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PWINSIDER Q&A: WWE PYRO, GREATEST IN RING PERFORMER EVER AND MORE

Answered on 8/19

When Playboy Buddy Rose and Doug Summers won the AWA World Tag Team titles from Scott Hall and Curt Hennig they won the titles by countout when Col DeBeers ran Hall's head into the ringpost. Larry Nelson said the next week that the titles can change hands by "certain kinds of countouts" Was there a story as to why they turned the belts this way? Did Hall and Hennig refuse to put Rose and Somers over?

I've actually heard two sets of storyline excuses for the title change. One is that Sherri Martel put a stipulation in the contract that enabled the belts to change hands on a countout, and Hall & Hennig didn't know it. The other, which is the "certain kinds of countouts" excuse, is that since the referee could see that neither Somers or Rose had touched Hall (the ref was looking at them while DeBeers attacked Hall), then Hall was voluntarily on the floor and refusing to get in the ring, thus the countout resulted in a title change. From what I understand, Hall & Hennig had no problem doing the job, it was more a case of AWA wanting to do a hot angle for a DeBeers-Hall feud.

Who, in your opinion, would you consider the greatest IN RING performer of all time in this business? 

I would probably go with Dynamite Kid, although he didn't have the longevity of a Ric Flair or Terry Funk. 

On RAW and other shows the pyro leaves a huge cloud that causes it to be hard to see the match. Does not WWE realize this? 

They do realize it, and don't like when it happens.  It is usually because of poor ventilation (or someone forgetting to turn intake vents or fans on) that the buildings get smoky.  Luckily, it usually doesn't last too long.

Do you seen WWE doing more nostalgia based DVD sets on old territories?  I would love to see a set devoted of classic Florida wrestling.

I could see it happening, but a lot of it has to do with the success of the sets that are already out there.  For example, the AWA set didn't sell big, but the Four Horsemen set did.  If WWE sees big profits from these nostalgia sets, then there will be more of them.

This might be a stupid question, but I am a relatively new fan to wrestling.  What exactly were the circumstances surrounding Owen Hart's death?

Owen Hart died of cardiac arrest after falling from the ceiling of the Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri during the WWF Over The Edge Pay-per-view on May 23, 1999. The fall was not seen on television, as a pre-taped interview was being shown at the time. Owen was to have made a "Blue Blazer" entrance on a cable, descending from the ceiling, when his harness malfunctioned, causing the fall. Hart was rushed to a hospital, where he was declared dead. Owen was 34 years old. The show continued, with Jim Ross informing the home viewer later in the program that Owen had died, but the fans in the building were not told of his passing. The Undertaker defeated Steve Austin in the main event to win the WWF World Heavyweight Title. A lawsuit would later be filed by the Hart family, and WWE would settle with them for $18 million. WWE would later successfully pursue a lawsuit against the harness company for part of the settlement.

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