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PWINSIDER Q & A: FLAIR VS. HOGAN, LEAVING LASHLEY, BENOIT-WWE, THE TITLE AND MORE

I was watching the new Triple H DVD and in it he mentions his first quad injury and said something along the lines of: "I was wrestling Benoit and Chris Jericho..". Obviously he could have easily avoided mentioning Benoit's name in that context. I got the sense he said it just cause he's Triple H and is able to say and do anything he pleases. What's the deal?

I wouldn't look at it like that.  There have been some Benoit appearances on 24-7 and the company website recently as well, so this isn't an isolated incident.  I think HHH was just talking about what happened when he got hurt and mentioned the people involved.  I also think WWE's bigger concern is in actively using Benoit's name and likeness in a marketing sense, which clearly they did not do here.  I think they are making sure not to profit from Benoit by making him the focal point of any merchandise that they release.

I know that Bobby Lashley was injured, but then he was released from the WWE. What was the reason for his departure from WWE? Does his injury have anything to do with it? Or did he not like the direction they were going with him?

All we know for sure is that he asked to be released from his deal and said he wasn't happy in WWE.  He was upset about a number of issues that frankly I don't understand to this day.  We also heard at the time that he didn't like how his girlfriend Kristal Marshal was treated while he was out injured and that factored into his decision but only he knows if that is true.  I seems to me that his situation was similar to Brock Lesnar's in that once his big push cooled down, the wrestling business, or at least WWE, wasn't as much fun for him as it was when he was in the main event.

For decades, Hulk was considered #1, with Flair, arguably, #2. Do you feel, as a result of Hulk’s exposure due to outside non-wrestling activities, and Flair’s recognition of late, regarding his in-ring skills and promo abilities, things have changed? While Hulk may be the most recognizable, he may not be the most popular right now. And Flair was always better in the ring. Your thoughts?

I think that this is one of the most subjective questions in wrestling history and the fans of each man will never convince the fans of the other that their guy is number one.  To be fair, a case can be made for both, depending on which criteria you use.  Me, I think that Hogan is more recognizable and famous to the masses but Flair is the better total package professional wrestler.

If Undertaker is sooo protective of his character by not making an appearance at the Hall of Fame ceremony and the Ric Flair tribute on television the monday after Wrestlemania, how come hes able to make appearances at UFC 81 sitting at ringside with couple of WWE stars and being in the corner and supporting boxer Manny Pacquiao some 3 yrs ago. 

For the same reason a dog licks his hind quarters, because he can.  Seriously, the whole "Taker's kayfabe" thing is something that is totally decided on his end.  He makes the rules for it, which as I said before I believe he has earned the right to do because of his tenure in WWE.  With that said, there's a difference between breaking character on a WWE program and doing so at a sporting event.  They are not the same things.  Going to a UFC show and being himself is not the same thing as doing it on WWE TV, so I see no hypocrisy here.

With so many superstars carrying their title belt over their shoulder, why not just turn it into a necklace? Randy Orton is the worst offender, while MVP consistently wears his United States Title properly.

It happened a while ago.  My best recollection of it being common practice, which admittedly may be wrong, was during the nWo era in WCW.  I remember the "cool heels" like Kevin Nash doing it, treating the belt like a prop rather than something important.  I also remember how much Vince McMahon told his guys that the title had to be referred to at "The Championship" and not "The Strap" and yet Nash seemed to always call it that anyway.  So, I agree with you.  At some point, to some people, wearing the title belt stopped being cool  They should just give guys a trophy or immunity idol to bring out to the ring now because treating the belt as unimportant does tarnish it.  To me, it should go like this.  If the guy is in his wrestling gear, he should wear the damn thing.  If he is in dress clothes, then either have someone carry it for him, like they do in boxing, or put it in a special briefcase.  Make it seem important because it should be.

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