After his amazing Triple Threat Match at Vengeance, The Rock has now become a seven time WWE/WWF Champion. I will confess right now, I am a HUGE Rock fan. In fact, I can attribute my current fandom of WWE product most to the actions of the Great One.

       I had been a fan of the WWF in the eighties as a child, a true Hulkamaniac. I watched the Saturday afternoon programs (even though the big stars never wrestled on them) right after watching Stampede Wrestling. I watched Rock and Wrestling, I would stay up to watch NBC's Saturday Night Main Event. I ate the Hulkster's shtick right up, and why not? I was a kid.

       But then I got older and disinterested in wrestling. I would remain uninterested until 1998, when my co-workers would watch wresting programs on the store's TV. At first I thought it was silly. then it was a welcome break in an otherwise boring day, and then, I got hooked. I got hooked on the stories, on the athleticism, the women, and the personalities. Of those personalities, the one that grabbed my attention most was the best damn Intercontinental Champion in WWF history (or so he called himself), Rocky Maivia. Rock was just ending his association with The Nation, with D-Lo, Mark Henry and Owen Hart joining him to face off against Degeneration X.

       The rest was history. Rock got his push, turned into the Corporate Champion and would go on to become the most electrifying man in sports entertainment. I went on to become a huge wrestling fan (again), so much so that I for some reason spend my time sharing my thoughts and opinions on the internet, even if no one may be reading them. So, you would think such a self-professed Rocky fan would have been thrilled with his triumphant return to Championship status.

       You would think, but I wasn't. Don't get me wrong, I'm still a Rock fan, and I was thrilled at his return and excited by his match. It was a fantastic match, probably the best Triple Threat Match I've ever seen (for a complete review of this and all matches, click HERE), but I do have a problem with Rock being WWE Champion. I know the ratings have been down, and having a Hollywood star as champion could help (unless, of course, that movie star is David Arquette). Plus, The Rock may be the only guy able to bring up enough interest in a Brock Lesnar-led PPV. Still, I think it sends the wrong message that Rocky can come and go between WWE and Hollywood and still be rewarded. He's only wrestled twice in the past few months, while guys like The Undertaker and Kurt Angle have been busting the asses trying to make things work in these trying times. Quite simply, The Rock does not deserve to be WWE Champion at this time.

       Ultimately, the decision to put the strap on The Rock could be a good one, but it all depends on what happens at and after Summerslam. If Rock is leaving after Summerslam, as widely reported, then not only is this a major slap in the face for the guys busting their asses right now, but also a portend to what many view as inevitable: Brock Lesnar becoming WWE Champion. That would be a bigger mistake than Rocky winning it now. Also, if the ultimate plan is for Lesnar to win the title, why not have Undertaker retain his title to prevent yet another one month champion. With every new champion, the Undisputed Title means less. Honestly, I think there's been more WWE Champions in 2002 than Hardcore Champions. Seriously though, with Rock we now have the fifth WWE Champion in seven months (Brock would become the sixth). Meanwhile there has been only four Intercontinental Champions (with five different reigns), six European title reigns (amongst five men), six Tag Team Champions (amongst five teams), five Cruiserweight Champions (amongst four men), and only four Women's Title changes (between three women). Besides the Hardcore Title, it seems that the WWE Championship is the easiest to win (even Rob Van Dam held it for a minute). This has to stop, and I don't think it has a chance to stop changing hands while in the possession of the busiest man in showbiz.

LITA- ONE MAN'S OBSESSION- I admit, I was in love with Lita. I also admit that this behaviour did become a bit of an obsession. I have since conquered this insanity, but you can still see pictures of the Team Extreme Diva, biographical info and random career facts, all presented while I was attempting to come to terms with the fact that I was in love with someone I saw on TV.

For more WWE content on this site, click on any of the following:

THE YEAR 2001- YEAR IN REVIEW- See how the superstars of the WWF stacked up using my rankings system for the entire year of 2001. Who was number 1, Stone Cold or Kurt Angle? Who were the top tag team, The Dudley Boyz or The Hardy Boyz? Along with my usual brand of commentary is new photos and stats for the year 2001, including title reigns and PPV information.

THE YEAR 2000- YEAR IN REVIEW- See how the superstars of the WWF stacked up using my rankings system for the entire year 2000. Who was number 1, The Rock or Triple H? Who were the top tag teams? Also, the title pictures for each belt from the WWF Championship all the way down to the Light Heavyweight Title, with my own commentary on each reign.

PREVIOUS RANKINGS- Ranking archives dating back to November 2000. Missed a posting? Want to track my biases? Find all past information here.

READER RESPONSES- Got an opinion? Share it with me by e-mailing me, and see your opinion posted, along with my response, here.

SITE AWARDS- Here I list the multitude of awards (who knows? Maybe one day there will be a multitude of awards) that WWE Rants and Raves has received.