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PWINSIDER Q & A: UNFAIR TO TAKER, NO CASH FOR CANADA, THINGS BETTER LEFT IN WRESTLING'S PAST, MICHAEL HAYES AND MORE

Long time elite subscriber and 40 year wrestling fan here On 6/11 Dave (with all due respect) answered a question stating that if the Undertakers "down time" is due to recharging his battery and not anything more serious, that he is letting the company down in a time of need. All I can say is WOW, I am appalled at that answer. I do not doubt your respect for the Deadman and all his accomplishments with his character, but do you really believe that he should be responsible for carrying a company after so many years of proving his worth? Wouldn't a refreshed and happy Undertaker be worth more to the company? And after so many years of "carrying" the company, doesn't he deserve to tell Vince when he wants a vacation? How about others that you speak of, like creative in which you beat up on all the time carrying the company? Please print this as I am sure a lot of your "paid" customers feel the same way, and deserve an answer.

WWE's PPV buyrates and ratings are down.  They are sorely in need of top talent, especially in the post WrestleMania period, because they just don't have any top new young guys coming up.  It's my opinion that at this time a locker room leader should lead in times when the company needs him.  I am on the record as saying that I respect Taker's contributions and I feel that he has earned the perks that he gets that his fellow workers don't.  And he and Vince McMahon obviously agreed to that he would get time off so it's probably not an issue with them.  And from what we heard, he definitely is hurting.  But, just as he has given to WWE, they have given back to him.  It has been a two way street and anyone in the business would have loved to get the push that Taker received in WWE (and most probably could have never done with the character what he did).  So, I think he could really help the company right now by being there for the product if, and only IF, he is able to work.  If he is hurt enough to warrant time off he should get it and I said that from the start.

I respect that you don't agree with me but I don't think there is anything at all appalling in how I feel.  We just have different opinions on the issue.

Do you know why Canada was excluded from McMahon's Million Dollar Mania?

It's my understanding it was due to government regulations surrounding giving away money.  I don't have the legalese but I was told they were only able to legally do it in the US.

I think that with the low ratings the WWE TV shows are having, maybe they can pull the plug on doing things that once brought great ratings for the shows, like having DX and Rated RKO reunite again, and, perhaps, have The Brothers of Destruction, The Hardys, and maybe have other combinations like Cena/Batista, Kennedy/MVP, or other combinations throw in the mix, you know, people who can easily have good singles and tag team matches with good rivalries that can have more interest in the actual wrestling fans. What do you think about it?

I think you make a good point.  The sameness of the WWE product has hurt it.  Doing something new and fresh would be a very good start to making the product seem new and exciting.

Watching AWA on ESPN Classic got me to thinking. I love old-school wrestling, but I see occasionally see something that I totally forgot, and that am glad that it is not a practice in current wrestling. The glaring example, for me, is the "Superstar vs. Jobber" booking. Wow, THAT makes me want to watch for the next ten minutes! For all the things that are not perfect in today's world, what else from that time period are you glad stayed there?

That is a great example.  Jobber matches, for the most part, were a waste of time to me.  I so wish that we had DVRs back then.  I am also glad that dull, plodding styles of work are a thing of the past as well.  Restholds also are better left behind.  Oh yeah, and who could forget the mullet and the fanny packs.  I am so glad most of today's workers see them for the hideous things that they were.

Obviously I've missed something but I've noticed a couple of inside remarks concerning "speculation about Hayes" in reference to Michael Hayes. The latest being the bit about the original gimmick for Harlem Heat. Any further details?

Michael Hayes was suspended by WWE for using the N word to Mark Henry.  Everything else you read/hear comes out of the fact that he freely used that word.  WWE is a public company now and can't tolerate that kind of insensitivity.  Hayes will be on a tight, short leash when he returns as a TV writer.

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