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PWINSIDER Q & A: ROCK AND AUSTIN, WHO REALLY BELONGS IN THE HALL OF FAME, WRESTLER PAY, BRET HART LITIGATING AND MORE

I just watched Rock/Austin at Wrestlemania X-9 and Rock/Goldberg at Backlash 2003 plus "Rock Concert, Part 2" from RAW right before Backlash 03 and boy - The Rock was absolutely great in his "heel role", unbelievable crowd reactions. So, I know that The Rock and Steve Austin have great respect for each other and are friends so my question is: are they still in touch and communicate on a regular basis? By the way, I think one Rock Bottom and/or People's Elbow to Vince at the 15th Anniversary RAW would have not hurt Rock's movie career or his standing, but that's just me.

I can't say for sure but I believe they stay in some kind of contact with each other.  When Austin moved to LA to break into movies, he actually spent a lot of time with Dallas Page so he and Rock aren't combing the Hollywood Hills together but they are friendly.  As for the anniversary show, I don't blame Rock a bit.  He came into Hollywood with the wrestling association strike against him and managed to wipe it away.  Of course you don't think it would have hurt him to appear on the show, you are a wrestling fan!  It's the people who look down on the business that could have held it against him that he had to concern himself with.

With the new year quickly arriving, the Hall of Fame questions usually begin in earnest. Every time I read a question about whether or not so-and-so should be inducted, I often find the comment that "considering who has been inducted in the past" that nothing is for certain. Then, on a previous Q and A, it was mentioned that you feel that Big John Studd was not Hall of Fame worthy (your reasons for saying so were well expressed and respectful, by the way). I have always been curious as to who you think, of all those who have been inducted, should not be in the WWE Hall of Fame? 

Ask and ye shall receive.  Below is a listing of all the WWE Hall of Famers.  I will place a big NO next to anyone I don't agree with and add some commentary on those some may question.  Keep in mind, this is based purely on merit, not who Vince liked because he was the family's driver, like James Dudley.

"Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig
Afa of the Wild Samoans
Andre The Giant 
Antonino Rocca
Arnold Skaaland - I would let him stay only because he was involved in a title switch.
Baron Mikel Scicluna - NO.
Big John Studd - NO.
Blackjack Lanza - Not for his ring work but yes for his work backstage after he retired.
Blackjack Mulligan - NO.
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
Bobo Brazil
Bret "Hitman" Hart
Buddy Rogers
Capt. Lou Albano
Chief Jay Strongbow - Borderline but no.
Classy Freddie Blassie
Cowboy Bob Orton - NO. He was involved in a big money feud but he was only a second to Roddy Piper.
Don Muraco
Dusty Rhodes - Yes if you look at the WWE Hall of Fame as just The Hall of Fame.  His WWE/WWF/WWWF career alone wouldn't make it.
Ed "The Sheik" Farhat - Yes if you look at the WWE Hall of Fame as just The Hall of Fame.  His WWE/WWF/WWWF career alone wouldn't make it.
Eddie Guerrero
Ernie Ladd
Fabulous Moolah
Gene Okerlund
George Steele
Gorilla Monsoon
Greg "The Hammer" Valentine
Harley Race - Yes if you look at the WWE Hall of Fame as just The Hall of Fame.  His WWE/WWF/WWWF career alone wouldn't make it.
Hulk Hogan
Iron Sheik - I would have to put him in just because he launched the Hogan era.
Ivan Putski - This is a tough one for me but no.
James Dudley - NO WAY!
Jerry "The King" Lawler
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
Jim Ross
Jimmy Hart
Jimmy Snuka 
Jimmy Valiant - NO.
Johnny Rodz - YES because he was a great, great jobber.
Johnny Valiant - NO.
Junkyard Dog - He is borderline guy that gets in due to his run in Mid South before coming to WWE.
Killer Kowalski
Mr. Fuji
Nick Bockwinkle - Yes if you look at the WWE Hall of Fame as just The Hall of Fame.  His WWE/WWF/WWWF career alone wouldn't make it.
Nikolai Volkoff - NO, not quite there.
Pat Patterson
Paul Orndorff - Even though he acted all bitter because Hogan stole the glory, again, at his induction, yes.
Pedro Morales
Pete Rose - No way.
Rowdy Roddy Piper
Sensational Sherri Martel
Sgt. Slaughter
Sika of the Wild Samoans
Superstar Billy Graham
The Grand Wizard
Tito Santana
Tony Atlas - NO, not even close.
Verne Gagne - Yes if you look at the WWE Hall of Fame as just The Hall of Fame.  His WWE/WWF/WWWF career alone wouldn't make it.
Vincent J. McMahon
William Perry - NO!

I just saw ECW and Smackdown and on ECW I saw Jeff Hardy take the bump from Kennedy pulling him by the hair to the floor which wasn't the worst bump ever but look like it hurt then when you watch Smackdown you can see him still in pain.  Do they get more money for wrestling more then once in a night?

At a TV taping, no sir.  They get their regular pay no matter how many times they work.

Could you tell me how the pay system in WWE works?

Guys sign a contract with a "down side guarantee". That means that will be the least amount of money that they will earn in a year.  In addition to that, they get bonuses (at WWE's sole discretion) based on house shows and PPVs that they work, as well as merchandise that they sell.

If Bret Hart had creative control in his contract when he got screwed why didn't he sue?  He seems the type of person who would go down that road.

He could have sued but he would have had to spend a lot of money on lawyers fees and then would have had to prove in court that he was damaged by what Vince McMahon did that night.  Could you imagine a lawyer trying to convince the court that Bret had suffered damages because his boss called for a ref to count him out prematurely in a worked sport?  Good luck with that one.  And, even if he could prove his case somehow, Bret was leaving WWE to get almost three times as much money, so it's not like he suffered any financial hardship from the move.

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