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PWINSIDER Q & A: VINCE AND BRET, EDITING RAW, CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT, NASH BACK IN WWE AND MORE

I have been watching wrestling for almost twenty years now. I, like many others, have been disappointed in the WWE product since the attitude era ended. I believe that back in the 80's and 90's most of the wrestlers were "larger then life". I don't mean in size only, but the characters themselves. There were color characters like; The Mountie, The Big Boss Man (when he was the cop), Yokozuna and others. Now a days we just have large people yelling at each others in mics. I think that The Undertaker is the last truly "larger then life" character left. Kane was one until they unmasked him. So my question, would you agree that the days of "larger then life" characters like; Papa Shango, Mankind, Sgt Slaughter, and others, are over? Also, do you think that is why the WWE product has been loosing their fan base since the attitude era ended?

I don't see it as being a situation where the characters were "larger than life" then.  I see it as they were more interesting and compelling then.  Creative, which wasn't actually even a "creative department" back then, just did a lot better job of pushing the personality aspects of the wrestlers.  Today, the guys are just all so generic, saying the same things.  Nothing differentiates anyone and that hurts the product.  They could definitely learn a lesson from the way that the company used to develop the overall persona of their wrestlers during the Attitude era.

Since WWE/Vince is watching Raw's weekly rating plummet why not tape Raw instead of going live? That would allow Vince and his editors to shorten the droning JBL and other monologues and "throw out" segments or matches that in a word s***. These eliminations would give people less opportunity to see what else is on aka channel surf. 

There are a few problems there.  One, creative books those things that you find boring.  They want them on the show.  They are not going to eliminate something that they want the viewers to see (unfortunately for those of us who are often bored by it).  On top of that, USA wants the show to be aired live and pays for it to be so, which is a factor as well. 

With Nash’s contract due up in TNA, what are the odds that WWE would bring him in? Maybe in a short run watching HBK’s back while he feuds with Jericho and Lance Cade? Any thoughts?

Honestly, I think that the rumors of WWE wanting to bring Nash in to back up Michaels were created either by internet fans or Nash himself (after all, how great of a gig would that be for him, playing bodyguard who is booked as a monster and wrestles very little).  I think that Nash's last run in WWE showed that there is not a whole lot left in the tank for him with the company so I wonder how much interest there really was by WWE.  I think if they made a big money offer he would have taken it.  Call me a cynic, but I think those rumors conveniently came up as his contract was expiring for a reason.  Now, it's a moot point as he is signed with TNA again.

Can you tell me why TNA sucks right now? The X Division is in disarray.  Most knockouts are quitting and if memory serves me right this feels like WCW all over again. Can you tell if TNA is trying new things or has Dixie Carter never seen the the Monday night wars DVD?

Only you can say you think TNA sucks!  I can't do it for you.  I think you are overstating things though.  I don't agree with all of TNA's booking decisions, and I think they would be better served to try and differentiate themselves from WWE instead of emulating them.  I really think that there is an audience that would like a more old school, violent type of product instead of the "sports entertainment" stuff that both companies are producing.  I think now would be the perfect time for WWE to try new things.  The market is ripe for a different kind of product.  Even with out that, TNA never was as big as WCW.  They are at their highest point right now so the comparison to the defunct company really doesn't hold to me.

I'm a big fan of conspiracy theories and I was wondering about probably the biggest one in pro wrestling after watching the documentary Wrestling With Shadows. To me it seems very conceivable that McMahon and Hart orchestrated the whole Montreal screwjob. I mean McMahon obviously gained on the way things played out and Hart got to take the big deal from WCW after Vince couldn't pay him anymore. Also the one thing Hart mentions numerous times throughout the documentary is "loyalty". Loyalty to Vince and loyalty to the WWF. All of the things that happened that night seem almost like and angle to me right down to Hart punching Vince to "make it look real". Where do you stand on this? My mind for one is racing.

I used to think that there was a chance it was a big work but as time has gone by, I now think what was saw was a legitimate screwjob by Vince.  Too many things have, and haven't, happened since Montreal for me to believe it was a work.

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