He was a guy who fit in his era. His star power was off the charts and still is, however his work isn't all that great. The majority of his promos were catchphrases and pauses by 2000 and his ring work was basic to say the best. However he managed to make those little components into something great.
Fuck "in ring work". Did he not do enough backflips and cartwheels for you? He was fine in the ring and sold well. Also, for the catchphrasing bullshit, I don't think he "relied" on them much 'till around 2000 and later. He was still getting his shit over in 98-99 (when he was at his best). The Rock in his prime would destroy in ANY era. He would shit on lowlife CM Punk, Edge, Daniel Bryan, Batista, Orton, Aj Styles lol, Reigns, etc. I was going to add JBL, but I would've actually liked to see a JBL/Rock feud, the promos would likely be awesome. His mannerisms, his no give a fuck promos, his charisma, etc. It's nearly unmatched. There's a reason he's one of the biggest stars in ALL of entertainment, not just rassin'. Hell, if THE ROCK (not Dwayne Johnson) came back in 2016 and was allowed (or wanted to) SHIT on the roster he easily could and would. THE ROCK was an amazing character, kinda sucks Dwayne decided to kill it off or at least water it down. But it makes sense, he wanted to be more than just "The Rock". But that's another topic in itself, really.
1: Massive heat. I mark every time.
