SEScoops Mailbag for January 21st
(submit YOUR questions to sescoops@gmail.com)
Q: I was wondering when did Undertaker’s undefeated streak come to light and the writers start taking advantage of it? Was it always planned for someone to build up that kind of record? – Kieran A.
A: I do recall the announcers making mention of Undertaker behind undefeated as early as WrestleMania 12 or 13, but they didn’t really play it up until 2001 on the show where Taker went 9-0 against Triple H. It’s not something they planned in advance, either. At a certain point, they realized he had never been defeated (which is amazing when you consider how many times Taker was beaten by screwjobs and interference through much of the mid-90’s) and were going to use it as a marketing tool for the show each year.
Q: This could be a long shot here, but let me know if you agree with this scenario regarding Daniel Bryan. He seems to be doing nothing but being a pro on NXT right now. This season, the winners get a shot at the Tag titles. Do you believe Bryan and [Derrick] Bateman will win this season so Bryan can be in the same position Miz was in months ago (holding the US and tag titles at once)? This could set up a Miz/Bryan feud and finally give Bryan a direction. Maybe I’m totally over-thinking the situation, but it might explain why Bryan is doing next to nothing these days. – Justin Erickson
A: You’re totally over-thinking the situation. While I would be in favor of elevating Bryan enough to contend for the WWE Title against Miz (and I think if done right, the fans would get behind it too), that’s absolutely not their plan right now. That’s too bad because the heat those two had during their feud felt “real” and often times, that is the best type of emotion to play off of when doing an angle with two guys. It doesn’t feel manufactured. You know these two guys have a history together and you know they hate each other’s guts. I guess they feel the WWE Universe can’t handle that.
Q: With Shawn Michaels being inducted into the Hall of Fame and Triple H returning soon, I see Sean Waltman, Kevin Nash and Scott all say they are going to be there for the ceremony. I was wondering if it would be a huge ratings grabber for WWE if they got all those guys together one more time to form the old Kliq to do something against Nexus. Any thoughts? – Brian O’Connor
A: First off, Waltman is the only one who has said he will be at a ceremony for sure. Nash has said he’d like to be, but if he re-signs with TNA or is still in Costa Rica filming a movie at the time, he won’t be there. I haven’t heard Hall say anything about it one way or the other. Second, this wouldn’t grab any ratings. Hall has no business being on TV after all the opportunities he’s blown and a Kliq reunion that sees them get the better of Nexus (and don’t think for a SECOND they would do anything to help put Nexus over at all because you’re a fool if you do) serves no purpose other than to bury the young guys. WWE does a fine job of that on their own, they don’t need any help.
Q: In 2002, was there ever a plan to have Stone Cold win the Royal Rumble and for The Rock to defeat Chris Jericho that night for the title to have a Rock vs. Stone Cold match at WrestleMania? Or was the plan always to have a returning Triple H win the Rumble and face Jericho at Mania, leaving Rock and Austin to feud with the nWo? – Michael R.
A: I don’t believe WWE had signed Hall, Nash and Hogan to their contracts in time for the Rumble, so they likely did not have any plans set in stone for them just yet without their signatures on the dotted line. I’m fairly certain they would have had Austin in the slot that Rock got against Hogan, but Austin made it quite clear he did not want to work with Hulk. As for yet ANOTHER match with Austin and Rock, that was never the plan. I know they ended up doing it a year later, but they weren’t doing it two years in a row. The plan was for Jericho to have a relatively short reign and put over Triple H for the belt, so that didn’t change.
Q: I was disappointed that Sting was not on WWE’s top 50 greatest list. I know that he is with TNA, but so is Jeff Hardy, Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Kurt Angle and a few others. Do you think Sting should of made it?
A: On a list that includes Junkyard Dog, yes I believe Sting should have been part of it. They can claim it’s a WWE-only list now, but that’s not what they were saying before when it was announced and I don’t ever remember Lou Thesz or Gorgeous George wrestling for WWE.
Q: Is Even Bourne going to be coming back anytime soon? He left when CM Punk and Edge traded brands, due an injury if memory serves, and I don’t remember hearing anything about him since then. – Christoff
A: Yes, Evan is targeting a late February/early March return to the ring following shoulder surgery he underwent in October to repair a torn rotator cuff. As a matter of fact, he and Triple H are both advertised for the 3/19 live event at Madison Square Garden. Perhaps they will return as a tag team wearing tassles and neon spandex a la The Rockers. I’d pay to see that.
Q: You have mentioned numerous times on your podcast about how great War Games matches are, but which match did you think was the best ever? – Daniel
A: Check out the War Games match with Sting’s Squadron against The Dangerous Alliance from “Wrestle War” 1992. The nWo vs. WCW one from “Fall Brawl” 1996 was pretty good, too. Avoid the one from 1995 like you would the Ebola virus.
Q: In the first ever Mailbag and the most recent one, it was said that Edge & Christian are brothers. However, Wikipedia says they were childhood friends and doubting Wikipedia’s intelligence is like doubting Shawn Michaels’ wrestling ability. Also, on SmackDown when E&C met for the first time after Christian’s return, Edge said they have known each other since the 6th grade. Now, throw your knowledge on that. – Addam Azkaban
A: No such thing was said in the first mailbag, or any mailbag for that matter. Not from this website. Edge and Christian are FRIENDS in real life. They grew up together and both watched wrestling. When Christian followed Edge to WWE, the STORYLINE was that they were brothers. They said this on the air for years until recently when they decided to acknowledge them on the air as friends and not brothers, basically dismissing their own storyline. You see, yet another reason to hate WWE’s lack of storyline continuity. Not only does it make for bad TV, but it makes me have to answer the same question over and over.
Q: Was there any heat on Owen Hart after he injured Stone Cold Steve Austin? Do you feel that Owen could have been as big of a star as his brother if he didn’t die? – Joe Rampage
A: To the best of my knowledge, Owen had no heat with anyone in management over what happened. They looked at it for what it was, an accident. That said, Steve Austin did have heat with Owen over what happened and the fact that Owen never bothered to call him after it happened to apologize or check in. Even Bret has said Owen was wrong for that. I don’t believe Owen ever would have been as big a star as Bret if he hadn’t died. Could he have been a World champion? Sure, a short reign as a heel to help transition the title to the babyface. But he was already 34 years-old at the time of his death with plans to retire in the not-too-distant future. It just wasn’t going to happen.
Q: Why did JR only announce the main event at WrestleMania 15? – NateOB
A: Jim Ross had suffered his second bout with Bells Palsy only a few months earlier and was taken off TV during that time. They did the short-lived “heel JR” angle with Dr. Death shortly before Mania, but that was quickly dropped. Steve Austin and The Rock, who were wrestling in the main event that night, both went to Vince McMahon and made it clear they wanted Ross to call their match, which is why Michael Cole walked off and was replaced by JR. Conversely, at last year’s WrestleMania, both Shawn Michaels and Undertaker went to Vince and asked that Ross call their match and they were turned down. JR, who was in attendance and could have easily called the match, instead sat up in one of the luxury boxes and watched HBK’s final match from afar.
Q: I don’t know about everyone else, but I couldn’t help but notice that Tyson Kidd’s ‘bodyguard’ Jackson Andrews hasn’t been seen since he received a ‘World’s Strongest Slam’ from Mark Henry a few weeks ago. I didn’t hear anything about him being released or sent down, so what’s the deal? – Superstar Nick Adams
A: Someone realized he was too green and wasn’t ready to be on TV, so he was sent back down to FCW. Mason Ryan, beware.
Q: I was wondering if you have any information about some infamous backstage fights that happened in WWE. Can you name a few? – Mark
A: Way back in 1992, Vince McMahon was attacked and nearly choked out by Kevin Wacholz (Nailz) over what Wacholz perceived to be a low payoff from his appearance that year at Summerslam. He would later claim that McMahon tried to sexually assault him during the incident, but no one believed him. In 1997, Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels got into it once at a Raw taping, possibly in the bathroom, which resulted in Bret walking away with a clump of HBK’s hair. Vince McMahon had to go on the air that night and inform the audience that due to unprofessional conduct, neither man would be appearing on the show. Of course, later that same year in Montreal, Bret knocked out Vince McMahon with a punch and Davey Boy Smith hyperextended his knee in trying to drag his son Shane away from the ensuing scuffle. In 2003, Chris Jericho famously confronted Bill Goldberg backstage at Raw over comments Bill had made about him and when they got into it, Jericho took him down with a front facelock. In 2004, Eddie Guerrero and Kurt Angle got into an altercation at a Smackdown taping after the final segment of the show. As they came through the curtain, they exchanged words in front of everyone with Angle taking Eddie to the ground before being pulled off by some of the agents. In 2006, Booker T and Batista got into a brawl that Booker dominated and Vince McMahon actually refused to put the title back on Batista for quite some time after that, losing respect for him getting beaten so badly. Let us not also forget Stocky Balboa (Joey Styles) knocking down JBL with a punch to the jaw while overseas in Iraq for Tribute to the Troops in 2008. Boys will be boys.
Keep those questions coming to sescoops@gmail.com and remember to include your name!