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ROLLINS USING THE PEDIGREE, PROTECTING THE CLUB, WHEN DOES 25 YEARS IN THE BUSINESS NOT GET YOU A JOB AND MORE

By Dave Scherer on 2016-07-05 10:00:00

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I was listening to Vince Russo’s chicken necks videos and heard him talk about how Destination America and Pop TV didn’t want to use him as a consultant even though he had 25 years of experience. To me, that means that corporate America doesn’t think he accomplished much. What do you think?

I never know what to make of what Russo says. I know he said he got Pop TV’s Bradley Schwartz’s phone number and started texting him. Generally, that is not the way one does business when seeking work from a company. I also imagine that since this is 2016, Schwartz or one of his people googled Russo’s name and were probably entertained by what they found. If you just look at the last few years, they would find that he lied about working for TNA, then got caught in his lie because he sent an email to Mike Johnson exposing the lie, then Spike TV found out. They realized that Dixie Carter lied to them about Russo, and not long thereafter, they were gone. So if I was a person of importance at Destination America or Pop TV, and Vince Russo contacted me, a quick Google search would have led me to choose not to work with him either. And honestly, even if you look at the body of work itself, he was a part of The Attitude Era and then left. WWE got stronger. WCW went under after he came there. His star shined brightly for a few years but if I am in TV I look at his last decade plus and it’s not stellar.

Gallows and Anderson came into WWE with a lot of momentum and hype, but since the official formation of the Club, have lost a lot in my eyes.  They are now the guys that AJ feeds to Cena, and also the guys that they can throw into a 3 or 4 man tag to take the pinfall.  They are so far from being credible tag title contenders right now, and it's reminiscent of what they did with Harper and Rowan several years ago.  Is their association with the Club, and subsequent roles as AJ's lackeys, actually hurting them? 

I don’t think being associated with AJ, per se, is the issue. I think the way that they are booked is. Having Karl Anderson get destroyed by John Cena was just really shortsighted booking. I always say that if guys are booked strongly, that is how the fans will see them. Conversely, if they are booked to be weak, that is how they will be viewed. The Club needs to be booked strongly as there is a ton of potential in them. And by that I don’t mean they need to win every match either, they just need to be protected.

Why is Rollins still using the Pedigree, if he is no longer associated with the Authority and HHH, who hasn't been on TV since Wrestlemania?

I would answer why not? There is no reason for him to stop now as he has established his use of the move. It could also be saved to be a focal point of a feud with HHH if they decide to go that way. I have no problem with him using it.

The COO being used instead of GM is a good move to distinguish this isn't planned to be the same old same old, so I like it.  I also notice this is the same title that HHH holds in the real world for the WWE.  Do you see the chance they start pushing HHH as COO of NXT, and whoever they choose for the other two shows and use that to create inter-show feuds.  I think the McMahons running the shows is a swerve but if not, can you see it leading to Shane vs HHH down the line?

Last question first, yes I could see a Shane vs. HHH feud. The company loves the family feud dynamic. HHH is the storyline COO, not the real one. I personally hope that NXT gets to stay on its own island. I think it’s the best product that WWE does and its a great selling point for the WWE Network. I think if it makes it to USA, it will get homogenized and I don’t want to see that.

When American and overseas promotions have events together, like ROH and New Japan, how do the wrestlers overcome the language barriers when calling spots? Does each side know enough of the other's language to make it work, or is there more pre-match planning involved, or a mixture?

They know code words to call spots in the ring. They also generally go over the matches a little more beforehand.

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