SEScoops Mailbag for September 17th
(submit YOUR questions to sescoops@gmail.com)
Q: Is there any reason why recent tag teams in WWE have gone by the wrestlers names (eg Cade and Murdoch, Miz and Morrison) and not by team names like The Headbangers, Legion of Doom etc? I can’t be the only one that misses the proper tag teams of the old tag team division. – Phill M.
A: Watch any episode of Raw or Smackdown and it is painfully obvious that WWE does not care about its tag team division. Why bother putting in the effort to come up with team names for teams that will likely be dropped or broken up a few weeks later? Rumor has it they want to change this over the next few months to build some credible challengers for the belts.
Q: Do you think we’ll ever see a midget in the WWE Hall of Fame? I know several have been inducted into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame, including Sky Low Low, Lord Littlebrook, and Little Beaver, but as far as I know none have made it to the WWE HOF. – Jack (stratojaxter)
A: Absolutely. They will eventually start running out of names and will put at least one or two midgets in there as a novelty, if nothing else. It would not surprise me at all to see Hornswoggle in there one day. Say what you will, but he is the only midget in WWE history to be prominently featured in a main event angle and he sells a ton of merchandise.
Q: Why haven’t we ever seen a Teddy Hart (Bret’s nephew) vs. Matt Bentley (HBK’s cousin) match/program anywhere? Do you think it will ever happen? WWP perhaps? – Jay
A: If a promoter thinks he can make money marketing the match, then it will happen. Now that Bret and Shawn have made their peace, it seems less likely.
Q: Do the majority of people still view wrestling as simply fake without any understanding of how dangerous it can be, or do you believe people today understand that wrestling actually can be a dangerous game? – Joey
A: We haven’t done a poll to find out, but there are plenty of people who cannot fathom the notion that “fake†wrestlers really do get injured. Three words sum this up best: ignorance is bliss. To give an analogy, you may recall hearing about this two-wheeled electric vehicle called The Segway many years ago that was going to revolutionize the way we all move around. It didn’t quite work out that way, though I do see them used these days by police officers and mall cops. It was designed to be practically impossible to fall off of… except the US president went and fell off the thing in an infamous faux pas. The point is that sh*t happens and injuries in wrestling are no different.
Q: Why is Matt Stryker still on commentary when he keeps making stuff up? Does he actually do any research before giving us his ‘fun facts’? Lawler hates him and he adds nothing to the product. – Anonymous
A: Stryker is actually quite knowledgeable about the business and its history. He was doing a fine job of doling out legit facts until Kevin Dunn (EVP, TV Production) told him to stop talking about old wrestlers that nobody would know about. Once Vince McMahon started getting in his ear, he just started making stuff up to please the boss.
Q: Is it true that Christian was originally meant to be the person that had been attacking Jeff Hardy last year? – Michael
A: Yes it is. When Vince McMahon realized that everyone knew this, he decided to swerve us all and have Matt Hardy go heel on his brother at the Royal Rumble. Of course, they only swerved themselves because the payoff made little sense and the Hardys ended up making up months later while Christian wasted away in ECW.
Q: Sorry, what I meant to ask last time was if it’s possible for me to join WWE without a high school deploma? Like is it required for me to have a high school deploma or can I just go join FCW and hopefully get into the WWE from there? Also, has there ever been a wrestler who didn’t finish school? – Johnny
A: So you know, it’s spelled “diploma†(another reason to attend high school). To answer your question, I’m not aware of any requirement that says you need such a diploma to work as an independent contractor for WWE. I’m certain you would need that and a college degree to even get a second look as an employee working at Titan Tower. As for wrestlers who didn’t finish school, I’m sure there are plenty of examples, but the best one I can think of is the one and only Bobby “The Brain†Heenan. He was a wrestler long before he started managing or announcing and has said that he never made it past the eighth grade.
Q: How long do you see Undertaker holding the World title after he gets it from Kane? – Randy
A: That’s quite the prognostication there. History (and his health) would indicate not very long. Out of all his title reigns, I believe his longest successive reign was his second from 1997, which spanned the period from WrestleMania to Summerslam. Taker has never really proven to be a great ratings or PPV draw as champion, and wrestling a reduced schedule is also an ominous sign.
Q: Why did WWE hire Joey styles back if he simply dissed them when he supposedly quit? – Ricardo
A: Vince McMahon and Joey both determined he was not a good fit as an announcer who “tells storiesâ€, so they decided to shift him over to other duties. The infamous worked-shoot on Raw was all an angle and they gave Joey the freedom to write his own promo. He currently runs WWE.com and is seemingly very happy in the role.
Q: With all the money Vince has, why doesn’t he start his own channel? He’s got shows all over the week and can show re-runs thrice a day like other sports and not have to worry about preemptions or the network taking away the show as is happening with NXT. It would be nice to know why Vince doesn’t want to run a TV channel like Ted Turner did. – Prasanna
A: First of all, SyFy is not “taking away†NXT. The network has chosen not to renew their deal for the show, which is their perogative. If it had done better ratings, it would remain on the air. When your lead announcer is on the show openly mocking how crappy it is, you can blame WWE for that one. Secondly, Vince McMahon is definitely interested in launching his own cable channel and has said he wants to see it on the air by late 2011. The company has already hired additional staff to make the necessary preparations to their video library and will begin making presentations to the various cable companies this January to get them on board to carry the proposed station. This does NOT mean all of their programming will air on their own channel and, in fact, that is not what they want. It would behoove them to maintain their relationship with NBC Universal/USA Network.
Q: Will Cena ever turn heel? – Keysean
A: Everyone does at some point. Unless your name is Ricky Steamboat.
Q: What is the point of dark match main events? – Jolietjonblues
A: To send the fans home happy. If you ever go to a massage parlor, ask for the “dark match†when it’s over and you may go home happy, too.
Keep those questions coming to sescoops@gmail.com and remember to include your name!