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PWINSIDER Q&A: NU-WRESTLING EVOLUTION, WRESTLERS TAKING THE BUSINESS TOO SERIOUSLY, THE FLAIR FAREWELL, PUSHING VAL VENIS & MORE

Val Venis is awesome, is there any chance that the WWE will stop feeding him to Snitsky every week on Heat? Snitsky gets no reaction from fans because he is nothing, he just breathes heavily and looks ugly. How come Val has to lose to him all the time? Val is awesome, great gimmick, lots of experience and there is so much they could with him, especially to put over a Diva, or someone like Santino Marella.

WWE does hold Val Venis in high regard as a veteran and one of the reasons you often see names like Venis, Nunzio and Stevie Richards and enhancement roles with younger, less talented in-ring performers is that the company trusts them to lead and teach the talents.  I don't see Venis ever getting another big push but it's believed that at some point, he'll end up an agent or working backstage in the talent relations department.  There was talk of Venis replacing Mike Bucci before Ty Bailey got the nod.

I understand that most men want leave their mark in this world. We want to be
remembered for something decent in the least. The same can obviously be said for pro wrestlers. If one had to choose between a "winning a world title at Wrestlemania" memory vs. a "Mark Henry Sexual Chocolate gimmick" or "Hervina" memory, of course we would go with the former. But let's not forget that wrestling is scripted- and whatever is written is what is to be acted out. We have top name guys who have real-life grudges because they weren't booked properly, or "held back" or "screwed" by someone else. While I have no problem with people understanding there own worth based on their work ethic, track record, etc., my question is: do you think that some of our favorite stars take themselves and their (on-screen) characters and/or reputations a little bit too seriously in this staged sport? (Bret Hart is sticking out in my mind for not wanting to "follow the script" and lose the title at Montreal).

Yes, at times talents (and promoters) take their characters and reputations too seriously, but wrestling is a world unto itself, where your marketability and the money you earn is based on how greatly the fan base buys into your credibility and star power.  It's not, say, acting where you can play 12 different roles and be known as a versatile performer.  To some, wins and losses are important at building that credibility.  Your comment that Bret didn't want to "follow the script" is laughable, by the way.  By virtue of his contract, he had the right to approve the script.  If anyone didn't follow it, it was WWE.

I read on PWInsider about the Ultimate Warrior returning to the ring in the NWE (Nu-Wrestling Evolution). NWE?? Who?? I thought I knew all the major wrestling promotions but have never heard of them. I went on their website and noticed they had pictures of Booker T and Sharmell, Scott Steiner, Matt Morgan and Talia Madison (Velvet Sky). Do they wrestle in NWE as well as TNA?  Also, what can you tell us about the NWE and how good of a promotion are they if Orlando Jordan (or as I call him Snorelando Boredom) is their champion?

NWE run tours of Europe, including Spain, which is where the Warrior vs. Orlando Jordan bout will take place this June.  Like any other independent promotion, they can book talent through TNA as long as they don't use them on PPV or DVDs that are sold via national retail outlets.  I can't comment on the promotion as I've never seen any of their shows, but have heard from talents that work their tours that they pay well and take care of everyone in a respectable way.  I don't see Jordan being their champion as a negative. 

What is Brad Armstrong doing now?  Is he still with WWE? Do you feel that Brad, like Shelton Benjamin, has a great deal of potential but because of his lack of promo ability he get stuck in the middle of the pack.

I believe Brad Armstrong was quietly released, which is a shame, although I think I was the only person in the world to actually enjoy his ECW commentary.  I think Armstrong's lack of success was simply he never got the chance to be pushed with a national company and WCW's continued attempts to create new characters for him eventually caused fans to unjustly write him off.  Still, he may have been one of the most fluid performers I'd ever seen. 

As a fan of pro wrestling since 1984, I have seen overwhelming evidence that the
"Age of Orton" will never come anywhere close to reaching the significance of the "Age of Flair".  3 weeks later, and I still choke up watching the footage.  In that vein, a question about the upcoming Ric Flair DVD release.  Is there any chance that we'll get "complete" footage of the Raw "thank you's"?  I understand the protection of the character of The Undertaker and the Mr. McMahon persona, but would love to see the extra footage on DVD.

My gut feeling is that if we'll see it anywhere, it'll be on the Definitive Ric Flair DVD set.

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