SEScoops Mailbag for April 28th
(submit YOUR questions to sescoops@gmail.com)
Q: I’ve never been to a house show, PPV or filmed show. I’ve only seen pay per views and filmed shows on TV. Considering that WWE is a PG product and they’ve got a strict no-no policy on blood, I was wondering if that only truly applies to when the product is televised. I suppose what I’m asking is, considering that with house shows the crowd is more intimate since it’s not being broadcasted, does the company show even a little bit of leniency towards blood or is it the same standard of “if you bleed, you get a bollocking and a fine” policy? – Liam
A: I’ve heard the word “bollocks” before, but never in that manner. I’m not sure I want to know what a “bollocking” would entail, although it sounds like something Pat Patterson may have done to newcomers in the late 80’s. To answer your question, WWE’s policy on blood is the same for house shows as it is for any televised event. Though people do bleed hardway, as Sir Michael Cole did on Monday, blading is banned. Besides, what sense would it make to slice yourself open on a house show these days?
Q: I am not a fan of TNA, but I’ve been growing very upset with one Knockout’s treatment as of late, they call her Velvet Sky. I hate this storyline with her and for the past 7 weeks, all she has done is get beat up and lose matches. Should she be standing up to TNA like the Divas stood up to WWE after WrestleMania? – Joe G.
A: I don’t recall the Divas “standing up” to WWE after Mania. Perhaps they were “standing up FOR” WWE as part of that ridiculous PR campaign during Linda’s senate run. But really, I don’t see what one has to do with the other. With WWE, you’re talking about women being upset because they were left off the biggest show of the year in favor of someone who is no longer an active member of the roster and a pint-sized, pseudo celebrity. With TNA, you’re talking about a storyline for one character, which I have to assume is going to culminate with a scenario where Velvet gets her revenge. I’d be more upset with WWE constantly booking Jim Ross to look like a fool (and get hurt in the process) or having your announcers refer to certain Divas as “fat” on TV for no apparent reason. If you want to be upset with one Knockout’s treatment by TNA, check out Sound Off 156 on this very website for the story about Daffney. That will get your blood boiling. It has certainly stirred a great deal of debate in the comments section.
Q: What are your thoughts on the in-career of Stacy Keibler and how critics say she just wanted to be an actor and not a wrestler? – Tristan
A: So what if she did? Newsflash: she would hardly be the only one to use wrestling as a means to an acting career. By all accounts, Stacy wasn’t a fan of wrestling long before she tried out for WCW’s Nitro Girls in 1999 and has always wanted to be an actress. I say more power to her. It was never her intention to actually wrestle when she started out, it was something that was asked of her and she obliged. This reminds me of those idiot fans that used to chant “You Sold Out!” whenever somebody was leaving ECW for either WWF or WCW. Get over yourselves, if someone dropped a big bag of money on your head from above, it’s not like you wouldn’t say (in the words of Tommy Dreamer) “thank you sir, may I have another?”
Q: What are your thoughts on WWE firing models they hire such as Penny Cash, Taylor James, Jillian Beyor, and Courtney Taylor and the females [then] stop wrestling altogether? – Linda
A: I must confess, I don’t know who any of these women are. So you’re saying that models with likely no prior interest or experience in pro wrestling are hired for their looks, inevitably fired and simply move on and do something else. Whodathunkit? Not that I expect them to alter their hiring practices when it comes to the ladies because rarely do they admit to their mistakes. By the way, the name Penny Cash is a fantastic oxymoron.
Q: What are your thoughts on Melina sleeping around with various people in the WWE locker room? – Brandon
A: It doesn’t reflect well on John Morrison if it’s true.
Q: After seeing Maryse given more on air face camera time (EDITOR’S NOTE: redundant much?) than any of the other Divas at the WWE Hall Of Fame ceremony, and as host of NXT Season 5, I was wondering if this could be the start of Maryse either as a permanent guest host of NXT or permanent General Manager for Raw for the foreseeable Future? – Sam Norris, England
A: Any way they can get Maryse on television is fine with me. It certainly beats the hell out of whatever twisted relationship she had going with Ted DiBiase. Personally, I’d rather she not wrestle at all and just be a valet for a young heel. She has such great charisma and mannerisms, I think she would excel in the role.
Q: I read that Sting chose not to sign with WWE [because] he felt they wouldn’t use his character properly. I just feel like he would get more out of the WWE crowd and have a chance at a real successful run. With who he is and what he has done, he could jump right into the title hunt somewhat like Scott Steiner and Goldberg had done. – Jared Robertson
A: And that right there is his concern. Sure, Steiner and Goldberg were slotted into title programs fairly quickly, but what ended up happening? WWE stuck a golden wig on Goldberg’s head on Raw, which killed his mystique, and exposed his weakness by booking him in long matches, while Steiner was quickly relegated to mid-card status. In the YouTube video you reference, Sting even cites the incident shortly after Booker T made his WWE debut where The Rock acted like he didn’t even know who he was. I can understand his point of view. Their track record when it comes to treatment of big stars they did not make is not exactly sterling. To be honest, it’s already been so long and Sting isn’t getting any younger, I almost hope he never wrestles in a WWE ring. That way, when they put him in their Hall of Fame, he can go in as the only major WCW star to never wrestle for Vince McMahon.
Q: With Rock getting involved with the WWE again, do you possibly see a Rock/Undertaker WrestleMania match in the not too distant future? – Ryan B.
A: No, I don’t. At what Mania would this even happen? Let’s say Undertaker reaches 20-0 next year and wants to keep going, to me it would be a waste of The Rock. Hell, good business would dictate that Rock loses to Cena next year in Miami and puts him over like a million bucks, so the possibility of Rock losing at Mania is hardly unthinkable. In fact, out of all the really top-flight main eventers in WWE over the years, the one guy (with the possible exception of Chris Jericho) who never really seemed to have a problem losing or putting others over was Rock. With Undertaker, difficult as it may be at this point, there needs to be intrigue and I think the only way you get that is by either matching him up with Cena or bringing in an outsider like Sting.
Q: If a superstar is thrown over the top rope in the Royal Rumble and only one foot touches the floor, could he hop about outside and not be eliminated? – Sam G.
A: Absolutely, and I’m surprised they don’t do this more often. I’ve often wondered why. I do recall Jerry Lawler doing this in a Battle Royal on Superstars back around 1995 until Bret Hart came over and knocked him on his ass.
Q: What happened to the Soaring Eagle? – Arthur L.
A: They clipped his wings.
Keep those questions coming to sescoops@gmail.com and remember to include your name!