WWE: A Look At Becoming A Successful Third Generation Superstar (Part 1)
By Jason Russo
@jasonrusso25
WWE Official Facebook Page
As a third generation superstar, there are so many expectations for someone who has wrestling in their blood. Sometimes the expectations become so high that they interfere with a current superstar becoming successful. It takes a lot to become a star in the WWE; it takes even more when one’s relatives have had success as a WWE superstar. If we look at the examples of the success rate from third generation superstars, we can see what has made them a superstar, or what can make them a successful superstar if they have failed.
One of the most famous examples of a third generation superstar is The Rock, who arguably is the biggest superstar of all time in this industry. His grandfather “High Chief” Peter Maivia was one of the biggest wrestlers in the 1960′s, eventually being enshrined in the WWE Hall of Fame in 2008. The Rock’s father was Rocky Johnson. Johnson made history during his time with NWA in the 70′s and 80′s, and he became part of the first team of African Americans to win the tag-team titles. With all the heritage laid out for him, The Rock debuted as Rocky Maivia and began to be pushed as a third generation superstar, despite his little wrestling experience. While Rocky was given a run with the Intercontinental Championship and was being pushed as a face, he generally was not liked very much by the fans who kept chanting things like “Die Rocky, Die” and “Rocky Sucks” during his matches.
Finally, WWE gave Maivia a heel turn when he joined the Nation of Domination. It was during this time he started referring to himself as The Rock, as he insulted the superstars and audiences alike to get over as heel. After a couple of feuds with the Nation, The Rock started to feud with Mark Henry, which led to the demise of the Nation of Domination. As soon as the Nation disbanded, The Rock turned face due to the increasing popularity with his promos. He later would be known as the “People’s Champion.” It was after this moment that the Rock began to create a legacy in his own way, separate from his family. As soon as he was able to break off from the Maivia angle and allowed his personality to shine, both in and out of the ring, he quickly became a fan favorite and was over with the crowd. This led to the start of many championship runs and has made him one of the greatest ever and the face of the attitude era (along with Stone Cold Steve Austin), which many refer to as the greatest era in WWE history.
The Rock has easily succeeded the previous generations before him, creating a legacy all on his own, apart from his father and grandfather. If the Rock had stayed with the ‘Rocky Maivia” angle, perhaps he would have never had the freedom to show the world how charismatic and entertaining he really is.
As we can note with the Rock, his success cannot be linked to the previous success of his family, but can be linked as an individual success that comes directly from his outstanding wrestling skills and charisma. The Rock is fully responsible for his own success. He has had the groundwork laid out in his genes due to his family, and has put them to good use. Due to his success in wrestling, he has been able to branch off and become a Hollywood star as well, even furthering his legacy; this is something I don’t think Peter Maivia or Rocky Johnson would have ever been able to accomplish. His presence is still felt in the WWE, as he was most recently in the main-event of WrestleMaina 28 and 29. The Rock also was responsible for being the man to change the WWE Championship for the first time since 2005.
The most electrifying man in sports entertainment has forever left his mark on the industry and will be talked about for generations to come as one of the best ever.
In Part 2, I will be discussing what has made Randy Orton a successful third generation superstar, despite sharing the same name as his father and his grandfather.
Jason Russo is a professional wrestling writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on twitter @JasonRusso25 and “Like” him on Facebook.
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