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PWINSIDER Q & A: SERIOUS CENA HATING, LASHLEY-LESNAR, JEFF HARDY'S FUTURE, NEW WWE.COM AND MORE

Who is responsible for the makeup of WWE.com, that the site showed since a few days? And what are your thoughts about the new design?

That would be Brian Kalinowski, the head of the website.  I like the new design.  I think it looks really good and contemporary.

Is Cena the new Hogan? Seriously, they had every opportunity in the world to do something special with the Rumble and they blew it on a Cena return with an obvious victory. Whenever the guy is on my screen he wins, it reminds me of Hogan. They totally destroyed Hardy and any momentum he had because we all know that he will challenge Orton for the title at Mania and win it leaving Hardy to be pushed back down the card. I don't get it, I just don't get it.  I've been a fan for years but I find myself turning off my television every Monday night as soon as Cena shows up.  Will they ever figure out how to utilize any other talent?

I guess you are one of the Cena haters.  The man is certainly polarizing, though I have to say I don't get why people get so upset about the guy.  Me, I didn't care for him much at first but really respect how hard he has worked to improve.  Plus, unlike Hogan back in the day, you can't blame him for his push. That is solely Vince McMahon's call.  Anyone who was in his position would take the push too.  

I do see some parallels of Cena with Hogan back in the old WWF days, in that he gets pushed to the moon and is the prominent part of the show, often at the expense of younger talent.  But, on the other hand, he is a much better worker in the ring and is definitely more concerned with having good matches than Hogan was.  At the end of the day, I won't like it if he wins the title and pushes Hardy down either, but that will be Vince's call.  I certainly think Vince could do a better job of pushing new talent than he has of late. 

Where does Jeff Hardy go from here? He just lost clean to Randy Orton, and John Cena just won the Rumble. It is obvious that Cena vs Orton will happen at Wrestlemania. So what happens to Jeff Hardy? Also, do you think that Jeff Hardy can come back strong into the title picture after this?

This is the subject that we talked about a lot on Elite audio last week.  A lot of people are angry and irate at WWE for derailing Jeff's push and setting up Cena vs. HHH for WrestleMania.  I am giving the company the benefit of the doubt for now and want to see what they do at No Way Out before I chime in.  If they do go back to the same old same old, I will be venomous in how stupid I think that decision is.  

First off, Cena and HHH don't need to be in a title match at Mania.  Both are so over that any match they are in will be the same as a title bout.  By putting Hardy and Orton in the title match, you add value to the Mania card since you still have Cena and HHH to use in other spots, or against each other.  I hope that creative sees that.  If they do, and Jeff wins the Elimination Chamber, he is right back on track.  After how he has broken out of the pack in the last few months, I don't see why you don't give him a shot with the belt.  He sells merch and has a rabid fan base, so why not try and create another main eventer?  Not doing so would just be stupid.  If they don't give him the shot, Jeff will just be another in the long line of talents that WWE has blown it with by taking them to the edge of being a top guy only to totally blow their push.

I just saw The Royal Rumble 2008 with a bunch of people and we were all bummed out by the early return of Cena. It seems inevitable now that he will face Orton at Wrestlemania, win the belt and keep it for at least a year. The WWE has always booked him to be almost invincible (ala Rock or Stone Cold where it basically takes a dozen chair shots the the head and five finishers before you pin him). What does the WWE see in that jackass? He cannot wrestle and he's not THAT big. He's not a good promo guy (kind of a watered down version of Rock). I know he tries and loves the business, but he sucks! For the first time in over 20 years of watching wrestling, I'm actually thinking about not watching it anymore. I stuck through all the bad years of clowns, plumbers, racecar drivers, garbage men and repo men. But, heck, Cena is too much for me. I've never felt such a visceral hatred for a wrestler before. I have actually gone back to wishing an severe injury upon him. Do you think there is a slight chance he won't get the belt back and keep it for a year? 

This just isn't fair.  He has some fabulous matches last year, so he can work a bit. Saying he cannot wrestle kills your point because it makes you look you let your dislike for the guy cloud your objectivity.  Also, I can't say if he wins the belt he will keep it for a year. I would hope not and I think it would be a mistake to do that again, but in any event it's not a sure thing to happen.  I hope that WWE creative realizes that Cena would have a better chance to convert some of his critics (maybe not you though, you seem pretty hateful) if he didn't have the belt.  And really, if you think the early to mid-nineties era with the bad acts you mentioned was a better product then now, well I don't know what to tell you.  I also don't understand how you could wish injury on the guy.  Hopefully, you were drunk when you asked this question.

With Bobby Lashley asking for his release, it got me thinking of comparisons between he and Brock Lesnar. From the power based moveset, the build, and even the identical ring entrance, Bobby has appeared to be WWE's new Next Big Thing. I remember people being upset with the amount of time and money WWE put into marketing Brock, and now with Bobby at WM23. With him asking for his release, and apparently being granted it, have you heard if the heat on him is as big as the situation with Brock?

Well, WWE hasn't released him yet, which certainly indicates that they are not happy with his decision to walk away from the business.  I also know for a fact that management wasn't happy with how he chose to announce his decision on a website.  So yes, I think it's fair to say their feeling is similar to when Brock took his ball and went home but at least with Brock, he did do some business on his way out the door.

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