The Rock's Rumored WWE Return Must Be Used as Bridge to Next Generation

If The Rock pulls on his Superman tights to save the day for WWE, it can't just be to better sinking ratings. He has to make at least one Superstar a made man.

As a transcendent star with both mainstream appeal and enduring adulation from wrestling fans, The Rock's presence on the WWE stage is hugely powerful. Just standing toe-to-toe with him will elevate an emerging star's career. And defeating him is among the holy grails that a current Superstar can seize.

That opportunity may soon arise.

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Wrestling Inc's Marc Middleton), company officials and The Rock are in the midst of serious discussions about doing something together by the end of the year. 

Don Feria/Associated Press

With WrestleMania season not yet in view, this is surprising until one reflects on Raw's recent struggles. Ratings have been low—Christmas-season low. Not even Brock Lesnar has been able to change that.

The Beast Incarnate showed up in Boston on Monday night and failed to move the needle. As noted by James Caldwell on Pro Wrestling Torch, "Monday's Raw scored a 2.35 rating, basically even with a 2.33 rating last week."

It appears, then, that WWE is going for an even bigger megastar to get those numbers headed in the right direction.

The Brahma Bull would certainly help with viewership, but he would just represent a Band-Aid for a deeper problem. How long would The Rock stick around? Once WrestleMania 32 is over, he'd surely head back to Hollywood.

So while he would bolster the present, WWE has to also be thinking of how to best use him to build for the future.

If he and Triple H work together, as is rumored by F4WOnline.com (h/t Wrestle Zone), their rivalry would have massive amounts of star power. However, it would do nothing for WWE moving ahead. Once they have their final showdown, they would both return from where they came, with no one left to benefit from the boost their story created.

WWE cannot just have The Rock tangle with the top, already-established guys. Lesnar, Triple H and John Cena don't need the kind of career-altering effect a feud with him would have.

The company, as Daniel Bryan pointed out recently, has a bad habit of putting these kinds of guys on two different planes.

In an interview with Abu Dhabi's the National, Bryan said, "There is almost this mentality these stars are bigger than the current stars, and they keep going with the mentality when the guys now are every bit as good as the guys from before, it is just they need to be given the platform."

A program with The Great One is the kind of platform that he's talking about.

Put Roman Reigns in there against his cousin. Have The Rock and Rusev go to battle, building off their previous confrontation. Show off Seth Rollins' destructive power by having him leave The Rock hobbled.

WWE has to pick who will lead the next generation and make a sustained effort to elevate them. That includes taking risks by putting them in big spots. That includes letting them be the one to trade haymakers with The Rock.

As Bleacher Report's Matt Camp said, WWE committed to Steve Austin as he rose up the ranks. The company remained patient as his star grew. It had him collide with the two biggest stars of the time in Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels.

Having someone cross paths with and ultimately topple The Rock would be that same kind of commitment.

That would make a major statement about the place of Reigns, Rollins or whoever gets that role in the company hierarchy.

The Rock's potential return has to be seen as a chance to pass a torch. That won't happen if he's handing it off to someone who already has a torch of their own in hand.