“Stone Cold” Steve Austin, the Rock, and Mick Foley are three names, which have become synonymous with the Attitude Era, arguably the most profitable period in the history of the WWE. With the march to Wrestlemania 23 in full sway, these three superstars returning from their sabbaticals during a time when the WWE needs their name value the most may seem like an obvious move.
However, with Austin’s in-ring career over, the Rock’s obligations to Hollywood, and Foley being around mostly to plug his book, the impact of these returns look to be short lived. Having this in mind, whether or not these sabbaticals were ended at the best time possible must be called into question.
Utilizing an exaggerated version of his own personality, Austin fueled a reality based trend in wrestling that continues today and had a big hand in helping the WWF find its identity in the late 1990s. Still, despite his accomplishments, Austin is only a man and shortly after helping the WWF defeat rival WCW, the tolls taken on his body forced Austin out of action.
Ultimately, the reason Austin continues to be valuable to the WWE, nearly four years after leaving behind his role as an in-ring competitor, is his ability to connect with an audience through promos. From portraying the cold and calculating anti-hero, who feuded with Bret Hart to being a comedic heel during the 2001 WCW/ECW Invasion angle, Austin has conveyed a varied amount of emotions to onlookers.
Perhaps the diversity that Austin was able to lend to his character was the reason he was cast in the lead role in the upcoming film, “The Condemned.” With this in mind, it is perhaps more than coincidental that Austin would return to the WWE with his movie gearing up to hit theatres in late April.
In the grand scheme of the WWE, Austin’s return seems somewhat pointless as he is only being thrown in as the referee for what has been dubbed, “The Battle of the Billionaires” at Wrestlemania 23. For this reason and the fact that Bobby Lashley and Umaga, not to mention Donald Trump and Vince McMahon already have their own hype behind them, having Austin in the mix seems extraneous. Subsequently with as much focus on this match as there has been, the two title matches, topping the card feel weak by comparison.
If Austin needs to be brought back to promote his film then perhaps it would be more logical to use Austin after Wrestlemania. In this way the drop that the WWE has traditionally felt in losing viewer interest following the road to Wrestlemania would be less dramatic.
The Rock first came into stardom following a widely unpopular face run as Rocky Maivia, which began at the then WWF’s 1996 Survivor Series. Despite frequently being called a blue chipper by announcers, fans could not help, but chant “Rocky sucks” at the still green pre-superstar. After several months of negative fan feedback, the Rock finally went heel and joined the Nation of Domination, which resulted in him picking up a cult following. As Austin was still powering the WWF as an anti-hero, the Rock’s cocky heel persona became popular enough with the mainstream that he was able to turn face without losing his following.
The reason that the Rock continues to be a valuable asset to the WWE may be obvious in the fact that he has tremendous crossover appeal. Since, “The Scorpion King” came out in 2002 the Rock has been a noticeable force in Hollywood. While his subsequent films have not always been at the top of the box office, the Rock continues to land roles and draw in movie goers.
Having appeared in only one promo in 2007, saying that the Rock has made a comeback may be somewhat of an overstatement. Still after not appearing in any WWE storylines since 2004, the fact that the Rock appeared out of nowhere on WWE programming has done much more to feed Rock-starved wrestling fans than past years. The fact that the Rock made reference to the “Battle of the Billionaires” sweetened the deal considerably.
Since inching his way out of the shell he dawned as Rocky Maivia, the Rock has appeared to be a natural on the mic. While an in-ring return may not occur for a considerable duration of time if at all, the Rock has never been known for his great in-ring skills. While far from being a poor wrestler, the Rock has always articulated his greatest abilities rather than showcasing them on the mat.
Out of the three superstars, who have recently returned from their sabbaticals, the Rock is the only one, who has been away for multiple years as opposed to months. For this fact as well as his previously mentioned crossover appeal, the WWE will have to go to extreme measures to use the Rock in a counterproductive way.
Mick Foley made his in-ring debut in the mid 1980’s and worked for a variety of promotions including WCW, ECW, and IWA, typically under the name Cactus Jack. However, Foley did not gain his greatest fame until debuting in the then WWF under the persona of Mankind, a deranged outcast, who had been troubled since youth. Foley would later demonstrate the range of believable characters that he could play by making Mankind appear fun loving and eventually bringing back the hardcore nature of Cactus Jack.
Like Austin and the Rock what keeps Foley durable years after he has ended his full time participation in the ring is his ability to work off of a crowd. Unlike Austin and the Rock, Foley is still willing to get into the ring multiple times a year, more often than not working to put younger talent over.
The only downside of Foley’s return is the knowledge that like his past comebacks, it will be short lived and most likely all that will come of it is one good match at best. This would be better than could be expected for an aging and retired star if not for the fact that this formula has become predictable as in past years he has put over Randy Orton, Carlito Cool, and Edge.
In kayfabe the primary reason that Foley has returned to the WWE is to plug his new book, “Hardcore Diaries.” This is one of the many instances in which kayfabe overlaps with reality as given the constant mentions of his new book, whenever he is onscreen, few would say that his book is not being promoted.
Mick Foley is a name synonymous with wrestling. For this reason promoting his book without assistance from a wrestling promotion such as the WWE would be as illogical as hypothetically, “The Condemned” never being mentioned on WWE Monday Night Raw. Add to this the fact that Foley is still willing to work with the company and what becomes clear is that the WWE has a way to go before Foley becomes unprofitable to them.
The Attitude Era was a time in the world of wrestling that may never be duplicated. The initial rises of stars such as Stone Cold” Steve Austin, the Rock, and Mick Foley were experiences that may occur only once in a lifetime. Regardless of this possibility, for the most part, by using wrestlers of the past in supporting roles, the WWE is ushering in a fresh era with a base of fans both old and new.
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