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PWINSIDER Q&A: DIBIASE JR., PAUL ROMA, NEW CONTENDERS ON RAW AND MORE

Hey guys. After reading the recent RAW Report and review for this week's episode, as well as having read a wrestling rumor about Ted DiBiase, Jr., forming a second generation stable, I thought I'd ask for your thoughts on the RAW Tag Team Title storyline going on. With what happened this past week with Cody Rhodes asking Roddy Piper to be the special guest timekeeper without telling Hardcore Holly, do you think its possible that WWE intends on having the swerve of Rhodes turning on Holly to form a team with DiBiase? It follow along nicely with the "everybody's got a price" tagline.

It certainly could happen.  They could also do a swerve where Holly ends up being the one who goes with DiBiase Jr. and turns on Rhodes.  Or, they might keep Holly & Rhodes together and have DiBiase trying different partners before finally "buying off" one of the champions.  There's a few different directions they can take things. 

Honestly, who is Paul Roma to be talking trash about Vince, HHH, Flair, or anyone else for that matter? I mean the guy talks like he actually matters in the history of wrestling when his biggest accomplishment is being a part of RIC FLAIR'S Horsemen!!! Where does this guy get off? Would anyone even know his name if he wasn't constantly making a jackass of himself? Is this all just a case of "say something enough time, and loud enough, and people might believe it?"

Paul Roma obviously has a very high opinion of himself.  From where I stand, Roma was a good, never great, wrestler, whose greatest asset was a fantastic physique.  I actually felt Roma made a good point on the Four Horsemen DVD when he noted that Flair's partying antics, especially at his age then, looked foolish.  However, Roma even implying that he was a better performer than Ric Flair is ridiculous.  Roma had a solid career as a mid-carder, that's all. 

How much does the fact that their has been no legit NEW contender for the title in at least 3 years on RAW, play into the drop in ratings? I personally was excited to see who HHH's next program would be with until Cena came out. I mean really, Cena?? AGAIN??? Haven't these guys been here before? Taking Hardy out of the picture makes this a program we've seen before, doesn't it? Don't they realize that maybe people stopped watching because the product has gotten stale as hell!!!!

I think it is a major issue, but not because no legit new contenders have been used, but because they have never been used properly.  Chris Jericho, Jeff Hardy and Umaga were all "one and done" or "two and done" contenders, while the Cena-Orton and HHH-Orton feuds dragged on and on. WWE ran through the fresh programs and stuck with others to the point that I think some viewers tuned out because they were tired of seeing the same talent on top of the shows. 

How can you claim to keep the personal lives of the performers off of the news section of your site, when during the audio shows you say things (like that Mickie did the "Legs" shoot) and other stuff you say off-handedly? It seems a little hypocritical to me. If it is a mistake when it does happen, what kind of action is taken to assure it won't happen again? I love the site, but it seems you are changing YOUR rules depending on the moment.  PS - And don't say that Mickie doing the mag isn't personal, you've stayed away from less personal stuff then that in the past so don't cop out with that excuse. Sorry if this sounds more aggressive then it is intended, I'm tried.

How is posing for a nationally distributed magazine a personal issue?  If you can go to a newsstand and buy something, I would hardly call it personal.  These weren't private pictures that were "leaked" out.  This was her making a conscious decision to pose nude and have the photos published in a magazine where anyone (over 18) could purchase it and see them.  When it comes to the website, we've usually gone by a simple rule of thumb.  If something is a matter of public record (an arrest, a lawsuit, appearing in a movie, TV or periodical), then it is fair game.  If something has a direct bearing on the business, it is fair game.  Personal relationships aren't newsworthy, unless they result in a change to business.  For example, if a storyline is started, changed or ended due to a personal relationship, then it has a bearing on business, and thus is fair game.  Those are our general rules for posting items on the site.  As for audio, we've often noted that there is a lot more than "straight news" going on there. 

I've got a question/hypothetical scenario regarding CM Punk. When and where will he finally "cash in" his MITB deal? I have a theory that he does it at One Night Stand; it's looking pretty obvious that Big Show wins the Cane match, but if that is true, then why wouldn't Punk just go for the ECW belt then? Or, does he wait till after the draft and go for the US or Intercontinental belt? He's definitely not WWE or World Champ material (he's one of my favorite and I feel sure in saying that). So many possibilities, just hope creative picks a good one.

Well, it didn't happen at One Night Stand, and he just dropped a clean loss to ECW Champion Kane.  So, my guess is that he won't be cashing it in anytime soon.  Maybe Punk, like Edge several years ago, will wait months before finally cashing it in. 

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