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PWINSIDER Q&A: IS BAD ECW RATING CM PUNK'S FAULT?, RIC FLAIR VS. HULK HOGAN, SID, HORNSWOGGLE AND MORE

Answered on 9/27

Would you agree and say that CM Punk is responsible for the low ECW-Rating (1.1) and prove to WWE, that they should push John Morrison (again) and not Punk? After all, you always say, the champion is responsible for ratings etc...

First of all, I believe you are misquoting me.  I have said on numerous hotlines in the Elite section that when you discuss what is responsible for the success and failure of a product, one of the factors that you have to look at is the top champion or the wrestlers that are pushed in the main event picture.  That doesn't mean it all falls on the shoulders of that wrestler, but the "top dog" has to be looked at when analyzing the situation.  I would not blame this week's rating solely on CM Punk, who has only been pushed as the champion of the brand for three weeks.  I especially would not blame a wrestler who only appeared in the last ten minutes of the show. I would put a majority of the blame on ECW's roster size, and the general "been there, done that" feeling that you get when you see the same people every week, in almost the same matches at times. 

Before he was released, Sandman was drafted to Raw. What on earth were they going to do with him there? Why take him out of ECW? Was he actually going to get a push?

Before Sandman began exhibiting the behavior that led to his exit from WWE, he was actually getting over with those in power in WWE.  They took notice of the pop his entrance would get (even without beer and "Enter Sandman") and decided to bring him over to Raw with the feeling that he would be a popular mid-card talent for the flagship brand.  Obviously, it didn't last. 

I was thinking about the Hornswoggle McMahon angle and wanted your thoughts on the possibility of this: Vince would continue trying to give up Hornswoggle for "adoption," only to have him adopted by Mr. Kennedy at the end of his suspension. That seems to me what they are trying to do - stretch out the angle to somehow get Mr. Kennedy involved when he gets back, similar to the original plan. Your thoughts?

I appreciate the creativity, but I would hope WWE would have something more serious in mind for Mr. Kennedy than having him become the adoptive father of a leprechaun that Vince McMahon doesn't want for a son.  Wow, I can't believe I just typed that. 

I just finished watching MSG classics and had a few questions....1) was this Ric Flair's 1st MSG appearance, and if not, what was? 2) how many times did Hogan and Flair wrestle in the WWF and what was the records against each other? and 3) was this there last meeting in a single match until Hogan beat Flair at the Bash in WCW? 

Ric Flair's Madison Square Garden debut was on March 1, 1976, when he defeated Pete Sanchez.  During their 1991-92 WWF feud, Hogan and Flair wrestled in singles matches 41 times.  Hogan won 36 times, but each win was either via disqualification or countout.  Flair won only five times, and all were countout wins.  Hogan and Flair wrestled for the last time in the WWF on March 8, 1992, with Hogan winning via countout, and would not wrestle again in a singles match until Hogan went to WCW.   It should be noted they wrestled each other numerous times in tag team matches after March 8th, with Hogan and Roddy Piper defeating Flair and Sid Justice every single time. 

Now, I've always been fascinated by Sid Eudy, especially his extremely intense promos. Sure, he's never been a truly good wrestler, but he always had that certain aura around him. Personally, I would love to see him having one final run in the WWE (Smackdown! could need him). What do you think about a possible Sycho Sid return and about the man in general?

I recently saw Sid and he looked to be in fantastic shape, and wasn't showing any ill effects of the now infamous broken leg he suffered in WCW.  I definitely think he could get a reaction from fans if WWE brought him back, and there certainly are worse things the company could do than give him a serious look for a return.  That said, bringing back stars from the past is never going to be a good long term strategy, and if Sid is going to have any baggage with him, then he probably wouldn't be worth bringing back.  As for the man in general, he always seemed rather polite and nice, and other than the infamous Arn Anderson incident (which many feel was fueled by alcohol), I don't see any reason to think that isn't his true nature.

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