Hey Scott,
Got a question I was hoping you could help with. I'm going through Raw week by week from 1999, and I was wondering if you knew why The Rock worked January to Wrestlemania wearing what looks like workout attire, as opposed to his normal trunks. I don't recall ever seeing this answered anywhere else, and it just looks...weird.
Thanks,
Landon
Well, Billy, when wrestlers or bodybuilders take a lot of a substance that we in science call "steroids" or "the juice", one of the side-effects is the development of a medical condition known as "man-boobs" due to the ratio of estrogen and testosterone getting put out of whack. Plus Rock is half-Samoan, and they're prone to that anyway. Just look at Rikishi. So in late 98, Rock had surgery done to correct that problem, and rather than walking around with scars on his pecs like someone who just had a boob job done, he chose to wear the track suit until they healed.
Moobus Enlargous is the medical term, I think.
ReplyDeleteIt's called Gynecomastia ... gym rats call 'em "bitch tits" actually.
ReplyDeleteThe Rock on Steroids? I am OUTRAGED! I call for his immediate disqualification from Hall of Fame eligibity!
ReplyDeleteI dug the track suit. Especially since Rocky was also rocking the greatest sideburns in pro wrestling history.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I'm not sure Rikishi's man boobs are cuz he's Samoan ;P
ReplyDeleteA common malady in Brahma bulls, I'm told.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Sideburns were so completely out of control at that point.
ReplyDeleteI've heard this story a handful of times in the last month or so and never heard this before. Definitley makes sense though.
ReplyDeleteI think the track suit ended up working well because it was right in the middle of his feud with Mankind where they fought a ton of no-DQ matches.
ReplyDeleteOh, Scott, why'd you give such a lengthy explanation? You could have left it at "Let's see how it plays out."
ReplyDeleteOh, yeah... I think Wild E. Coyote had that.
ReplyDeleteDidn't Rock acctually use that as an excuse for hitting Mick Foley with a chair so many times at the Rumble? That he was on so many painkillers from the liposuction that he got caught up in the moment and lost track of what he was doing?
ReplyDeleteI've never heard that before.
ReplyDeleteMade for a great alternative outfit in No Mercy.
ReplyDeleteI've literally not read or heard one word of that theory before.
ReplyDeleteWhile the sideburns wouldn't fit with his shaved head, I actually wouldn't mind seeing Rock bring back aspects of that character. There are so many people on the roster wearing jeans and their own t-shirt. Rock had a unique look with the gaudy shirts and dress pants.
ReplyDeleteUpon further research, I think the original source where I heard that rumour was Charlie Reneke's review of Royal Rumble 99. Make of that what you will.
ReplyDeleteI don't anybody on the roster owns clothes outside of their ring gear and licensed merchandise.
ReplyDeleteI suppose if you can't trust a self-aggrandizing windbag with no inside knowledge of the business for hot wrestling rumors...
ReplyDeleteThe wrestling nerd in me is always interested to know if there's some story behind a guy changing attire. I'm not sure why, I just like to know.
ReplyDeleteLike when Shawn Michaels switched to the pants. I assumed it was because his legs were getting thin and he had knee braces, but still, I was relieved to hear him confirm it on twitter. Yup, wrestling nerd.
I remember hearing about it at the time, it drove me insane wondering why he kept wrestling in his workout gear for three months. Also, Cena made mention of it during his rap on Rock before WM.
ReplyDeleteIt might seem like a little thing, but that's something that's missing now. Seeing how the character dresses outside of the ring gives some added depth. Jericho was a rock star, Austin was casual, The Rock was a flashy.
ReplyDeleteI remember this being all over the wrestling internet news at the time regarding the "bitch tits", and then being surprised years later when people still ask about it and appear surprised. I guess I assumed that it was hyper-notable and that everyone would remember.
ReplyDeletelike others mentioned, I too think the track suit looked terrific (and even better than when he switched back to his regular gear).
ReplyDeleteI hear ya. There was this one RAW back in 1996 or early 1997 where Bret Hart wrestled Vader and wore these predominately pink tights with no elbow pads (as opposed to his normal black with a bit of pink tights and elbow pads). I was baffled by the outfit. Bret didn't look bad but more I wasn't used to this look. It only lasted like a day.
ReplyDeleteAnd when Rock turned heel for the first time in 1997, he stopped wearing wrist-tape, which was really odd to see as most dudes wore it back then. Even Randy Orton stopped wearing it for a bit last year or so and it actually looked cool on him because his arm tattoos stood out more.
You are not the only wrestling nerd.
Agreed. I'm glad he changed back to the trunks when he faced off with Austin at Wrestlemania 15, though.
ReplyDeleteThose shirts were fucking awesome.
ReplyDeleteYou know, Rock must be a pretty tough dude considering he was having hardcore matches with Mick Foley while he was recovering from that liposuction. Probably didn't feel too good getting hit in the chest during those matches.
ReplyDelete$500 Shirt's!!!
ReplyDeleteOh, Vader is another one. When he was in WCW the "Vader Time" on his singlet was on the back, in WWF it was in the front. After closer inspection it might be the same singlet turned backwards, if that's possible.
ReplyDeleteI also wonder if guys discuss what they're going to wear ahead of time so they don't end up wearing the same color. Or if the Radicalz would planned their color scheme ahead of time since they tended to wear the same when they teamed up. Or why guys like HHH, Storm or Jericho switched to trunks. Or if Edge stopped wearing certain pairs of tights because he lost weight and they wouldn't fit him anymore. Or why Shawn Michaels broke out his WM11 tights once for a Superstars match but never wore them again.
I remember at No Way Out 2001, Undertaker wore an outfit just like his Ministry outfit but never wore it again.
"Thats a hundred thousand dollars!! That's 5 new shirts for The Rock!"
ReplyDeleteClassic
I knew a guy in high school who was heavily influenced by The Rock. Same hair cut, same sideburns, and the most flashy shirts he could find.
ReplyDeleteI loved the workout attire. It was very "I'll beat your ass, and I'll be comfortable doing it."
ReplyDeleteTrue or false: his tattoo was expanded to cover part of his chest region so as to cover the presence of scars from having more liposuction done? Heard that as a hypothetical before, didn't know if anyone had confirmation.
ReplyDeleteStorm wore a singlet in his recent ROH match. That guy will wrestle in anything.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, it really fit with the character's arrogance.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I remember it being all over the internet wrestling news at the time too.
ReplyDeleteDidn't Foley make mention of this in his first book - or was it from Beyond the Mat?
ReplyDeleteIf I can get in on the nerd action, it peeved me when Sheamus/Bryan was set because they seemed to now be wearing too similar red & black tights. Despite these two being very different characters it is still annoying when two main eventers are wearing practically the same tights. I actually noticed and was relieved when their tights looked more different at Extreme Rules (still n red & black I believe but not looking so similar).
ReplyDeleteHogan's (and Dibiase's) alternate white outfit.
ReplyDeleteStorm has said that "the office" suggested that he switch to trunks.
ReplyDeleteThe track suit era reminds me of what a great heel The Rock was, (remember when he didn't even bother to take off the expensive silk shirt because he thought Kane was just going to lay down for him?)
ReplyDeleteHow about the uproar over Cody Rhodes NOT wearing knee pads? There was actually a "True/False" on 411 mania about it.
ReplyDeleteIt actually used to irk me when I see a wrestler who is "allegedly" not scheduled to wrestle just show up in wrestling attire.
ReplyDeleteThat he bought from only one place in Miami, which he once went to in a home video release. Those things were so bad they were good.
ReplyDeleteHogan's white outfit is Thunderlips/Japan Hogan into Eye of the Tiger, correct?
ReplyDeleteCo-sign. I was going to make a similar comment but didn't want to come across as arrogant or "know-it-all."
ReplyDeleteI kinda miss ol' so-and-so. Him and MRoberts
ReplyDeleteActually, the reasoning for that is that the wrestler always wants to be prepared should he be stuck in a match on a moment's notice. I remember that being associated with Benoit for some reason, esp. during his push from the '04 Rumble to WM XX.
ReplyDeleteThough I will admit that when I was at No Way Out '05, when Batista ran in at the end of the show, I thought it was weird he was in trunks. This was when they had separate shows for each brand, and he was on RAW at the time. Maybe he was just sending a message since he hadn't chosen his WM opponent yet.
LOVE this discussion. Thought I was the only attire mark out there!
ReplyDeleteAn example I used was Cena's firing during the Nexus feud. He would just show up at ringside with his kneepads on. Now I know his wrestling gear and street clothes could be one and the same, but the kneepads? Ric Flair showed up at a Wrestlemania dressed to wrestle and he wasn't scheduled. Mean Gene brought it up to him as well.
ReplyDelete...and don't get me started on the Ultimate Warrior.
I hear this complaint a lot but it never bothered me. The way I see it, guys show up to the arena and they get changed into their gear. Like all of the guys on a sports team who have no chance of playing....they still get into their uniform and gear when it's time for the game. That's how I viewed it, anyway.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Back in the day, the only guys you really saw wearing their shirt were Hogan and Piper. Now, EVERYBODY does. It drives me MAD when Alberto Del Rio comes out wearing a t-shirt and scarf. His whole deal is that he's this super rich guy who drives cars that are hundreds of thousands of dollars. And then he's wearing a $20 t-shirt?
ReplyDeleteEqually bad is that this t-shirt era has eliminated entrance attire. It feels rare that somebody has a real kick ass entrance attire. Guys like Christian, Shawn Michaels, Kofi Kingston, and Zack Ryder used to have cool entrance gear. Now, they always just wear a t-shirt to the ring. And guys like Bryan and Miz rarely wear their ring jackets. Cody seems like the only one who maintains his entrance attire.
The only time we'll really know for sure is after the autopsy.
ReplyDeleteI liked the sleeveless Rock shirt and track pants he wore for halftime heat. Anyone else think Halftime Heat should have been an annual tradition?
ReplyDeleteThe difference between the teens and 20 year olds and the 30 something fans such as myslef.
ReplyDeleteFlair showed up at summerslam 92 with his attire on, not wrestlemania. Love the "well billy" shoutout scott!
ReplyDeleteThe Rock did not look like he was on roids or hgh until this past year. There was a ton of babyfat on him back in the day (96-99) and a lack of abdominal definition (the guys on roids tend to have torso muscle definition but with a more bloated look).
ReplyDeleteAnd to answer Ryan Murphy's inquiry, the tattoo is firmly entrenched in his Samoan heritage, family line, accomplishments, and general quality of life. The tattoo's story/size increases as his life progresses.
I looked up his match with Mankind in December, his last before he started wearing the suit, and I didn't notice a huge difference in how he looked.
ReplyDeleteI noticed that to, and thought it was odd that Sheamus would switch to a color that doesn't really suit him and it would happen to be close to the color his opponent happens to wear. I like Sheamus better in black/green.
ReplyDeleteI put way too much thought into it. Just one of those little details nobody really talks about. I was oddly happy that HBK explained why he wore those ugly tights at Survivor Series 2002.
ReplyDeleteThat reminded me of a funny Edge&Christian and Foley skit where they bitched about not having a locker room, and Foley says even when he was WWE Champion he didn't have his own locker room. And their reply was "You never changed your clothes. You just wrestled in what you were wearing."
ReplyDeleteI noticed how entrance attire seemed to disappear while watching some old matches. In the mid 90's vests seemed to be the style. Austin, Pillman, Benoit, Jericho, Malenko, Sid, all wore them, plus Michaels various outfits. I loved Christians track suit attire, the Team Angle track suits. I don't know why Miz, or even Edge, didn't always wear theirs. Maybe when they had a new shirt to show off, or didn't always take it with them. I can't see long leather jacket's being easy to travel with.
ReplyDeleteSimilar to your complaint with Del Rio, was when Triple H was doing his Ric Flair impression from 2002 to 2005. He'd wear the suits, with the styled hair, clean shaven, and every now and then he'd be wearing a Motorhead shirt, or his own merchandise which looked Motorhead inspired with the skulls and crosses. It just didn't seem to fit with what he was doing at the time.
I liked with Punk would wear different shirts. Like the Charles Manson one or the Steve Austin one. I always find it lame that grown men will wear t-shirts with their name, or better yet, a picture of themselves in tights, on it. I don't mind if if they're wandering around in their ring gear because they have a match coming up but if they're just hanging around the arena on a night off don't they have clothes with them that aren't their own t-shirt they get for free?
I'm surprised they didn't, considering their need to attach themselves to pop culture and feel included.
ReplyDeleteIve heard Hunter wants upper tier guys to wear short black tights because typically many 'main eventers wear black tights' (HHH, Austin, Goldberg, Jericho, Punk, Lesnar, Rock - kinda , etc).
ReplyDeleteObviously theres many others that didnt wear short black tights and their unique ring look seperated themselves from the rest (Hogan, Angle, Hart, Savage, Michaels, Taker, I wont include the atrocity that Cenas ring attire is but you could) so it doesnt make much sense to me.
Sheamus should go back to predominantly green tights for obvious reasons.
And you can also see the influence on todays stars really strongly: Orton, Barrett, Rhodes, Miz, etc. Lets all look the same! :)
ReplyDeleteCena said on twitter a while back he was retiring the jean shorts, then he switched to the shorter, tighter camo shorts. Seems he's back to the jean shorts. He just can't seem to let them go. At this point he's so far removed from the rapper character I don't see why he still clings to them.
ReplyDeleteI liked his long tights a lot better. Of course he wasn't a dancing jobber when he wore those, so that may explain the good memories.
ReplyDeleteIt annoys me that professional wrestlers show up to a wrestling show, put on their gear and then act shocked or angered when they're put into a match. That's one thing I find outdated - the whole thing where the GM makes the matches during the show to punish someone or because they got into a fight. What do they do all day? Nobody ever has a conflict during the day that results in a match being made hours in advance? It's like the Dodgers practicing and Bud Selig showing up with the Pirates and telling them they have a game right now.
ReplyDeleteI think that tattoo is supposed to be the story of his life or something, some Samoan type of tradition. It gets bigger as he gets older.
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of shorter guys wear long pants to make themselves look taller as a kind of optical illusion, too. Same reason a lot of them have a big vertical stripe along the side, too- didn't Sean Waltman always have those?
ReplyDeleteHeel Rock > Baby Face Rock by a million miles!
ReplyDeleteThe only attire I really ever thought about was HBK's. I was sad when he stopped wearing the ones with the hearts everywhere and switched to that weird chaps look late in his career.
ReplyDeleteI like to call it Samoan Bitch Tit Syndrome
ReplyDeleteFoley said in his book that it was partially his own fault. The way the match was set up, Rock was going to hit Mankind three times in the ring, and then twice outside. However, Mick kept drifting around the ring after the third shot, and Rock got confused and kept hitting him to cover for it.
ReplyDeleteThere are a lot more people that need to switch to long tights. Alberto Del Rio is actually a pretty tall guy but the trunks make him appear shorter than he is, I think. If you look at pictures of him in his Dos Caras Jr. days in long tights, it suits him.
ReplyDeleteA lot of it just comes down to wrestlers wanting to show off their physiques more, so they wear short trunks to accentuate their thigh muscles. One thing I really like in this vein is when a guy has huge traps, like Ryback or Scott Norton in his day, they wear a singlet with a really low neckline, so you get the visual of the straps being stretched across their trap muscle and it makes it look like he's busting right out of his outfit. Kinda sacrifices the view of the ab muscles but I'm sure in some cases that's a plus.
Hey, I see we all like the workout clothes that The Rock used, but I was wondering what was the brand name of the workout pants with the 2 stripes? PLEASE someone help me!!
ReplyDelete