SEScoops Mailbag for September 29th
(submit YOUR questions to sescoops@gmail.com)
Q: Why does Chris Jericho’s Walls of Jericho look nothing like it did when he made his debut? It’s now just a generic Boston Crab! He did the old school version against Bryan Danielson on NXT and it looked so much better. – Jon Hamer
A: He’s busted out a few old school Liontamers in recent months, including ones to Evan Bourne and Tyson Kidd. The pattern you see here is that these are all smaller wrestlers. It is easier for him to apply the hold that way to someone with a smaller frame. Plus, it’s unlikely any of the main event types are going to like the idea of someone wrenching back all the way while in the hold, hence why he likely started doing it that way years ago.
Q: Do you see Christian ever being in the main event picture again? For gosh sakes, he was the ECW champion (minus the whole losing it to Big Zeke via William Regal deal on the last episode of ECW) – K.K.
A: Just to be clear, Christian was never in the main event picture in WWE. ECW doesn’t count because WWE itself does not acknowledge former champions like Christian and Matt Hardy in any significant way. He is, however, a former NWA champion in TNA. The problem here is that the main reason Christian left in the first place all those years ago was because in a meeting with Vince McMahon, he was basically told that he wasn’t viewed as a main event performer and likely never would be. I don’t see any evidence that Vince has changed his mind about that. Christian has been the workhorse of the Smackdown brand of late, but was being used merely to put over Alberto Del Rio before he was sidelined with a pectoral tear. He is expected to be out at least four months.
Q: This question isn’t directed at SEScoops in particular, but all pro wrestling websites. Why do you guys cover MMA? Mixed martial arts has so little to do with pro wrestling, it’s not even funny. Are you just trying to leech off MMA’s popularity? – Zane
A: MMA, in a traditional sense, and pro wrestling are indeed quite different. However, modern day MMA as popularized by UFC (and Strikeforce to a far lesser degree) is very similar to modern day sports entertainment. Not only that, but a LARGE percentage of MMA fans are/were pro wrestling fans who in many cases stopped watching WWE when they found UFC to be more exciting. Fact is, when you have former WWE champions like Brock Lesnar and Bobby Lashley (and possibly Dave Batista) transitioning into MMA, it remains relevant to let people know about that.
Q: I have a couple of questions about, quite possibly, the weirdest PPV ever, Halloween Havoc 1995. What ever happened to the Yeti? Why did he hump Hulk Hogan into defeat? Is he the only wrestler to ever using humping as a finisher? I’m 23 now and am still just as confused about this whole ordeal as I was when I saw it when I was 8. – Geremy Kerr
A: Use humping as a “finishing†move? Oh, the fun I could have with this quote, but I’ll keep it PG. The Yeti will go down as perhaps the dumbest character in the history of pro wrestling (which covers a lot of ground that includes Bastion Booger, T.L. Hopper, The Gobbeldy Gooker and Matthew Hardy). To this day, I can’t quite figure out why The Yeti, dressed as a giant mummy mind you, was encased in a block of ice. Or why, in subsequent appearances, they changed his outfit to make him look like a ninja. He was played by Ron Reis, who was a legit 7’2â€, making him likely the second tallest wrestler in WCW history behind the recently deceased El Gigante. He also served as a member of Raven’s Flock for a time. As for the humping, rumor has it the move was actually popularized by Pat Patterson, but we cannot verify that at this time.
Q: Why did WWE turn to PG and not stay like it was during the 1990’s with more action and hardcore stuff? Why did it change from WWF to WWE? What ever happened to the Hardcore Championship? – Leonardo
A: That’s actually three questions, but I’ll let it slide because I like you. They turned PG because TV-14 wasn’t working so well for them anymore and they wanted to appeal to a different audience. They changed to WWE after losing a court decision to the World Wildlife Fund in 2002. As for the Hardcore title, it was retired in 2002 after Rob Van Dam defeated Tommy Dreamer in a match on Raw. Mick Foley, the original champion, was presented with the belt on Raw in 2006 during an in-ring ceremony and, as part of a later angle that went nowhere after Foley turned heel, both he and Edge declared themselves co-Hardcore champion.
Q: Any news on the return of Triple H and when is the Raw GM revealed? – Jon Nickson
A: Nothing new on either front. Triple H was originally expected to be cleared to return no earlier than late October, so he’s likely at least another month away from action. As for the GM, well … perhaps they are one in the same. Time will tell.
Q: Why is it that Matt Hardy is still in WWE? Everyone has been saying he’s just a day away from being released, but it seems that it keeps getting pushed back. Is it possible this is all one big work? Or is WWE just waiting for the right time to end it? – Leo
A: WWE is likely going to address the Matt Hardy situation shortly, whether they fire him or not. I don’t think they want him to go to TNA, but at the same time, they don’t care enough about TNA anymore to let that dictate their decision. I do believe it’s an angle that Hardy is playing, not one that has anything to do with WWE. Which begs the question, what’s the point? Perhaps he is trying to get himself fired, in which case if I were Vince McMahon, I would keep him under contract just to screw with him.
Q: When Vince finally leaves or dies and HHH takes over, do you think we will get a new and improved WWE or will it be the same old crap? Secondly, I had a dream that Abyss was using Janice to comb his hair. What do you think that means? – The Shinning Wizard
A: There will be nothing “new†about WWE if Triple H takes over considering that he has been there for 15 years. Improved? That remains to be seen. While he can play politics with the best of them, he does have an old school mentality and has clashed with Vince over ideas in the past. WWE would be well-served to go “old school†in some ways. As for Abyss and Janice, I think it means your itchy scalp is out of control and you need to switch to a different shampoo.
Q: I was wondering how you guys get all of you’re wrestling information? Sometimes you post things that only the wrestlers would know – RJ Lawson
A: We share the same voices in our head with Randy Orton.
Keep those questions coming to sescoops@gmail.com and remember to include your name!