QUESTIONS!
- Thread starter nbpsfc
- Start date
Answered on 9/28
I myself am a big fan of Mick Foley but I can't help but question his latest decision regarding the storylines he is involved in (regarding the 'kiss my ass' segment from Raw). I think he was put in a situation that was frankly embarrassing, no matter who he is trying to put over. I was wondering do you think he is just happy to pick up a paycheck nowadays? Also what are your views on him losing most of the extreme or hardcore matches he is in, despite him being the hardcore legend?
Unfortunately, I think Mick Foley's frequent "comebacks" have become repetitive and lost a lot of steam. I applaud Foley for putting over younger talent, but when he does it every time he returns, it begins to lose its effectiveness. I do think money is the main factor in Foley returning, and to be blunt, he hasn't exactly set the literary world on fire the way he thought he would following the success of his two autobiographies.
After reading the detailed report from the SummerSlam 2k6 main event, I'm a little confused... Buck Woodward says "Edge went to hit Cena, but Cena ducked and picked up Edge for the FU. Lita ran in, and jumped onto Edge's back, so Cena had both of them across his back." Did the referee see this or was his back turned, or was he baking a Pie outside of the ring or something? It seems if this happened in the ring and prevented him from doing his finishing move, isn't that grounds for a disqualification where so much importance was laid on the fact that the title could change hands on a DQ? If the ref missed it, ok... whatever. Just curious if anyone could clear that up?
Sure. The referee saw it, and didn't do anything about it. WWE defenders say that because Lita didn't hit Cena, then there shouldn't be a DQ. I say it is just WWE, once again, ignoring the "rules" to suit their own purposes. They wanted to so the spot with Cena holding both of them, and didn't feel the need to distract the referee, so they just did it and didn't bother mentioning anything about a DQ for it.
Apologies if this has already been addressed at some point with other WWECW tidbits. I'm just curious as to why Bill Alfonso has not been used in some capacity in Vince's ECW? I don't like Sabu speaking in promos but it's obvious that's what they want and perhaps they didn't feel like RVD needed a mouthpiece - not realizing how much Fonzie added to his character. He couldn't possibly come with a heavy price tag and he's a character they could use to at least get someone new over. Maybe even recreate the ref angle with him being the enforcer who makes sure that the old ECW crew don't rely on 'Extreme Rules' to win their WWECW matches. He is after all an "experienced referee" like they desire. Do you have any idea why he hasn't been worked into their show?
From what I understand, while WWE wanted to retain some of the "original flavor" of ECW, they didn't feel the need to keep what they saw as secondary characters, which is why they didn't keep the original ECW referees, security, etc. once the new brand was up and running. Alfonso apparently falls into that category. Personally, I'd love to see Fonzie back, and would pop if they booked him to do a run-in during an RVD or Sabu match and had him tackle Paul Heyman while he is on the verge of screwing them out of a win or something along those lines.
My buddy and I have a steak dinner riding on this. Could you confirm/deny these? #1 Bret Hart won the 1991 KOTR in an un-televised special event. #2 Jerry Lawler won the 1993 KOTR when he beat Hart at SummerSlam via DQ #3 The original idea for Steve Austin, was to call him "SilverDust" and team him with Goldust. (His source was Mike Tenay's radio show from the mid 90's)
1 - Yes, Bret Hart defeated IRS in the finals of the last non-televised King Of The Ring tournament on September 7, 1991 in Providence, Rhodes Island.
2 - Lawler didn't win the King Of The Ring in the Summerslam match, but the idea was that the winner would be the "true king" of wrestling.
3 - From what I've been told, the "Silverdust" urban legend is just the result of a joke that was repeated so much that it has become accepted as fact.
I remember being a boy a boy in the 80s and the Apter mags referring to Pat Patterson winning the IC title in Rio. Did the kayfabe sheets at the time report it as a genuine win? Did they give tournament results? Did they go as far as to decide a venue and attendance? I'd pay good money for a copy of the Wrestler or some other mag that listed Sammartino-Backlund on the undercard at the Rio Di Janiero Civic Centre, with a crowd of 34,000.
I've never seen any results of the famous (and fictitious) tournament, which "took place" in Rio De Janiero in August or September of 1979. It wouldn't shock me if the magazines did create a whole fictional story to go with it, although I've never heard of it.
I myself am a big fan of Mick Foley but I can't help but question his latest decision regarding the storylines he is involved in (regarding the 'kiss my ass' segment from Raw). I think he was put in a situation that was frankly embarrassing, no matter who he is trying to put over. I was wondering do you think he is just happy to pick up a paycheck nowadays? Also what are your views on him losing most of the extreme or hardcore matches he is in, despite him being the hardcore legend?
Unfortunately, I think Mick Foley's frequent "comebacks" have become repetitive and lost a lot of steam. I applaud Foley for putting over younger talent, but when he does it every time he returns, it begins to lose its effectiveness. I do think money is the main factor in Foley returning, and to be blunt, he hasn't exactly set the literary world on fire the way he thought he would following the success of his two autobiographies.
After reading the detailed report from the SummerSlam 2k6 main event, I'm a little confused... Buck Woodward says "Edge went to hit Cena, but Cena ducked and picked up Edge for the FU. Lita ran in, and jumped onto Edge's back, so Cena had both of them across his back." Did the referee see this or was his back turned, or was he baking a Pie outside of the ring or something? It seems if this happened in the ring and prevented him from doing his finishing move, isn't that grounds for a disqualification where so much importance was laid on the fact that the title could change hands on a DQ? If the ref missed it, ok... whatever. Just curious if anyone could clear that up?
Sure. The referee saw it, and didn't do anything about it. WWE defenders say that because Lita didn't hit Cena, then there shouldn't be a DQ. I say it is just WWE, once again, ignoring the "rules" to suit their own purposes. They wanted to so the spot with Cena holding both of them, and didn't feel the need to distract the referee, so they just did it and didn't bother mentioning anything about a DQ for it.
Apologies if this has already been addressed at some point with other WWECW tidbits. I'm just curious as to why Bill Alfonso has not been used in some capacity in Vince's ECW? I don't like Sabu speaking in promos but it's obvious that's what they want and perhaps they didn't feel like RVD needed a mouthpiece - not realizing how much Fonzie added to his character. He couldn't possibly come with a heavy price tag and he's a character they could use to at least get someone new over. Maybe even recreate the ref angle with him being the enforcer who makes sure that the old ECW crew don't rely on 'Extreme Rules' to win their WWECW matches. He is after all an "experienced referee" like they desire. Do you have any idea why he hasn't been worked into their show?
From what I understand, while WWE wanted to retain some of the "original flavor" of ECW, they didn't feel the need to keep what they saw as secondary characters, which is why they didn't keep the original ECW referees, security, etc. once the new brand was up and running. Alfonso apparently falls into that category. Personally, I'd love to see Fonzie back, and would pop if they booked him to do a run-in during an RVD or Sabu match and had him tackle Paul Heyman while he is on the verge of screwing them out of a win or something along those lines.
My buddy and I have a steak dinner riding on this. Could you confirm/deny these? #1 Bret Hart won the 1991 KOTR in an un-televised special event. #2 Jerry Lawler won the 1993 KOTR when he beat Hart at SummerSlam via DQ #3 The original idea for Steve Austin, was to call him "SilverDust" and team him with Goldust. (His source was Mike Tenay's radio show from the mid 90's)
1 - Yes, Bret Hart defeated IRS in the finals of the last non-televised King Of The Ring tournament on September 7, 1991 in Providence, Rhodes Island.
2 - Lawler didn't win the King Of The Ring in the Summerslam match, but the idea was that the winner would be the "true king" of wrestling.
3 - From what I've been told, the "Silverdust" urban legend is just the result of a joke that was repeated so much that it has become accepted as fact.
I remember being a boy a boy in the 80s and the Apter mags referring to Pat Patterson winning the IC title in Rio. Did the kayfabe sheets at the time report it as a genuine win? Did they give tournament results? Did they go as far as to decide a venue and attendance? I'd pay good money for a copy of the Wrestler or some other mag that listed Sammartino-Backlund on the undercard at the Rio Di Janiero Civic Centre, with a crowd of 34,000.
I've never seen any results of the famous (and fictitious) tournament, which "took place" in Rio De Janiero in August or September of 1979. It wouldn't shock me if the magazines did create a whole fictional story to go with it, although I've never heard of it.
Al asks: My question concerns some of the famous short term champions of the 1970s and 80s. What I would like to know is who all did Ivan Koloff. Stan Stasiak, and The Iron Shiek in the old WWWF and WWF defend their titles against? I also would like to know the defenses of Tommy Rich and Kerry Von Erich?
ask 411: Well in terms of the heel champs, they of course battled the top faces. Sheik had a strong series of rematches against Backlund around the horn, leading up to him dropping the title to Hogan. Shiekie also battled against Chief Jay Strongbow, Pat Patterson, Salvatore Bellomo and Tito Santana..
Stan Stasiak's reign was so short, I cannot find any record of who he actually battled. It wouldn't surprise me if he won the title from Pedro, only to drop it the very next show he worked. Same goes for Koloff – he had a reign of about 2 weeks. He may have had a match or two in there, likely against local faces.
Kerry Von Erich, of course, had his big rematch against Ric Flair, but if you read Flair's book, no one wanted Kerry to be a long-term champion, and they planned to get the title off of him as fast as possible in a rematch with Flair. Tommy Rich was right in the thick of things, so I would expect he battled all the top heels of the territory, including the Freebirds, Flair, Race again, etc.
Jesse asks: Midget minded... first, is Finlay's little bastard friend one of the midgets he abused during the midget silliness on Smackdown... that last midget tag match? And I assume midget competition on Smackdown has been
discontinued.
Secondly, on the same topic, did King Kong Bundy actually injure the midgets in the mixed tag match he was in with Hillbilly Jim during Wrestlemania? Was he thrown out for that, or was that just the excuse because he planned to leave anyway?
ask 411: The midget division, or junior as they called it as a rib on Japan and the X-Division, is discontinued.
And what do we say about what's on TV? If it's on TV – it's a work!
Eric asks: what are the specifics of the wellness program? i understand that its some form of drug testing, but how strict is it, what drugs is it testing for and how often are they tested? Not to condone the use of hard drugs but it sucks if they're grown men and they're really gonna get fired if they test positive for something harmless like marijuana.
ask 411 Here are some details: Clickie!
Under the program, according to that PDF – ANY prohibited substance, if found in increasing or maintaining levels in a "superstar" is reason enough to suspend and punish. I would suspect that includes THC. But – I believe that it is left intentionally vague so that the top-stars don't have to take it in the face if they get a little high.
Reinaldo asks: Who is the highest paid wrestler EVER? Also, who is the highest paid currently?
ask 411: This is a touch subject because most of the time, specifics of contracts are not always let out. The Guiness Book of Records may have this info, as they used to list Andre as such. This was the day before kayfabe died, however, so the number is likely not there anymore. During the 1970s and early 1980s, it was Andre – no doubts about it. Then, of course, Hogan took off with royalties, and PPV %s – so that was the next bump. Then Austin hit huge with his royalties and some of the biggest PPV numbers ever. Who is the highest, relative to inflation? I couldn't tell you. All I know is that Hogan, in his WCW deal, was getting a million dollars just to show up at PPV events, plus a % of the buyrate, and the house, and merch, and extra fees. So my guess, his WCW deal is the richest ever in wrestling history.
The highest paid wrestler right now – that's even tougher since Vince has really clamped down on things. My guess would be Hunter – just since he's likely got stock options in the company that others don't have access to. Highest-paid non-McMahon is probably Taker as a pay-per-appearance breakdown.
JB asks: If and when Kurt Angle manages to fully heal up.......Should TNA consider hiring him?
ask 411: I would say no. While some of the TNA matchups would be great, along with the reduced schedule, I believe someone like Kurt needs monitoring. He's his own worst enemy – he feels like he has to be the best – kind of like the mental illness Foley has. He needs a wellness program, as it really did save his life. So while my wrestling fan part says TNA all the way, my brain says bad idea.
Alan asks: Do you know when the last time a match went to the time limit?,excluding Iron Man type of matches. I can only think of British Bulldogs V Fabulous Rougoes at SUmmerslam 89.
ask 411: Tough question – but there are a few notable ones. Such as the night the line was crossed ECW – Douglas vs. Funk vs. Sabu. That's the biggest one in the modern era that's for sure. Other than that one – the phenomenon has really started to die out. The TV audience has been trained for the faster matches – the draw doesn't sit well with them. If anyone knows some other modern era ones, please point them out.
Clyde asks: Anyhoo, I am curious--do you think Vince will ever release a Rock and Sock Connection DVD? I think it might sell.
ask 411: I bet you can already find 99% of the footage from that DVD on other Foley and Rock sets already. I know it's been a long time since Rock had a DVD, but really – haven't we seen it all before on other discs? Plus Foley's humour-filled DVDs covers a lot of it. Maybe they can double-sell it with some unseen houseshow footage and stuff – but really, it's all been done before.
D.Nightwolf asks: The Head bangers, Molly Holly, Rosey, Dean Malenko, Matt Morgan, Billy Kidman, Chuck Palumbo, and Johnny Stamboli. Where are they?
ask 411: RAPID FIRE!
Mosh – As of this summer, Mosh was working the Indies in Florida as Chaz
Thrasher – MIA, I have no new info on him. Please pass on if you know!
Rosey – Recently fired by WWE, working Indies as Ro-Z
Dean Malenko – currently a road agent/creative mind in ECW
Matt Morgan – Rumoured to be heading back to WWE due to size, currently working a lot for NJPW.
Billy Kidman – recently worked dark matches under a hood for WWE, still married to Torrie Wilson, working Indies in Florida.
Chuck Palumbo – rumoured to be heading back to WWE – worked some heat/velocity this year – working in Mexico and Indies.
Johnny Stamboli – working a lot in Japan for AJPW and in Mexico.
Jimmy asks: I was just wondering about when the WWE guys get a chance to work out. Do the arenas have work out rooms or do the guys have to go to Golds or 24 Hour Fitness in every city they go to? I remember watching the Triple H and Chyna video and they took a limo to the gym to work out.
ask 411: I think that's the best way to think about it – they do have to go to those "regular people" places in a lot of the towns. Some arenas have facilities, but most of the time the wrestlers have contacts within each city where they either pay a daily fee, or likely get comped. There are marks everywhere to take advantage of!!
Alex asks: I know that Raw and Smackdown like to go to commercials during the matches, while WCW in the 90s said that they would stay with a match
until its conclusion, before doing commercials. I know these commercial breaks are planned, but has a match ever ended during the break?
ask 411: of course not. That would defeat the purpose of a commercial break, where one is enticed to keep watching to see what happens. If it ended during the break, wouldn't you be pissed?
ask 411: Well in terms of the heel champs, they of course battled the top faces. Sheik had a strong series of rematches against Backlund around the horn, leading up to him dropping the title to Hogan. Shiekie also battled against Chief Jay Strongbow, Pat Patterson, Salvatore Bellomo and Tito Santana..
Stan Stasiak's reign was so short, I cannot find any record of who he actually battled. It wouldn't surprise me if he won the title from Pedro, only to drop it the very next show he worked. Same goes for Koloff – he had a reign of about 2 weeks. He may have had a match or two in there, likely against local faces.
Kerry Von Erich, of course, had his big rematch against Ric Flair, but if you read Flair's book, no one wanted Kerry to be a long-term champion, and they planned to get the title off of him as fast as possible in a rematch with Flair. Tommy Rich was right in the thick of things, so I would expect he battled all the top heels of the territory, including the Freebirds, Flair, Race again, etc.
Jesse asks: Midget minded... first, is Finlay's little bastard friend one of the midgets he abused during the midget silliness on Smackdown... that last midget tag match? And I assume midget competition on Smackdown has been
discontinued.
Secondly, on the same topic, did King Kong Bundy actually injure the midgets in the mixed tag match he was in with Hillbilly Jim during Wrestlemania? Was he thrown out for that, or was that just the excuse because he planned to leave anyway?
ask 411: The midget division, or junior as they called it as a rib on Japan and the X-Division, is discontinued.
And what do we say about what's on TV? If it's on TV – it's a work!
Eric asks: what are the specifics of the wellness program? i understand that its some form of drug testing, but how strict is it, what drugs is it testing for and how often are they tested? Not to condone the use of hard drugs but it sucks if they're grown men and they're really gonna get fired if they test positive for something harmless like marijuana.
ask 411 Here are some details: Clickie!
Under the program, according to that PDF – ANY prohibited substance, if found in increasing or maintaining levels in a "superstar" is reason enough to suspend and punish. I would suspect that includes THC. But – I believe that it is left intentionally vague so that the top-stars don't have to take it in the face if they get a little high.
Reinaldo asks: Who is the highest paid wrestler EVER? Also, who is the highest paid currently?
ask 411: This is a touch subject because most of the time, specifics of contracts are not always let out. The Guiness Book of Records may have this info, as they used to list Andre as such. This was the day before kayfabe died, however, so the number is likely not there anymore. During the 1970s and early 1980s, it was Andre – no doubts about it. Then, of course, Hogan took off with royalties, and PPV %s – so that was the next bump. Then Austin hit huge with his royalties and some of the biggest PPV numbers ever. Who is the highest, relative to inflation? I couldn't tell you. All I know is that Hogan, in his WCW deal, was getting a million dollars just to show up at PPV events, plus a % of the buyrate, and the house, and merch, and extra fees. So my guess, his WCW deal is the richest ever in wrestling history.
The highest paid wrestler right now – that's even tougher since Vince has really clamped down on things. My guess would be Hunter – just since he's likely got stock options in the company that others don't have access to. Highest-paid non-McMahon is probably Taker as a pay-per-appearance breakdown.
JB asks: If and when Kurt Angle manages to fully heal up.......Should TNA consider hiring him?
ask 411: I would say no. While some of the TNA matchups would be great, along with the reduced schedule, I believe someone like Kurt needs monitoring. He's his own worst enemy – he feels like he has to be the best – kind of like the mental illness Foley has. He needs a wellness program, as it really did save his life. So while my wrestling fan part says TNA all the way, my brain says bad idea.
Alan asks: Do you know when the last time a match went to the time limit?,excluding Iron Man type of matches. I can only think of British Bulldogs V Fabulous Rougoes at SUmmerslam 89.
ask 411: Tough question – but there are a few notable ones. Such as the night the line was crossed ECW – Douglas vs. Funk vs. Sabu. That's the biggest one in the modern era that's for sure. Other than that one – the phenomenon has really started to die out. The TV audience has been trained for the faster matches – the draw doesn't sit well with them. If anyone knows some other modern era ones, please point them out.
Clyde asks: Anyhoo, I am curious--do you think Vince will ever release a Rock and Sock Connection DVD? I think it might sell.
ask 411: I bet you can already find 99% of the footage from that DVD on other Foley and Rock sets already. I know it's been a long time since Rock had a DVD, but really – haven't we seen it all before on other discs? Plus Foley's humour-filled DVDs covers a lot of it. Maybe they can double-sell it with some unseen houseshow footage and stuff – but really, it's all been done before.
D.Nightwolf asks: The Head bangers, Molly Holly, Rosey, Dean Malenko, Matt Morgan, Billy Kidman, Chuck Palumbo, and Johnny Stamboli. Where are they?
ask 411: RAPID FIRE!
Mosh – As of this summer, Mosh was working the Indies in Florida as Chaz
Thrasher – MIA, I have no new info on him. Please pass on if you know!
Rosey – Recently fired by WWE, working Indies as Ro-Z
Dean Malenko – currently a road agent/creative mind in ECW
Matt Morgan – Rumoured to be heading back to WWE due to size, currently working a lot for NJPW.
Billy Kidman – recently worked dark matches under a hood for WWE, still married to Torrie Wilson, working Indies in Florida.
Chuck Palumbo – rumoured to be heading back to WWE – worked some heat/velocity this year – working in Mexico and Indies.
Johnny Stamboli – working a lot in Japan for AJPW and in Mexico.
Jimmy asks: I was just wondering about when the WWE guys get a chance to work out. Do the arenas have work out rooms or do the guys have to go to Golds or 24 Hour Fitness in every city they go to? I remember watching the Triple H and Chyna video and they took a limo to the gym to work out.
ask 411: I think that's the best way to think about it – they do have to go to those "regular people" places in a lot of the towns. Some arenas have facilities, but most of the time the wrestlers have contacts within each city where they either pay a daily fee, or likely get comped. There are marks everywhere to take advantage of!!
Alex asks: I know that Raw and Smackdown like to go to commercials during the matches, while WCW in the 90s said that they would stay with a match
until its conclusion, before doing commercials. I know these commercial breaks are planned, but has a match ever ended during the break?
ask 411: of course not. That would defeat the purpose of a commercial break, where one is enticed to keep watching to see what happens. If it ended during the break, wouldn't you be pissed?
How are wrestlers viewed by other sports athletes? Do they consider them like actors, or athletes? Or are they in a category by themselves?
It depends on the athlete. A lot of athletes like the wrestling business and respect what the workers do. Others look at the business as a work and don't care for it. Wrestlers consider themselves athletic entertainers, which is pretty much a category all their own, as opposed to just athletes.
I've noticed TNA wrestlers are allowed to wrestle at ROH shows. What kind of deal do they have with ROH, cause you'd think TNA wouldn't want to chance their guys (namely Samoa Joe) getting injured on shows that aren't making them any money at all.
TNA doesn't run enough dates to pay most of their talent full time money so they are allowed to supplement their dates, in most cases with TNA's approval, at other shows, such as working for ROH. TNA allows their talent to do so because they want them to be happy and make more money, plus it allows them to stay sharp by working more than a few days a month.
What happened to Tony Schiavone? Did he just leave the business after WCW folded?
He does radio down in Atlanta now. I know he is part of the Atlanta Braves radio broadcasts. WWE didn't want to bring him up when they bought WCW's assets. He had worked there in the past and they chose not to bring him back. He did do a short "shoot promo" program in TNA but that didn't go anywhere. It appears that his time in the business now is over.
Since you have talked about Edge feuding with Carlito after being done with Cena, do you think it would be likely for the WWE to do an angle where if Cena wins the title that they turn Kane heel and push the monster angle again and have him terrorize Cena "on a personal level" say for instance going after Cena's father?
God, I hope not. With all due respect to both men, I would not look forward to a feud between those two since neither is a great worker that can elevate the other. Plus, Cena is a top guy and his best days are still ahead of him while Kane is closer to the end of his run than the beginning, and there is even talk of him taking time off or even retiring in the near future.
Had RVD not gotten into legal trouble, what was the plan as far as how long he was to hold both the WWE and ECW titles?
The original plan was to do a long-term build was to an RVD-Kurt Angle match. I hadn't heard how long he would hold the ECW belt, but it would have been for a while. The WWE Title was more of a short term thing to help jump start the new/old brand of ECW.
It depends on the athlete. A lot of athletes like the wrestling business and respect what the workers do. Others look at the business as a work and don't care for it. Wrestlers consider themselves athletic entertainers, which is pretty much a category all their own, as opposed to just athletes.
I've noticed TNA wrestlers are allowed to wrestle at ROH shows. What kind of deal do they have with ROH, cause you'd think TNA wouldn't want to chance their guys (namely Samoa Joe) getting injured on shows that aren't making them any money at all.
TNA doesn't run enough dates to pay most of their talent full time money so they are allowed to supplement their dates, in most cases with TNA's approval, at other shows, such as working for ROH. TNA allows their talent to do so because they want them to be happy and make more money, plus it allows them to stay sharp by working more than a few days a month.
What happened to Tony Schiavone? Did he just leave the business after WCW folded?
He does radio down in Atlanta now. I know he is part of the Atlanta Braves radio broadcasts. WWE didn't want to bring him up when they bought WCW's assets. He had worked there in the past and they chose not to bring him back. He did do a short "shoot promo" program in TNA but that didn't go anywhere. It appears that his time in the business now is over.
Since you have talked about Edge feuding with Carlito after being done with Cena, do you think it would be likely for the WWE to do an angle where if Cena wins the title that they turn Kane heel and push the monster angle again and have him terrorize Cena "on a personal level" say for instance going after Cena's father?
God, I hope not. With all due respect to both men, I would not look forward to a feud between those two since neither is a great worker that can elevate the other. Plus, Cena is a top guy and his best days are still ahead of him while Kane is closer to the end of his run than the beginning, and there is even talk of him taking time off or even retiring in the near future.
Had RVD not gotten into legal trouble, what was the plan as far as how long he was to hold both the WWE and ECW titles?
The original plan was to do a long-term build was to an RVD-Kurt Angle match. I hadn't heard how long he would hold the ECW belt, but it would have been for a while. The WWE Title was more of a short term thing to help jump start the new/old brand of ECW.
Answered on 10/12
On the site's *LOOKING AT THE 'CAN WE HAVE CENA AND EDGE EVERY WEEK?' EDITION OF SMACKDOWN* (*9/30/2006) *report, it was stated that JBL is now the better of the two announcers. What constitutes a good 'sports entertainment' announcer? Why is JBL considered to be better than Michael Cole these days and how has Michael Cole become a worse announcer?
Since I wrote that item, I suppose it is best that I answer this question! As for the what makes a "good 'sports entertainment' announcer", everyone will have their own criteria, but I think all would agree that the number one duty for the announcer is to put over the talent in the ring and make the show sound interesting (even when the matches aren't). Now, as for my comments on JBL and Michael Cole, let's start with JBL. While I find it extremely annoying when JBL spends more time putting over himself instead of the match, he has shown the ability to pull out historical facts and information, truly adding "color" to the broadcast. When he doesn't get too over the top with being a heel himself, JBL can be entertaining. As for Michael Cole, I simply feel his game has slipped in a big way in recent months. Calling wrestlers by the wrong name and calling moves incorrectly is unacceptable for a play-by-play man. Also, Cole has at times gotten so caught up in disagreeing with JBL, that he says things that simply don't make sense, just so he can disagree with him.
Vince McMahon, I used to like it when he did commentary. Do you think he'll ever do it again?
I highly doubt it. Whenever Vince appears on camera now, he does so as "Mr. McMahon", and I doubt he'd abandon that persona so he could go back to being a play-by-play announcer.
I've always been a fan of Jerry Lawler, do you know if the WWE plan to ever make a DVD about him?
I have heard of no plans for a Jerry Lawler DVD. In truth, I think the ownership of the Memphis tape library is a mess (due to the Cleveland group that tried to purchase the company near the end of USWA's existence), so I don't know if WWE would even be able to get the Memphis footage, and without that, it would be insane to try and put together a Lawler DVD.
Do you guys play WWE Fantasy?
I once fantasized that WWE went through a whole episode of TV without mentioning The Marine. Seriously, no, none of us play the game.
I've just read the spoilers for TNA Impact and the end of the second taping has further confirmed my belief that Kurt Angle, as good as a wrestler he is, is being ungrateful. WWF/E and Vince McMahon made him a lot of money and made him a household name. I think Kurt should remember that people hated him at the beginning and it was Vince and creative that made his character popular. What's your opinion?
My opinion is that Kurt Angle is acting like many other former WWE stars who were released. It's nothing new for a wrestler to be fired/released/let go/however you want to phrase it and then attack Vince McMahon and paint him as the devil. Given that Kurt Angle made millions of dollars and was made into a huge star, you would think he might be a little softer in his stance on WWE. However, Kurt Angle complaining about WWE makes for a much better headline (and promo) than him being nice about it.
On the site's *LOOKING AT THE 'CAN WE HAVE CENA AND EDGE EVERY WEEK?' EDITION OF SMACKDOWN* (*9/30/2006) *report, it was stated that JBL is now the better of the two announcers. What constitutes a good 'sports entertainment' announcer? Why is JBL considered to be better than Michael Cole these days and how has Michael Cole become a worse announcer?
Since I wrote that item, I suppose it is best that I answer this question! As for the what makes a "good 'sports entertainment' announcer", everyone will have their own criteria, but I think all would agree that the number one duty for the announcer is to put over the talent in the ring and make the show sound interesting (even when the matches aren't). Now, as for my comments on JBL and Michael Cole, let's start with JBL. While I find it extremely annoying when JBL spends more time putting over himself instead of the match, he has shown the ability to pull out historical facts and information, truly adding "color" to the broadcast. When he doesn't get too over the top with being a heel himself, JBL can be entertaining. As for Michael Cole, I simply feel his game has slipped in a big way in recent months. Calling wrestlers by the wrong name and calling moves incorrectly is unacceptable for a play-by-play man. Also, Cole has at times gotten so caught up in disagreeing with JBL, that he says things that simply don't make sense, just so he can disagree with him.
Vince McMahon, I used to like it when he did commentary. Do you think he'll ever do it again?
I highly doubt it. Whenever Vince appears on camera now, he does so as "Mr. McMahon", and I doubt he'd abandon that persona so he could go back to being a play-by-play announcer.
I've always been a fan of Jerry Lawler, do you know if the WWE plan to ever make a DVD about him?
I have heard of no plans for a Jerry Lawler DVD. In truth, I think the ownership of the Memphis tape library is a mess (due to the Cleveland group that tried to purchase the company near the end of USWA's existence), so I don't know if WWE would even be able to get the Memphis footage, and without that, it would be insane to try and put together a Lawler DVD.
Do you guys play WWE Fantasy?
I once fantasized that WWE went through a whole episode of TV without mentioning The Marine. Seriously, no, none of us play the game.
I've just read the spoilers for TNA Impact and the end of the second taping has further confirmed my belief that Kurt Angle, as good as a wrestler he is, is being ungrateful. WWF/E and Vince McMahon made him a lot of money and made him a household name. I think Kurt should remember that people hated him at the beginning and it was Vince and creative that made his character popular. What's your opinion?
My opinion is that Kurt Angle is acting like many other former WWE stars who were released. It's nothing new for a wrestler to be fired/released/let go/however you want to phrase it and then attack Vince McMahon and paint him as the devil. Given that Kurt Angle made millions of dollars and was made into a huge star, you would think he might be a little softer in his stance on WWE. However, Kurt Angle complaining about WWE makes for a much better headline (and promo) than him being nice about it.
Answered on 10/12 for 10/13
How involved was Ted Turner in the old WCW? Was he ever in any on-screen storylines like Vince McMahon?
Honestly, Turner wasn't nearly as "hands on" as some seem to think he was. Turner's purchase of WCW was based entirely on securing wrestling product for his television network. He had no desire to be involved in the day-to-day operations of the company, or being a character on television. I can only recall three or four occasions when Turner appeared on WCW shows. One was a photo-op with El Gigante (who Turner had originally hired for the Atlanta Hawks, before realizing he couldn't cut in in U.S. basketball), once was the Hogan-Flair contract signing for their first PPV match, and the other times were just cases of him sitting ringside at a show.
In the recent WWE.com article about Tommy Dreamer using a fan's prosthetic leg as a weapon against Test at an ECW show, they refer to the incident as "the first time a prosthetic leg has been used as a weapon". However, I'm sure I remember an early 90s WWF match where in order to get heel heat, Shawn Michaels attacked a retired wrestler and took his false leg in order to use it as a weapon. I believe the match may have been a no-DQs contest between Michaels and Kevin "Diesel" Nash. Have I got my facts wrong, or has the WWE forgotten its own history again? Also, if I am right, can you tell me what event the match occurred at, and what was the result?
Yes, it certainly happened, and it was actually one of the best matches of Kevin Nash's career. It was the In Your House: Good Friends, Better Enemies pay-per-view on April 28, 1996. It was a no-DQ match, which Michaels won, and during the match, the prosthetic leg of legendary wrestling Mad Dog Vachon, who was seated at ringside, was used as a weapon.
Why is WWE reluctant to add a Third Member to DX?
I think there are two schools of thought when it comes to DX. One is that a third member should be added so he can get "the rub" of being partnered with Triple H and Shawn Michaels. The other is that when you add a new member to an already established faction, it isn't always accepted by the fans and sometimes can take away from the group (like the NWO). Obviously, WWE Creative leans towards the latter way of thinking.
With Eric Bischoff appearing on this week's edition of Raw, do you think it could be the start of the nWo returning to WWE? Personally, I would like to see the nWo return and feud with DX.
We get a lot of questions similar to this one, and it seems that every few days there is a rumor about the nWo coming back. The New World Order is NOT coming back. Kevin Nash just signed a new deal with TNA, and Hulk Hogan isn't about to go heel at this point in time. Scott Hall is probably better off away from the ring, so without the three originals involved, it makes no sense for WWE to try and revive the nWo. However, if WWE wanted to produce nWo "retro" shirts (ala the Roddy Piper and Hulk Hogan shirts), they would probably be big sellers.
Will TNA ever begin a program similar to the WWE Blast Areas? Most TNA PPVs have two or three matches I'd love to see, but not enough to warrant buying the whole show. At least in our area, no bars even know what TNA is, let alone show their PPVs.
TNA should definitely look into a "Blast Area" type program. Both WWE and UFC have their shows featured (for a fee) in restaurants and bars, and it is a great way to spread the word about your product, in addition to collecting a fee (which is considerably more than the average PPV price) from the establishments that show it.
How involved was Ted Turner in the old WCW? Was he ever in any on-screen storylines like Vince McMahon?
Honestly, Turner wasn't nearly as "hands on" as some seem to think he was. Turner's purchase of WCW was based entirely on securing wrestling product for his television network. He had no desire to be involved in the day-to-day operations of the company, or being a character on television. I can only recall three or four occasions when Turner appeared on WCW shows. One was a photo-op with El Gigante (who Turner had originally hired for the Atlanta Hawks, before realizing he couldn't cut in in U.S. basketball), once was the Hogan-Flair contract signing for their first PPV match, and the other times were just cases of him sitting ringside at a show.
In the recent WWE.com article about Tommy Dreamer using a fan's prosthetic leg as a weapon against Test at an ECW show, they refer to the incident as "the first time a prosthetic leg has been used as a weapon". However, I'm sure I remember an early 90s WWF match where in order to get heel heat, Shawn Michaels attacked a retired wrestler and took his false leg in order to use it as a weapon. I believe the match may have been a no-DQs contest between Michaels and Kevin "Diesel" Nash. Have I got my facts wrong, or has the WWE forgotten its own history again? Also, if I am right, can you tell me what event the match occurred at, and what was the result?
Yes, it certainly happened, and it was actually one of the best matches of Kevin Nash's career. It was the In Your House: Good Friends, Better Enemies pay-per-view on April 28, 1996. It was a no-DQ match, which Michaels won, and during the match, the prosthetic leg of legendary wrestling Mad Dog Vachon, who was seated at ringside, was used as a weapon.
Why is WWE reluctant to add a Third Member to DX?
I think there are two schools of thought when it comes to DX. One is that a third member should be added so he can get "the rub" of being partnered with Triple H and Shawn Michaels. The other is that when you add a new member to an already established faction, it isn't always accepted by the fans and sometimes can take away from the group (like the NWO). Obviously, WWE Creative leans towards the latter way of thinking.
With Eric Bischoff appearing on this week's edition of Raw, do you think it could be the start of the nWo returning to WWE? Personally, I would like to see the nWo return and feud with DX.
We get a lot of questions similar to this one, and it seems that every few days there is a rumor about the nWo coming back. The New World Order is NOT coming back. Kevin Nash just signed a new deal with TNA, and Hulk Hogan isn't about to go heel at this point in time. Scott Hall is probably better off away from the ring, so without the three originals involved, it makes no sense for WWE to try and revive the nWo. However, if WWE wanted to produce nWo "retro" shirts (ala the Roddy Piper and Hulk Hogan shirts), they would probably be big sellers.
Will TNA ever begin a program similar to the WWE Blast Areas? Most TNA PPVs have two or three matches I'd love to see, but not enough to warrant buying the whole show. At least in our area, no bars even know what TNA is, let alone show their PPVs.
TNA should definitely look into a "Blast Area" type program. Both WWE and UFC have their shows featured (for a fee) in restaurants and bars, and it is a great way to spread the word about your product, in addition to collecting a fee (which is considerably more than the average PPV price) from the establishments that show it.
Answered on 10/20
If WWE wants to bring nostalgia acts into their product, shouldn't they go for something that will generate fan interest and therefore, generate dollars for them? Jim Duggan has a ton of charisma and talent but in 2006, he's just a cheap pop. Sensational Sherri made a cameo last year and my God, the woman hadn't been with the company in 12 years but her screaming in an ankle lock for 20 seconds was far more "real" and compelling to me than hearing 10 "HOOOO's" during a 5 minute Duggan match today. That's the kind of nostalgia they should be utilizing. Besides, the nostalgia they're drawing from is from 15 years ago. That's my fan base! Don't they know that THAT fan base expects a quality product considering the product 15 years ago was actually good? During the Orton/Undertaker feud prior to WrestleMania 21, Jake Roberts showed up on RAW. He looked like hell, but his promo gave me chills. Half of today's roster is so green, they belong on local access cable wresting programs, not in the Big Time (and that's WWE's fault). If I were Vince McMahon, I'd be using Ted DiBiase, Dusty Rhodes, and Sherri on TV, not as stars, but as managers or spokespersons for the guys that shouldn't be talking. I would also have any of those 3 plus Jake Roberts, Steamboat, Foley, or Terry Funk either on the creative team or, more importantly, teaching new wrestlers how to do effective promos. It just seems to me there is so much talent that is available (even already under WWE contract!) and while DiBiase, Steamboat, and Rhodes are being used in one capacity...they and the others I named should be juiced dry of their FULL capacity by WWE in my opinion and it's sad that they're not. Your thoughts?
Nostalgia is a funny thing. In some cases, it draws (Hulk Hogan), in other cases it sells T-Shirts (DX) and in other cases, no one cares (Tatanka). Wrestling has always borrowed from the past and revisited things in an attempt to milk some more money out of them. At the same time, many fans feel the past needs to be left alone, and that bringing back past stars and concepts just end up tarnishing the memories that you have of the "glory days".
What do you think the chances are of the WWE ever doing another 60 minute Iron Man Match and what current wrestler's do you think could pull off a match worth watching for that length of time?
Honestly, I don't see it happening anytime soon. WWE has only gone down that road a few times (Rock vs. HHH, Angle vs. Michaels, Angle vs. Lesnar) and it has never been a resounding ratings success. As for current wrestlers in WWE that could pull it off, I would say Chris Benoit and CM Punk would be the two most obvious picks, as they have shown that they have the stamina to pull it off successfully.
If you could make a match between any current WWE and TNA wrestler, who would you most like to see have a match?
Just off the top of my head, I'd like to see Samoa Joe vs. Chris Benoit or Christopher Daniels vs. Shawn Michaels.
With all the talk of 5 star matches, has there ever been a 5 star tag team match and if not what is the highest rated tag team match of all time?
Star ratings is just a method that fans use to rate wrestling matches, and it is totally subjective. Yes, there have been tag team matches that some fans will say were "Five Star" bouts, but that is just their opinion. There's no scientific basis for the ratings. I could tell you that Dory & Terry Funk vs. Bruiser Brody & Jimmy Snuka is a ten star match, but it really is just my opinion.
How and when did Chris Benoit loose his tooth?
Despite all the stories that it happened while training or in the ring, the actual story is that it got knocked out when Benoit's pet Rottweiler knocked it's head into Benoit's chin. Benoit's father tells the story as a hidden extra on Hard Knocks: The Chris Benoit Story.
If WWE wants to bring nostalgia acts into their product, shouldn't they go for something that will generate fan interest and therefore, generate dollars for them? Jim Duggan has a ton of charisma and talent but in 2006, he's just a cheap pop. Sensational Sherri made a cameo last year and my God, the woman hadn't been with the company in 12 years but her screaming in an ankle lock for 20 seconds was far more "real" and compelling to me than hearing 10 "HOOOO's" during a 5 minute Duggan match today. That's the kind of nostalgia they should be utilizing. Besides, the nostalgia they're drawing from is from 15 years ago. That's my fan base! Don't they know that THAT fan base expects a quality product considering the product 15 years ago was actually good? During the Orton/Undertaker feud prior to WrestleMania 21, Jake Roberts showed up on RAW. He looked like hell, but his promo gave me chills. Half of today's roster is so green, they belong on local access cable wresting programs, not in the Big Time (and that's WWE's fault). If I were Vince McMahon, I'd be using Ted DiBiase, Dusty Rhodes, and Sherri on TV, not as stars, but as managers or spokespersons for the guys that shouldn't be talking. I would also have any of those 3 plus Jake Roberts, Steamboat, Foley, or Terry Funk either on the creative team or, more importantly, teaching new wrestlers how to do effective promos. It just seems to me there is so much talent that is available (even already under WWE contract!) and while DiBiase, Steamboat, and Rhodes are being used in one capacity...they and the others I named should be juiced dry of their FULL capacity by WWE in my opinion and it's sad that they're not. Your thoughts?
Nostalgia is a funny thing. In some cases, it draws (Hulk Hogan), in other cases it sells T-Shirts (DX) and in other cases, no one cares (Tatanka). Wrestling has always borrowed from the past and revisited things in an attempt to milk some more money out of them. At the same time, many fans feel the past needs to be left alone, and that bringing back past stars and concepts just end up tarnishing the memories that you have of the "glory days".
What do you think the chances are of the WWE ever doing another 60 minute Iron Man Match and what current wrestler's do you think could pull off a match worth watching for that length of time?
Honestly, I don't see it happening anytime soon. WWE has only gone down that road a few times (Rock vs. HHH, Angle vs. Michaels, Angle vs. Lesnar) and it has never been a resounding ratings success. As for current wrestlers in WWE that could pull it off, I would say Chris Benoit and CM Punk would be the two most obvious picks, as they have shown that they have the stamina to pull it off successfully.
If you could make a match between any current WWE and TNA wrestler, who would you most like to see have a match?
Just off the top of my head, I'd like to see Samoa Joe vs. Chris Benoit or Christopher Daniels vs. Shawn Michaels.
With all the talk of 5 star matches, has there ever been a 5 star tag team match and if not what is the highest rated tag team match of all time?
Star ratings is just a method that fans use to rate wrestling matches, and it is totally subjective. Yes, there have been tag team matches that some fans will say were "Five Star" bouts, but that is just their opinion. There's no scientific basis for the ratings. I could tell you that Dory & Terry Funk vs. Bruiser Brody & Jimmy Snuka is a ten star match, but it really is just my opinion.
How and when did Chris Benoit loose his tooth?
Despite all the stories that it happened while training or in the ring, the actual story is that it got knocked out when Benoit's pet Rottweiler knocked it's head into Benoit's chin. Benoit's father tells the story as a hidden extra on Hard Knocks: The Chris Benoit Story.
Answered on 11/2
For the majority of 2006, Triple H has been featured in the Miller Lite Man Law commercials. Has there been any talk thru WWE about how pleased/unpleased they are with the exposure he has been getting from the airing of these commercials? and secondly, are there any plans of Miller and WWE teaming up for an event down the road, or is this just being used as a way to cross-over Triple H and make him more "user friendly" with the public for a career outside of the wrestling industry?
From what I understand, there are no plans for a WWE-Miller Lite co-promotion of any kind. It was simply Triple H picking up a paycheck for an acting gig. At one point, Triple H was pursuing work in Hollywood, but he seems to have curbed that desire now (maybe in part because WWE has their own film division now).
After watching last weeks Ladder Match between RVD and Big Show, I remembered this past summer when working as a carpenter, I read that there's a weight limit on these ladders, close to 300 lbs. My question is, do you ever see Big Show winning a ladder match? He never even climbed the ladder, because frankly I think they know he'll break the ladder.
Well, if his "swing the ladder at the belt" technique ever works, he might win. Seriously, I don't see Big Show winning a ladder match through conventional means (climbing the ladder) and I think WWE was insane for putting him in a ladder match in the first place, for the very reason you mentioned, his weight.
There's a lot of talk about the whole Angle vs. Joe match at Genesis, I was wondering what are you expecting out of this match or what are your expectations?
I am expecting a very good match, although given the expectations some are putting on the bout, I can see people getting disappointed with anything less than the Match Of The Year. Will it be good as Samoa Joe vs. Kenta Kobashi or Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit? I don't know, but I am hoping it will be in that league. For Joe, this will be his highest profile match ever, one that can launch him to a whole different level as a star. For Angle, it is his opportunity to silence critics and show he is still the best wrestler in the world. Both men have very good reasons to put on a great performance, which obviously benefits all of us that will be watching it.
I read where TNA was expanding to two hours. Is it temporary or permanent?
TNA is not expanding to two hours (at least, not yet). However, they will be moving to a new timeslot (9pm) on November 16th and for that first primetime show, TNA will be two hours.
I was cruising a message board the other day and I came across an interesting topic. One of the posters is of the opinion that The Undertaker may be 'dodging' or 'avoiding' working with guys who are seen as the best workers in the company - he cited Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio, Chris Jericho and Fit Finlay as guys who he hasn't had a long term program with. His reasoning was quote: "Read any interview with just about anyone who's ever excelled in ANY form of competition, and you'll hear one theme repeated over and over - I want to compete against the best", and that quote: "He's a man who's virtually dictated his opponents and feuds for the last several years, but has yet to have a single high profile feud with any of them." - the implication being that he'd prefer to work with guys like The Great Khali, Mark Henry and John Heidenreich, because quote: "Perhaps there is a fear of getting in there with guys who can "really go" because it may expose him as the over-protected fraud that he is?". I personally have a real problem with the massive generalizations of the person who posted this - particularly the one where he seems to think that Undertaker has a disproportionate amount of stroke to anyone else in the WWE, that he can basically snap his fingers and work with anyone he wants. Surely WWE management has the ultimate say as to who does what and when they do it. What do you guys think about the idea of Undertaker "dodging" talent?
Does Undertaker have a say in who he works with? Absolutely. Does he prefer to work with "monsters" than smaller wrestlers? It would appear so. Is the Undertaker unable to hang with someone who can "really go"? If anyone thinks that Undertaker can't hang with someone who can "really go", then show them the almost 30-minute Undertaker vs. Kurt Angle match from No Way Out 2006 and tell them to shut up.
For the majority of 2006, Triple H has been featured in the Miller Lite Man Law commercials. Has there been any talk thru WWE about how pleased/unpleased they are with the exposure he has been getting from the airing of these commercials? and secondly, are there any plans of Miller and WWE teaming up for an event down the road, or is this just being used as a way to cross-over Triple H and make him more "user friendly" with the public for a career outside of the wrestling industry?
From what I understand, there are no plans for a WWE-Miller Lite co-promotion of any kind. It was simply Triple H picking up a paycheck for an acting gig. At one point, Triple H was pursuing work in Hollywood, but he seems to have curbed that desire now (maybe in part because WWE has their own film division now).
After watching last weeks Ladder Match between RVD and Big Show, I remembered this past summer when working as a carpenter, I read that there's a weight limit on these ladders, close to 300 lbs. My question is, do you ever see Big Show winning a ladder match? He never even climbed the ladder, because frankly I think they know he'll break the ladder.
Well, if his "swing the ladder at the belt" technique ever works, he might win. Seriously, I don't see Big Show winning a ladder match through conventional means (climbing the ladder) and I think WWE was insane for putting him in a ladder match in the first place, for the very reason you mentioned, his weight.
There's a lot of talk about the whole Angle vs. Joe match at Genesis, I was wondering what are you expecting out of this match or what are your expectations?
I am expecting a very good match, although given the expectations some are putting on the bout, I can see people getting disappointed with anything less than the Match Of The Year. Will it be good as Samoa Joe vs. Kenta Kobashi or Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit? I don't know, but I am hoping it will be in that league. For Joe, this will be his highest profile match ever, one that can launch him to a whole different level as a star. For Angle, it is his opportunity to silence critics and show he is still the best wrestler in the world. Both men have very good reasons to put on a great performance, which obviously benefits all of us that will be watching it.
I read where TNA was expanding to two hours. Is it temporary or permanent?
TNA is not expanding to two hours (at least, not yet). However, they will be moving to a new timeslot (9pm) on November 16th and for that first primetime show, TNA will be two hours.
I was cruising a message board the other day and I came across an interesting topic. One of the posters is of the opinion that The Undertaker may be 'dodging' or 'avoiding' working with guys who are seen as the best workers in the company - he cited Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio, Chris Jericho and Fit Finlay as guys who he hasn't had a long term program with. His reasoning was quote: "Read any interview with just about anyone who's ever excelled in ANY form of competition, and you'll hear one theme repeated over and over - I want to compete against the best", and that quote: "He's a man who's virtually dictated his opponents and feuds for the last several years, but has yet to have a single high profile feud with any of them." - the implication being that he'd prefer to work with guys like The Great Khali, Mark Henry and John Heidenreich, because quote: "Perhaps there is a fear of getting in there with guys who can "really go" because it may expose him as the over-protected fraud that he is?". I personally have a real problem with the massive generalizations of the person who posted this - particularly the one where he seems to think that Undertaker has a disproportionate amount of stroke to anyone else in the WWE, that he can basically snap his fingers and work with anyone he wants. Surely WWE management has the ultimate say as to who does what and when they do it. What do you guys think about the idea of Undertaker "dodging" talent?
Does Undertaker have a say in who he works with? Absolutely. Does he prefer to work with "monsters" than smaller wrestlers? It would appear so. Is the Undertaker unable to hang with someone who can "really go"? If anyone thinks that Undertaker can't hang with someone who can "really go", then show them the almost 30-minute Undertaker vs. Kurt Angle match from No Way Out 2006 and tell them to shut up.
I have these neighbors who are Mexican, and are huge wrestling fans. They told me that Mil Mascaras is a wrestling-God, and although I know of his name, I can't say I ever saw him on a Nationwide U.S. promotion. Was he ever with any of the top companies during the 80's or 90's? Any U.S. feuds that standout? Is he even alive today?
To the best of my knowledge, Mil Mascaras didn't work for any of the American national companies in the United States, with the exception of a match against Cactus Jack at Clash of Champions X: Texas Shootout in January 1990. He worked all over the United States, particularly the West Coast and for the now-defunct IWA company run by Eddie Einhorn in the Northeast, but was a star of a grand scale in Mexico, where he is a living legend and starred in a number of feature films. As a worker, he knew how to get himself over, sometimes at the expense of making other talents look bad, something Mick Foley wrote about in his first book. He still occasionally wrestles today.
What was the original plan for the outcome of the Eddie-Batista feud before Batista's injury and then Eddie's tragic death. Presumably from the storyline, Eddie would have got another shot at either Survivor Series or Armageddon. Was the original plan for Eddie to win the belt (possibly after re-turning heel) or was the plan for Batista to retain throughout.
The same day Eddie Guerrero sadly passed away, he was scheduled to turn heel on Batista during a Three-Way with Randy Orton and win the WWE World championship.
What happened backstage with the Triple H- Booker T match at Wrestlemania 19. I remember hearing that the finish was controversially changed quite late on. Is this true, and if so, what was the original finish and why was it changed.
At one point, the plan was for Booker T to win the WWE World title at the Seattle Wrestlemania, but management decided to leave the belt on HHH instead.
Has the WWE ever considered changing or altering their official logo?
I am sure at some point they will re-invent themselves and change it, as they have done in the past, but right now the "Scratch" logo is synonymous with the company and used by all their licensees, so it's not like they need to change things.
With the Sandman signed up for the new ECW, it made me wonder. Will he not be able to use Enter Sandman as his theme anymore? I know in order to use it on stuff like a PPV, the WWE would have to shell out money for it, so will this cause them to not use it for his theme song?
WWE wanted to use their own music so they didn't have to worry about licensing and paying rights fees to Metallica. While old school fans weren't happy about it, the bottom line is WWE made the right call because it hasn't hurt Sandman in terms of getting over with the audience one iota.
To the best of my knowledge, Mil Mascaras didn't work for any of the American national companies in the United States, with the exception of a match against Cactus Jack at Clash of Champions X: Texas Shootout in January 1990. He worked all over the United States, particularly the West Coast and for the now-defunct IWA company run by Eddie Einhorn in the Northeast, but was a star of a grand scale in Mexico, where he is a living legend and starred in a number of feature films. As a worker, he knew how to get himself over, sometimes at the expense of making other talents look bad, something Mick Foley wrote about in his first book. He still occasionally wrestles today.
What was the original plan for the outcome of the Eddie-Batista feud before Batista's injury and then Eddie's tragic death. Presumably from the storyline, Eddie would have got another shot at either Survivor Series or Armageddon. Was the original plan for Eddie to win the belt (possibly after re-turning heel) or was the plan for Batista to retain throughout.
The same day Eddie Guerrero sadly passed away, he was scheduled to turn heel on Batista during a Three-Way with Randy Orton and win the WWE World championship.
What happened backstage with the Triple H- Booker T match at Wrestlemania 19. I remember hearing that the finish was controversially changed quite late on. Is this true, and if so, what was the original finish and why was it changed.
At one point, the plan was for Booker T to win the WWE World title at the Seattle Wrestlemania, but management decided to leave the belt on HHH instead.
Has the WWE ever considered changing or altering their official logo?
I am sure at some point they will re-invent themselves and change it, as they have done in the past, but right now the "Scratch" logo is synonymous with the company and used by all their licensees, so it's not like they need to change things.
With the Sandman signed up for the new ECW, it made me wonder. Will he not be able to use Enter Sandman as his theme anymore? I know in order to use it on stuff like a PPV, the WWE would have to shell out money for it, so will this cause them to not use it for his theme song?
WWE wanted to use their own music so they didn't have to worry about licensing and paying rights fees to Metallica. While old school fans weren't happy about it, the bottom line is WWE made the right call because it hasn't hurt Sandman in terms of getting over with the audience one iota.
Why is Scotty 2 Hotty not being used? He should be with someone as a serious tag team contender, or move him to RAW to be a tag team champ there.
It's just one of those unanswered questions of WWE creative. Hotty is liked by the company and is seen as a good hand who will probably have a job for life, but he's just never been given a push by anyone in creative of late.
Whats been up with Dwayne Johnson, better known to the millions, and millions of fans as The Rock? I know his movie career has been going well so far, but the man who helped redefine the WWE during its attitude period has not appeared on WWE programming since 2004. Steve Austin and Mick Foley make frequent appearances in the WWE, so why doesn't he? It would certainly help the quality of WWE programming. Do you expect The Rock to return to a WWE ring anytime soon?
I would think that at some point, Dwayne Johnson will pop up to make a cameo or appearance, but given his heavy moviemaking schedule as well as his efforts to distance himself from his professional wrestling past, I wouldn't expect it to be anytime soon. Johnson was in New York City the same night WWE ran Madison Square Garden, the Monday before "Gridiron Gang" opened nationally, and didn't even visit backstage, much less appear on the show. It's pretty safe to say he's not even interested in using WWE's synergy at the moment.
I read the question where someone asked if Kid Kash was in WWE in 97 and he broke his leg. I don't really recall him breaking his leg but didn't he wrestle on Shotgun a few times as David Jericho when they were bringing in Light Heavyweights from all over the world?
Kash did injure his leg during that time period he was working the WWF Light Heavyweight championship tournament. When he recovered, he ended up earning a regular slot with Extreme Championship Wrestling, where he had appeared previously under different monikers.
Some time ago, the WWE signed female British wrestling superstar Nikita to a developmental contact. She was scheduled to report to Deep South Wrestling sometime this year. I have not read nor heard anything more about her. What is her current status with the company?
She's still under contract and is training for the company.
I read a while back that Dusty Rhodes did not want to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame because Eddie and Bret were going to overshadow his induction. Have you heard of other specific Legends pulling their names out of the hat because they didn't want to be inducted alongside other more popular wrestlers?
I'm not sure where you may have read that, but it's incorrect. WWE decided to wait on inducting Rhodes earlier this year in Chicago.
It's just one of those unanswered questions of WWE creative. Hotty is liked by the company and is seen as a good hand who will probably have a job for life, but he's just never been given a push by anyone in creative of late.
Whats been up with Dwayne Johnson, better known to the millions, and millions of fans as The Rock? I know his movie career has been going well so far, but the man who helped redefine the WWE during its attitude period has not appeared on WWE programming since 2004. Steve Austin and Mick Foley make frequent appearances in the WWE, so why doesn't he? It would certainly help the quality of WWE programming. Do you expect The Rock to return to a WWE ring anytime soon?
I would think that at some point, Dwayne Johnson will pop up to make a cameo or appearance, but given his heavy moviemaking schedule as well as his efforts to distance himself from his professional wrestling past, I wouldn't expect it to be anytime soon. Johnson was in New York City the same night WWE ran Madison Square Garden, the Monday before "Gridiron Gang" opened nationally, and didn't even visit backstage, much less appear on the show. It's pretty safe to say he's not even interested in using WWE's synergy at the moment.
I read the question where someone asked if Kid Kash was in WWE in 97 and he broke his leg. I don't really recall him breaking his leg but didn't he wrestle on Shotgun a few times as David Jericho when they were bringing in Light Heavyweights from all over the world?
Kash did injure his leg during that time period he was working the WWF Light Heavyweight championship tournament. When he recovered, he ended up earning a regular slot with Extreme Championship Wrestling, where he had appeared previously under different monikers.
Some time ago, the WWE signed female British wrestling superstar Nikita to a developmental contact. She was scheduled to report to Deep South Wrestling sometime this year. I have not read nor heard anything more about her. What is her current status with the company?
She's still under contract and is training for the company.
I read a while back that Dusty Rhodes did not want to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame because Eddie and Bret were going to overshadow his induction. Have you heard of other specific Legends pulling their names out of the hat because they didn't want to be inducted alongside other more popular wrestlers?
I'm not sure where you may have read that, but it's incorrect. WWE decided to wait on inducting Rhodes earlier this year in Chicago.
Answered on 11/16
Whenever a WWE superstar wins a title, do they keep the title with them whenever they travel or does WWE hold on to the titles? Also, if the superstars do keep the titles, do they have to put a deposit down on them or get fined if the titles get lost/stolen?
In WWE, the wrestlers travel with the belts. They don't have to put down a deposit, but if a wrestler lost the belt, then WWE could very well make them pay for it. Obviously, it is best not to lose it.
It seems to me that the WWE has several guys who are supposed to be "the future of the business." I was wondering, out of Mr. Kennedy, Carlito, Randy Orton, CM Punk, Bobby Lashley, MVP, and Johnny Nitro, which ones do you feel are legitimate future world champions for their respective brands? Also, can any of these guys develop the kind of drawing power to lead the WWE back to the kind of growth it saw in the Attitude Era?
Honestly, with the exception of MVP, who really hasn't shown much yet, I could see any of the wrestlers listed as a future World Champion, keeping in mind that there are three brands now that they could be champion of. And before anyone doubts Johnny Nitro, just remember that five years ago, the idea of Edge as World Champion wouldn't seem likely either. All of these wrestlers are young and with time to develop, can become huge stars. Whether they do or not is up to a lot of intangibles.
Does the WWE have house shows in all 50 US States every year?
Nope. While some states get visited every year (or multiple times a year), there are plenty of states that might get a show every other year. Just like with Rock concerts or any other traveling attraction, major markets get flooded, and minor markets are lucky to get shows.
Since her neck injury several years ago, would you say Lita is no longer the wrestler she once was?
I definitely think her style changed drastically following that injury. She stopped doing as many ranas, flying headscissors and other high risk moves, and while you don't have to be a high flyer to be a good worker, Lita losing that aspect of her in-ring repertoire definitely seemed to take away from her matches. I don't think she has ever compensated for that.
What was the reasons given for TNA releasing Monty Brown?
TNA hasn't given any reasons, just simply acknowledging that he is no longer part of the company. Brown hasn't been happy with the way he has been used in the company, so I guess you could say it is "creative differences".
Whenever a WWE superstar wins a title, do they keep the title with them whenever they travel or does WWE hold on to the titles? Also, if the superstars do keep the titles, do they have to put a deposit down on them or get fined if the titles get lost/stolen?
In WWE, the wrestlers travel with the belts. They don't have to put down a deposit, but if a wrestler lost the belt, then WWE could very well make them pay for it. Obviously, it is best not to lose it.
It seems to me that the WWE has several guys who are supposed to be "the future of the business." I was wondering, out of Mr. Kennedy, Carlito, Randy Orton, CM Punk, Bobby Lashley, MVP, and Johnny Nitro, which ones do you feel are legitimate future world champions for their respective brands? Also, can any of these guys develop the kind of drawing power to lead the WWE back to the kind of growth it saw in the Attitude Era?
Honestly, with the exception of MVP, who really hasn't shown much yet, I could see any of the wrestlers listed as a future World Champion, keeping in mind that there are three brands now that they could be champion of. And before anyone doubts Johnny Nitro, just remember that five years ago, the idea of Edge as World Champion wouldn't seem likely either. All of these wrestlers are young and with time to develop, can become huge stars. Whether they do or not is up to a lot of intangibles.
Does the WWE have house shows in all 50 US States every year?
Nope. While some states get visited every year (or multiple times a year), there are plenty of states that might get a show every other year. Just like with Rock concerts or any other traveling attraction, major markets get flooded, and minor markets are lucky to get shows.
Since her neck injury several years ago, would you say Lita is no longer the wrestler she once was?
I definitely think her style changed drastically following that injury. She stopped doing as many ranas, flying headscissors and other high risk moves, and while you don't have to be a high flyer to be a good worker, Lita losing that aspect of her in-ring repertoire definitely seemed to take away from her matches. I don't think she has ever compensated for that.
What was the reasons given for TNA releasing Monty Brown?
TNA hasn't given any reasons, just simply acknowledging that he is no longer part of the company. Brown hasn't been happy with the way he has been used in the company, so I guess you could say it is "creative differences".
Does New japan still have the j crown tournaments? are the following guys still around...the great sasuke,hayabusa(he got a horrible neck injury right when i stopped watching wrestling),mike awesome,NWO japan,Jushin Thunder Lyger,Great Muta,The Headhunters(FMW),Brakus(WWF...he was around during the original and first WWF vs ECW feud), Stevie and the rest of the BWO(blue world order),Power and Glory (paul roma and hercules),does FMW still exist and do they still have the annual deathmatch tournaments they use to have from back in the days?