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/wrestling /guests /Monestime |
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/wrestling /guests /Monestime |
| Guest Columns | Ron Monestime |
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RON'S RAMBLINGS Digging Beneath the Surface of the Rock What's up, people? I know this isn't my normal turn in the rotation but I felt the need to speak out on a subject I've given quite a bit of thought over the past year; more so, in the past couple of weeks. The subject of this impromptu article is none other than Dwayne Johnson; better known to the general population as The Rock of the World Wrestling Federation. The question is, what more can I say about him that hasn't been said already? Well, I'm really not aware whether a piece like this has been written regarding The Rock and frankly, IT DOESN'T MATTER WHETHER A PIECE LIKE THIS HAS BEEN WRITTEN REGARDING THE ROCK!!!!!! (Forgive me, I need help.) If one has then all I'm doing here is putting in my two cents worth. If one hasn't then I'm proud to say I'm breaking new ground. Let me preface this by saying I've been a wrestling fan for practically my entire life; which is all of twenty-eight years. I witnessed the hatching of Hulkamania when Hulk Hogan dropped the Leg Drop of Doom on the Iron Sheik. I witnessed the classic matches between Nikita Koloff and Magnum T.A. for the NWA United States Championship. Heck, I even witnessed the days when the Universal Wrestling Federation was on par with what Extreme Championship Wrestling is today; an underground alternative to the Big Two of professional wrestling. I loved wrestling then, I love wrestling now, and will love wrestling until the day I'm six feet under. But in my entire wrestling experience, I've never had the joy of watching a wrestler quite like The Rock. Which I'm sure is the case for many wrestling fans out there, but there's more to my enjoyment than meets the eye. The reason why I love The Rock so much is not for his catch phrases or his athletic ability; but for the simple fact that he's African-American. Believe me when I say, this is not to knock all the other African-American wrestlers out there in any way, but The Rock is something special. I've been a huge fan of The Rock's from the Nation of Domination days when he wasn't quite so popular. He just had a way about him that teemed with talent. He was good-looking, athletic, and, most of all, he carried himself as a man with intelligence. Not to say that guys like Farooq, Ahmed Johnson, Booker T. et al don't have intelligence. What I'm saying here is that all the other African-American wrestlers I've been exposed to are or were portrayed as pimps (The Godfather), street thugs (The Gangstas), or militant black leaders who really didn't have a clue (Farooq and Ahmed Johnson). The Rock was the first one I saw who could have an impact like no other. And, needless to say, he didn't disappoint. He carried himself so well that not only did he become the first African-American World Champion in World Wrestling Federation history, he was the front man for Vince McMahon's Corporation in its hey day. In my opinion, he had arrived long before then but these accomplishments validated what I already knew. No other African-American wrestler has had the impact The Rock has. Friends, I'm not trying to turn this into a black and white issue. I know, too late, right? My whole perspective is that The Rock is arguably the most popular wrestler today. And he's done it in a Caucausian-dominated wrestling industry with not only athletic ability, but looks, charisma, and intelligence; with the emphasis being on intelligence. The character of The Rock is definitely not a role model. But when you look beneath that, at what Dwayne Johnson's done to elevate himself to this almost legendary status, THAT'S something to be admired by the younger African-American generation. Well, that's about all I've got to say. If you want to reach me to tell me that I don't my elbow from my arse or just to give me thoughts on the matter, the address is Rmonest106@aol.com. I look forward to hearing from you. Ronald Monestime freelance Mail the Author |
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