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PWINSIDER Q & A: ATTITUDE VS. NWO, THE END OF WWE, JEFF HARDY, CM PUNK AND MORE

Here's an extreme hypothetical for you guys: WWE is shutting down for good at the end of '08. What is their final show, and its card?

If they were going to shut down (and yes, your scenario is pie in the sky because with WWE's war chest of cash and existing revenue streams they ain't going anywhere any time soon), I think would wait until March and end with WrestleMania.  Since they have plenty of assets, they could make it a few more months and go out with the event that made the company.

Out of the two, which promotion do you think was better (in their respective primes) at the peak of the Monday Night Wars - WCW or then-WWF?

It's not even close.  The nWo period of WCW was cool and all but WWE Attitude era was way, way better.  It set a standard for must-see wrestling programming that we may never reach again.  Plus, the work at the top of the card in WCW during their top time was often really bad. The cruiserweights and smaller workers carried their shows.  In WWE, the top guys not only drew the crowds but they also delivered in the ring.  They easily win this battle.

What do you feel signaled the end of the Attitude Era?

In my opinion, the Attitude era ended when Stephanie McMahon took over the writing team and Chris Kreski left the company.  This is not meant as a shot at Steph either, but Kreski was great at what he did.  Plus, unlike Steph, he had a different vision of the business than Vince McMahon did and that made for more diversity in the product.   Now, Steph and Vince are on the same page creatively and there are no differing voices to add new things to the product.

Did Jeff Hardy check into rehab in March?

I never heard for sure one way or the other.  I do know that WWE is satisfied that he is ready to be pushed again, which leads me to believe that whatever he failed his Wellness Test for didn't concern them too much.  By that I mean that they probably don't think he has any kind of substance issues.

I have a question about the young stars in WWE. First, is Punk being booked the way he is to make him seem like a bigger underdog, thus getting an even bigger reaction, when he cashes in his MITB should he win the title? Second, what happened to Jesse and Festus? After the match with the Undertaker I would have thought they would have been getting a push.

I wish I could give you some kind of logical answer to your CM Punk question.  I have been trying to figure out for a while now why they are booking him the way that they are.  I still haven't figured it out.  As for Jesse and Festus, again, I have no idea.  They just seem to be victims of WWE stop and start sporadic booking.  But, it could also be that without Michael Hayes there to look out for the son of his good friend Terry Gordy, they have fallen under the radar.

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