WFC Historical Archive: Watching from the front row tonight was a young 14 year old, captivated martial artist named Ronda Rousey. In this universe, witnessing a 215-pound light heavyweight effortlessly hit a clean Judo throw and transition instantly into a breaking armbar on a 425-pound giant became the exact blueprint that inspired her future, dominant signature combat style.
[[ RINGSIDE BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT ]]
JIM ROSS: “He tapped! He tapped! Rikishi had to give it up or his arm was going to be snapped like a dry twig! What a magnificent piece of martial arts mastery by Kim-Solo!”
JOE ROGAN: “JR, that was absolutely beautiful! Did you see that throw?! To throw a four-hundred and twenty-five pound man with that kind of textbook hip leverage is completely insane, man! And then the immediate transition right into the armbar? That is Olympic-level grappling right there. Rikishi had one tiny mental lapse, he got lazy with his arm for half a second, and Kim-Solo made him pay instantly.”
MICHAEL COLE: “Unbelievable! Kim-Solo punches his ticket to the Elite Final 8 for the second year in a row! But guys, it makes you think… what if The Rock hadn’t pulled out tonight? What if the Great One was in this ring instead of Rikishi? Could Kim-Solo have actually foiled The Rock’s legendary unbeaten WFC record?”
[[ WFC BACKSTAGE EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW ]]
Setting: The backstage corridor. The lighting is harsh. Michael Cole is standing holding a microphone, looking slightly nervous. Standing next to him is The Rock, wearing a pair of expensive designer sunglasses inside the dimly lit hallway, his custom $5,000 silk shirt half-unbuttoned, and a massive tribal tattoo peeking out. He is slowly pacing back and forth like a caged panther, radiating absolute charisma.
MICHAEL COLE: “Ladies and gentlemen, my guest at this time… he was originally scheduled to compete in tonight’s tournament preliminary, but pulled himself from the bracket to focus entirely on the undefeated Super Fight of the Decade against Stone Cold Steve Austin. He is The Brahma Bull, The People’s Champion… The Rock!”
(The arena crowd noise through the walls swells just at the mention of his name. The Rock stops pacing, turns slowly to face Cole, and raises one pristine eyebrow over the top of his sunglasses. He stares at Cole for a solid five seconds in complete silence before snatching the microphone completely out of Cole’s hand.)
THE ROCK: “Michael Cole, you stand there before The People, shivering like a little naked, hairless chihuahua, asking The Rock about brackets. You want to talk about tournaments? You want to talk about logs?
Let’s talk about reality. The Rock looks at the WFC tournament bracket, and what does he see? He sees a bunch of jabronis standing in a line, waiting for a little golden trophy. But The Rock? The Rock doesn’t play for plastic trophies, Cole. The Rock looks down the line, and he sees one man. He sees a bald-headed, beer-guzzling, redneck piece of trash named Stone Cold Steve Austin!
The Rock is undefeated. Stone Cold is undefeated. It is the absolute biggest money fight in the history of combat sports! So The Rock made the executive decision to step aside, clear the path, and let the rest of the world fight for second place while The Rock prepares to whip Steve Austin’s candy ass all over the arena floor!”
MICHAEL COLE: “But Rock, with all due respect, your cousin Rikishi stepped into your slot on zero notice to defend the family honor against the number seven pound-per-pound fighter in the world, Kim-Solo. And just a few moments ago, Kim-Solo executed a massive Judo hip throw and locked in an armbar, forcing Rikishi to tap out in seconds. What is your reaction to your family lineage taking a loss tonight?”
(The Rock’s face completely hardens. The theatrical smile vanishes. He steps directly into Michael Cole’s personal space, forcing Cole to lean backward as The Rock looks down at him with pure intensity.)
THE ROCK: “You think you’re clever, don’t you, Cole? You think you’re going to stand here in your little cheap Sears suit and talk about The Rock’s family?
Let’s get one thing straight. Rikishi is a four-hundred and twenty-five pound powerhouse. He is a warrior. He went out there on short notice, he fought like a man, and he stood toe-to-toe with a world-class martial artist. But he had a mental lapse. He got lazy for one split second, and Kim-Solo caught him. It happens. The Rock respects Kim-Solo. The Rock sees the data. Heck, The Rock looked over at the front row and saw a fourteen-year-old Ronda Rousey practically scribbling notes down like she just found the holy grail of grappling!
But Michael Cole… you ask what would have happened if The Rock was in that ring tonight instead of Rikishi? You ask if Kim-Solo would have foiled The Rock’s unblemished, undefeated record?!”
(The Rock slowly takes off his sunglasses, looking directly into the camera lens with absolute fire in his eyes.)
THE ROCK: “If Kim-Solo was standing across the canvas from The Great One tonight… there wouldn’t have been any Judo throws. There wouldn’t have been any armbars. The millions—AND MILLIONS—of The Rock’s fans wouldn’t be watching highlights of a submission! Because the exact micro-second that North Korean jabroni tried to step into the pocket, The Rock would have hit him with a Right Hand! A Left Hand! A devastating Spinebuster right into the canvas, followed by the most electrifying move in all of sports entertainment… The People’s Elbow! And the referee would have counted 1… 2… 3, and Kim-Solo’s number seven ranking would be flushed straight down the commode!
Kim-Solo is moving on to the Final 8, and The Rock congratulates him. Enjoy the bracket, boy. But as for you, Michael Cole…”
(The Rock turns back to Cole, putting his sunglasses back on.)
THE ROCK: “Take your microphone, turn it sideways, and stick it straight up your candy ass!”
(The Rock shoves the microphone back into Cole’s chest and walks off camera as the backstage area erupts in cheers.)