Dot Net readers chime in on whether Rock should feel obligated to give back to WWE

I have to first start off by saying I was not a huge fan of all of his ring work as "The Rock" but, I have been impressed by how Dwayne Johnson has carried himself over into mainstream entertainment. Surely the exposure and experience he has gotten from the WWE has helped him get into the door with much more ease then someone off the street and I would suspect the cut-throat nature of "Sports Entertainment" has also served him well behind the scenes of the movie business as well. All of that said the point has been made by others before but, I guess it has to be said again, he doesn't work for them anymore and isn't really obligated to do anything for the company per say.
 
This is where it seems wrestling (WWE in particular) seems very hypocritical when dealing with certain things. When "the business" wants something from someone they make it seem like a family that is being betrayed when someone "forgets where they came from." If something happens like drugs, legal troubles, or even death guys are written off and anything they do has nothing to do with them being wrestlers because they are "independent contractors".
 
The main reason for Dwayne Johnson to be at that Hall of Fame ceremony was to give back to two men who had everything to do with him even being alive and that is his grandfather and father. If he had not shown up at all then he would look bad as far as I am concerned. And I am sure that with his dealing now with companies like Disney is the only reason he even didn't get talked out of going was because it was family involved. One could also make the case that The Rock now being such a big mainstream name had a whole lot to do with Peter Maivia and Rocky Johnson even being inducted this year if not at all.
 
R Lloyd
Bronx, N.Y.

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Regarding The Rock, I think he's done plenty for the WWE. He has been nothing but exemplary in his actions as a wrestler and since he has become a movie star. He was never a big shot who was only out to enhance his own standing. He was always willing to help put over new guys and help enhance the company. He put over Goldberg at Backlash 2003 for the good of the company because he knew he would be leaving soon. He came back to help the Mick Foley vs. Randy Orton fued and even wrestled in a tag match at that WrestleMania (which he lost by the way). This was his last match as a wrestler and he never even demanded to win or anything. So I don't think you can really argue that he hasn't given back.
 
"He made sporadic appearances in WWE following WrestleMania, including standing up for Eugene, making a cameo appearance in his home-town of Miami and helping Foley turn back La Résistance. He hosted a "Pie-Eating Contest" during the Diva Search 2004 and ended the segment by giving Jonathan Coachman a Rock Bottom and a People's Elbow. After this appearance, Johnson reported in several interviews that he was no longer under contract with the WWE. He also reported that the reason he was able to continue using the name "The Rock" was part of a dual ownership between him and WWE.
 
He came back and made an appearance to hype the Vince McMahon vs. Donald Trump fued when he had no obligation to. And as you noted yourself, he provided a stand out performance on the mic for the Hall of Fame ceremony. Since 2004 he has been involved in eight movies and made appearances on TV shows. Now this is a huge commitment which requires huge amounts of time in different locations all over the world. So to ask him to just drop all of this is pretty ridiculous. I'm sure he would love to make more appearances but it's virtually impossible now. Be grateful that we got to see him in his prime, relish moments such as the Hall of Fame ceremony and enjoy his movies.

I don't think that he owes anything more to the WWE. I'm also pretty sure that he will continue to makes appearances now and then and if he doesn't it's nothing to get too worked up about. Also, whenever he's interviewed the subject of wrestling always comes up and he's always got positive things to say about it, which in turn promotes the WWE. So again, I don't think he should feel obligated to give back to the WWE.
 
Craig Anderson