Welcome to what I hope will become a weekly feature, The Wrestling Blog Q-and-A-Palooza. The premise is simple, you ask questions and I answer them. Remember to keep the questions rolling in, as I want this to be weekly, and if you notice at the bottom of this post and every post from here on out, you have your reminder and your link to my contact info. Anyway, let's get it started:
I haven't watched the WWE regularly in approx 3 years, but whenever I flip it in now it seems like all the same main event players as 4+ years ago. HHH, Taker, Cena, Jericho, Edge, Batista, etc. Who do you see being the next line of steady main eventers for years and years to come?
Nick Weeks
With Taker and Batista both talking retirement and Edge continually getting hurt, the WWE seems to me like they need to start building main eventers. The good thing is they've seemed to have started with CM Punk, Sheamus and Jack Swagger all having title reigns in the last year or so. In addition to them, The Miz seems to be a lock to make it to the main event, and John Morrison, Dolph Ziggler and Kofi Kingston all seem to be headed to the fast track. In the far future, Evan Bourne, Justin Gabriel, Daniel Bryan, Shad Gaspard and Tyson Kidd are all guys I see with main events in their future.
Next up, three questions from A1 regular Niall Harkiss:
1) Will you be watching the DG Compilation Gate show any time soon, and when you do, will you be giving a review?
It'll go on my list of potential DVD buys, and you know if I watch it, I'm reviewing it. I guess it depends on how many matches on it are ones I've seen previously.
2) When do you think is the right time to turn John Cena heel, if ever?
I don't know if it ever will be. Remember when they tried to heel Austin? It didn't work because he was a super-draw. He could have sawed off a bunny's head on national TV and sprayed the blood at a gaggle of infants and people would have cheered him, so obviously, the WWF fans at the time shat on the move. Now, Cena already has his built-in haters that are audible at events, but the kids, parents and the non-smarky type adult fans seem to love him.
However, should Randy Orton take off and start realizing his babyface potential, Cena as a heel foil for the Viper might just be crazy enough to work.
3) Who is wrestling's greatest "Bobby"?
Heenan. No doubt. No question.
How did a move the is done regularly kill the greatest wrestler ever?
Jamey "FATSEXY" Litton
For those not in the know, this refers to Mitsuharu Misawa dying as a result of a "routine" back suplex. The thing we all need to understand about back suplexes in Japan is that they're far from routine as they are in America. Everything is done with stiffness ramped up to about 11 in puroresu, and Misawa had a very long career of taking half-nelson suplexes and Burning Hammers and Kawada Bombs and Muscle Busters and piledrivers. It wasn't so much the "Death Landing" that killed Misawa but it was that the move was the final straw in a long career of taking dangerous bumps on the back of his neck.
Do you watch the WWE out of habit?
Todd Yates
Heh heh heh. I know this was a question asked to troll another A1 board member, but in all seriousness, no, I can honestly say I don't. I've enjoyed the product for the most part outside of some really rage-worthy stuff ever since I came back to watching full-time.
A couple of questions from David McKinney:
Who do you think is better/has more upside/whatever, Swagger or Sheamus?
It's close. Sheamus, no matter how well he carries himself, will always have the stigma of being pale and talking in his accent. Not his fault since it's who he is, but wrestling fans can be cruel. At the same time, Swagger has the lisp. Overall though, I think Swagger has better potential for his promo work and is a better worker, so I think he has more potential. Upside though... well, never underestimate being Trips' workout buddy...
More generally who is the young guy that will end up being the biggest star?
To pare the list I made in the first answer down, I think The Miz has the biggest drawing potential. While CM Punk draws nuclear heel heat and really will for the rest of his career, I think Miz has a tremendous chance to morph over into a Rocky-esque face who can be a foil to any heel they have on the roster. Miz is the real deal, folks.
The tag rope. You miss it as much as I do?
Actually just tag teams in general. And I mean REAL tag teams. Matching outfits, double team moves. Not what you see today (random single stars just thrown together).
mark4madden (A1 poster)
Actually, some of the savvier WWE teams and nearly everyone in Chikara use the tag rope. But if you want to get techincal about it, the rule is that you have to be 18 inches from the corner to be eligible for a tag.
AS for the second part of the question, if you read the blog, especially back to Tag Team Week, you know I've lamented about the death of the tag team division and the real tag team in mainstream wrestling for awhile. That being said, they seem to be giving The Hart Dynasty a push right now, so let's wait and see if that triggers a full-blown revival.
Three questions from Robert Lamb:
1) Which finisher or finisher family (such as the Reverse STO family of finishers) would you most like to see less of?
The uranage/spinebuster variant. It seems like a million people have it, and the only one who looks like he uses it remotely good as a finisher finishes it with a backbreaker and doesn't even use it to finish matches anymore (Sheamus). The fact that the WWE has at least three guys with spinebustery finishers (David Otunga, Kozlov, Ezekiel Jackson) is overkill, and when you factor in guys from the indies who use it... enough, yo. Enough.
2) Which wrestlers do you think could most benefit from a different finisher and what are your recommendations?
I did a Six Pack like this a while back, but other than those guys, I'll say Wade Barrett should definitely ditch the roll-forward fireman's slam and adopt a nod to his bare-knuckle background. Maybe not a straight punch like Show, but an uppercut or even short-arm elbow to the face. I'd also like to see Kurt Angle just drop the Angle Slam altogether and finish with his rolling Germans instead of using them as a set-up for the Ankle Lock.
3) I have a friend who insists a wrestling show would be a huge hit on a kid's network. THOUGHTS?
To be perfectly honest, I think Chikara would be a hit if televised to children, what with the colorful masks, outrageous characters and storylines that have to do with honor, good and evil and mind control. Plus, it would be breeding a whole new generation of wrestling fans who appreciate the finer things in life, like lucha libre, workrate and Bryce Remsburg.
The next three questions are courtesy of A1W poster jerseyboy:
1) What's the over-under on the number of months before Shawn Michaels comes out of retirement?
I don't think he'll ever come out of retirement to wrestle a match, but I think he'll be back as an on-screen character by SummerSlam. I think he likes getting paid, and Vince will find something for him to do, whether it's as GM of RAW after the guest host thing runs its course or as a manager or even an announcer.
2) Everyone talks about how TNA needs to stop being WWE-lite and focus on their talented roster of workers. But can a "wrestling-oriented" promotion really compete on a national level in 2010?
I feel there are ways that TNA can change their product and be an alternative without going to a strictly wrestling-oriented product. However, I think that a shift to the more "southern" style of wrestling that WCW employed before Bischoff and Russo came in might be a good way to differentiate itself from the WWE. Let's not discount the desire of the people to watch actual matches. UFC is popular in part because of the gaudy personalities like Anderson Silva, but its popularity is mostly due to being "real fighting". People like to watch gladiatorial sports, whether the outcomes are predetermined or not. The sooner TNA realizes this, the better off they'll be. Granted, I don't think it's a good idea to switch over to an all-sport driven product, but more emphasis on competition won't be a bad thing.
3) Who is the best North American women's wrestler of the past decade?
It's a toss-up between Awesome Kong and Trish Stratus. Right now, I'll say Trish though, because it's easy to be a credible, good wrestler when you're the size of Kong. Then again, looking at Chyna, maybe that's not the case...
The next four questions come to us courtesy of James Varga:
1) How do you think WWE will handle Swagger's title run?
Most likely it'll end in three months without Swagger getting a clean pinfall win over a major star, just like what happened with Sheamus, just like what happened with CM Punk's first reign, when he beat Edge in '08. Maybe this'll be different, but I'm not getting my hopes up if only because I don't want to feel like a battered girlfriend thinking the abusive boyfriend is going to change. However, his second or third reign will be strong. I was wrong when I said that I thought he'd be on the Future Endeavored list this year. I think they're high on him.
2) What direction would you go with Shad after his heel turn tonight on Smackdown?
I'd reintroduce the world to his HNIC gimmick he ran in OVW.
3) What do you think of Great Khali's face push?
That it's over? Khali is leaving the WWE and heading back to India for retirement. But hey, the kiss-cam thing got him over as a face, so what the hey?
4) Do you expect Hart Dynasty to get an extended Tag Title push in the near future?
Yeah, I think so. I don't think they'll beat ShowMiz right away, but I can see them taking the titles at the May PPV or thereabouts. From there, they'll have to have feuds lined up, but maybe we'll have some teams built up. In the interim, there's always a feud with the Dudebusters.
PTC poster KofACW checks in with the next three questions:
1) What's next for Batista, if his program with Cena doesn't continue?
One of two things. One, he either gets his sabbatical that he's wanted for two years now, or two, I can see his feud with Rey Mysterio continuing. However, I'm not so sure he's done with Cena just yet.
2) What's next for Randy Orton?
The smart money is for him to move along to Smackdown in the draft and be their top face so he can stay away from John Cena and Triple H. On RAW, he'd be lost in the shuffle unless one of those two guys moved over to Tuesday night tapings. On Smackdown, he's automatically the top dog, especially since Edge as a face is still a work in progress.
3) What other possibilities were there for Swagger cashing in the MITB title shot, as opposed to what we've seen take place already?
The cynical answer was that he'd try to cash in on John Cena and fail, being the first MitB winner to not win a title in his cash-in attempt. Other than that, I think anything was possible.
Are they actually going to push Nicky (Nemeth, aka Dolph Ziggler) this time or was his sleeper hold win over Khali just a means to get Khali out for a while?
Ross Fynmore
I think it's a little bit of column A and a little bit of column B. Ziggler seems to be on their radar as a future star, but for some reason, when Drew MacIntyre came along and got McMahon's ordainment (not sure if that's just a storyline thing or not), they just didn't have the room to push him along with Scrooge McPoyle and Batista and CM Punk as top heels on the brand. Still, I think Ziggler's got a future, and hey, if Khali's leaving, then why not have him give a giant rub to Ziggler on the way out?
Why should I watch TNA Impact?
Yours in Jericho,
Chus Killalea
You should watch it or else TB4-LIFE and the Dixie Carter Police will come get you.
No, in all seriousness, only watch it if you think you're going to like it. Me, well, I've almost given up on the product altogether, but I still DVR it just in case they turn it around or in case they happen to give the Knockouts or the X-Division enough time to shine on free TV.
Best year in wrestling history?
Anonymous Blog Commenter
My knee-jerk reaction is to say 2000, because the WWF was still riding high and giving us awesome tag action, heavy doses of Chris Jericho, Kurt Angle, The Rock and HWSNBN, ECW was still in business, although it was in the midst of Aldo Crediblo's reign of sucky terror, and WCW late in the year was looking like it was at least putting on something interesting in its sinking ship mode. There were probably years prior to 2000 that were good enough, like maybe 1996, 1987 or even 1985, but for me, as a wrestling fan, 2000 was THE year to be a fan.
Why do so many great wrestling stories (Curt Hennig under the ring, Randy Orton vs. Divas' handbags, DX vs. Lawler's crown) involve poop?
Another Anonymous Blog Commenter
I can't give you a concrete answer here, but I think it's because wrestlers are a depraved lot. I think to be able to put up with the pain and strain of taking repeated bumps night in and night out and the psychological horrors or working for people like Vince McMahon or your random sleazy indie promoter, you have to have a strong mental makeup and a sick sense of humor. Hence, poop humor.
Here's a monstruous 10-pack of questions from bpc532 of the ChikaraFans/Chikara101 boards:
1) Is C.M. Punk actually Jesus Christ?
It all depends on whether he died on Friday and respawned yesterday.
2) If you were a talented X-Division wrestler, how long until you go batshit insane in TNA?
I think you need to be batshit insane or be paid lots of that paper to work for TNA. Daniels already had enough, and he's gone. Then again, just look at Shannon Moore. I think your answer is right there.
3) When was the last time you saw a match surprise you with how good it was, considering the wrestlers in the match?
It was the New Year's Day Smackdown, John Morrison vs. Scrooge McPoyle. I like Morrison well enough, but I thought he was only good as a spot monkey type. McPoyle I think isn't that good at all, but they had a really good, really intense brawl with a great finish that was pulled off exceedingly well.
4) Who are the next two guys thrown together as a team for little reason in the WWE?
I was all set to go with Daniel Bryan and The Great Khali, but Khali seems to be done with the WWE altogether, so I'll either go with Bryan and Morrison to challenge ShowMiz, or Bryan and SURPRIZE RETURN Lance Cade to feud with the Hart Dynasty in a Hart/Michaels feud for the new decade.
5) Seriously, is Punk Jesus?
I think we need to check for stigmata for the definitive proof. But then again, since he's so against alcohol, what would he turn water into? Pepsi? Kool-Aid? Better quality water?
6) Remember when Samoa Joe was relevent?
Sadly, I wasn't following indie wrestling and barely following TNA when he was, but thanks to the magic of PWG Sells Out, Vol. 1 and other DVDs, my sadness for the ruining of Joe is being amped up exponentially by the day.
7) Would someone please, for the love of God, make Roderick Strong the top guy in their promotion this year?
Hopefully Super Dragon hears you in Reseda, because I think all the fat girls and emo kids at The Arena are dictating that Tyler Black stays on top. But hey, that one guy at ChikaraFans calls Dragon by his first name. Maybe you should PM him with that idea!
8) How bad have the WWE announcers got when we're all giddy when Jericho grabs a headset?
I think they're two independent functions of each other. Even if JR and Bobby Heenan were calling the action for the WWE right now, Jericho behind the mic would be AWESOMEAWESOMEZOMGAWESOME.
9) Can TNA break a 1.0 this year on Mondays?
Can they? Well, only if they realize that Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, Kurt Angle, Ken Anderson, et al. are worth the screen time they waste on bullshit like Eric Bischoff, Hulk Hogan, Brooke Hogan, BTLS, the Band and Mick Foley.
10) Any wrestlers on the rise that we should be aware of?
Kyle O'Reilly and Adam Cole had a pretty good dark match at the DGUSA Freedom Gate PPV taping in November. O'Reilly might be on the fast track to ROH since he's tight with DR. I think Cole is already making waves in CZW, which can be a catapult to bigger things. Just ask Jon Moxley. Also, I heard Phil Shatter made his ROH debut at The Big Bang, and there are a few guys in the South I know who are high on him. If you're talking about mainstream, then keep an eye on Justin Gabriel on NXT. WE all know and love Daniel Bryan. Gabriel could be the bigger breakout star since he can do things that can get him over without having to have a mic in his face.
That's it for now. Please keep the questions rolling in, as I'd love to have this be a weekly or even bi-weekly thing.
Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein - Please visit his site to view the plentiful amounts of pictures he's taken for DGUSA, ROH and other indie feds: Get Lost Photography
Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!
