Matt O’Brien writes and maintains the Wrestleview.com poll every two weeks.
The eyes of the wrestling world were on Madison Square Garden this past Sunday when The Rock returned to the ring for the first time in over seven years. It has been said that wrestling is like riding a bike for some people. They can just hop back into it at anytime. However, seven years is a long time to be away from the ring. Just how would Rock do and would he live up to the hype? The most recent Wrestleview poll asked readers how they thought The Rock would perform. The results of that poll are as follows:
What are your expectations for The Rock’s in ring performance at Survivor Series?
He will be at peak performance 27.13% (870 votes)
He will show minor ring rust 58.78% (1,885 votes)
He will be a disaster 14.09% (452 votes)
Total votes cast: 3,207
With over three-thousand votes cast, the majority of voters believed that The Rock would only show minor ring rust. Nearly thirty percent felt that e would be at peak performance, which means very few thought he would be bad. Considering the length of time he had been away from the ring, that isa pretty good vote of confidence.
Rock has come and gone over the years. Starting in 2001, he would regularly step away from the ring for months at a time to film a movie, but always returned like he hadn’t lost a beat. In fact, he seemed to be more energized each time he came back. Was there any way he could come back as good as he was after being away for so long?
Rock last wrestled at WrestleMania XX when he teamed with Mick Foley to face Evolution. He then made his big return in early 2011 to hype up his appearance at WrestleMania. While he did get physical, he did not wrestle a match. It was very big news when Rock was announced as John Cena’s tag team partner for the Survivor Series pay per view. It was a homecoming for him as he debuted at the 1996 Survivor Series in the Garden.
The voting shows a confidence that fans have in Rock that they do not in other performers. While nearly sixty percent thought he would show minor ring rust, another twenty-seven percent thought he would be at peak performance. Fans expected nothing less than adequate. And why not? After all, if he had tanked the WrestleMania main event might be in danger.
The Rock takes his performing very seriously. There were reports that he was working with Miz and R-Truth prior to the match to get back into ring shape. Most people who saw the show were impressed with his performance. Some said that his lighter physique helped with is speed as he was lightning quickly. For The Rock, it felt like riding a bike. He got back on and made it look so effortless, even if he really has been working very hard the last few months to get ready for his in-ring return.
The best news out of this poll, and Rock’s Survivor Series performance, is that Rock will be where he needs to be for WrestleMania. John Cena vs. The Rock was already an intriguing match, but now it looks like the quality is nothing to worry about.
Thank you to all those who voted and be sure to cast your vote in Wrestleview’s current poll asking about WWE’s best 2011 pay per view!
Matt O’Brien
Columnist, Wrestleview.com
mattman5436@yahoo.com