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PWINSIDER Q&A: CHRIS BENOIT ON FUTURE WWE DVDS, BROCK LESNAR, NWA AS A NATIONAL TV SHOW, CW ANDERSON AND MORE

I read how WWE is pushing back DVD's because they cannot figure out what to do about Chris Benoit footage. My question is about the up coming Summerslam Anthology DVD set and WWE 24/7. 1. How could WWE release the Summerslam Anthology and not include Benoit when he was in the main event in 2004? They can't just release a set like that and not include the main event can they? 2. I don't have 24/7, but I know that they show Nitro in chronological order and Benoit was on about every one of them from 96-00. How are they currently handling that situation?

Currently, they are editing Chris Benoit from the Nitros on WWE 24/7.  Whether that will be a permanent decision remains to be seen.  There has been no final decision made regarding how the company will present Benoit in the Summerslam Anthology box set as far as I know.  My guess is they will include Benoit in complete anthology sets but beyond that, you won't see his matches being used.

In a previous Q&A report. You said the you didn't think the NWA territories would ever join together to form one single promotion. How do you feel about all the NWA territories putting their best wrestlers together and have them do cards under the NWA name? Call it NWA Chamionship Wrestling. They could tour the country with the NWA Heavyweight and Tag Team Champions defending their titles against worthy local opponents and if they landed a T.V. Deal because of Big Vision production. Then that would be awesome! What you think?

I don't see it happening at all for the same reasons.  The NWA is not a united force.  It's a series of indy companies, many of which use the same talent and many of which would gladly do whatever they can for a small piece of the pie.  It's not a national brand and it never likely will be again.

Has CW Anderson returned to the ring since his WWE release? I know at the time he had been injured but never heard anything about him after the release. I always like CW and thought WWE could have done more with him, possibly even bring Arn Anderson on TV to introduce him as the next generation of the Anderson clan.

Anderson has been wrestling in Japan for ZERO-ONE MAX and for a number of independent promotions, including Hermie Sadler's UWF.  I actually interviewed Anderson in-depth shortly after his WWE release, which you can listen to in the PWInsider.com Elite section.

I've had a question I've wondered about for years about Japanese wrestling. I've noticed in a lot of post match pictures for All Japan and New Japan, a wrestler would be celebrating with a title belt, and a trophy. Do New and All Japan award trophies to wrestlers whenever they win a championship?

Yes, it's a tradition in Japan to use the trophies to help make the moment seem to be more of an athletic  accomplishment.  In most cases, the trophies are just there for show and don't actually go home with the wrestlers.  Mick Foley wrote in his first autobiography that he never saw the trophy he won in the IWA King of the Death Matches tournament in 1995 once he put it back down in the ring.

 I was recently browsing through the T-shirt merchandise section on Ring Of Honor's website and I noticed something. How come all the Ex-ROH and current TNA talent shirts are half off? CM Punk's is still the normal $20. Is there bad blood between the two companies??

They are probably selling off remaining inventory.

Has there ever been someone who has gotten out of line with the Undertaker? I heard a rumor that one of the reasons Brock Lesnar left was a refusal to put over Taker which is ridiculous since Taker put Brock over in every match they had.

Undertaker is considered one of the most respected and revered performers in the WWE locker room and if someone got out of line with him, it'd be pretty well known because a locker room leader like Taker or JBL would have handled it pretty openly to make an example.  In the case of Brock Lesnar, I don't believe that to be true.  It may be urban legend mixing up a story about Lesnar being upset about having to travel on tour internationally (I believe South Africa) to work undercard matches with Hardcore Holly during the end of his tenure.

 

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