillicutty to get in the best ring shape possible. 

Said Rock of his training partners to the Miami Herald:

"

“I love Curt [Hawkins]. Curt’s been great. Joe Hennig [Michael McGillicutty] has been great, too. I’ve had a training camp for over a year now, and those guys have been tremendous.”

"

2. The Rock Has Been Known to Have Wrestling Rings at the Set of His Movies

Of all the high-maintenance demands you hear of rock stars and celebrities, from a glass bowl filled with 37 green M&M's to a bathtub of Fiji water and chamomile, a rather peculiar demand of The Rock has been to have a wrestling ring on set for the former WWE Champion to take bumps in between takes.

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, The Rock worked exclusively with The Miz and R-Truth in New Orleans while training for his return to the ring for Survivor Series.

Such dedication to his craft is certainly unbecoming of somebody who has been depicted as a self-serving, movie star who is ashamed of his past as a wrestler. 

3. The Rock, in Fact, Does Respect the Wrestling Business

The Rock's respect for the WWE and its fans has been called into question multiple times during his most recent comeback tour as John Cena tells anybody willing to listen that Rocky abandoned his millions by leaving when he was on top. 

The point can and has been made, first through simple logic then through publication, that John Cena is the last person who should be pointing a thick, propagated finger at The Rock for leaving. 

The Rock's last match in eight years with the WWE came at WrestleMania XX.  The following year, John Cena won his first WWE Championship match at WrestleMania 21, and the rest is history. 

There is an all-too-familiar stigma of the old wrestler who hangs around for a paycheck to the detriment of up-and-coming talent. 

The Hulk Hogans and Ric Flairs of the world are tragic personifications of just that as they continue to enjoy retirement at the expense of a second-tier wrestling company going nowhere fast.

Meanwhile, The Rock left while he was still well in his prime, leaving the door open for the likes of Batista and, yes, John Cena to ascend into superstardom. 

The Rock stepping away from the spotlight (not to mention doing a big job on the way out) was just as much an act of respect for the business that made him as it was the evolution of a superstar. 

4. The Rock Shakes Hands Backstage Afterall

Through his own mindless rants on what he feels are The Rock's bourgeoisie antics, CM Punk proved that while one can be an eloquent talker without an education, that does not change the fact that he is still uneducated.  

Among Punk's tattooed-covered dribble, all of which were also probably bad for ratings, one particularly poignant accusation was that The Rock doesn't demonstrate antiquated backstage etiquette of shaking hands with every WWE staffer upon getting to the building. 

Before asking Punk to explain this subsequent picture, debunking the myth of Rock being unapproachable backstage, perhaps somebody could ask CM Punk to explain why WWE star Sheamus seems to feel differently. 

Speaking with Jon Robinson of ESPN.com, Sheamus said of the Rock:

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“Rock’s been nothing but cool to me. I haven’t said too much to him, we’re all so busy backstage doing stuff for Wrestlemania, but I’ll be honest with you, Rock came over to me, shook my hand, and introduced himself to me from day one. When I see him on Mondays, I ask him how he’s doing, and he asks the same of me. I have no problem with him at all. He’s been nothing but cool to me. I have no problem with The Rock. He’s as cool as ice.”

"

A congruent exchange between Sheamus and The Rock during a Rock interview with ABC News sheds more light on The Rock's unnecessarily controversial backstage behavior:

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“Great match on Friday,” Rock told Sheamus. “I texted Chris (Jericho) on Friday. You guys killed it. That boot at the end, that was awesome.”

“Thank you, Rock,” replied Sheamus.

"

5. The WWE Will Probably Come Crawling Back Come WrestleMania 29

If all goes according to plan and WrestleMania XXVIII is the biggest WWE pay-per-view of all-time, rest assured that the WWE will come barking up the same tree that they tried to cut down this WrestleMania season especially with non-WrestleMania activity being a perennially stagnant enterprise. 

The seeds have already been planted as The Rock was front and center for the WrestleMania 29 press conference earlier this year, and a Rock vs. Cena rematch is not out of the question if this experimental social media feud proves to pay dividends.

Should The Rock return to WrestleMania next year, prepare for the embittered propaganda hype machine to refuel all while shamelessly benefiting from The Rock's irrefutable economic impact.    

Who is winning the war of words between John Cena and The Rock?  Tune into B/R Video to find out, and follow Big Nasty on Twitter @ThisIsNasty.