5 Scenarios for The Rock's Reign as WWE Champion

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is scheduled to return to the squared circle at the 2013 Royal Rumble and challenge for the WWE Championship.

Whoever the champion may be at the time, many are expecting The Rock to defeat that man and claim his eighth WWE Championship. 

The Rock as champion poses many interesting story lines, as well as obstacles the company faces due to him not being an active member of the roster full-time. 

While his run with the title may be short-lived, there are five ways to have The Rock's reign historic and keeps fans interested during WrestleMania season. 

Win at the Rumble, Lose at WrestleMania

The first scenario is what most fans expect to happen. They also expect CM Punk to be the man The Rock defeats for the title at the Royal Rumble and have him defend it at WrestleMania.

John Cena has been rumored to be The Rock's opponent at WrestleMania, but this remains to be seen. 

Having The Rock win the WWE title at the Royal Rumble sets up a great WrestleMania season and buildup to the big show. The key here for the company, however, is keeping The Rock and the title on TV for the fans to feel it means something.

Wrestling isn't the only thing The Rock has to worry about in the coming months. He is scheduled to promote upcoming movies Snitch and G.I. Joe: Retaliation. 

A WWE Champion needs to be in front of the fans and even defend his belt once for the fans to buy into his title reign, and this could be a problem for both the company and Johnson. 

If Johnson does manage to fulfill his obligations fully for the WWE and be a regular on television, his run with the title from January to April sets up a great rematch with Cena that not only has title implications, but personal ones as well. 

Since the Cena vs. Rock match was billed as "once in a lifetime" last year, the company needs to add another element of importance for the fans get interested in this rematch again. 

Lose at the Rumble, Win at WrestleMania

Reversing the ideology of the last point, having The Rock lose at the Royal Rumble would bring that surprise element to the fans expecting him to win. 

This scenario is all based on The Rock's deal with the company, which is rumored only to be from the Royal Rumble through WrestleMania. 

However, if The Rock were to be unsuccessful in challenging for the title at the Rumble, it gives The Rock and his fans a great hunt for a title match at WrestleMania.

This also gives The Rock some room to work with in terms of missing a few appearances to promote his upcoming films, all while keeping his quest interesting and intriguing. 

It also gives more importance to matches that may happen at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. The event is known for having the WWE Championship defended inside the elimination chamber, and fans having The Rock in the back of their mind throughout the match keeps it interesting. 

This scenario also gives The Rock's career a sort of emphatic statement towards the end, as winning his most likely last championship at the show of shows marks the glorified end to one of the greatest careers in wrestling. 

Win at the Rumble, Wrestle at Elimination Chamber

Many fans are overlooking the Elimination Chamber event as a possibility for The Rock to wrestle. 

If the stars align right, The Rock can participate at the pay-per-view and fans may get a treat in seeing him participate in his first ever elimination chamber match. 

If he were to win the title at the Royal Rumble, the former champion will no doubt be demanding a rematch to capture it back. 

That man may get his wish, although he may have to face more than The Rock to get it back. Having The Rock as one of the participants inside the chamber fighting for the title would be historic. 

As mentioned above, it would be Rocky's first time inside of the steel structure. Winning at the Rumble, successfully defending at Elimination Chamber and going into WrestleMania as champion would be quite a special run. 

Lose at the Rumble, Win the Elimination Chamber

This scenario also diverts from the fans expectations of The Rock winning at the Royal Rumble. 

It also surprises fans that don't expect The Rock to participate in any show other than the Rumble and WrestleMania. 

Having The Rock lose at the Royal Rumble sets up a great Elimination Chamber match packed with superstars on their quest for the title. 

Not only does it give The Rock one more chance to win the championship, it also gives him the opportunity to step into the ring with guys other than Cena or CM Punk, which would be a treat for the fans. 

As mentioned earlier, the fact that this would be The Rock's first ever Elimination Chamber match gives this all the importance it needs, but having him defeat more than one man to become WWE Champion puts the exclamation point on his eighth title win.

No Championship

It goes without saying, but The Rock does not need another championship run to make his career mean something. 

The Rock, as he has stated many times, has done it all in this business. Multiple title reigns, high-profile feuds and matches and a surefire Hall of Famer, The Rock has already cemented his legacy in professional wrestling.

Shocking the fans completely and having him be unsuccessful in all of his attempts at winning the WWE Championship gives his WrestleMania match another element. 

Fans will be going into WrestleMania asking themselves and one another if The Rock has it in him to win the big one just one more time. 

This is also The Rock's opportunity to elevate guys like CM Punk and John Cena to another level in their careers. 

If Punk and Cena are both successful defending the richest prize in wrestling against The Rock, provided Cena beats Punk between the Rumble and WrestleMania, it brings them a legendary status of their own and cements their careers in the business. 

This may not be the most popular decision amongst many fans, but it's a scenario that works because The Rock is a man who doesn't need gold, all he needs is the microphone and the ring.