PWInsider - WWE News, Wrestling News, WWE

 
 

PWINSIDER Q&A: KEN KENNEDY STILL BEING VINCE'S SON IN THE END, WWE USING THE PAST TO CREATE THEIR FUTURE, TEDDY LONG ANGLE & MORE

By Mike Johnson on 2007-09-30 09:30:36

Nice work as always guys, love the site.  In my 20 plus years of following pro wrestling, I haven’t found many better sites that keep fans up to date than you do.  Anyway, here is my question.  Do you think WWE should have gone another way with the whole Teddy Long Krystal Wedding angle?  Based on everything that has happened in the world of wrestling the past few years, I don’t think the heart attack scenario was the right way to go, what are your thoughts on that?

Given how many people in the industry have died from heart attacks and the looming Congressional hearings, I do believe this wasn't the smartest idea, particularly since WWE continues to overlook the simple fact that people follow their product to be entertained and there's nothing entertaining about a heart attack, fake or not.  Beyond that, I did think the rest of the wedding vignette was pretty funny in an over the top goofy way.  In fact, that's where the problem lies.  The company goes over the top with silliness and then goes right into a serious, deadly angle.  There's no rhyme or reason to anything.

With Rikishi/Junior Fatu in TNA, I was wondering what happened to the other members of two cool Scotty 2 Hotty and Grandmaster Sexay(Brian Christopher)? Do you see either wrestler making it in TNA?

Brian Christopher still makes appearances on the independent scene, mostly in the Memphis area.  Scott Taylor was released by WWE earlier in the year and has done some convention and independent appearances.  I could see TNA being interested in the two.  Taylor is a great performer inside the ring and Christopher does a good job when he's got his head in the game.

Has WWE taken notice that the retro-themed DVDs, i.e. Four Horsemen, Bret Hart, Ric Flair have sold extremely well? Since those DVDs have done so well and that success was due to letting the talent take the ball and run with it, why do you think Vince McMahon hasn't looked at those periods and thought that what worked then can very well work now? Is he *that* caught up in still trying to make wrestling as "action-adventure" entertainment?

Internally, the company sees the older product as something that's good for nostalgia and that the business has evolved into something different now.  Of course, the fact that they can easily evolve it into anything they want seems to have escaped them, at least currently.  I think the fact that the Rise and Fall of ECW and the initial ECW One Night Stand PPV did so well only to see the company completely throw the ECW formula out the window (along with ratings, buyrates and merchandise money) is proof the company doesn't see the past as something worth reviving, even with a new twist.

 Whatever happened to legendary referee Tommy Young? I remember seeing a clip showing him becoming injured to the point he was forced to retire. Is he still a referee? What's the latest on him?

Tommy Young still lives in the Charlotte, North Carolina area and appears at legends conventions, but beyond that, is outside of the business.

With the talk about the whole Hornswaggle storyline, I was thinking about how they might be setting up Kennedy to still be in the storyline once he returns. Do you think they could have it come out that Triple H had either made a deal with the mother, or monkeyed with the tests to have Hornswaggle be revealed as Vince's son? With Triple H being in the ring when Hornswaggle was revealed could work into it, where Triple H set it up for him to be there to rub it in. This could also work into the rumored Triple H/Mr. Kennedy feud, as Triple H trying to rob Kennedy as his rightful place as Vince's son could add the fuel to the fire.

Depending on whether the company still wants to get behind Ken Kennedy when he returns shortly, I think the scenario you have laid out is probably closer to the truth than you think.

If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here!