SEScoops Mailbag for July 21st
(please submit YOUR questions to sescoops@gmail.com)
Q: What happened with Jeff Hardy in 2008-09? He was chasing Triple H for the WWE championship on three consecutive PPVs and finally won it at Armageddon and lost it at Royal Rumble only a month later. Same thing in the summer with CM Punk. Was there a suspension when he left the company or did he just want to leave? – Dave M.
A: I think Hardy winning the title at Armageddon was done just as a feel good moment. I was never of the impression that they intended for him to be champion heading into WrestleMania or anything, especially after he burned the company a year earlier by getting suspended right before he was scheduled to win Money in the Bank at WM24. When Hardy left in the summer of 2009, that was because he refused to sign a new contract and wanted out. His contract actually expired in June, but he agreed to sign an extension and wrestle a few extra months to help put Punk over.
Q: I’ve been watching TNA Impact this summer and have to say I’m impressed. I love the way they’ve used Aries, Daniels, Ion and the BFG series just to name a few. However, I think I’ve figured out what they’re up to with Aces and Eights after watching last week’s Impact. Obviously this group brings back recollections of the early nWo days. I think Eric and Hulk are trying to re-create the earlier “Outsider” version of the nWo. Aces and Eights are being built to be a darker and more edgy version of the early nWo, which I think could be great. What do you think? – Bill from Ohio
A: Darker, perhaps. But only because they’re dressed in riot gear and made to look like terrorists. Frankly, I think the original nWo concept was more edgy in that it was made out to be an invasion by a rival promotion, at least until WWE took WCW to court and forced them to stop deceiving their audience into thinking they were actually invading. Ratings were up for Impact this week and this Aces and Eights group was all over the show, so perhaps it will get more people interested.
Q: Do you think with [Raw going] three hours every week that we will see actual Diva matches and not 2 minutes of crap? I remember back in the day when they used to go to commercial during Diva matches! – Cristian Anaya
A: Really? Maybe there were a few Alundra Blaze matches on Raw in the mid-90’s that ran through a commercial break, but I honestly don’t ever remember that happening with too many women’s matches. As much as I’d like to see them give the Divas a chance to actually, you know, wrestle, I still don’t see them giving them much more time, even with three hours. I fear their priority will be more comedy skits, Tout videos and Twitter trends.
Q: I have read multiple stories about why Mr. Kennedy was released by WWE. Do you know what actually happened and what WWE’s official story was? – Malcolm Kelly, London, England
A: There was never any “official” story from WWE beyond them wishing him well in his future endeavors. In reality, many main event performers (allegedly John Cena and Shawn Michaels were among them) that worked with Kennedy complained to management about him being a reckless worker and hurting people. The incident on Raw where he dropped Randy Orton wrong on a suplex and Orton chewed him out in front of everyone backstage was the final straw.
