WWE Survivor Series 2011: The Rock Will Bring Fans Back but Won't Keep Them

The WWE is at a crossroads. The Rock's return is welcomed by fans young and old, but it's an odd venture when you consider what it will yield. 

Many fans that called the WWE home during the Attitude Era left en masse as many of the legends began to fade from the biggest name in professional wrestling. 

For the first time in years, older fans have their interest piqued as an old school type of wrestler comes back with all the charisma and charm he took in his retirement. 

The Rock is back, baby. That fact will have fans that left once the big names and superstars left the ring crawling back. Wrestling is a far different place. 

Names that polarize and engage are few and far between. The Undertaker, Stone Cold and others were just what fans wanted when the tuned into RAW or plunked down hard-earned cash for a pay-per-view event like they will this weekend. 

The wrestlers were bigger than life. Forget their booming voices, these guys were caricatures that made you feel something. 

One of the best and last of his kind was The Rock. The man has come back with a fervor that few can deliver. I am confident that WWE will have a banner day with PPV subscriptions nearing a record pace. 

That will follow a precipitous fall in passion for the sport. The fact is The Rock is a great marketing tool to boost ratings, but only for a short burst. 

Who besides John Cena is ready to capture fans in the way that the legends could? Those potential wrestlers are too few. Once The Rock leaves to do the movies that he has pending well into 2013, the sport will again wane. 

It is painful to consider, but the surge that The Rock is giving WWE will be short lived.