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PWINSIDER Q&A: KENNEDY-AUSTIN, BRET HART, WCW AND MORE

Any chance you see Kennedy and Austin doing some form of angle at WM25. Based on Austin's respect for Kennedy, perhaps this could get Ken back on track?

Kennedy definitely needs something to get him back on track, because segments like the one he did this past Monday had me reaching for the FFWD button on the remote.  That said, I don't see Steve Austin doing anything but giving people stunners, and that's not really going to make Kennedy a star. 

With WWE taking a more realistic approach on some angles, do you feel they could use the brand extension as a way to incorporate contracts and free agency. This could lead to new surprise run-ins and things like bidding wars. Much like the NBA or NHL would have.

It's an interesting idea, and one that WWE could have pursued if they had stuck with a more "hard split" of the brands.  However, with the way certain wrestlers just show up on different brands with no reason (Miz & Morrison appearing on all three shows, Finlay in the Intercontinental Title tournament, etc.) there's no structure to make you care about which brand a wrestler is contracted to. The only time contracts come up are in the MVP storyline, where he has an "incentive bonus" if he wins another match. 

You know TNA should just mind their own business, and not what WWE is doing. They need to focus on their own product. For example when Eric Bischoff was running WCW, all he cared about was putting WWE out of business, even though they were winning the Monday wars on Raw from June 96-April 98. WCW could have been a lot more successful, maybe still be in business if only they had focused more what they were doing to make there company stay on the right track. What bothers me the most is when they, for example, have Kurt Angle acknowledge the rumor Christian Cage maybe going back to WWE. 

I agree 100%.  TNA's constant mentions of WWE (or the even more annoying "up North") just remind the viewer that WWE is the big company, and TNA is the small company.  There is no benefit to mentioning WWE constantly.  People are watching TNA because they want to see professional wrestling that ISN'T WWE.  They have five hours of WWE a week if they want to watch it.  If they are tuning in for two hours of TNA, then they shouldn't be getting reminders about the other shows.

Recently Bret Hart said after his Book tour he was done with wrestling for good. As you recall he said he would happy to come back to WWE if had anything to do with his brother Owen Hart and his father Stu getting inducted in the Hall of Fame and also a DVD released on his brother should that happen.

Yes, Bret said that, and I believe it is true.  When Bret said he is done with wrestling for good, I think he meant that he has no plans to get involved in the business again for his own benefit.  Obviously, a tribute to his father or brother would be very different, and I don't think there would be anything wrong with Bret getting involved in something like that. 

If WCW did push younger stars that eventually became stars in WWE like Austin, Benoit, Guerrero, Jericho, Mysterio and Foley do you think if all along WCW was like that instead of only pushing old stars that were already made WWE do you think WCW could have still stayed in business?

It's all a big "what if".  If WCW hadn't brought in some of those WWE stars, the audience that tuned in during the Monday night war era may have never shown up.  If Steve Austin had stayed in WCW, he probably never would have become "Stone Cold".  Chris Benoit did get a massive push, and was the World Champion when he left WCW.  Who knows if they push would have continued?  Do I think WCW could have been more successful in the long run if they had some of the older stars "pass the torch" to a new generation?  Sure, but it is impossible to get into the specifics of it and really know how things would have turned out.

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