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NXT VS. NEW ECW, NXT HAVING A MATCH AT MANIA 31, BOBBY HEENAN AND MUCH MORE

By Mike Johnson on 2015-03-20 10:00:47
Are there any plans to have a NXT match at Wrestlemania? I would love to see Kevin Owens vs. Finn Balor for the NXT title. Even if they give them 15 minutes on the pre-show. Just watching those two work in front of a Wrestlemania crowd would be great.

If there are, it's being really guarded. I don't see it happening, at least this year. I think the idea of an NXT bout at Wrestlemania is awesome in theory, but I don't want to see any of those talents put into a position where WWE cuts their time and that cool, special moment is lost. The new ECW had a match at Wrestlemania 23 and the original plan was cut and they had a run of the mill tag bout. I'd rather not see NXT have anything run of the mill on the main stage.

Why does it suddenly make sense from a business standpoint to run live shows in small venues for NXT when the excuse for not doing the same for ECW in 2007 was that it wasn't profitable and made no sense from a business standpoint?

It makes sense because the idea is to give the NXT talents a chance to tour and learn on the road while building the brand. The ECW brand failed because it wasn't ECW and it was a hanger-on to the larger brands, Raw and Smackdown. It needed to be completely independent. NXT is treated that way and without having the expectations over it's head that it could never meet, like the new ECW, it will grow it's own roots. Plus, the immediate sellouts in several markets are proof the audience wants this.

Question about the WWE "Reality" era. Why? Maybe I'm a bit old school, but WWE was so much more interesting when they had an influx of characters who were on TV. Part of the attraction to WWE during the attitude era was seeing characters you don't see on the street every day. For example, The Undertaker and Kane character, yes, we all know that this is fake. But the way Paul Bearer told the story and even Undertaker at times choking up when talking about Kane, in normal clothes, that's the type of stuff that draws a mass audience to wrestling. It's not just about wrestling purists ala Daniel Bryan. Pro Wrestling is half sports half theatre. Now I get the audience has "smartenned" up, but, they were always "smart". Even back in the Attitude era. Now, While I like what they're doing with NXT and it has been a treat, but to me, it exposes the business. Imagine back in 97 if they had the Taker-Kane storyline going, and they had Smoky Mountain Wrestling on a syndicated network. They take the only guy who is 6'10, 326 pounds off of the syndicated show and debut him as Kane. Everyone would know who he is and what he looked like. When they took Kane off as Isaac Yankem, there was a good amount of time between then and Kane's debut for him to grow out his hair, dye it black, etc, so that when he debuted, nobody really knew what he looked like. Watching Triple H's recent comments on the Network about fans getting too smart, seems like an easy way out of having to hide secrets and just have a bunch of wrestlers go out there with generic names and generic attire and wrestle. Also his 3 hour RAW comment, how it's so hard to book a 3 hour show. I have an idea. Look to WCW Nitro 97-98, bring back the Cruiserweight Division, Every week, bring a name in from Japan, or Mexico, have them get a chance. Worked well for WCW during those years.

If WWE presented the same product in the same style today as they did in 1995, they would be bleeding out money. You always have to evolve and change with the times. I am sure there are some aspects of that era that can be used, but right now, it's just not the way WWE sees things. I don't think I can argue for the return of the Isaac Yankem days.

As far as filling out a three hour show, the difference is Nitro was a wrestling series and Raw is an action-adventure show that features wrestling. Different animals.

I bet my friend $100 that Daniel Bryan would win the WWE title back by Wrestlemania or I'd shave my head. I think I am screwed. Do you have any advice as to how I can swerve my way out of this one?

I think you might want to prepare for a nice sit in the barber's chair.

I saw some recent pictures of Bobby Heenan and feel absolutely depressed. What happened?

Bobby has had a lot of health issues over the last 15-20 years, including several bouts with cancer. He developed an infection in his jaw that required a partial removal. He's also had several falls that left him with broken bones. Obviously, we'd all like Bobby to be seen and remembered as the guy he was when he was in WWF, WCW and the AWA, but that's life. We all get older and sometimes, sadly, we face illness. I advise you not to be depressed about it. Bobby has beaten a lot of terrible illnesses and has survived to see his grandchildren, which was a big deal to him personally. He still has his wits about him and he's still married to an amazing lady. Don't cry for Bobby. Respect him.

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