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PWINSIDER Q&A: TWO HOURS OF TNA?, ROCK'S TATS, SUMMERSLAM '92 AND MORE

Answered on 9/21

As of today, what are the chances of TNA going from one to two hours television time?

I'm hoping they're really good, and that it is going to be TNA's "big announcement" on Sunday.  I know SpikeTV has been happy with the show and the ratings it has gotten, so I would say the chances are better that they will get two hours, than not.  Of course, whether that will be the announcement on Sunday is just speculation.

I've been watching Summerslam '92 on WWE 24/7, and while I haven't quite finished it yet, it's weird because Vince and Bobby Heenan (who were commentating that night) really don't mention the Bret-Bulldog match at all prior to it happening. They just keep talking about "whose corner will Mr. Perfect be in???" for Warrior and Savage. I know Warrior/Savage was considered the main event, but still, you'd think they would mention it. Is there a reason for this? Also, I find it interesting to watch the event because it almost seems like a bridge between the '80s era of wrestling with stars like Savage, Warrior, LOD, Rick Martel, Natural Disasters, etc. and the goofy mid-'90s era with guys like Repo Man, Crush, Bret Hart, British Bulldog, etc. Would you say this is a fair statement?

When the show was promoted in the U.S., the Warrior-Savage match was treated like the main event, even though they knew it was Bret-Bulldog that was drawing the crowd and would be closing the show.  That is why the announcers harped on it so much.  As for it being a bridge, I would say that is a fair statement, especially when you consider that a few months later Warrior, LOD, Smith were gone, and Hart and Michaels became the headliners in the company.

I recently attended the Capitol Legends Fanfest and the Q & A session with Bret Hart. The Bret Hart DVD came up a few times, and Bret even talked about things he saw on the original, the one they were going to call "Screwed." I meant to ask him this question, but I got to listening to his awesome stories and forgot. What is the status of that original concept? Obviously they went with what is on the market, but my question is, does that DVD still exist in WWE's collection, and could they release it if they ever decided to? Is it something they can hold over Bret's head or was it part of his agreement in working on the DVD that the original would never be released and did he get it in writing?

From what I understand, part of the agreement reached between WWE and Bret Hart for Hart to work on the DVD project with them was that "Screwed" would never be released.  I don't know for certain if Hart got it in writing, although looking at his past relationship with WWE, I would imagine he did.  If there is any footage of that release, it will most likely be remaining in the WWE vaults. 

My question is regarding The Rock's big tattoo that stretches over his left shoulder, chest and upper arm. I heard this was some Samoan kind of ritual tattoo or something to that extent (?), but doesn't this severely limit the roles he can play in movies (for example if he would have starred in the new He-Man movie)? Granted, with today's technology they could digitally edit the tattoo out, but that sounds to me like a lot of work that could have easily been avoided by simply not having the tattoo in the first place.

I thought the tattoo was a bit crazy myself, until I found out the meaning behind it.  Rock was anointed 'Seiuli, Son of Malietoa' during a trip to Samoa in 2004, and decided to get the ceremonial tattoo work done.  And while you are correct about digitally editing out the tattoo, for most of Rock's film roles, he simply has makeup applied to it, something many Hollywood actors do to cover up their tattoos for roles.  For Rock, it is worth the extra time in the makeup chair to honor his heritage.

We all know that when it came to wrestling, there are many era's that were different. WWF and WCW were about gimmicks, then WCW went into the WCW/nWo War, WWF/E then went into the Attitude Era (mostly inspired by ECW), WCW then went into the "Young Blood" Era I suppose you could call it which failed, and now WWE seems to be in an Era where there are many roads they could go into, but they can't decide which road to take. Do you think that these days, with the recent success of small companies like TNA and Ring of Honor, that perhaps fans now want an Era where it's not about gimmicks and storylines, but rather about really good wrestling? I've begun to watch Ring of Honor, and I have to admit that every show they put on is 50 times better than WrestleMania. And a lot of these guys I don't even recognize, or even knew about, and they put on matches that are incredible and better than the last 2 WrestleMania main events these past couple of years. I think now, the Era the fans want is an era where there's incredibly good wrestling, and it's not about gimmicks or storylines. What do you think?

I think there is a tendency to categorize eras based on the memories that stick with you, and not the reality of the situation.  There was great wrestling in all of those eras, just like there were bad gimmicks and goofy storylines as well.  Ring Of Honor, certainly from an in-ring perspective, blows away the WWE product, but their audience is also much smaller (and in a lot of ways, a great deal more loyal).   I wouldn't say this is an era of fans wanting good wrestling, because there are always fans that want good wrestling, just like there are always fans who are amused by the gimmicks and wackiness of the business. 

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