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PWINSIDER Q & A: WHAT'S UP WITH KEVIN DUNN, WHERE'S HEYMAN, WWE CASINO, ONE MORE RUN FOR SHANE DOUGLAS AND MORE

What is up with this director Kevin Dunn? Every time I read something about him it seems he's either doing or saying something ridiculous. "Let's not have a WWE guy beat up by a WCW or ECW guy" or "Let's let Kevin von Erich get laid out by Edge in front of his hometown crowd" or "Jerry Lawler can't get inducted by Lance Russell 'cause nobody knows who he is." Does he have a Hollywood background and a big ego or something or is he just stupid?

Actually, he has been in the wrestling business most of his life.  His father was employed by the WWF and Dunn followed in his footsteps.  You can say what you want about the guy but calling him stupid just isn't true.  He is a very smart, very talented guy that has a very different view of the business than the average hardcore fan.  He is very into the entertainment and "we make movies" vision that you hear Vince McMahon talking about all the time.  He is someone who wants the business to be about "more than just wrestling".  Also, he's very protective of what they have build in WWE which often leads to him agreeing or pushing for non-WWE things to never get the better of the mothership.  That leads to him making the choice that you, and a lot of hardcore fans, don't like.

Can you please tell me where the heck is Paul Heyman and what on earth is he doing with his "free" time? I believe he is suppose to be doing some TV writing somewhere. This man belongs back in the wrestling business. We need his creativity and great storylines. Why can't Mr. McEgo just admit his WWE "Sports Entertainment" crap is out dated and the fact that ever since he took over ECW and fired Paul, the ratings have not improved one bit. It's obvious with Vince holding the title (which is ridiculous in itself), the stupid Extreme dancing which my grandma could do better and the lack of direction the show has every week that ECW deserves better. We can all see the writing on the wall. Paul is doing nothing. TNA isn't that exciting that I want to watch every week. Why doesn't TNA upper management see the opportunity in hiring him, getting rid of Russo and make TNA a REAL competitor to WWE? Is it just me or is it all wishful thinking? Please answer.

To answer your last question first, yes it's wishful thinking.  Heyman is currently under contract to WWE, so that precludes him from going to TNA (if he even wanted to do so).  Heyman is reportedly working on business ventures outside of WWE while he spends time away from the company.  I left your rant in because I agree with your criticisms of Vince McMahon but if you hold your breath waiting for Vince to admit his poor decisions you will end up dead.  That simple.  As for Heyman and TNA, my hunch is he would not even consider going there unless he had full control of the product (and even then, I am not sure he would do it).  His time as part of a creative team in WWE most probably soured him on the idea of being a cog in the machine.  Plus, if his projects take off, I could see him leaving wrestling for good.

What ever happened to the WWF (now WWE) casino for Vegas? I remember years ago there was discussion and I believe they even started rehabbing an existing casino or building it, but it never surfaced.

WWE ended up selling it for about a million dollar profit shortly after they bought it.  Given the outcome of their other outside of wrestling ventures, that was probably the best decision they could have made.  The property, which was formerly Debbie Reynolds' casino, was off of the Vegas strip which would have made it a harder sell.  As we saw with WWE New York, the company's name alone wasn't enough of a draw to make the restaurant profitable.  I don't think the name would have made a casino popular enough either.

This is more of a request for an opinion more than it is a question. Do you guys ever long for the days of being surprised by a storyline anymore?

Yes, I sure do.  I love being surprised (in a good way) by the product.  A worker I didn't know was going to appear is always cool, but I long even more for the days when the storylines were very good and not predictable the way they are now.  Yep, I do long for those days.

Do you think that Shane Douglas will come back for one more run? I would really love to see him. I went to Hardcore Homecoming in Cleveland, and even though he has been in better shape, he was still entertaining as hell. 

Honestly, I would probably say no if I were forced to guess.  Douglas is over forty now and has had his issues over the last few years.  I think I have a better chance of getting a wrestler's contract from WWE than he does and he was working backstage with TNA in the last year so if they wanted him to wrestle, he would have.  I think his in-ring career is probably over. 

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