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PWINSIDER Q & A: RIC FLAIR'S FRIENDSHIP WITH HHH, CHAMBERS AT EVERY NO WAY OUT, A SCREWJOB AT MANIA, THE FINK AND MORE

Am I right to assume that the debut of the Radicals and anything else featuring them will not be shown on WWE 24/7 or anywhere else like a DVD compilation because of the connection to Chris Benoit?

As much as anything is safe to assume with WWE, yes.  At this point, Benoit footage is something WWE is making a conscious effort to stay away from.  Bits and pieces slip through from time to time, but they want to avoid him at all costs due to him killing his family last year.  Because of that, for at least the near future you can expect WWE to keep their distance from anything involving him if they can help it.

Do you think considering how successful the two Elimination Chamber match concept was that Creative will use this ppv as a template for future NWO ppvs including the winner of each chamber match going to Wrestlemania?

While some people felt that doing this cheapened the Rumble, I loved the concept at No Way Out and I liked that they did it......this year.  But, I think that they have to be careful not to kill the golden goose where the Rumble is concerned.  A big part of its draw of it is seeing who will go on to Mania and if they stopped that, the show would lose a lot of its drawing power.  I would, however, like to see them use the chamber at No Way Out to determine the other title challenger.

I don't remember where I heard the interview, but I remember hearing The Nature Boy state that he would want HHH to induct him to the WWE HOF. Are you as surprised as I am that he wouldn't want Arn Anderson to have that honor? I know Flair and HHH are good friends, but I always thought The Enforcer was his best friend and would be the one to induct Flair. Or maybe WWE wants HHH to do it since he has more of an on-camera role, hence more recognizable by the casual fan? What are your thoughts?

Flair has a lot of friends in the business.  For years, Arn was his right hand man and they are still close.  Like any friendship, they have had ups and downs.  But when it comes to the Hall of Fame, the choice of HHH would not surprise me at all, for a few reasons.  One, H and Flair are very close.  Two, H has been a big supporter of Flair in WWE, and that is important to a guy who is still working at age 59.  Most importantly though, the Hall is an event and H is a much more recognizable face to the WWE audience, so that doesn't surprise me at all.

My friend and I are having a bet on whether Edge will retain the title at Wrestlemania against the Undertaker. He feels that Edge will somehow keep the title by DQ or something of the sort or maybe even end the streak and will still be champion. However, I feel that the streak will not be tarnished in any way and I feel that Undertaker will have a clean win over Edge at Mania. What do you think is most likely to happen between Edge vs. Undertaker at Mania?

I look at it like this.  Taker was scheduled for a lengthy title run last year before he was hurt.  Taker is undefeated at Mania and given that he is in his mid-forties now, I think it's a streak that should never be broken as long as he is in good shape.  Also, Mania is all about creating special moments and what would be more special than Taker winning the belt?  So, I see him winning.  And, if Edge does win somehow, it BETTER NOT be by DQ.  People don't pay 55 bucks to get screwjob finishes.

I just read your Q from 2/11/08 about bringing in Michael Buffer to give the Rumble a "big-time" feel. Well, as a wrestling fan since the early 1980's, I think that you would get a better result, for less money, if you bring in Howard Finkel. As Mick Foley said, he "often imagines his matches with Jim Ross doing the commentary", and whenever I envision a big WWF/E event, I expect Finkel in the mic. Lilian Garcia is good at her job, and I've heard has a lovely singing voice, but Howard Finkel saying "It's now time for the Royal Rumble Match!" is worth way more than anything Buffer can bring. 

You didn't ask a question so I will just say that I couldn't agree with you more.

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