SEScoops Mailbag for February 9th
(please submit YOUR questions to sescoops@gmail.com)
Q: Can you name one event that marked the end of actual women’s wrestling on WWE programming. In my opinion, the beginning of the end was the introduction of the Diva search competition. This caused an influx of women with very little, if any, wrestling ability. – Dustin C.
A: The Diva search may have sped up its demise, but I think the departures of Trish Stratus and Lita had more to do with it than anything else. They were two of WWE’s most over female performers for years and once they were gone, it seemed like the women became less of a priority. Now you have women like Beth Phoenix and Natalya who can work, but they barely get 30 seconds of TV time and they have Natalya passing gas every week for comedy. I hope the next time she does, someone lights a match and blows up the entire writing staff.
Q: I have been puzzled as to why TNA signed Hulk Hogan to a fat salary for seemingly little return, but being based in the UK and seeing Hulk in the UK and the impact it has made on the British media, Hogan on mainstream TV and Radio at peak time, on the front page of the national papers and on the homepage of the BBC website, no other tour from any company including WWE has ever received so much publicity in my living memory. He was continually pushing and promoting the TNA product, and suddenly it all makes sense, the rise in the profile of the company could never have been achieved without him. Does this justify Hulk’s contract? – Rob S.
A: I don’t know how much Hulk’s contract is worth or how much of it is being paid by Spike TV, but that is precisely the reason Hogan was signed in the first place. Does some media attention overseas justify spending a boatload of money when PPV buyrates continue to embarrass and television ratings have barely moved an inch? Considering how much emphasis TNA puts on those weekly ratings, you can argue it has not been worth the investment. I would argue that replacing Vince Russo as head writer (even though he still writes the shows) and pushing fresh faces like Bobby Roode and James Storm has been more of a positive for the product than signing Hogan or Bischoff has been.
Q: Is it true that Hulk Hogan and Shawn Michaels were supposed to have a rematch after their Summerslam match with HBK winning, but Hogan said he couldn’t do it cause he had a ‘knee injury’? – Steve D.
A: If Hogan is to be believed, he was down for a rematch until Michaels went on Raw the night after Summerslam and cut an unprofessional promo about him. Of course, I’d sooner believe a politician running for office than I would anything out of Hogan’s mouth. Michaels wanted to win their match at the PPV and was told by Vince McMahon that Hogan was going over. He had 100% creative control in his contract and that was that. It was then proposed they have a rematch in a cage the next month where Michaels would go over, giving each man one victory over the other, which Hogan also refused unless he won that match as well. Basically, Michaels, who was notorious for playing political games back in the day, got out-politicked by the master himself and pouted about it on TV the next night. What goes around comes around.
Q: I don’t see a “Hogan vs. Andre”, “Razor vs. Shawn Ladder Match” or even a “Hogan vs. Rock” caliber matchup in the near future for WrestleMania. There is, however, one glaring moment that has not been seen yet and maybe it never will be. I know why the situation is what it is, but consider this. Who was the WWWF Champion from 1963-1971 and again from 1973-1977? Of course, the great Bruno Sammartino. Has the WWE gotten far enough from the worst of the DX-type stuff that Bruno hated? Can Vince and Bruno ever bury the hatchet??? If they could, imagine that ultimate HOF induction at a WrestleMania held in Sammartino’s adopted hometown of Pittsburgh. What do you think? – Bill from Ohio
A: I don’t know that enough of those older fans are still around to warrant Bruno’s induction being viewed as any sort of “ultimate” Mania moment. He is certainly worthy of being acknowledged by WWE for its Hall of Fame for the records he set and his overall impact on the promotion. At the end of the day, he has turned down their offers at every opportunity. If he doesn’t want to go in, then there’s nothing the company can do. When the day comes that Bruno is no longer on this earth, Vince will be free to induct him posthumously if he wants to, and he should because Sammartino was a big part of that company’s history.
Q: I feel WWE really dropped the ball when it comes to Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase. After the whole Legacy thing, I believe their careers should have really taken off, but they are still in mid-card matches for some reason. Did something happen or is it just bad storylines? – Tyler
A: The goal was always to elevate DiBiase to main event status and he seemed to be on his way, but they killed him dead because they felt he lacked charisma. To me, their mistake was going with DiBiase over Rhodes. What could have been his defining moment came on that Raw show where his father, Dusty Rhodes, was the guest host and was attacked by Randy Orton at the end of the show. That shot of Cody steaming mad in the corner, refusing to lash out at Orton while the fans chanted his name reminded me of WWE pushing Orton after the breakup of Evolution, only for the fans to end up getting behind Batista instead. Sometimes, when the fans call for it, you need to pull the trigger. They had something with Cody back then and squandered it. Thankfully, he’s finally getting a proper push now.
Q: How do you think Rock vs. Cena will play out? I’m thinking if Rock wins and does not come back, how will Cena get his revenge? If Cena wins, Rock can’t show his face again in WWE. I just hope it’s not a [disputed] finish. Also what would Cena have to do to turn heel at Mania, besides give Rock a beat down, and convince the audience of his turn? – Dennis M.
A: Realistically, Cena should win. Like him or not, he’s WWE’s guy and will be around far more than Rock will after the show. Plus, it’s been a rather lopsided feud so far with Cena taking a Rockbottom at last year’s Mania, leading to his loss to The Miz, and again at Survivor Series after Rock scored the winning fall for their team. As for a Cena heel turn, he’s already going to be booed out of Sun Life Stadium. There’s no need to go full-blown heel with him unless Rock has agreed to stick around for a rematch after Mania.
Q: I [recently] took my daughter to a Raw house show in Jackson, MS. There was a fan that was just way to into all of [the action], had signs for everything, the wrestlers all had banter with him, his facial expressions were just way to over the top. We sat ringside and even my 9 year old thought he had to be an actor. Well because I have nothing else better to do with my time I did some research online and couldn’t find anything. Two weeks later, I was watching Raw on my DVR and BOOM, there he is in the same damn outfit. I was wondering if you guys know who he is and what’s the point in planting actors at house shows? – Clay
A: The “actor” you are referring to (based on the photo you attached) is no actor at all. He is a WWE superfan named Rick Achberger, or “The Sign Guy” as others know him. He appears at roughly 30-40 live events each year, always wearing his backwards red hat and blue shirt. He actually won over $100,000 on “Deal or No Deal” a few years ago with John Cena, Edge, Randy Orton and Bobby Lashley all sent by WWE to make appearances.
Q: A friend of mine went with his homies to the Raw Supershow on January 16 at the Honda Center in Anaheim. When the guards went up to them, they flashed their tickets and were booted out of the building. The same incident happened at Summerslam at the Staples Center and at Survivor Series in my hometown of New York City (I’m originally from the Bronx). Has there been controversy during a Monday Night RAW or a taping of Friday Night SmackDown where some security guards come up to a member, or in this case, members of the WWE Universe, tell them to flash their tickets to see if they are legitimate enough for them to be in the audience? Or are there specific rules when you buy the tickets online? – Luis A.
A: I’ve never heard of security kicking out fans with legitimate tickets. Tell your friends to quit buying their tickets outside the arena from the same guy who first tried to sell them a gold watch and some weed.
Keep those questions coming to sescoops@gmail.com and remember to include your name!
