Friday, APRIL 4 - 9:30 A.M.

I understand why some veterans feel Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson could do more to give back to the wrestling industry. They're right when they say that he wouldn't be where he is today if it wasn't for the launching pad that WWE provided.

That being said, it was WWE that allowed his contract expire. Hollywood is a business just like wrestling. Rock has advisers who are telling him to distance himself from the product and you can't really blame him given pro wrestling's stigma, especially following the Benoit family tragedy.

If anything, I think WWE officials should feel grateful that Rock still speaks highly of the industry even if it does seem forced at times. After all, he could have just as easily used the fame he gained in pro wrestling, moved on to Hollywood and never looked back.

For that matter, Rock could have went to Hollywood, turned his back on the company, and then bashed his experience or, worse yet for WWE, spoke out against the company after the Benoit tragedy.

Rather, he's been a good ambassador for WWE over the years and defended the company to some extent when the media pressure was on following the Benoit murders. Yes, it works to his advantage to keep wrestling fans happy so that they'll still pay to see his movies, and he has seemed a tad insincere regarding his love for the business at times, but he could be a lot more aloof regarding pro wrestling than he has been.

The guy just showed up and delivered a lengthy performance at the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony. Granted, it was longer than some performers would have liked, but anyone who thinks his onstage appearance should have been focussed solely on inducting his father and grandfather into the WWE Hall of Fame should blame WWE officials. After all, his material was written by Raw writer Brian Gewirtz. In other words, he didn't choose to make the speech all about himself, he took direction from the company.

If you left your company tomorrow and took a job elsewhere, would you feel obligated to visit your old office every time you came back to town simply because they helped you get where you are? Probably not. You would probably be grateful for the experience and keep in touch with some friends, but I can't imagine you would feel obligated to give up your free time to stop in and work for them every six months or so.

Unless I'm missing something, that's what the wrestlers who are bothered by Rock are essentially expecting of him.

Agree or disagree? You are encouraged to send comments for a possible mailbag feature to dotnetjason@gmail.com.

Thursday, APRIL 3 - 2:06 P.M.

-Yes, I'm still buzzing over that Raw tribute to Ric Flair on Monday. I've enjoyed reading all the Flair memories that the Dot Net readers have shared. I just can't imagine any other wrestler generating this type of universally positive feedback from his colleagues and fans ever again.

-I'm sure Hulk Hogan would get plenty of praise if he ever decides to hang up the boots, but he also has plenty of detractors. Just check out how many Flair fans have badmouthed Hogan while sharing their Flair memories in the mailbag section. It's a shame that Hogan has damaged his own legacy in the eyes of so many fans, but he really did it to himself by letting his ego run wild all these years. While Flair is considered selfless by many people, Hogan's backstage politics and shameless approach to putting himself ahead of the business has turned of colleagues and fans alike. Hogan is respected for his accomplishments, but his "disingenuous" approach, as one source described it, will prevent him from ever getting the type of genuine outpouring of love and affection that Flair received from his colleagues.

-Shawn Michaels and Undertaker should get big sendoffs when they hang up the boots. They're both great performers and they're very respected by their peers, but they haven't matched Flair's 36-year body of work. More than one person has labeled Shawn as WWE's homegrown version of Flair and the expectations is that he'll get the full retirement tour and hero's sendoff when the time comes. One can only assume Taker will get the same treatment, as he might command more respect backstage than any wrestler in company history. I think the fans have a lot of respect for Taker, but I also believe his gimmick has prevented him from connecting on a personal level with the fans in the same way that Flair did.

-Speaking of Taker, the excuse that he feels he needs to protect his character and therefore does not sit with the other wrestlers at the WWE Hall of Fame is really wearing thin. He's a veteran and he's earned the right to do whatever he wants, but this whole business about protecting the character doesn't ring true when he's been shown sitting ringside at UFC events wearing t-shirts and a baseball caps. Hell, you can find footage of him hanging out backstage and discussing his enjoyment of UFC with Matt Hughes on WWE.com. There was a time when Taker's excuse was logical, but I think it's time to come up with a new explanation. I'm not suggesting he wear a suit and tie, but he could still dress the part to some extent and sit with his co-workers.

-So what type of coverage did Flair's retirement get in his home state newspapers in Minnesota? Not a single mention. He got some love from local radio station 93X, but the newspapers didn't even bother to mention his name. I even pointed out his retirement to a sports reporter I've dealt with in the past and tried to hook him on the story by pointing out his connections to local legend Verne Gagne, but no luck. It's amazing that some newspaper writers think it's news when 200 people gather to watch a high school retire the jersey number of one of their former athletes, yet they blow off an event that was viewed by over a million people worldwide.

-I saw multiple ads for TNA Impact during UFC's "Fight Night" on Spike TV last night. Well, actually, I just sped through them on DVR, but I did notice that Spike was giving Impact plenty of advertising.

-I have high hopes for tonight's TNA Impact. The company took a step in the right direction with the live show last week and I hope tonight isn't another classic example of two steps back. I intentionally avoided the results of the show since we didn't get a report, so I'll be watching the show with no idea of what to expect tonight. You're welcome to watch along with me by checking out my live coverage beginning at 8:00 p.m. (EST).

RECOMMEND THIS ARTICLE: