As simplistic as this seems on the surface, this was a brilliant skit done by The Rock and "Kid" John Cena. There are multiple reasons for this:
- Timing. While these taped skits have provided plenty of material for Cena to use against Rock in his silly raps, they do allow for luxuries not enjoyed by doing such skits live. Proper placement and timing, along with editing, being the most prevalent. The eyebrow from Rock and subsequent sigh directly after the music stops after "Kid" Cena came in and embarrassed himself was money.
- The acting. Dwayne Johnson is no Al Pacino and he'll likely never reach any great heights but he's miles ahead of John Cena in the acting department. This spot gave him a chance to showcase that in a controlled setting, complete with a script and someone to play off. What makes it even better, is the kid was also a better actor than Cena. Which bleeds into the next point.
- Subtleties, such as the "Kid" Cena doing better in this promo than Cena has with any of his throughout this angle. Another is when Rock points out that Cena will never have muscles like him no matter how hard he tries. Considering Cena is a notorious bodybuilder who prides himself on his physique, that little jab is a lot more than a throwaway line in a show opener. Oh and the guitar in the background? Not a coincidence.
- The Rock actually addressing The Miz in a meaningful way. This is important because even though Miz is the champion, I'm not sure I would really consider him over. And there is no better guy to help get him there than Rock. Proof positive was Miz coming out during the main event dressed as "The Great One" and emphatically taking Cena to the cleaners. They'll need to pay it off bigger than that later, but at least he's actually in the game now.
This isn't to say there weren't aspects that left much to be desired. Funny skits, as beautifully done as this one was, will never be an acceptable substitute for actually being live at the arena. That's simply not going to change. The goofy music when Rock addressed Miz was also unnecessary. It was designed to give the promo a more serious tone but ended up having the opposite effect.
All said, business is picking up and we're just three weeks away from WrestleMania. Which means it's almost time to get them all in the ring at the same time. I just hope this program continues to progress at its current rate. They've done great with the build so far. Here's to hoping they finish as strong as they've started.