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PWINSIDER Q&A: STEVE AUSTIN'S FAILED HEEL TURN, JOHNNY K-9, TNA TAKING A STAB AT MONDAY NIGHTS DUE TO WWE'S RATINGS SLIP AND MORE

Why is Steve Austin's mid-2001 heel turn into the "paranoid rattlesnake" regarded as a failure? I seem to recall it revitalizing his stale babyface persona while producing some intense latter-day feuds (with Angle and RVD) and some of the funniest backstage segments in memory (perhaps the last laugh-out-loud comedy bits WWE would produce period). So the fans didn't come to truly "hate" Austin because he was beyond entertaining... so what? He remained the company's top draw, and that's hardly a failure in my mind.

It was a failure because as a heel, the idea is to create a situation where fans want to pay to see you get your ass kicked, hopefully by a new top babyface draw.  That never happened.  Fans rejected every semblance of Austin as a heel, despite everything he tried to do.  Thus, it was a failure that is overlooked by most fans.  Compare Austin's heel turn to Hulk Hogan's heel turn in WCW and you'll see what I am getting at.  One drew, the other didn't.

What ever happened to senior referee Brian Hebner?

I think you mean Earl Hebner, who now works for TNA and does independent work as well as owns a sporting goods store in his native Virginia.  Brian was his son.

Does Johnny Stamboli have a new WWE contract or was it just a tryout match recently???

As I write this on 8/4, Stamboli's dark match as the masked "Unknown Wrestler" was a tryout and he hasn't been signed.

Who was Johnny K-9 from WWF 1987 TV?

Johnny K-9 was Canadian native Ion William Croitoru, who also worked as Taras Bulba in Texas and Bruiser Bedlam in SMW.  Slam Wrestling in Canada did a bio on him a few years back, which you can read at this link.

Hey guys, random question that has been bugging me: who invented / popularized the brainbuster suplex? The earliest I remember it being used was in the mid 90's in WCW by guys such as Eddie Guerrero and Dean Malenko. Thanks!

The brainbuster was used long before the Cruiserweight division.  I can remember Dick Murdoch using it in the late 1980s.  I'm not sure who first used it but like many moves, you can probably make a case for a few performers popularizing it.

With the possibility of a "glitch" aside, let's say RAW continues to draw low ratings from now on would it make any sense for TNA to try to capitalize on it and try to get a Monday night slot to compete with WWE?

No because the current ratings drop are likely audience members who are tired of the business right now and need a break from it, not someone looking to embrace a similar product.  If TNA's product was radically different, you could make a case for taking a shot at it, but right now, the product are way too similar in how they are presented in my opinion.

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