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WWE STARS WHO SHOULD BE NEXT FOR AUTOBIOGRAPHIES, CHYNA-RUSSO, BASZLER-LILLY FOLLOWUP AND MORE

By Mike Johnson on 2021-06-18 10:00:00

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I was watching the Vice Chyna documentary and watching Vince Russo, I kept getting mad.  If he was so concerned about her, why didn't he bring her into WCW when she left WWF and obviously needed a safe haven?

I haven't seen the film yet as I respond to this, but if you are mad at Vince Russo for that, you have anger for ZERO reason.  WCW was out of business well before Chyna exited the WWF in November 2001, so Vince Russo couldn't get her a job there.  There was no company at that point for Russo to offer her as a "safe haven" as you said, much less a place to make money.  It's not even like it was close, as WCW had been dead for nine months when she and WWF had her falling out.  I don't know if the film touched on this but part of the reason WWE could easily let her go is that at the time, there was NOWHERE else comparable for her to go, so WWF didn't have to fear her going to the competition and helping them.  There was nothing but haphazard scattered independents, none of which she ever worked that I can ever recall.  There wasn't even a TNA or Ring of Honor yet at that time.  That's why she leaned into movie roles and reality TV.  There was no alternative for her in pro wrestling at the time.  Vince Russo can't be blamed for those circumstances and it's 100% unfair to Russo to infer otherwise.

You wrote a piece about how Lilly the Doll attacking Shayna Baszler wasn't a terrible ending as long as it led to something.  It led to a match.  Is is terrible yet?

I would argue that I wrote if it had ramifications, it wasn't terrible.  As we write this, we don't know what 100% those ramifications are but as I sit here writing this Friday morning, the follow-up, in my opinion, was beyond underwhelming and if you were going to come back to me and say, "Yeah, it was terrible", I couldn't argue otherwise!   I did point out in my piece that if they chose to act like nothing happened, this would be horrible and well, beyond saying the doll was in "time out" and there would be a PPV match, it was pretty much that, a pitiful follow-up.  At least if WWE went for all the way out there insanity with the follow-up, I could argue, well, they went for it at least.  They didn't even try to do that.

I thought your recent ideas of WWE theme park attractions were awesome.  Did you hear any feedback from anyone in the company?

No more than I hear feedback on other articles.

Is there any word when the old territory stuff will be added to Peacock?

Peacock advised they expected everything up by Summerslam.  They have been adding new content every day, as Paul Jordan maintains updates on, so once Peacock's legal team approves it, my guess is by then.

What WWE stars should have biographies now that the Drew McIntyre book is out?

I think if anyone should be writing a book right now, it should be Becky Lynch, given her rise and fall as she tried to break through on the independents, her decision to retire, come back years later, get signed, get through NXT, rise up in the ranks, "The Man", starting a family, her eventual comeback, etc.  There's a great story there of fighting through adversity that I think a lot of people would appreciate and relate to.    I think Roman Reigns obviously would make a great subject, as would Sasha Banks, Bobby Lashley, Edge (who's first book was published well before he truly hit super-stardom), Paige and Randy Orton.  All pro wrestlers have interesting stories and life experiences, so there are many, many others.

 

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