>>16685662I would wager you are 100% misremembering. I don’t mean that as a slight on you but I’m also only a little younger than you and don’t have any recollection of Rock even leaving the company until he went to go film the movie in 2001 after Wrestlemania.
I mean are we still talking peak for peak in the Attitude Era if you’re bringing up Rock Hogan? Depends on where you feel the cutoff isn’t guess but even so, people weren’t anti-Rock at that venue because they hated Rock. Rock was over as shit in 2002 but you’re sorely understating the nostalgia on Hogan and how much people were STARVING to see him back in the WWF. Hogan WAS wrestling in his time. At that, by the end of the match the arena was deafening for Rock.
By the late 90’s and 2000 Rock was competing with and getting bigger pops than Austin. There was even a segment in 99 or 00 I believe where Rock was talking about HHH and Austin and the crowd boo’d the mention of the Texas Rattlesnake Austin. I realize that’s kind of anecdotal but I can find that if you really want to see it.
More to the point, personal input, I grew up on the AE too and where I lived it was INCREDIBLY split between Rock and Austin by even the late 90’s. My circle in particular were bigger fans of The Rock than Austin. Idk if it’s a regional thing but I never in my life grew up during that time seeing people not perceive Rock as the fucking man. Just didn’t see it.
