SEScoops Mailbag: The Most Underrated Tag Team in History?

SEScoops Mailbag for November 12th

(submit YOUR questions to sescoops@gmail.com)

Q: When Rey Mysterio comes down the entrance way to the ring, what is he saying to those kids when he does that super creepy thing and touches his forehead to theirs? – Franchise Shane Douglas

A: You know, I’d rather not think about that. So long as it doesn’t involve an offer of candy and a room key, it’s nobody’s business.

Q: Where do the superstars who get buried alive escape to when the dirt covers them? Also, do you know how Undertaker got out of the burning casket at the 1998 Royal Rumble? – Big Mike

A: There is a trap door hidden inside the grave on one of the sides. At the appropriate time, the camera will cut away, giving whoever is in the grave an opportunity to safely roll out of dodge before the final mounds of dirt are emptied into the dark tomb. As for the ’98 Rumble, you may recall that after Undertaker was dumped into the casket, there was a considerable amount of time that passed as Kane and Paul Bearer secured him inside before they began rolling the casket down the aisle way. While the casket sat propped up against the side of the ring, there is a trap door through which Taker escaped under the ring. Sometimes, if you pay close attention, you can even see the person moving out of the box and under the ring. Once Bearer and Kane saw this, they knew it was safe to proceed.

Q: When Kurt Angle originally left WWE for TNA, I heard it was because he lied about his reasoning for wanting to be released from his contract. When he turned up in TNA, what was Vince McMahon’s reaction? – Ryan Begley

A: There are disputed accounts about what happened during that final meeting between Angle and McMahon. The most reliable story I’ve heard is that Angle broke down weeping and that, coupled with some bizarre behavior on his part in the weeks leading up to his release (e.g. sending weird text messages to people), made WWE realize that this guy was a walking time bomb and it was in his best interest to leave the company. They fully expected Kurt to go to TNA and, in a way, actually encouraged it. They didn’t encourage it directly the way they did when Vince told Bret Hart to negotiate with WCW back in 1997 because they couldn’t afford to pay his salary anymore, but everyone involved realized that Kurt had substance abuse issues and the WWE road schedule was going to kill him sooner rather than later. Going to TNA with their reduced schedule was the best move for his health and well-being.

Q: Why do the writers at TNA suddenly think its a good idea to bombard their show with segment after segment of people talking, pointless fights and beatdowns, or backstage attacks? – Kieran Andrews

A: Don’t forget swerves, lots of swerves! Simply put, in their minds, whatever worked in 1999 will surely work in 2010. Of course, we all know that’s bullshit, which automatically makes us infinitely smarter than the people running TNA.

Q: Is R-Truth getting a new push with all of the segments with Cena, his recent match against Miz and his tag match with Orton? He is a good performer, but the typical rapper/thug gimmick is played out. I know he will always be a mid-carder in WWE, but I think he could he a high mid-carder. Will we see a heel turn soon? – Chris

A: It’s certainly possible down the road, but I’d be surprised if it happened this year given how hard they are trying to get his new theme song over with the audience. The only thing about his act that was over was his music and now that they changed it, it’s really killed the guy dead in his tracks. Truth has a load of in-ring talent, but to me, the biggest obstacle to him getting anything remotely close to a main event push is his prior arrest record in Canada. Because of that, he is not allowed across the border (which is why he missed one of the Raw shows leading up to Bragging Rights). You can’t have a World champion banned from performing in an entire country.

Q: In NXT season 1, Wade Barrett won the “Talk the Talk” challenge and was promised his own theme music to stand out in the competition. However, he never got that music. Why didn’t they go through with it? – The Brian Collins

A: Wasn’t Kaval promised a title shot for winning season 2 of NXT? Why ask why?

Q: I was watching the Four Horsemen DVD and it was interesting. I was at the part where they attack Ricky Morton and it got me thinking about tag teams and why the Rock ‘N Roll Express is overlooked when the greatest tag teams of all time are discussed or ranked in a Top 10. Are they the most underrated tag team ever? – Andrew Betts

A: I think you’re hanging out with the wrong crowd. They won’t be on everyone’s list, but the Rock ‘N Roll Express are mentioned fairly often when it comes to discussions about the greatest teams in wrestling history. Because they never worked, in their prime, for a company like WWE, they may not have the same level of visibility as the Bulldogs or Steiner Brothers, but they’re not as overlooked as you might think, nor do I think they are the most underrated tag team of all time. That distinction would go to Steve Austin and Brian Pillman as The Hollywood Blondes in WCW. They were an unexpectedly great team that was dissolved way sooner than they should have been. Them, or Head Cheese.

Q: I’ve watched a number of WWE DVD sets over the past few years and I’ve noticed that WWE only blurs certain WWF logos. I know that Vince had to change the name because of the World Wildlife Fund, but it seems like WWE lets the block-style WWF logo appear unblurred. With them having an “Old School” Raw show, along with selling these new retro WWF t-shirts, is there something from the settlement that allows them to use only certain logos? Why doesn’t Vince just pay the royalties/fines in order to keep the old logos intact? – Jim

A: It doesn’t work that way. It would be far too costly for them to do so or they would have done something already. As for the lawsuit, WWE was NOT required to change the name of their company. They opted to do so because while they could continue to call themselves the World Wrestling Federation in this country, they would not have been allowed to do so overseas, which would have created far too much confusion in the marketplace. It’s simply bad branding to call yourself one thing in the U.S. and something different everywhere else. Whatever the reason, the old block-letter WWF logo was never banned from being used, this was only in reference to the scratch logo of the Attitude Era. You’ll notice, they are also allowed to speak the words World Wrestling Federation, but are not allowed to speak the initials WWF (unless your name is Bret Hart). I’d say blame the pandas, but in reality, WWE did breach whatever agreement they had in place with the wildlife folks, so you reap what you sow.

Q: Is it just me or does anyone else think it’s weird that they keep calling Hornswoggle “Horny”? Maybe I am being a little bit immature about this, and granted the kids probably don’t view it like that. To me though, it’s just a little odd that adults (Teddy Long is over 50) can continually, and with a straight face, keep calling a 24 year old midget “Horny.” Who’d have ever thought that being “Horny” would actually be PG? – Geremy Kerr

A: To be fair, I was called “Horny” when I was 24 years old, too. Still am.

Keep those questions coming to sescoops@gmail.com and remember to include your name!