Stone Cold/Paul Heyman Podcast Review

After some time away from the Network, it has returned. As the Rock would say, "FINALLY, the Stone Cold Podcast has come back to the WWE Network!". Back by very popular demand, Stone Cold has made his long awaited comeback to the Network in the midst of rumors about a falling out between himself and WWE. Fans had grown tired of Chris Jericho's bubblegum interview style, and aired their frustration on every Internet outlet available. The John Cena interview was fine, but the Stephanie McMahon interview left a sour taste in everyone's mouth. Many of us left scratching our heads wanting so much more.

When it was confirmed on the Internet that Austin was returning, everyone celebrated all over Social Media. Stone Cold has become the King of Podcast Interviews, and there is never a time where you feel disappointed or let down. Even with the Vince McMahon interview, fans were still satisfied. Even though Steve slightly tones things down on the Network, his content still has substance. When the news broke that his first guest was Paul Heyman, I automatically knew that it would be special. It feels great to see that they delivered on the hype. Paul Heyman's Dusty Rhodes impression was priceless and spot on. I have heard some great impressions, but he has to have the best when it comes to The American Dream.

Austin and Heyman go through a variety of entertaining and hardcore topics that left fans eager to listen.

Highlights:

Eye for Talent: As everyone knows, Paul Heyman has a keen eye for finding talent and making them grow. His track record speaks for itself, as Austin was his first example. Heyman and Austin discuss how they first met each other in the wrestling business. Paul talks about how he saw potential in Steve when he was in WCW as "Stunning" Steve Austin. Right away, Heyman saw that Austin would be the future of the business and a major star. He was impressed by how Steve hit the ropes with such intensity. This is what led to Paul bringing Steve into the Dangerous Alliance. Austin gives Heyman credit for building his confidence, as that stable was made to elevate him. Rude, Zbysko, Bobby Eaton and Arn Anderson were more experienced. Steve would use that as a platform for future success. There was resistance from the higher ups in WCW to have Austin join the group, but Paul fought for him and convinced management that he would be "the next big thing". He was right, as Austin would become one of the greatest stars that the wrestling industry has ever produced. One could make the case that Steve Austin was the greatest Paul Heyman guy ever produced.

Status of Brock Lesnar: Austin transitioned into the topic of Brock Lesnar. He wanted to know if Lesnar really wanted to stay and how serious the option of UFC was. Heyman says that Brock opened up a mini training camp in January to prepare to go back to UFC if his WWE deal did not work out. Paul says that Brock was torn because of how much he enjoyed his recent WWE run by breaking Undertaker's WrestleMania Streak and dominating John Cena to win the WWE Championship. This recent run was truly filled with its fair share of highlights, and could be argued with his previous tenure. Neither was very long, but they had their fair share of huge matches and moments. When Austin asks the IWC's favorite question of Lesnar loving the business, Heyman says that Brock does love the business. However, Brock does love his children more. He talks about how special it is whenever Brock makes an appearance. Heyman says that his relationship with Lesnar is special, and how things don't work very well when he is put together with other guys. His chemistry with CM Punk worked, because of their relationship away from WWE Programming.

Update on CM Punk: Austin asks Heyman about CM Punk. Paul says that he still communicates with Punk, but with more texting than talking. He explains that their relationship is "not based on the business". That relationship with Heyman gives the best form of access into Punk's thoughts. He proved that in this interview when talking about Punk's new career in the UFC. Heyman says that Punk is mentally prepared to face the possibility of being knocked out when he steps inside of the Octagon. Punk's goal is to shock the world, and he is not afraid to lose.

The Art of Selling: Stone Cold brings up the fine art of selling, as he brings up Jake Roberts DDT finisher as an example. Austin brings up his problem with the way that a move like that has become relegated to a standard move today. He says that guys have to sell more today. Heyman responded by saying that if Mark Henry's finisher was booked as a headlock, no one would be allowed to use it if he made someone tap out with it. If Mark did that same move 30 weeks in a row, he would be dominant enough to win the World Title with it. "Moves will get over as long as people put the move over, get the move over, the announcers react to the move as if it's something devastating, unusual, and big, and everyone on the roster is cognizant of it." The talent and others around them have to get the move over.

The Art of Promos: Here is an avenue that Austin and Heyman are Masters in, as they have graduated from the School of Promos with Bachelors and Masters. With that said, they are the right Authorities in knowing how to deliver the right promos. Stone Cold talks about how RAW was pretty good as it had some nice promos. However, he talks about how something was missing. Heyman brings up a story about Dusty Rhodes teaching him that a promo can be great and all, but "where's the money?". Paul gives the best Dusty impression that I have heard in a long time. Dusty was telling him that a promo can be great and all, but if you aren't selling something, your promo doesn't work. Heyman brought up that sometimes you can sell a personality-like Brock Lesnar-and the way he says his name as the conqueror of the streak and all that-but when you sell the main event of WrestleMania, that changes everything. You have to not only sell the personality, but you also have to sell the Main Event to draw greater interest in the story. Austin talks about the content, delivery, intensity, passion, and other elements that would be the key to great promos. He said that he liked Ultimate Warrior's promos because even though they were insane, he was furthering the growth of his character.

Influence on Talent: Austin asked how influential Heyman is today when he works with younger talent. Heyman says that he works with anyone who comes to him and asks for any advice or help. He says that pontificating is the issue with promos today. People get in and start talking about being upset about what happened last week and get long winded. Meanwhile, Heyman likes to reintroduce himself every week to make things fresher.

Vince McMahon, Sr: Heyman talks about getting in way back in the day with Vince McMahon, Sr. He tells a story about making his first $50 in the business by taking a photo of Vince, Sr. Heyman says that Howard Finkel suggested that he send his pictures to WWWF so that they could use them for programs. Everytime that he got paid, Vince, Sr. would not pay him directly. Instead, he would give the money to other people so that they could give it to Paul. Heyman speaks very highly of Vincent J, McMahon and how much he has shaped him into who he is today. Paul says that he is not so sure if Vince Sr would have done the same kind of business for the WWWF that Vince Jr has done for WWF/E. He also shares some funny stories about Capt. Lou Albano and Vince McMahon, Jr. I had no idea that Capt. Lou despised VKM.

Vince McMahon, Jr.: Paul talks about how his relationship with Vincent K. McMahon is better than ever before, because he doesn't have to talk to him as much and isn't constantly telling him how to save the wrestling business anymore. Heyman says that "Fatherhood has mellowed me out". He talked about being really strung up back in the day, saying that he has never done a line of cocaine in his life. Austin hilariously replied with "come on".

Smackdown Head Writer: Heyman said that he would fight to the death for shows that he was the head writer on. His run as Smackdown's head writer was brought up. Then, Austin brings up the "Infamous Plane Ride" from 2006 as Heyman told the story about how that was his time to leave. Paul was burned out as he and Vince got angry at each other and it came to a head.

Showdown with Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 32: This was the hottest topic of the entire interview and the biggest talking point that everyone can walk away with. Heyman and Austin set up the idea of a match with Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 32, as Paul said he would make it happen while Stone Cold cut a promo on him. Austin went from Podcast host to full fledge Stone Cold Mode in the blink of an eye. Stone Cold said that it would have to be a "Texas Death Match" that would headline the show. He threatened Heyman saying that Brock was not there to save him. As Vegeta would say, Austin's power level was "Over 9,000!!". Stone Cold's face turned red when Lesnar's name came up for a match. I know Vince McMahon's ears started ringing when he heard that idea. I am sure that he saw dollar signs as well, because VKM is willing to pull out all of the stops to make this the biggest WrestleMania we have ever seen, because he wants to break his WrestleMania III Record of 93,000+ at Pontiac Silverdome. WM 32 will be at AT&T Stadium in Dallas (Home of the Cowboys), and Austin will be one of the keys for that to happen, along with Undertaker.

Conclusion: Overall, I was very thrilled about this interview, as it was fun and very substantial from start to finish. No punches were held back at all, and Stone Cold has great chemistry with Paul Heyman. They know how to bounce off of each other very well, given their history. It is what I typically expected from the start, as it was filled with great storytelling. I give this Interview 5 Smoking Skull Belts out of 5, and that's the Bottom Line, because I said so.

Talk Is Jericho Podcast w/Stephanie McMahon Review

Chris Jericho's recent Interview on the WWE Network featured Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley as his Special Guest. The Interview was highly anticipated by the Network as WWE was ending their free trial for the month of April. Some were expecting this to be like the previous interview with John Cena as well as Austin's Interview with Stephanie's husband, Triple H. (The key word is "some", not all) However, this had more fluff than it had bark and bite. This interview was more of a feel good story between two former rivals who are obviously best friends. For my Comic book fans, it was like Wolverine and Mystique becoming friends. For my Anime fans, it was like Vegeta becoming friends with Android 18 after years of bad blood. For many fans, this further drives home the idea about Chris Jericho officially becoming a "Sellout" and a "Corporate Puppet". This was more like a walk in Candyland instead of what we expect from Stone Cold. Instead, it was more of a live chat between friends. Austin has become the measuring stick for anyone that does interviews, and the backlash against Jericho has intensified. While I do not have any hatred towards Y2J like the other fans, I felt as though a number of punches were held back. Jericho's Interview style is very entertaining in its own way. Other times, there are some things left unsaid. His "Talk Is Jericho" Podcast provides more substance, as it is not a show that it is completely sanctioned by WWE. Jericho is able to have full control of that vehicle, much like with his books. Now, I don't expect him to become Sherlock Holmes or Inspector Gadget trying to do Detective Work about a certain Canadian Crippler who no longer exists in WWE (*coughs* Chris Benoit). On the other hand, I understand why he holds back on certain things. Jericho likes to stay in good graces with WWE, and does not want to receive any of the horrendous company backlash that others before him have received because they were on Vince's bad side.

Jericho joked about "hard hitting questions", as a lead in to talk about a company "Christmas Party" that he was not invited to. This set the tone for the rest of the interview.

Now, I will go into the points that were brought up in the Network Exclusive.

Contrast in Austin and Jericho's styles: Stone Cold has gained a well built reputation of respect among fans, because he holds nothing back in his questions. You can walk away with assurance that nothing was left unsaid. Austin's interview style mirrors the way that he wrestled: Straightforward, but with a few elements of laughts. Jericho has more of a fun, and playful approach. Do not expect Austin to ask Stephanie who her childhood crush was.

WWE Ambassador: Stephanie explains the role that she plays as an Ambassador for WWE as she travels to different countries proclaiming the good deeds of a cultural phenomenon. Jericho and Stephanie talk about how funny it is that WWE is still seen by some as a Neanderthal sport, when it has redefined society for many, many years. She also talks about her contributions to the "Be A Star" Campaign against bullying. Jericho has the opportunity to drill her about why she plays a heel character on TV, while being front and center for an anti-bullying campaign. Stephanie gives a fluff response, and Jericho does not go any further.

(Side Note: Vince McMahon is standing in the background at the start of the interview, then leaves. Jericho and Steph point that out.)

Childhood Stories in Wrestling: Stephanie opens up about growing up the daughter of Vince McMahon and how she was often picked on because of that. Some kids thought that she would be a snob, because of her background. She shares a fun story about her friendship with Andre The Giant. Stephanie gravitated to Andre, because she felt that he was treated like an outcast since he was a Giant. Stephanie also says that growing up, she was a fan of Tito Santana and The Killer Bees. Steph did not like Hulk Hogan at all. Instead, she was a fan of the heels. I know she had to be furious about Hogan defeating Andre at WrestleMania 3. With that said, I see why she does her job so well as a villain. It was actually fun to hear about this.

Spitting Image of Vince: Stephanie talks about how she has the same relentless drive that her father has to obtain and maintain success. Her brother Shane calls her the "Vinceess". McMahon says that she closely observed her father's work as a showman and executive for years.

Beginnings: Steph says that she worked the phones for WWE (WWF at the time) when she was 14. She worked as an intern in the marketing department. Stephanie even says that she created a clip reel for Summerslam one year. I wish that she mentioned which one it was. She also talked about interacting with fans in the AOL chatrooms (I remember those days). McMahon shares those stories to let fans know that her parents did not hand her a high level executive position. Stephanie even said WWF, and was never censored.

Relationship with Triple H: This is where Stephanie opened up the most. Jericho and Stephanie talk about her relationship with Triple H. Steph says that originally, her father did not want her to be in a relationship with wrestlers. She says that Vince felt that it would be too much of a risk. Except there was one star that Vince had a special spot for in his heart, Triple H. She said that Vince "threw them together" at first. Then, he would "take away his blessing" so that they would be separated for some time.  For those of you looking for any mention of Chyna, this was the wrong place. Apparently, Vince does not want that name to resurface again as we know the headlines that it created in Austin's interview with Triple H. Clearly, things worked out in the end between Triple H and Stephanie. Their story ended in a fairytale way. When Jericho asked who wears the pants in the family, She says "both of us".

Lack of Ronday Rousey: Jericho brings up Ronda Rousey as his next topic of discussion, because of her relationship with WWE. As we know, Dana White announced that he has no plans of having Ronda make any more appearances for WWE. Rousey's appearances at Summerslam 2014 and WrestleMania 31 were huge attractions for the company. As Stephanie said that she did not know what was next with Ronda, she also said "Never say Never".

Future of Divas Division (#GiveDivasAChance): Like the Triple H topic, the biggest missed opportunity came when Stephanie was addressed with the topic about the Twitter war that her and AJ had about the #GiveDivasAChance movement. Stephanie was being diplomatic when she said that she was proud of the former 3-time Divas Champion for speaking up. With the bad blood surrounding CM Punk, I am sure that Stephanie sees AJ as a thorn behind the scenes. The fate of the Divas Division should not have to single handedly depend on Stephanie McMahon alone. It should be a collective effort on the Women in the locker room to step their game up in their own way. As her father would say, they have to fight for the brass ring themselves. However, Stephanie does have a strong deal of influence. The CBO (Chief Brand Officer) seems to agree with AJ about the state of women's wrestling. Steph sees the lack of ring time and stories that the females are given. She says that it is something that has to be worked on. Stephanie says that she desires a change in that department. She tells Jericho that she is "pushing for it everyday". Hopefully, the #GiveDivasAChance tweet does not do more harm than good. What was expected to be the hot button point was cooled off and swept under the rug.

Overall, this Interview does not leave me in anticipation for the next guest on the show. WWE is in a comfort zone as an award winning network with no desire to go for more press. Austin provided the headlines that they needed to give them an edge and reach 1,000,000 subscribers. Now that they have reached personal goals, they have no desire to continue to create buzz. Stone Cold's Interviews left us walking away with topics to discuss among our friends, coworkers, etc for the rest of the week. Jericho's interview with Cena provided some nice headlines and gave us a deeper look into Cena when he is away from character. Fans walked away with a better understanding of John Cena and realized he is a regular guy like the rest of us behind the pomp and circumstance. This interview was just Vince's way of staying complacent and avoiding anything that could be seen as "controversial" on any level. Jericho is the guy that the company has in their vision for who they want as a staple for future interviews. Austin was the figure head to save them from going out of business. Y2J is the figure head that they look at to conduct interviews. It is safe to say that he has now built himself as the true suit and tie company guy.

This Interview gets 3 out of 5 Undisputed Title Belts.

Talk Is Jericho w/John Cena Podcast Review

In the aftermath of the falling out between Vince McMahon and Stone Cold following Austin's controversial interview with Triple H regarding Chyna, WWE has moved into a different direction. As a result, Chris Jericho's Podcast has become the replacement for Austin's show. For the first time and hopefully not the last time, Talk Is Jericho makes its debut on the WWE Network. There was no better way for it to debut on the Network than to have John Cena as the first guest. Like anyone else, I was greatly surprised that Vince ousted Austin's Podcast, especially considering what Stone Cold means to the history of the company. However, Chris Jericho is not a bad choice to fill that spot. Some criticize Jericho for leaning too much on the corporate side. As a Jericho fan, I have no problem with his delivery. I enjoy listening to both of their shows. Chris Jericho has developed his own legacy as an interviewer, and I would put it neck and neck with Stone Cold. As far as the John Cena interview, I have been waiting for him to become a guest on Jericho's show on Podcast One. Chris has a great history of guests, from Stone Cold himself, Edge, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Triple H and even Hulk Hogan just to name a few. Finally, WWE has decided to allow John Cena to have a Network Exclusive Interview. I must say, that I was very impressed. Y2J is not the type of guy that will really go into very taboo issues, so WWE would not have to worry about pushing the panic button. Jericho and Cena cover a variety of interesting topics. This interview presented the REAL John Cena, not the Kayfabe Character that many people revile. I am not a John Cena hater, nor am I a fanboy. I respect John Cena's career. As usual, I will present what they go over with bullet points.

• 5 Moves of Doom: Y2J wastes no time in asking John about what he has become infamous for among the IWC, the Five Moves of Doom. Jericho jokingly starts out by saying that he has a bone to pick with Cena about it because fans have highly criticized John about it. Cena brings a great answer to his critics by saying that he likes to mix things up, by doing a Springboard Maneuver here and there or anything else to make things slightly unpredictable. He even makes fun of himself by saying that his 5 Moves are, two shoulder tackles, Five Knuckle Shuffle, AA, and STFU. John knows that he gets blasted by the marks behind a keyboard, and he plays the right games with them. For the record, everyone has "FIVE Moves of Doom". Beloved Attitude Era Icons like Stone Cold, The Rock and Undertaker each have "5 Moves of Doom".  Legendary Ring Generals like Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels have their own "5 Moves of Doom" Hulk Hogan has at least 3 moves. Rey Mysterio has about 7 key moves. Even the man Interviewing Cena has his own 5 moves of doom. Those are the go-to moves.
• Position as U.S. Champion: John goes on to talk about wanting to bring value back to the United States Championship. In the process, he says that he wants to elevate younger talent from Dean Ambrose, Cody Rhodes, and others.
• Taking Chances: Cena says that Superstars need to take their own chances. He stands by Vince McMahon's "Brass Ring" line by using it as a way to challenge to the others in the Locker Room to take chances. John says that he tries to communicate that point with his fellow wrestlers, but they don't understand because he has more leverage than others. He encourages them to make their own niche, and carve their own place in the company. Even if that risk may put you on the line, go after it. To hear John Cena say, that means a lot.
• Relationship with Vince McMahon: John Cena says that both he and Vince McMahon share the same vision for the business to grow. Cena says that he wants to model himself after Vince's model of success. Both are like-minded but are different creatively. Cena wants to put his all into everything he does just like Vince.
• First meeting with Vince McMahon: Cena shares a funny story about how he was called up by Michael Hayes to be The Undertaker's replacement for a match with Kurt Angle. John goes into Vince's office before the match, and McMahon tells him in a funny way to cut his hair. Anytime a Vince Impression is involved, it always makes the story even more humorous.
• History with Chris Jericho: Y2J and Cena discuss their history together, going back to when they had their first match together at Vengeance where Cena won. Jericho shares the story of how he came up with Cena's nickname "Wacky Roll-Up Guy", as John used to finish his matches with a weird, wacky roll-up. Chris Jericho has been known to be a John Cena Defender, and this is a prime example. The original plan was for Jericho to win, but he went to creative and vouched for Cena to go over.
• OVW: Most fans today only know John Cena as the King of the WWE Throne. However, fans like myself and others know about Cena's humble origins in Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW). OVW was the NXT of that time. Contrary to where people see Cena today, John admits that he was not the first clear-cut choice that WWE had in mind to build a Superstar. Cena gives credit to his fellow OVW Rookies, as it was clearly one of the deepest rookie classes in WWE History. John came through the ranks with fellow soon to be Hall of Famers such as Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton, and Dave Batista. Cena praises each of them for how special they were in their own way. John even gives recognition to Shelton Benjamin, who was another unique star from that group. This collective group of talent would shape the next Era of WWE History. Brock would become a SuperNova in his first run in WWE, by becoming a 3-time WWE Champion and later become the man that Broke the Streak. Randy Orton and Batista would become Stable Mates in Evolution before becoming Main Event Players in their own right. John Cena would achieve massive success as well. Brock, Randy and Dave all became Cena's natural rivals when they each came up to the main roster. Lesnar had the fastest start out of everyone while Cena, Orton, and Batista made the rise at a very even level. The OVW Rookie Class of 2002 set the bar very high, as it is time for the NXT Class of Neville, Zayn, Owens, Balor and Itami to make their mark on WWE.
• Origins on Smackdown: The Show goes into John Cena's beginnings on Smackdown. Jericho goes into his frustration about how Cena went from working with veterans like himself, Edge and Rey Mysterio to being demoted to Velocity. Cena says that he was lacking an identity.
• Establishing an Identity: John talks about how the Dr. of Thuganomics character was established. He said that he was freestyling on the bus during a road trip with a number of other wrestlers. The people in charge of creative heard Cena rap and decided that he should use that as his gimmick. From that point, Cena would wear Throwback Jerseys of the hometeam. For example, he would wear a Lakers Jersey of Magic Johnson or Kareem if Smackdown was in Los Angeles. If they were in Boston, he would wear a Celtics Jersey of Larry Bird. This was a very unique and creative idea to establish Cena's identity. As a result, John became a made man. The rest is history.
• PEDs/Bodybuilding: John Cena addresses any rumors of him using Performance Enhancing Drugs. Instead, he says that his strength is natural as he was once a bodybuilder before stepping into the squared circle. Cena says that his weight has not change, but his strength has naturally increased.
• Recovery from Injuries: Jericho talks about how fascinated he is by the way that John Cena recovers so fast from injuries. He compared Cena to a Mutant like Wolverine from the X-Men, because of how fast he is able to heal. Cena says that he does not like to stay away from the ring, and goes through whatever it takes to recover as soon as possible.
• Being the Face of WWE: Chris Jericho says that John Cena is part of the WWE Mt. Rushmore with Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock when it comes to being the face of the Company. He goes into wanting to know how WWE can develop someone else into becoming the face of the Next Generation of Wrestling inspite of how strict things have become. Cena says that whoever steps up to that position will face a tough time, because of how the fans are quickly irritated with someone being heavily promoted as the top star of the company. He knows from experience, as the IWC are his biggest enemies. Cena then gives respect to Roman Reigns, and how he needs to be given his own chance to really prove himself. I will be the first to admit that today's fans give no one a clear chance, because they will turn on someone just as fast as they support them. The Platform of Social Media amplifies their anger and how short their attention span is as well. Cena says that it will not be long before someone steps up to become the "Front Man" of WWE, as a band cannot go without a lead star for too long.
• Audience: John talks about the obvious backlash from the fans. He mentions how the fans booed him when he inducted William Perry into the Hall of Fame in 2006. Cena is great when it comes to making the right response to fans that boo him, even though he is the hero (babyface). Jericho also shares his frustrations about how fans would boo him even when he was the babyface. I respect Cena even more by how he takes the high road inspite of the heat from the fans.
• The Rock: The biggest selling point of this Podcast was the topic about The Rock. Cena says that at first, he and Dwayne had a rocky (pun intended) relationship because of competition. John mentions how angry The Rock was for calling him out about his lack of commitment to wrestling. Cena admits that he called The Rock a sellout for going to Hollywood. The animosity that they had with one another was born out of competiton. Cena compares his feud with The Rock to LeBron James and Michael Jordan. The Rock was clearly Michael Jordan, while Cena was LeBron James. This was a battle of Two Different Eras colliding. Cena expressed how he looked for every chance to throw a single blow, because he wanted this to be a fair fight. There was also heat for the way that Cena called The Rock out for writing a promo on his wrist when The Great One is the Duke of the Microphone. Originally, I thought that Cena was being immature and disrespectful for the things that Rock has done for the business before going to Hollywood. John himself even admits that he did not see things from The Rock's perspective. Cena acknowledged that he was desperate to be elevated because he had to prove himself. The Rock did not have to prove himself. After his program with Rock ended, Cena gained a greater appreciation of The Rock's perspective. Now, he can see through Rock's eyes as far as how he wanted to elevate the business to a greater plateau.
• Summerslam 2005 (Birth of the "Let's Go Cena/Cena Sucks Chants"): Jericho and Cena talk about how the "Let's Go Cena/Cena Sucks" chants started at Summerslam 2005 in Washington, DC. (I was there, great shoutout from Jericho) Ladies and Gentleman, the two-sided chants towards Cena originated here in DC and I witnessed them live. As a fan, I cheered for Cena because he was the good guy, as well as the Champion. However, I am also a fan of Chris Jericho and share a great respect for his legacy. Now, it has become the cool thing to chant "Let's Go Cena, Cena Sucks". At this point, it doesn't even bother Cena.
• Versatility: Cena talks about how to find ways to maneuver from being silly, comedic John Cena to the Serious, Aggressive John Cena.
• Heel Turn: Just like The Rock, the other talking point of the show was about John Cena turning heel. This has become the Univeral Question regarding John Cena. Cena responds by saying that he will not turn heel, because of the kids that he inspires through Make A Wish Foundations. He also says that fans boo him anyway, so being heel would not make things change. I admire John's response, because he knows that everyone will not be happy with what he does. Once again, Cena wins against the IWC. John says that he is open to making the heel turn, as long as someone else is in place to fill his spot as the Ambassador of WWE. So far, there is no one that can take that place.
• Favorite Match: Jericho asks Cena about his favorite match. First, John says that his favorite match has yet to come. Interesting from a star that has a history of great matches. Then, he says that his favorite match was with The Rock at WrestleMania XXVIII. That was the best match of their rivalry.
• Relationship with The Rock: Cena says that his relationship with The Rock is fine. The tension that they once had is now over.
• Future for John Cena: Cena says that he still has enough in his tank to continue. John goes on by saying that he will only stop when he feels that his work in the ring starts to noticeably decline.

Overall, this was a great podcast. From the outset, Y2J admitted on Twitter that his Podcast with Cena would be corporate: "For those worried that tonight's podcast with John Cena will be corporate-ur right. All my questions have to be approved by #JackTunney". In typical Jericho fashion, he already gave his fans a warning of what they would hear. I was satisifed. In Conclusion, this podcast showed the REAL John Cena as it gave his detractors a greater sense of respect to him. You don't have to like the way his character is booked, but you will walk away respecting the man behind it. I give this show 4 John Cena WWE Title Reigns out of 5.

Stone Cold/Triple H Podcast Review

I just wanted to take time to review the recent Podcast interview that Stone Cold had featuring Triple H. I had to take some time to listen and really gather ideas. I must say that it was certainly less controversial than the first interview with Vince McMahon. Overall, Austin and Trips had a mutual understanding of each other, because they were peers and have more of an understanding of what goes on from an in-ring standpoint. At first, they started off by reminisicing about their time together coming through the ranks and battling one another. Then, they talk about the development of NXT, and how Triple H is building it to become its own machine. For all of his flaws, I will give Triple H credit for the success of NXT, as it is breaking even more ground. Although it is naturally a developmental territory, it is establishing its own identity as a brand of itself. Triple H has an incredible mind for the business. Austin and Hunter both agree that kayfabe is dead, because fans have become smarter about what is happening both in the ring and backstage thanks to the Internet. With that being said, the days of true faces and heels are gone.

Hunter also says that the core business model has not changed. He talks about how fans say things like "they would have done that if we hadn't done this". He brings up the example about how if Hulk Hogan was getting wildly cheered in Minnesota for the AWA, he would not have gone to New York for WWE to become wildly popular as the champion of the promotion. WWE calls audibles whenever they need to.

Stone Cold asks him about the Reality Era, and how it is harder to be a genuine babyface, because fans will cheer and boo who they want. As Triple H mentions sites such as "Grantland" that cover the insides of the business, he basically says that "the reality is the business". As a result, everyone has a voice and fans are even more critical and analytical of the product. The IWC unleases their venom every week on Social Media. He also mentions the backlash about the Royal Rumble, where fans booed Roman out of the building as they insisted that Daniel Bryan win. (I covered that in detail already)

Triple H even admitted that he doesn't believe that anyone is truly ready for the top spot, no matter how ready the fans think they are, or how ready they think they are in their own mind. I can understand that, because the WWE System causes you to polish yourself and understand structure. (At least he didn't use the lame "Brass Ring" line)

Trips also addresses the idea that he only got to the top, because of his marriage into the McMahon family. He says that Undertaker helped him get past that dictating opinion, which I am sure really frustrated him. Triple H admits that he would still be in the top spot even without marrying Stephanie. I absolutely agree, because Triple H paid his dues. He was already rising to the top BEFORE Steph arrived on the scene. He may have more leverage backstage, but he would still make it to the top of the roster on his own.


Now, this is where the Interview REALLY heats up. Stone Cold brings up the name that is a Smoking Gun to the McMahon Family: Chyna. Up to this point, Triple H pretty much deviated from being the Kayfabe Corporate Authority Figure. This time, he did a song and dance because this was clearly the lightning rod of Stone Cold's podcast. When Austin addressed Vince about Macho Man going into the HOF, Vince responded by saying "Yes, he will go in.". Within the blink of an eye, Savage is announced. However, once Chyna is mentioned, Triple H hesitates and gives a PR answer. First, he gives Chyna credit for being a trailblazer, and a pioneer for Women in Wrestling. However, he gives doubts about her being inducted, because he gives the watered down excuse of not wanting his 8 year-old daughter looking for Chyna on Google to discover her porn career. I understand that WWE is doing their best to clean up the product, but that is not the real reason why Chyna is not in. Everyone knows that the REAL reason why she is not in, is because he does not want his children to know that their Dad was involved in a Love Triangle Affair, where he had a relationship with their Mom, while living with Chyna. They must not be ready for that conversation, I guess. He also did not want to mention the fact that Stephanie and Chyna want no part of each other, especially with the distasteful things that Chyna has said about her on YouTube. Chyna is the thorn for Triple H that Warrior, Bret and Savage were to Vince. Trips wants to hide the fact that Once Upon A Time, WWE was notorious for negative stereotypes and the degradation of women (Sable, Sunny, Godfather's Ho Train, even Katie Vick. That's enough for now). You also want to conceal Chyna's obvious porno past with your Kliq golden boy X-Pac, who is in high favor with WWE because of his numerous appearances at Live Events. Your kids don't know, but people like myself and older fans know what is behind closed doors. I am not justifying Chyna's decisions, but she was an integral part of one of the most successfully mainstream Eras in company history, The Attitude Era. Chyna broke barriers for females, as she was one of the founding members of D-Generation-X, a group that is widely considered to be the greatest of all-time (especially by WWE). Chyna was with the first incarnation when it was a trio, with HBK and HHH himself. She was also part of the expansion, when Shawn retired and X-Pac and the New Age Outlaws were added. As an individual, she is the ONLY Woman to win the Intercontinental Title. This is not a Chris Benoit situation, where she murdered someone else along with herself. Now, I understand that parents do not want their daughters influenced by her. I have a niece and I would not want her to stumble across this on the web, and in the future I wouldn't want my child to see that. From that standpoint I get it, but the Hall of Fame is not filled with people with Wings on their back and Halos on their head. Do I need to bring up Sunny? Look at where she is even AFTER her Induction. I won't even get into the recent Twitter scandal with Seth Rollins. As long as Chyna cleans herself up and shows how serious she is, they would have no other choice. Both sides will have to mature and humble themselves before this happens.

When discussing Roman Reigns, Austin felt that it was being made obvious that Roman was given the keys without having to really work for it. HHH responds by saying "everyone works hard", including Roman. The obvious flaws are his mic skills and his ring work. John Cena has faced criticism about his ring work, but nobody can deny his work ethic.

A Twitter question shows up where someone asks: Do you see anyone on the roster becoming the next Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin or John Cena? Triple H responds by saying that everyone has potential, but it is what they do with it that counts. He says that the business is different, where you have to be much more well rounded. You can't just be good in the ring, but lack mic skills. You can't just have good mic skills. You just can't be a big guy or a high flyer with nothing else to offer. He is absolutely right, and I feel that is what is seriously lacking in the landscape of wrestling especially today.

Trips also brings up the Undertaker, and how he was Vince McMahon's greatest creation. Mark Calloway was perfect to play that role, and anyone else would have died with that persona. Mark took that gimmick, and made it Iconic and Transcendant. Truly Phenomenal (no pun intended).


Stone Cold starts to dive even deeper into the discussion as he brings up how Triple H managed to mend the fences with Legends like Bruno Sammartino and The Ultimate Warrior so that they could finally be inducted into the Hall of Fame. I give the Game the utmost respect for how he was able to engineer those inductions, because if it was up to Vince, they would still be on the outside looking in. Levesque basically said that Bruno was unwilling to do business with McMahon, because he was unsatisfied with the direction that the promotion had gone into during the Attitude Era. For years, Sammartino was unwilling to do business, and had bad blood with Vince because of his ideas. Bruno is the definition of the term "Old School". Vince himself was not jumping to his phone to call Bruno to make amends. However, it wasn't until WWE decided to clean up the product and Triple H stretched out his arm to Bruno to make peace. Trips was able to sympathize with him from a pure wrestler's mindset, because they were able to come to a common ground. Triple H is a man that respects the history of the business, and he made it crystal clear during this interview more than once. As a result, he was able to get Bruno to change his mind and accept the induction. The rest is history. Same with Warrior, but it was a bit harder considering that they worked together. However, as time is known to heal wounds, The Game was able to reach Warrior because there wasn't as much bad blood as with Warrior's main peers (Hogan, etc.)


Stone Cold would also ask The Ultimate Question: DX or NWO? Triple H gives NWO their respect, by saying that they were massively impactful and influential when they started when they opened the curtain to show the reality aspect. However, their impact was diluted when they overloaded the group with too many people. On the other hand, DX had more staying power for a longer period of time. I would say the same thing, not just because WWE promotes it, but because collectively DX has had a greater stream of success in the long run. They did not water themselves down by adding everybody on the roster and their family.

Triple H also says that his Ultimate Fantasy Match would be with Buddy Rogers, because of his style and showmanship.

When CM Punk is mentioned, Trips simply says "I never had a beef with him". He pretty much says there was a miscommunication, even though Punk threw fireballs at him and Vince in his interview with Cabana.

Now, time for one of my favorite games. Word Association Time:

Shawn Michaels: Greatest in ring performer ever.
Ric Flair: Greatest all around performer ever.
Kevin Nash: Great mind for the business but a personality that hides it.
Scott Hall: The guy he learned more from than anyone and really underrated in ring.
Eddie Guerrero: Awesome. Miss him and he was really fun.
Goldberg: Intense and explosive, enough so that it changed the business.
Brock Lesnar: FREAK. (That's a positive.)
Paul Heyman: He toes the line between genius and crazy.
Owen Hart: One of the nicest, funniest guys.
Bret Hart: Unbelievable technician who maybe sometimes takes himself too seriously.
Undertaker: Respect.
Kane: Underrated. "If I had to say one word, he's the constant."
Pat Patterson: A genius for the business.
Michael Hayes: Underrated for his contributions to the business.

They conclude by talking about the differences between a pro wrestler and a sports entertainer. They also address Brock Lesnar's future with the company. Triple H also talks about The Streak, and says it is a two-sided situation. On one side, you want the streak to live forever, like a home run record. However, Taker is a guy that likes to give back to the business, especially to benefit someone else. Lesnar has benefited in a huge way.

When asked if he could change anything about Monday Night Raw, Triple H says that he would change it from three hours back to two. He says that the three hour show was a Vince call and a financial issue.

Overall, the Interview was entertaining in many ways, and controversial in others. I did not expect any less. 4/5 Stars.

In wrestling terminology, I would give it 4 WWE Undisputed Championships out of 5.