PWInsider - WWE News, Wrestling News, WWE

RIC FLAIR TITLE CHANGES THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN, SCOTT HALL IN TNA, OLD WWE SHOWS AND MORE

Was just thinking about Ric Flair and his career and it dawned on me that even though he is a great competitor he was also very lucky in a lot of ways. I mean think about it, he was supposed to drop the belt to David Von Erich and David passed away, Magnum TA was slated for the title and he had he wreck that took him out of wrestling. I think there are a couple of other examples but just wanted to get your take on this.

I wouldn't say Ric was "lucky" those incidents happened.  If anything, they took away opportunities for Flair to have what could have been remembered as classic title changes.  Remember, while Von Erich and Magnum were pegged as "future World Champions" it was never said that their winning the title (whenever it would have happened) would have meant the end of Flair's days as a main eventer and champion.  In the case of Magnum, he was actually in a mid-card feud with Jimmy Garvin as the time of his auto accident.  

I have a question regarding old WWF syndicated programming. Why did WWF have Metal and Jakked as two different shows?

While the shows had the same matches, they had different commentary and were put together differently depending on the station it was airing on and the timeslot it was given.  Metal was more family-friendly and used for afternoon and morning timeslots, while Jakked was edgier, ala the Raw product at the time, and aired on late night slots. 

With Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels "on the same page," could this lead to HHH's next heel turn? I was thinking he could go against Shawn and be angry with his forgiveness, after it was those two who set it up with McMahon in Montreal (if you believe 'Heartbreak and Triumph).

I think WWE has closed the book on the Hart-Michaels situation, and won't be using it in any future storylines.  I do think we'll see at least one more Triple H heel run at some point, since HHH enjoys playing a heel, but it won't come about due to Michaels forgiving Hart. 

Is the way CM Punk wins his title and how he retains it an indication of how WWE view him? I mean, two of the three times he won the title he has beaten Edge after he was pulverized by Batista and then beat Hardy after a Ladder match, both with MITB contracts. Then the way he retains are weak and says that he can't beat anyone either by pin or without the aid of a screwjob. Does this mean that Punk will not rise above being a champion who can't win on his own merits?

I don't see someone using Money In The Bank to win the title as being cheap, if anything, it shows the wrestler is intelligent.  As for Punk's wins, I don't have a problem with a heel cheating to win.  Given Punk's age, and the amount of success he has already had in WWE, I wouldn't worry too much about the way his title reigns have been booked so far.  There's plenty of time for his character to undergo several transformations before all is said and done.

With his return to TNA, has Scott Hall been given a contract on certain terms i.e. keep in shape, controlling his social and personal life; or are there no provisions and he will just continue to be the same Scott Hall i.e. bevy of women, pill popping, alcohol abuse and a beer keg in replace of a 6-pac, (meaning his gut)?

I can't imagine TNA wouldn't have set up some guidelines regarding Hall's behavior before giving him this chance.  TNA is making big moves right now, and if the "old" Scott Hall emerges, I can't see them taking a risk by keeping him as a featured part of their shows.

You can send us questions for the PWInsider.com Q&A by clicking here.

If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here!

• Tweet