Ex-WWE talent was "blown away" by recent segment involving The Rock (Exclusive)
The Rock has featured heavily on WWE programming in the first three months of 2024. In an exclusive interview, wrestling producer and trainer Ace Steel gave his thoughts on The Great One's role in the recent WrestleMania XL Kickoff event.
On February 8, The Rock turned heel when he slapped Cody Rhodes at a press event in Las Vegas. It was also confirmed there that Rhodes will challenge Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania XL.
Steel watched WrestleMania XL Kickoff because his close friend CM Punk attended the event as an analyst. Speaking to Sportskeeda Wrestling's Kevin Kellam, the former WWE talent only had good things to say about the production:
"I put it on randomly just because Punker was on there, and holy cow was I blown away by that finishing angle," Steel said. "All of it, the way it was shot was just like a UFC weigh-in, but fight day or real fight time." [2:20 – 2:35]
Watch the video above to hear Ace Steel talk about his new wrestling school, his experience as a WWE Performance Center coach, and more.
Why The Rock's segment impressed Ace Steel so much
Ace Steel has been involved in the wrestling business for more than 30 years. He has wrestled for various promotions, including TNA and WWE, and trained wrestlers such as Adam Pearce and CM Punk.
Steel thinks The Rock's confrontation with Cody Rhodes is the perfect example of how wrestlers can make a scripted moment look real:
"The way it was treated, the realism that was given to it, I've always felt that way about wrestling. The story we wanna tell and the combat's gotta look real. Think shoot, but it's a work. I wanna believe. We can suspend disbelief. Whatever analogy we wanna put in, when you go watch a movie, you don't wanna see the holes in everything or a missed punch. You wanna believe, at least in that forum, that that's happening to that person." [2:38 – 3:03]
On April 6, The Rock will team up with Roman Reigns to face Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins at WrestleMania XL. The following night, Rhodes will take on Reigns one-on-one in the WrestleMania main event for the second year in a row.
Did you enjoy the WrestleMania XL Kickoff event? Let us know in the comments section.
Ace Steel's new wrestling school, The Foundation of Pro Wrestling, is set to launch in Orlando, Florida. You can find out more information about the school here.
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