SEScoops Mailbag for October 22nd
(submit YOUR questions to sescoops@gmail.com)
Q: For the few years that Brock Lesnar was in WWE, he made quite possibly the biggest impact of any former superstar. Is there any chance of a Brock DVD compiling his pro wrestling career? And do you think he stands a chance at being inducted into the Hall of Fame or was he not there long enough? – Dusty from Lincoln, NE
A: I’m shocked they haven’t already released a Lesnar DVD, especially a few months ago when he made his big comeback to UFC from near death against Shane Carwin. It seemed like an easy cash grab, but I guess WWE didn’t want to draw attention to Lesnar since he no longer belongs to them. As for the Hall of Fame, that’s a great question. I want to put Lesnar in there because he was just so damn good, a legit wrestler, and he certainly had great success during his short run (winning the King of the Ring, youngest WWE champion to that point, and main eventing WrestleMania 19). I also give Brock a lot of credit for putting over Eddie Guerrero when Eddie won his first World title in 2004 in what was one of the best and most emotional title matches in company history. That said, he was only on TV for two years. If this were a legitimate HOF, he doesn’t get in. But it’s not, and with Vince McMahon’s limo driver in there, I say Brock should absolutely go in.
Q: If WWE removed chair shots to the head because of the whole concussion/Benoit/PG thing, why is Orton’s punt kick still being used? If you can fake a kick to the head, why not a chair shot? – Ryan B.
A: You can “fake” a chair shot by putting your hands up, and I’m not certain that has been banned as per the Wellness Policy. Likewise, there are ways to safely take the soccer punt, but I think the bigger question should be, why is Randy Orton – as a babyface – still going around kicking people in the skull?
Q: What is with Michael Cole suddenly appearing on Smackdown? – Kieran A.
A: Todd Grisham is on Vince McMahon’s shit list and he wants Cole on the show to spice things up. As of right now, the move is not meant to be temporary.
Q: Since I saw Tyler Reks as a heel in FCW, I have been a huge fan of his! Then, he came out on Smackdown beating Kaval and that was the best thing ever. Do you think he will get a big push now that he’s back because he rules now! – Nate
A: So you’re the one.
Q: Other than being a heel on Raw or Smackdown, what other criteria does WWE Magazine consider regarding its “Jerk of the Month” feature? – Rachel Miller
A: I‘m not part of their editorial staff, so I don’t know what other criteria they might use. But if I were on their staff, I would suggest changing it to a “Jock Ass of the Month” feature. And unless you’ve seen the movie masterpiece that is No Holds Barred, you likely have no idea what I’m talking about.
Q: Has WWE considered having a third brand to appeal to the 18+ age group? It could feature different stars and doesn’t even have to make reference to WWE, but still produce an edgier show. – Alex L.
A: Yes, it was called ECW and it failed. But really, that’s what most people thought ECW would be when it was re-launched in 2006, but WWE doesn’t feel it can be TV-PG on one channel and TV-14 on another, so it’s not going to happen.
Q: How low do you think Bragging Rights PPV buys will spiral down to this year considering UFC 121 is on the day before? It’s going to crush the WWE show big time. I’ll be surprised if it does even 60,000 domestic buys. – Saurabh from Bangalore, India
A: Bragging Rights is a victim of circumstance for two reasons. For one, WWE has given us no reason to care about seeing Raw vs. Smackdown. They dusted off a meaningless trophy that we haven’t seen in a year and expect people to care. Last week, a listener of the Solomonster Sounds Off podcast on this very website suggested giving the winning brand “home team advantage”, for lack of a better phrase, at WrestleMania. So, for example, if Team Smackdown were to win this Sunday, their brand’s World title would have the honor of being defended in the main event in Atlanta next year. I’ll bet it took that person 30 seconds at most to come up with that stipulation, yet WWE can’t be bothered to come up with something meaningful to put up for grabs? Second, the timing for this show could not be worse coming 24 hours after a UFC PPV, one that features their biggest draw, Brock Lesnar, no less. On top of that, we’re only three weeks removed from the Hell in a Cell PPV, and Night of Champions, which came two weeks before that. That would be one hell of a stiff cable bill, even if all you ordered were the WWE shows. I would say your domestic prediction is not too far off.
Q: In 2006, I started to get very jaded with the WWE product. I then heard about TNA and started watching and was very pleased with the match quality being produced, which I found lacking in WWE. However, I do feel they are trying too hard to be WWE Lite. My question is, what change do you feel TNA has to make to take it to the next level (I can’t believe I used a Hoganism)? Is it one single change or a number of changes, or is it simply an advertising issue, where they need to make the public more aware of the TNA brand? – kliqmark
A: In fairness, this question was sent to us before TNA’s big angle on 10-10-10. That said, the answer remains the same. They need a new regime in power. It’s just that simple. Perhaps that starts with Dixie Carter, but she’s obviously not going anywhere, so you have to look at the booking committee they have in place. The best analogy I can use for this is a baseball one. Look at one of the biggest sports franchises in the world, the New York Mets, who just a few years ago had a team stocked with hungry, young talent that came within a game of the World Series. What has followed are years filled with inconsistent play, bad contracts and PR blunders. For all of the goodwill their general manager may have built up, it’s obvious the team is in desperate need of a shakeup and that is exactly what’s happening right now. Both the GM and manager have been shown the door as the team looks to bring in the right mix of people to fix their mess. The owners realized they had become a laughing stock and were tired of losing, so they had the balls to make a change for the sake of their business. With TNA, they too have a talented team of (mostly) young players who are being badly mismanaged, through no fault of their own. Until their leadership realizes this, nothing will change. They say insanity is trying the same thing over and over again, expecting a different outcome each time. I guess there’s a reason TNA used to hold shows in an Asylum.
Keep those questions coming to sescoops@gmail.com and remember to include your name!