[addy2hotty]

(1) What do you ultimately think Vince McMahon will most be remembered for as a promoter?

His feud with Stone Cold Steve Austin.

(2) What, if anything, do you think is the most important positive change that has come from the WWE vision of what pro wrestling is?

That wrestling was fun, entertaining and didn't take itself too seriously. Since 2002, that was lost.

(3) What do you think is the most important negative change that has come from the WWE vision of what pro wrestling is?

That wrestling is not fun, unentertaining and takes itself far too seriously. This is the result of writers/producers believing that they know what the fans want more than they do. This began around 2002.

(4) What is something that you have always felt WWE does well that they don't get enough credit for?

Montage presentations. Second to none. Especially the obituary ones like for Eddie Guerrero.

(5) What is something that you have always felt WWE does horribly that they don't get enough criticism for?

John Cena.

(6) Overall, do you think most people are fair when discussing WWE, or do you think people tended to be blinded -- either by fanboyism or hatred?

Too much of both. Either one or the other on most subjects. Never any middle ground.

(7) What match would you point to as the match that most defines the WWE version of wrestling?

TLC2 - Wrestlemania X-Seven.

(8) Could the WWE have had their initial success without Hulk Hogan? Why or why not?

No. He was a comic book character in s super-hero era. He was the Rambo of the WWF.

(9) Could the WWE have been more financially successful in the post-Hogan, pre-Austin time period with different people on top? Why or why not?

Not really. The competition was hot, they had nothing to really go with. When the right character came along, it would work out for them. I believe that they bided their time and waited. Austin-mania was not luck.

(10) Who do you think was a bigger star at their peak -- Hulk Hogan or Steve Austin?

Two ways of looking at it. In wrestling terms - Austin. In mainstream terms - Hogan.

(11) What do you think is Vince McMahon's greatest accomplishment as a promoter?

The Attitude Era.

(12) What do you think was the greatest contributing factor to WCW overtaking the WWE from 1995-1998?

The inability of Vince McMahon to move on from the cartoon character fictionality of the WWF. Whereas WCW moved into an area where the boundaries between real & scripted were very thin, WWF remained in an area where a Clown was a performer and had a midget clown for a valet.

(13) What do you think was the greatest contributing factor to the WWE overtaking WCW in 1998?

Austin, The Rock, DX and a hugely likeable mid and lower card. The quality of writing was at its strongest.

(14) Which world champion was the best in terms of ring work and why?

In the time that I watched, probably Chris Benoit. He did everything right in the ring. The little things, the selling of injuries, the look of a heel, the attitude of a badass "i'm gonna hurt you" submission expert.

(15) Which world champion do you think meant most to the company?

Tough one. I'd say, Eddie Guerrero. They released him for his own good several times. They pretty much told him, sort yourself out and you'll have a job. They had such faith in him at the end that when he said that holding the title was too much for him, they took it off him. Even though business would have probably said keeping him as champion at that point would have been best.

(16) Which world champion had the worst run?

John Cena's 2nd/3rd run. The fans pretty much hated it. The smarks hated it. I hated it. Beating everyone ever is not an achievement. It shows the sad limitations of the roster and the lack of belief in anyone on said roster. Only Edge came out of any Cena feud looking any good. Everyone else's career has pretty much tanked. I hope you are reading Randy Orton.

(17) What do you consider the high point in WWE history?

Wrestlemania X-Seven.

(18) What do you consider the absolute low point in WWE history?

Now. Every week, a lower point is reached.

(19) Looking at things from their point of view, why do you think WWE frowns on employees being big wrestling fans?

Because they believe that they will make decisions from a fans point of view rather than one that is 'good business'. 'Good business' is to have Orton beat Hardy at the Royal Rumble and go on to feud with John Cena. A fan's decision would have probably been to put Hardy over and go into Wrestlemania on a crest of a wave. 'Good business' is to put Cena straight back into the title picture. A fan would have not made that decision. Sound business sense dictates decisions nowadays, and sadly the best creative ideas do not overlap with what is a souns business idea anymore.

It's not about the WWE putting on a show that will beat similar format shows in the ratings anymore. It's about making as much money as possible.

(20) Do you think the WWE has ever done a good job at booking tag teams in a meaningful way? If so, what time period?

There have been imo two boom periods for tag teams. One, the days of LOD, the Rockers, Natural Disasters, Beverly Brothers, Nasty Boys, Demolition. The second - Edge & Christian, Hardys, Dudleys. In those times, tag team wrestling was money. Now, tag team wrestling takes up the time that they could spend shoving Cena & DX's new t-shirt down our throats. Tag teams today have no character and are not allowed to build their personalities. The only team they did that with - Cryme Tyme (for better or worse) were released and pretty shocking in the ring. The WWE have no real interest in tag team wrestling at this point and wish it well in its future endeavours.

(21) What is the best non-main event feud the company has ever produced and why?

The E&C, Hardys and Dudley's on-going feud. Over nothing other than being the best tag team. It was good because it was high-level performances. You believed that any of them would do anything to be the best team. They all threw each other through tables and ladders. They all cheated and tried to get one up on the others. It wrote itself, and wrote itself so well.

(22) What is the worst main event level feud the company has ever produced and why?

Cena & Khali, Cena & Lashley, Cena & Umanga. Hastily cobbled together feuds with unbelievable events and ridiculous endings.

(23) What do you think was the single biggest contributing factor that caused the end of the 1998-2001 boom?

The roster split. Never liked it and never will. Too many 'stars' that shouldn't be on my TV.

(24) From your personal experiences, is the WWE a company that delivers house shows where you feel you get your money's worth?

Absolutely not. Being in the UK, our house shows are shocking. They used to make them PPV as well. Awful.

(25) Where do you think they'll be in five years?

I think that there will only be one wrestling show a week on TV. Probably Raw. PPV's will be cut in half and it'll feel like the bad old days of pre-1997. No-one will care. People will be still saying that The Rock should come back. Vince will be still a cackling evil man who wants 'ruthless masturbation' on live TV. There won't be an audience, just piped in cheers, and John Cena will have ascended to a higher plane of existence where he can co-exist with other Ancients such as Anubis & Hulk Hogan.



I've wasted a good half hour on this. Hope you understand that, and I claim the right to change my answer to something I think of later.