What WrestleMania 28 Will Mean for Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson

I haven't had time to write many articles this year, which is disappointing. I have wanted to talk about the legacy of my favorite wrestler, The Great One himself. Now that I have a little time, I'd like to discuss the question: Is he one of, or the very best ever?

Certainly he was at least No. 2 during the Attitude Era. Stone Cold Steve Austin ushered the era in at WrestleMania 14. It ended with the two of them doing battle for the second time at WrestleMania 17.

But a couple of years after, with nine championship reigns under his belt, The Rock left for Hollywood and pursued his dream as an actor.

I always have said that had The Rock stayed, he probably would have gone down as the greatest wrestler of all time. His mic skills, charisma and mainstream appeal are unmatched by anyone in the industry.

He left at the age of 31, with a Hall of Fame resume, when most wrestlers are just starting to hit their peak and compete for their first championship.

I have considered writing a "what if" article, detailing a hypothetical career path for The Great One had he not left. Surely Rock, and not Cena, would have been the wrestler of the decade, had he not left.

He would have certainly participated in several WrestleMania main events and probably would have won at least 2 or 3 of them (to this date, The Rock has never won a main event at the grandest stage of them all).

He certainly would have challenged The Undertaker and possibly even ended the streak by the middle of the decade.

With two world titles floating around the WWE, he would have certainly broken Flair's record. I predict he'd be around 18 or 19 by now, with a shot at 20 before he retired. 

Incidentally, had he stayed, he probably would be about 2-3 years from retirement, as the injuries from competing in the ring would have taken their toll.

But now, The Rock has a real chance to solidify his legacy. Nobody has ever come back from an eight-year hiatus to main-event WrestleMania. All The Rock had to do was host WrestleMania 27 to bring the buyrates back over 1 million (with no Shawn Michaels or Money in the Bank match).

If The Rock puts on a five-star classic with Cena and makes WrestleMania 28 the most purchased pay-per-view of all time, I think that puts him above Austin or Hogan. It would be a simply unprecedented accomplishment for a match with unprecedented buildup.

There are a lot of younger stars on the rise. CM Punk may be a big draw in the future. Zack Ryder and Dolph Ziggler have stars that are shining brightly. But none of them will ever touch The Rock; none of them will ever touch the Attitude era.

Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker might have the most longevity and respect in the business, but neither of them were ever the superstar attraction that Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is.

I believe his only competition is Austin, and he could pass him at WrestleMania 28.