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PWINSIDER Q & A: MATT HARDY-MVP, BRUISER BRODY, KANE-CHAVO, TAXES, MUSIC RIGHTS AND MORE

Since wrestlers are independent contractors, can they write off hotel, airfare and/or medical expenses off their taxes since they are business expenses, if WWE doesn’t cover them?

Absolutely.  Their road expenses are a cost of doing business for them and are legitimate tax write-offs.

My question is about Matt Hardy and MVP. Any idea about their backstage relationship? 

From what I have heard, they get along well.  MVP is a true student of the business and my impression is that Hardy respects and appreciates that since he is one himself.

I've been reading Bruiser Brody's biography, and I've got to say: I've lost a lot of respect for the guy both as a worker and as a man. First of all, he made Hogan  look like the Pope when it came to doing the job, and second, he was just plain a bully. I'm not referring to his relationship with promoters, either--just with fellow  workers. Obviously, he didn't deserve to lose his life, but if you pick on enough people--especially those with sensitive egos like professional wrestlers--you're  eventually going run into some nutcase like Jose Gonzalez. So I guess my question is, why is this guy so revered? Seems like a double standard exists where other great  performers are bashed for their comparably minor flaws (like Flair up until a few years ago), while Brody gets a pass because he died young. Your thoughts?

I think there are a few factors in play here.  For one thing, the business was a lot different when Brody was around.  Backstage news was not as prevalent as it is now so people didn't hear the stories you mention like they do with today's performers.  For another, he was an excellent worker and a lot of fun to watch, which made a favorite.  That often changes people's views of someone and makes their warts harder to see.  It's no secret, he could be a problem for a promoter to deal with, and in some cases for a wrestler to deal with.  And, he brought situations on himself at times.  Still, he certainly didn't deserve to die the way that he did and since he ended as a tragic figure, that too will change the way people look back at him.

Does WWE own the rights to most of their music that they've used in the 80's/early 90's? 

Here's the rule of thumb.  If you watch a DVD and hear new music, they didn't own the rights.  To be fair, it wasn't an issue that anyone was concerned with back then.  It wasn't like companies knew in the 80s that they would still be marketing and selling that footage today so they didn't sign long-term rights deals.

I thought by now that there might of been a reason brought up as to why the Kane-Chavo Guerrero match at Wrestlemania was so short, they are both very capable of putting on a decent match, what was the reason it was short? Was Chavo injured or did they want to put Kane over as a monster, or were they running short on time? Thank you.

I did too but thus far, I haven't heard of any reason.  It could have been a timing issue.  Originally, the ECW Battle Royal was supposed to air on the PPV and was pushed to the pre-show due to time constraints.  Even with those minutes freed up and with Kane and Chavo going less than 15 seconds, the show still ran almost four hours.  So, my guess would be it was just timing and to put over Kane as a monster.

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