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TURNING PUNK AT THE WRONG TIME?, WWE POLITICS TODAY HURTING THE LONG TERM SUCCESS OF TALENTS AND MORE

By Mike Johnson on 2012-08-03 10:00:00
Great job on the site as always – my last question was relatively tongue-in-cheek; this one isn’t. I’ve read various stories about various wrestlers getting de-pushed as a way for WWE to send them a message, and what I’m wondering is whether the folks in WWE who are doing realize that they are actively hurting their own business. After all, the success of WWE rests in large part on the popularity of the superstars & divas – anything that results in fans caring about them less means fewer viewers of both live events and televised events. Don’t they understand this? It seems pretty simple, along with the fact that they are making it less likely that the wrestler in question will be successful in the long run, and will be more likely to have his or her career cut short as a result. There are other practices that fall in this same vein, but I wanted to get your thoughts on this one because it seems so obvious and ridiculous. Thanks, as always.

WWE doesn't see it that way. They are concerned with the now because the feeling is that if and when they want something to work, what happened before won't matter. Everything you said makes complete sense but in wrestling sometimes, they don't want it to make sense.

With CM Punks DVD coming out soon, Do you think its not the right time to turn him heel? Do you think its a 100% complete heel change where he turns on the fans or just a heel turn against The Rock?

All signs point to a complete heel turn over time. They have a long way until the Royal Rumble, so it's possible he will still be a babyface by the time his DVD is released in October.

I know this prospect is highly unlikely but do you see current general manager of Raw AJ Lee becoming more popular than some of her fellow male stars? I know John Cena has nothing to worry about but can you imagine her becoming more of a force within Raw? If she were to become a polarizing figure do you see WWE stop giving her a push?

If AJ became as popular as Cena, WWE would be thrilled to push her and make money off of her.

How would you describe the current state of the Divas/Womens division of WWE?

Close to non-existent, sadly.

Since former SHIMMER/ROH star Sarah Del Rey is now with WWE with her experience will she still be assigned to FCW first or will she be allowed to forgo FCW and head to either Raw or Smackdown straightaway?

She was offered a developmental deal.

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