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PWINSIDER Q & A: CM PUNK'S PUSH, JERICHO AS CHAMP, DIVAS, STEVE AUSTIN, BLOOD ON TV AND MORE

I don't understand what the WWF/E is doing!?!?!? It is one thing to let your champion lose his title in the ring, but the fiasco with C.M. Punk makes absolutely no sense. He was doing well and fans liked him as the World Champion. I could see putting the World title on Jericho when the WWF/E brought him back early and when they really needed him. But now??? What did C.M. Punk do this time to end up in the WWF/E 's doghouse again?? This just doesn't make sense at all to me.

If you listen to them, Punk is not in the doghouse.  They will tell you that his run as champion elevated him and he is now a made guy.  Others would say that his run did nothing for his character.  I fall somewhere in between.  I think that they were on the way towards elevating him but they blew it at the end.  Also, I totally agree with you.  I hate whenever a champion doesn't lose their title in the ring.  But when you have one little kick to the head be the reason, especially when the guy who ended up taking his spot worked a long, brutal match, I hate it even more as it makes no sense to me.  As for Jericho, I think he has earned a run with the belt.  I just don't like how they booked it to happen.

What are the divas like backstage? Who is popular and who has heat?  Also, what is the relationship between Mickie James and Melina. 

The word we have heard on Mickie and Melina was that they had a frosty relationship but it got better as Melina's attitude changed (for the better).  She was seen as a diva early on in her career, but adjusted over time and worked really hard to improve in the ring before she got hurt earlier this year.  As for the rest of the divas, I never hear a whole lot either way about them.  They mostly just show up and do their jobs.  Michelle McCool was said to have had some heat for a while amongst her contemporaries as she took on leadership duties of the ladies on Smackdown, but I don't know if that is still the case. 

I just read your answer in the Q&A section about Steve Austin still being under contract with the WWE. Does that mean that he still gets paid a regular salary?

He is under contract to WWE's movie division.  He signed a three-movie deal a few years ago and so far has made one film for the company, The Condemned.  The movie did very poorly.  WWE had hoped that Austin would be the major star of their film division but it didn't end up that way. I am not sure what the payment terms are, but he did sign a three picture deal. When he does work in the wrestling ring, which he is scheduled to next month, he gets paid a figure that he and Vince McMahon agree on for that run. 

I just don't get it... CM Punk got knocked out for the night, so they STRIP HIM OF HIS BELT? Why was the title on the line without the champion? Logically (yeah, I know) shouldn't the RAW scramble been for number one contendership, since the champ couldn't compete? Did GM Adamle really look at Punk after one kick to the head and said, "Oh yeah, he's gonna be out for months, take the belt off him immediately"? 

I don't have any kind of answer for you but you made such a great point, I had to include this in the column.  Thank you.

Why in the last few weeks on Raw and Smackdown (most notably the cage match this last Monday) there has been no blood?  I remember just earlier this year that when someone sneezed wrong there would be a gusher, now when someone gets run into a steel post they just get up and go on.

It's all part of WWE's change to a more kid-friendly product.  By lowering the viewer ratings of their TV shows, they also limit how much adult content they can use.  I couldn't agree more though, a cage match with no blood makes zero sense to me.

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