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PWINSIDER Q&A: GEORGE STEELE, JESSE, JUNIORS IN WWE AND MORE

This may have already been asked and answered, but I keep hearing that Jesse, of Jesse & Festus, is a 2nd generation wrestler, and his father was a Freebird. Is this true? And who is his dad? And do you think that if WWE ever makes a stable of 2nd gen wrestlers that he would be one of them?

It is true. Jesse is the son of the late Terry "Bamm Bamm" Gordy of the Freebirds, and started his career in Pro Wrestling Noah as Ray Gordy before getting a WWE Developmental deal and working his way onto the main roster.  That said, I don't see them including Jesse in a 2nd Generation stable unless they change his gimmick and start acknowledging his bloodlines, ala Cody Rhodes, Ted DiBiase and Carlito.

Do you think guys like Bryan Danielson, Austin Aries, Roderick Strong, or anyone else from say ROH would make it in WWE given that there under like 230lbs or in Danielson's case like right at 200? I mean they are all great talents and I would like to see them make it big but I know WWE is all about the "big guys" and would probably put them as cruiserweights or something. That being said its good to see Matt Sydal and Jamie Noble getting decent coverage or pops. And I'm so glad CM Punk is the champ, its about time. Anyway your thoughts?

If CM Punk can be WWE Champion, then there's no reason to think someone like Danielson couldn't be either.  Obviously, the smaller guys still have an uphill climb, but Punk is certainly no giant, and he's done it. 

My questions are both in relation to the DVD sets the WWE releases on its superstars. Do you guys know who selects the matches and extras on all the DVD sets the WWE release, and what is the criteria they select them by? I ask because there are some of the releases, like the recent ones on Hunter, Rocky and Stone Cold, where a few of the matches on there have been mediocre at best, while some of their absolute classics (Austin Vs Bret at WM13, for example) are missing. Also, I noticed both Austin and Rocks sets include matches against Eddie Guerrero which struck me as odd since they are both no more than solid TV matches. I know that wrestlers receive royalties for being included on these releases, so do you think it could just be that they wanted to find a way to give Eddie's family a little pay day? I always presumed that before she was any good on TV, the only reason Vickie had a job with the company was to keep a paycheck coming in after Eddie's death, and because it looked good from a PR standpoint.

To answer your last question first, I don't think it is any secret that WWE offered Vickie Guerrero an on-camera role in order to give her employment and a job where she literally has to work one (or two) days a week and the rest of the time she can be home raising her daughters.  The fact that she's become a heat magnet as a heel has been a bonus.  Yes, WWE wrestlers do get royalties for DVD's so Eddie Guerrero matches would result in a payday for Vickie and the children as well.  As for the match selection, it is determined by WWE's production staff, although in some cases the wrestlers do have a say in what matches are included.  WWE has also (after a long period of repeating matches) started to make an effort to include different matches on DVDs, so that the diehard fan doesn't end up with a dozen copies of the same match in their collection.  So, you'll see "classics" not appear multiple times on different sets.

What does WWE have against the name "Junior"?  Rey Mysterio had to drop it, Ted DiBiase had to drop it, hell, going back in time, even Dory Funk had to drop it (and become "Hoss").  What's the story there?

WWE (in other words, Vince McMahon) has always felt that the "junior" makes a wrestler sound like a child, not a man.  That's pretty much all there is to it, from what I understand.

My father and I were discussing wrestling the other day, and he was curious at what point George "The Animal" Steele went from being a raving animal to a cuddly, child-like fan favorite?

George Steele's celebrated babyface turn actually came at the first Saturday Night's Main Event back in May of 1985.  Steele teamed in the opener with The Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff against Barry Windham, Mike Rotundo & Ricky Steamboat.  After losing the match, his partners turned on him, but Captain Lou Albano, who was managing Windham & Rotundo, took Steele under his wing, leading to his babyface run that lasted the rest of his WWF career.

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