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PWINSIDER Q & A: HARDY BOYS REUNION, WWE LINES OF KAYFABE, THINNING SANDMAN, WHY I DIDN'T GO TO WORK FOR WWE AND MORE

Answered on 9/13

I noticed that you said you were offered a job by WWE.  Why didn't you take it?  What was the interview process like?

It was October of 1999, when things were going very well with WWE.  They were open with the wrestling media and business was great.  If I were every going to go, it would have been then because they were, in my opinion, doing everything the right way.  Raw magazine, which I would have been the managing editor of, was covering the business in a shoot, respectful style, which was something new.  That made me consider the offer since I liked the way that they were running the magazine.  Plus, I liked the publisher, Barry Werner. 

The reasons I didn't go were twofold.  One, I always liked working for myself and reporting on the business in the manner that I wanted to.  Obviously, if I went to WWE, that would have changed, at least at some point.  Two, having followed WWE in the past, I had seen them be very open in times of great prosperity, then close ranks when business tailed off.  Even if I had wanted to go to work there, I would have been scared off by the fact that they would have, at some point, put me in charge of writing kayfabe and partially true stories.  I had no desire to do that.

The interview process was like any other job.  I met with senior management and we felt each other out.  They were very respectful and professional. 

Is it just me, or has the Sandman lost a ton of weight since his ECW/WCW days? I just seem to remember being much heavier. If so, what happened? Was this due to an illness? 

He has lost weight.  It was a conscious effort on his part to get into better shape, nothing more.

When do you think the Hardyz will get together again, and is there any chance for a reprise of the Hardyz vs. the Dudleyz when tag team wrestling was in its heyday?

Well, if I were Matt Hardy my answer would be "as soon as possible" since he needs any kind of push/rub that he can get.  If I were Jeff, my answer would be "no time soon" since, unlike his brother, he is actually getting over for WWE as a singles wrestler.  With that said, a reunion at some point seems inevitable to me.  As for tag team wrestling becoming a focal point of WWE, I don't count on that happening any time soon since the company clearly does not see much value in it.

Since the launch of WWECW, there has been more interaction between the brands. At the beginning, it was mainly for promotion of ECW. Then, notably with Big Show, it was helping Smackdown's depleted roster during the large health-watch bust. However, now it continues, with the recent inclusion of Regal, Finlay, Kennedy and Show in the DX angle. I'm sure the brands will continue to exist as separate entities, but do you believe they will continue to utilize talent across brands like they are now? And if so, is there any potential that some of the secondary/tertiary titles become inter-brand titles? For instance, the Women's and Tag Title divisions would be easier to stock across all 3 brands, rather than trying to continue divisions made up of 2-3 legitimate contenders.

Buck and I talked about this on the No Name Show last week on the Elite site.  I think that crossover among the brands absolutely needs to be done.  It's no secret that WWE saw diminishing US buyrate numbers for their PPVs over the last year.  They even raised the price five dollars to counteract the loss of American buyers.  The reason is simple, they aren't delivering the kinds of shows that as many fans feel they need to buy.  That is a scary place for them to be.

Meanwhile, UFC has seen their buys soar because they do better character development on their shows and they give the fans matches that they want to see.  WWE could give their fans these kind of matchups by crossing brand lines and I think they would be foolish not to.

Please try to explain to me WWE's policy on kayfabe?  They acknowledge things like Triple H/Stephanie marriage and child on the website but then not on TV. Do they think people don't look at their website and watch TV?  This is not the only example, just the most glaring. I know Triple H keeps hinting at his part in the birth of the child, but it's never acknowledged. What's their rationale for this?

Sure, ask me a question that is impossible to explain!  Basically, they do look at TV and the web as different.  They figure that if you care enough to go to their website, you are a more inside fan so they give you more information.  As for HHH, he does that because he can, that simple.  There is no logical reason other than to pop himself and the inside fans while he makes the marks wonder what he is talking about.

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