It was only 4 years ago that WWF fans had a very different opinion of The Rock from what they have of him now. Instead of nicknames such as "The Great One", and "The People’s Champion", fans constantly branded The Rock with nicknames such as "untalented", and "overrated". Instead of chanting "Rocky!", fans would chant, "Rocky Sucks!" Today, fans anxiously await his return to WWF ring action, so he can recapture the WWF Title. However, when The Rock captured his first title (Intercontinental) in February 1997, fans stated that he did not deserve to be Intercontinental Champ! Interestingly enough, the fans had these negative feelings toward The Rock during a time that he was a babyface!

Since the fans hated The Rock so much, the WWF turned him heel, adding him into the heel stable, Nation of Domination, in August 1997. The Rock had so much heel heat, that he went on to become leader of the stable in 1988. The Rock was a hated man, and therefore the leader of a heel stable was exactly where he belonged.

For some reason, however, the WWF later decided to push this young midcarder down the fan’s throats. The Rock was turned babyface and dumped from The Nation by his own followers. Soon after, The Rock was an event headliner, ultimately becoming a six-time WWF Champ. After becoming the WWF Champ for the first time, the fans began to get into The Rock, and they were into him more each time he won the title. The fans learned to love The Rock! They had no choice, since The Rock was now everywhere fans looked. They could not turn on a WWF-TV show or order a WWF PPV without seeing The Rock.

In other words, the WWF is basing their company around a talent that they had to force the fans into paying attention to. The WWF has tried to tell fans who to support in the past as well. The most memorable example would be The Ultimate Warrior. Don’t get me wrong, he was a great talent: Powerful, quick, agile, and did an excellent job at portraying a rampaging wildman. Just as the WWF has done with The Rock, The Ultimate Warrior was quickly thrust into main event status. In 1990, fans and wrestling writers alike were predicting that he would be "the next Hulk Hogan", meaning that he would be considered an icon of the pro-wrestling industry. As a matter of fact, Hogan jobbed cleanly and dropped the WWF Title to The Ultimate Warrior in a classic match at WrestleMania VI. This match was supposed to signify that Hogan was passing the torch to the Warrior. Fans at every WWF live event could be seen wearing Ultimate Warrior T-shirts. Fast forward 11 years later to the year 2001. Few fans remember The Ultimate Warrior, and those that do, hardly care.

Their Ultimate Warrior merchandise is now stashed in the corners of their closets, collecting dust. Other good examples of wrestling personalities who had their 15-minutes of fame and then faded away are Sable and Sunny. At one time, both women experienced instant status and recognition in which fans would proclaim, "She is the sexiest woman I have ever seen!" Now, as women such as Lita and Trish Stratus appear weekly on WWF-TV, fans now say, "Sable/Sunny who?" Out of sight, out of mind, and quickly forgotten. Sadly, this same fate may await The Rock. 10 years from now, The Rock may just be a memory, and saying, "If you smell what I’m cookin’" will be considered passe’.

This brings to mind the following scenario: What if one day the WWF booking team sits down and comes to the agreement that basing their company around The Rock would not be the most beneficial idea? Who should become the new chosen one? My pick is The Undertaker. In my opinion, he is the best talent that the WWF has on their roster today, but that is not the reason why I would base the WWF around The Undertaker. Being a great wrestler and performer does not necessarily draw money into the gate. My reason for doing so would simply be because fans love The Undertaker, whether they want to admit it or not. "A Decade Of Destruction" is more than just a catchphrase. The Undertaker is the only talent that has been in the WWF for 10 consecutive years. You don’t stay in the WWF for 10 years because you are nice to the boss and are respectful to everyone in the locker room. You remain a part of the WWF for 10 years because the fans are paying to see you, are buying your merchandise, and because you are making the bank account of Vince McMahon increase in size. The Undertaker has proven that he has lasting appeal in the WWF.