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PWINSIDER Q&A: RODDY PIPER IN THE ATTITUDE ERA, A HORSEMEN HALL OF FAME, TIME LIMIT DRAWS AND MORE

Answered on 7/6

Do you think if Roddy Piper had debuted 10 years later during the Attitude era, he would have been made champion? Or do you think he was simply too perfect to be the nemesis of Hogan?

Absolutely.  Just because it was a very different era.  For years, WWF was built on the idea of a long-term babyface champion (Sammartino, Backlund, Hogan), while in the Attitude era, there were much more frequent title changes, and a top star like Piper certainly would have gotten at least one run with the title.  However, he was the right man at the right time, and was the absolute perfect antagonist to the loved Hulkster. 

It seems everyone believes that when Flair enters the HOF it should be a Flair only event. What about the idea of being a Horsemen only event. Obviously Ole wouldn't be there, but Windham, Flair, Arn and Tully would.

I am one of those that feel it should be a Flair-only event, and honestly, anyone else who gets inducted will be totally overshadowed by the induction of the "Nature Boy".  That said, I think inducting the Horsemen at one ceremony would be fitting. 

I'm a big fan of the idea of pre-set time limit matches, so as to allow a draw without putting one person over the other but the WWE has not done this for years, other than a specialty match like a 60 minute Iron Man match. Yet they used to do it all the time. My question is when did they officially stop, and to the best of your knowledge, why?

While it wasn't "officially" stopped, it did seem that WWF booked less and less time limit draws after 1990.  Prior to that, a 15 or 20 minute time limit draw seemed almost a staple of live events.  I guess it was really just a change in booking philosophy and when WWE wanted a match with no winner, they went for shorter bouts that ended in a double-DQ or double countout.  Personally, I would like to see them bring back the time limit draw on house shows, and maybe even on the occasional PPV, although I do know that many have the mindset that draws "don't work" because it doesn't give the crowd a conclusive ending, and also that fans are conditioned to seeing a winner and loser now. 

What's the deal with Val Venis he has been with the company for about 10 years now and is just a Heat regular and an occasional Raw jobber why has he never really gotten a good push besides when he first started out, I think he at least deserves a Intercontinental title run.

Val Venis is one of those wrestlers that is well liked by WWE management, is seen as a talented in-ring worker that always puts in a strong effort ... and never seems to be given anything worthwhile by WWE creative.  While he was a solid part of the mid-card for several years, holding secondary titles and getting TV time, in recent years WWE creative has had nothing for him.  So, he becomes king of Heat and occasionally appears on Raw to put someone over.  It's a shame really, as Val Venis and others, like Stevie Richards and Jamie Noble, are really good workers, but WWE just never bothers to find a role for them. 

World champion boxer Marvin Hagler became so famous for being called Marvelous Marvin Hagler that he legally had his name changed to Marvelous Marvin Hagler. Has Dwayne Johnson ever contemplated legally changing his name to "The Rock"? The man we know as Stone Cold Steve Austin, is that his legal name or does he go by his birth name in private life?

No, I don't believe Rock has ever considered legally changing his name to his famous moniker.  Steve Austin's legal name is still his birth name, which is Steve Williams.  However, the Ultimate Warrior did legally change his name from Jim Hellwig to "Warrior".  

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