The Legend wrote:DanielsonTHAGOAT wrote:Rock was really underrated in the ring. His forte in the ring was his selling, there's no question about that. Dude made the Stunner look like he got struck by death
You see I don't consider that to be good in the ring or good at selling. To me it is so phony and almost making fun of how fake it is. It's the same reason I will be voting against Ric Flair in pretty much every round moving forward.
Ric Flair? The guy who sold his ass off for everyone he ever stepped foot in the ring with, and made look a thousand times better as a performer afterwards, than they did before. Right. Okay.
As far as DiBiase and Rock go, it's a more difficult choice than I would have imagined. DiBiase is without question one of the greatest heels WWE ever created. One of the few people who can match him in that respect is Piper. I think the fact they both lasted so long during that era, as heels, in the same territory, is a testament to just how good they were as performers. His work prior to WWE is also exceptional. I don't think it's as simple as giving him the gimmick and the gimmick being the thing that got him over. It's like the Undertaker, nobody else could have played it and lasted half as long. Right guy, right fit, right time.
The Rock achieved more than most do in their entire careers, in a very short amount of time relatively. As a performer, he was extremely charismatic and garnered WWE a lot of crossover appeal in a time when the business was at an all time peak. I don't think you'll see that kind of appeal again in wrestling, at least not for a very very long time. As a wrestler, I'll agree the Rock was under rated. He knew his limitations and worked around them to tremendous effect. He was always so smooth and crisp as well, and the way he moved around the ring... He had an undeniable presence that made you pay attention. Not many wrestlers have that.
I'm a big mark for both guys, so it's a real coin flip. I think I have to go for the Rock just for one reason or another.
