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PWINSIDER Q & A: FUNKIN' HALL, X PAC HEAT, WCW-WWE COMPARISONS, JERICHO'S SHOT TO REBECCA AND MORE

Do you think we will see DVD sets of the history of Stampede Wrestling, Jim Crockett Promotions, Championship Wrestling from Florida, Smoky Mountain Wrestling, since WWE produced AWA, WCCW, ECW history sets is their a market for the others?

I guess it's possible but I don't see them coming any time soon.  In the case of the other DVDs, they had more "name" talent that was recognizable to today's fans while the promotions you listed above have more older an/or local talent.  But, anything is possible.

With WrestleMania being in Texas this year, do you think we could possibly see both Terry and Dory Funk Jr. get inducted into the Hall of Fame? They're big legends in the business (especially being the only two brothers to hold the NWA Title) and both have history in the WWE rings, and in Dory's case training younger talent as well.

I think they would be great choices for the Hall.  I could definitely see WWE doing so. 

Question about "X-Pac heat". What is your theory on how it developed? He was very effective as a face and heel in his runs as the 1-2-3 Kid and the DX version of X-Pac. He was WAY over in his time with Kane and his feud with Shane McMahon. So what happened?

I think it started when he went from being an underdog character that was easy to root for to a little guy who mouthed off a lot when he became a "cool heel" character.  Then, he was easy to detest.  Yes, he was always a good worker but with his very bony physique, he didn't come across as credible when he talked like a tough guy.  A good rule of thumb is if it looks like you can't beat up a fan, it's not a good idea to act like you are a bad ass.

Ok, I'm a faithful reader of the "Looking at." columns after every pay-per-view, Raw, ECW, and Smackdown. Most weeks it's the same themes: "They book Punk, Mysterio, Hardy, etc, etc. to look weak." "What Creative does makes no sense." and so on. While I'm in total agreement with these opinions-as I suspect the majority of your readers are-I'm curious for your thoughts on why Creative DOESN'T get it. The ratings are certainly not stellar, buyrates are not through the roof, so why not try a different approach? Could it be that they're complacent and just don't want the ratings and buyrates to go any lower? Also, do you see any similarities between the era of the demise of WCW and the WWE product today? In other words, does the era when master politicians like Hogan and Nash creatively controlled the storylines mirror what's happening now with the likes of JBL, Batista, Cena, Michaels, et al? How else do you account for these same people getting push after push (particularly JBL, whose time is the sun has long since passed)?

They book things the way they do because it's Vince's McMahon's vision of how to do things and the writers do what they do to make him happy.  Keep one thing in mind, if it hadn't been for WCW bringing in the nWo, McMahon probably would have never been open to adopting the direction that led to the Attitude era.  It was only the fact that he was getting his butt kicked at the time that led him to try something different.  Now, with no real competition, he won't change direction unless USA tells him to, and they won't as long as the ratings stay solid.

I don't make that WCW comparison.  The buck starts and stops with Vince.  Some top guys have influence, but it's not an "inmates running the asylum" situation like WCW was.  But in Raw's case, the inability to adapt the product and make it more interesting is reminiscent of the former promotion.   

The reason those guys get the pushes that they do is because Vince think they deserve it.  It's that simple.  In most cases, I think he's right but where he goes off the track is in doing it at the expense of the younger talent.

Why was Jericho's punch to Rebecca so stiff? Was this on purpose or did he just make a mistake? That was a nasty injury!

It was that stiff to sell the angle.  Kudos to Rebecca for being willing to take a shot like that.

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