Seth Rollins: Redesign, Rebuild, Reclaim

Out of the many returns post WrestleMania, the return of Seth Rollins is the one that I have been the most excited about. Recently, WWE did their 24 Special on Seth's road to recover as it was appropriately named "Redesign, Rebuild, Reclaim". It was a behind the scenes look into Seth's journey to recovery. His peers from AJ Styles, Kevin Owens to Sami Zayn were all amazed at how exceptional Seth is as a performer. Styles mentioned the story of when he wrestled Rollins 10 years ago. At that time, he knew that Seth would be a big deal. Even though he is a heel, I felt bad not seeing him around for so long. Seth's injury was so severe that he obviously missed out on WrestleMania 32 in Dallas, TX (a record breaking crowd of 101,763). In the special, you can tell that it was eating away as Rollins himself let everyone know. It is sad for anyone who is a top star to lose their momentum with one bad injury. John Cena gave encouragement by saying that Seth will not have to worry about missing WrestleMania like that anymore. He said that Rollins  has many more WrestleManias ahead of him. Cena is right. The footage was tough to watch. Seth's motto is "Redesign, Rebuild, Reclaim". In a way, Seth also said it was needed so that he could regroup and appreciate what he already had. Rollins is on a mission to Redesign who he is as a performer. It is time for him to Rebuild that which was broken as he is out to Reclaim the WWE Championship that he did not lose by pinfall or submission. He was the Undisputed MVP last year. Not only was Seth "Superstar of the Year" but he was also the PWI "Wrestler of the Year" as well as "Most Hated Wrestler of the Year". This past week also marked two years since the Shield disbanded. In the aftermath, no one expected Seth to break out the way that he did.

As we quickly approach "Money In the Bank", let's look forward to finally having the chance to see Seth and Roman start the war we have been waiting for. I'm looking forward to big things from Rollins as I expect to see The Architect build something even greater than what he built over the past two years.

Reigns Retains; Rollins Returns

After defeating AJ Styles in yet another phenomenal match (no pun intended), Roman Reigns retained the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. In these two recent battles with Styles, Roman has proven that he has what it takes to dance in a high quality match by bringing his very best as AJ brought his best. Roman proved that he is no slouch despite what the IWC critics say, and that he has improved gradually as an in-ring performer. The match at Payback was very thrilling, even though they had to restart thanks to Shane and Stephanie. However, I would say that this match tops it just because it did not have those interruptions. Roman is truly an athletic stud in the ring, and he let it be known with what he pulled out of his arsenal. He even turned a Razor's Edge into a Sit-Out Powerbomb. This match was a straight-out war. The veteran AJ Styles did the Styles Clash not once but twice and Roman kicked out. I'm not surprised because that is how WWE likes to book someone that they have chosen to be the franchise star. That is why fans are tired of John Cena. Then again, if Roman gets criticized, look how many times Styles kicked out of Roman's signature moves. It's all about adding suspense to the match and telling a story and both of these men did that. The USO's and "The Club" would get involved, but "Super" Roman survived the onslaughts and won with a Spear. This was easily a candidate for "Match of the Year".

I am not the number 1 Roman Reigns fan, but I am willing to give him a chance. I see plenty of upside in him to make it as the Marquee Star that WWE desires him to be. After Roman emerges victorious, Seth Rollins surprises everyone by attacking Reigns from behind. Seth ends the night by giving him the Pedigree. Rollins would stand over his former Shield partner while holding the WWE Championship. The sight of Seth holding the title in the air was reminiscent of when he held the gold high at the end of WrestleMania 31. The fans cheered Seth for attacking Roman, even though Rollins is naturally a heel. Seth colored most of his hair black as he has gotten rid of the "Rogue" hairstyle with the streak in his head. Seth's injury was so severe that he was expected to be out for 9 months going into Summerslam. Instead, he returned in 6 months.

The next night on RAW, Shane McMahon set up the match between Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Seth missed out on WrestleMania, which was a huge void for the overall match card in spite of the 101,763 fans in attendance that night. I believe that Mania STILL would have reached that number with Rollins healthy.

Either way, I believe WWE still had big plans for Seth going into the Summer. It seems as though Roman has moved on from this chapter with AJ Styles. The feud with Styles was beneficial in the sense that it challenged Roman to improve as an in-ring worker.

Now that this chapter with AJ Styles has come to an end, Roman can now transition to his primary rival, his former brother in The Shield. The match with Seth at Money In the Bank could be the launching pad for bigger matches down the line. This chapter with Rollins is what is "Best for Business" for both Roman and Seth.

Royal Rumble 2016: All About The Game

As everyone knows, the Road to WrestleMania has been very bumpy to say the least. The Roster has recently been depleted with the losses of major players like John Cena, Seth Rollins, Randy Orton, Cesaro and Sting due to injuries. There are still questions about the WrestleMania Card itself. However, WWE found a way to call an audible while things have been breaking down around them heading into the Royal Rumble.

In the midst of their drought of talent, WWE signed NJPW Stars such as former TNA franchise player AJ Styles, Nakamura, Doc Gallows and Carl Anderson. The group was famously known as the Bullet Club in NJPW.

Another major twist for this year's Royal Rumble was that the title was on the line in the Rumble Match itself. This was the second time in WWE History where the title was on the line in the Royal Rumble. As we know, Ric Flair won the Vacated Title as the Rumble Winner in 1992. However, the difference between then and now is that the WWE Champion was involved in this year's Rumble.

This PPV exceeded expectations in many ways. Here is the breakdown.

WWE Intercontinental Championship Match (Last Man Standing): Dean Ambrose (c) def. Kevin Owens

The opening match of the night was for the IC Title. This could very well have been the match of the night outside of the Rumble itself. It was very intense and told a great story between two brutal rivals. Just when it looked dark, Dean Ambrose came through in the clutch. Kevin Owens set up 5 or 6 chairs in the ring to deliver his backward Splash on Ambrose. Dean pushed Kevin off the top rope and onto the tables set up outside. Ambrose retained the title as Owens did not answer the 10 Count.

WWE Tag Team Championship Match: New Day (c) def. The USO's

The New Day and the USO's are the teams that have carried the Tag Team Division from 2014-2015. On their way to the ring, the New Day introduced Francesca II since Chris Jericho killed the first trombone. The Orlando crowd gave New Day a nice reaction. Even though they were chanting "New Day Sucks", it sounded like there were many that were chanting "New Day Rocks". This goes to show how entertaining they are even as goofy heels. The USO's got next to no reaction from the crowd whatsoever.

In the end, the New Day squeaked out the win to remain champions.

WWE United States Championship Match: Kalisto def. Alberto Del Rio (c)

This match was a do-over from two weeks ago, when Kalisto defeated ADR for the title before it was hot-shotted back to Alberto. It was a decent match, but I am not a big fan of how WWE creates comparisons between Kalisto and Rey Mysterio. Kalisto is the Dollar Store version of Mysterio.


WWE Divas Championship Match: Charlotte (c) def. Becky Lynch

In typical Flair fashion, Charlotte used heel tricks and tactics to defeat Becky Lynch. This was a rather underwhelming Divas Title match because of how Charlotte did whatever she could to carry this match.

The real highlight came after the match when Sasha Banks made her return. Sasha kicked Becky out of the ring to confront Charlotte face to face. As Charlotte would make her exit, Sasha hit her with the Bank Statement and rolled her into the Crossface Submission. Expect this to be Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte for the Divas Title. With the Road to WrestleMania, hopefully this is their way of cleaning up the dirt of the Divas Revolution.

The Royal Rumble for the WWE Championship: Triple H wins the Rumble to become WWE Champion

• From the start, this Royal Rumble was strategically planned for Triple H and Roman Reigns to be the Central Figures. The Authority made Roman the first entrant into the Rumble to stack the deck. Rusev would be the next entrant. Things started off between them before the biggest surprise made his debut. TNA Cornerstone AJ Styles made his long awaited debut in the match to an ecstatic crowd at the Amway Center in Orlando, FL. I guess it was also natural because they were in Florida, home of TNA. I respect the way that WWE recognized him as AJ Styles instead of giving him a corny, generic name. AJ was able to keep his character original and the fans loved it. Styles was very impressive in his first Rumble ever. He remained in the match for more than 27 minutes to showcase his talent before being eliminated by Kevin Owens. This could be a sign of big things to come for Styles.

• Chris Jericho entered the Royal Rumble at number 5. I must honestly say that physically he has been letting himself go as of late. It felt like Jericho was in there for at least a day because he lasted for a very long time. Kofi Kingston avoided elimination as long as he possibly could like he always does in the Rumble. This time, he sat on the shoulders of Big E while drinking a fan's soda and eating popcorn. When it was time to get back in, Jericho was the one to eliminate him. It looks like the Y2J vs. New Day feud continues.

• Brock Lesnar came and dominated in true Beast form. He eliminated the Wyatt Family before standing face to face with Bray Wyatt. The rest of the Wyatt Family returned to eliminate Lesnar. This continues to set the stage for Brock Lesnar vs. Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania. 

• Midway through the Rumble, Roman was attacked by the League of Foreign Losers (I mean League of Nations) outside of the ring. The assault was completed with Rusev running from two or three announcers tables to do a big splash on Roman through another announcers table. 

• The comedy spot was R-Truth pulling out a ladder and placing it inside of the ring as if it were a ladder match. Silly comedy to say the least. 

• Sami Zayn made his long awaited return as an entrant of the Rumble. Zayn immediately set his sights on long-time rival Kevin Owens. Sami would eventually eliminate Kevin from the Rumble match. Clearly, there is still unfinished business between them. 

• Kevin's opponent from the first match was Dean Ambrose. Dean was very impressive in the Rumble as he came within an inch of winning the title. This was similar to when Roddy Piper was in the '92 Rumble as IC Champion. Things looked bright until the number 30 entrant joined the match:

• In the ultimate swerve, Triple H entered the Royal Rumble as the final entrant as Reigns was number 1. This goes to show how WWE made this entire Rumble revolve around Reigns vs. The Authority. Reigns returned in strong fashion as he knocked out Sheamus before wiping out the League of Nations. Roman would meet his end with an elimination from Triple H. 
• When it was Ambrose vs. Triple H, it was only a matter of time before the Game would win. 

Overall, I was satisfied with the Royal Rumble. The biggest surprise was the debut of AJ Styles and how impressive he was. Like many fans, I did not agree with Triple H winning, but it was "Best For Business". Considering the circumstances with the injuries to the major stars on the roster, Triple H is the only one that is truly capable of being the heel that could carry Roman Reigns and get him over with the fans. This is used to ultimately set up Roman's WrestleMania moment. Heading into WrestleMania, The Game is the best dance partner for Reigns, and it is time to take the ride. Remember, in the words of Mike Knoxxx (@MIKEKNOXXX) #WrestlingIsStoryline. This is simply for the purpose of strengthening a Storyline.

I give the Royal Rumble 4 WWF Winged Eagle Titles out of 5.

Stone Cold Podcast w/Brock Lesnar Review

This week, Monday Night RAW took place at the American Airlines Arena in Dallas, Texas. For weeks, there were conflicting reports about the status of Stone Cold Steve Austin. He was promoted to be part of the show with Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair and Brock Lesnar in the lead up to the "Hell In A Cell" PPV. As great as RAW was, the highlight of the night was the Interview between Austin and Brock Lesnar.

This Interview was highly anticipated in every way, considering the fact that Brock normally is an introvert when it comes to doing media appearances. However, when Lesnar speaks, he has no problem sharing his thoughts no matter who he offends. Austin also jokes about not wanting to go to Suplex City.

Anytime Lesnar does an Interview without Paul Heyman as his mouthpiece, it is something to look forward to.

Now, time to get to the points:

• Working with Others: Brock thanks Steve for having him on the show. Austin and Lesnar joke by saying that if this episode isn't good, it might be the last one. Stone Cold talks about Brock's reputation as being hard to get along with and not liking people. Austin wants to know if Lesnar does it on purpose. Brock responds and says that he realizes that he may come off as arrogant, but it is not intentional. That is just how he was built. Brock opens up about how he always had a chip on his shoulder growing up. Lesnar said that he always had a chip on his shoulder and was the kid beating up other kids. Steve asked if he had ever been picked on. Brock said no because he was the one doing the picking. Brock said that he had to work hard to achieve what he has and that his passion is what made him who he is today. Lesnar applied his passion into weightlifting, and we clearly see the results. 
• Working on a Farm: One thing to know for sure about Brock Lesnar is that he is a true farm boy. When asked about growing up on a farm, Brock says that if he could cut it on a farm, he could cut it anywhere. Growing up in South Dakota, there was no extra money. All of your income was based on how well you produced, calling it a way of life. Austin said that it was a lot of work, and Lesnar agreed. Brock said that you had to be married to farming. No matter the weather, you had to wake up at the crack of dawn to milk the cows. Brock says that he applied that same work ethic to every stage of his life. Then they joked about never hunting together and discussed linking up to kill some animals.
• Country Life: Austin comes up with quick questions to give people an idea about the life of Brock Lesnar. Steve says that he knows that Lesnar is a truck man, so he asks if he prefers Ford, Chevy or Dodge. Brock prefers Dodge. He is currently driving a 2014 Dodge Ram, and Stone Cold shows a picture of Brock's million dollar project: a 1978 Dodge Power Wagon. Lesnar's favorite gun is a .300 Remington Ultra Magnum, and for scopes, he won't buy anything but a Leica. One of the other topics was food. No surprise that Brock's favorite food is Steak. He loves to grill steak (the kind he probably killed himself). He prefers medium well ribeye on the big green egg grill (he has four of them). Austin asks about music. Lesnar likes country and metal. From Willie Nelson to Johnny Cash to AC/DC to Motley Crue, as well as Metallica. Once again, no surprise.
• Pro Wrestler or Sports Entertainer: Everybody knows where Stone Cold stands on this topic, but he asks Brock what he identifies himself as. Brock responds by asking "Is there a difference?". Austin says he thinks there is. Lesnar replies by saying that he is in the entertainment industry because he sells tickets and puts butts in seats. He says that it is the American Dream, and he is doing something that he loves while getting paid for it. Brock says that he is fortunate to make a pretty good living from this business.
• Not Growing up a Wrestling Fan: Brock Lesnar says that growing up he never watched wrestling because growing up he was never exposed to it. They only had two television channels and they only worked part time. Instead, he watched Little House on a Prairie. Just imagine a genetic monster like Brock watching Little House on a Prairie. Austin chuckled himself. The conversation moves to Football. Brock says that he played virtually every position in high school. He says that he never received scholarships from wrestling. When Brock tried out for the NFL, he says that he knew that he was a fish out of the water but went through the process because he is not a quitter. 
• Breaking Into Wrestling: Brock says that after winning the NCAA Championship, he fell into a rut because he did not know what he would do with his life. He says that he fell into a depression and went into hibernation for two months. Lesnar started visiting wrestling coaches again to put a game plan together. Austin transitions into how Brock signed to Ohio Valley Wrestling and the rest is history. 
• Start in OVW/Learning from Veterans: Austin reveals the famous OVW class picture that features Brock Lesnar, John Cena, Randy Orton and Batista and asked what were his initial thoughts when he first reported there. Lesnar credits Shelton Benjamin (another member of that class) saying that they were College roommates and moved together in Louisville. He called the OVW weight room "barbaric" and compared it to the gyms and weight rooms that he was used to. Lesnar also gives credit to the veterans like Curt Hennig and The Big Bossman who took him under their wings. Lesnar says that they were very influential in his learning process. Lesnar also says that he offered to buy the gas for Undertaker and Kane whenever he would jump into the car with them. Brock says having veterans like that in his ear smartened him up for what the business had to offer. 
• Working With The Rock: Stone Cold comments about how impressed he was when Brock went from being an OVW Rookie to wrestling The Rock in a Main Event within less than a year. Lesnar tells the story about how he was in a Triple Threat Match with The Rock & Triple H in Australia. Brock jokes about how they hung him out to dry and out of the loop for a teaching tool. Brock says that The Rock did a lot for him. People could say what they want to about the Hollywood Megastar, but Lesnar says that The Rock taught him to watch his back and to be selfish. He says that in this business, you have to have a certain element of selfishness. The Rock ultimately gave back to Lesnar by dropping the WWE Title at Summerslam. 
• Not Liking People: Here is another part of the Interview that is not a surprise. Brock Lesnar does not like people! He says that he feels more comfortable in a ring surrounded by 20,000 people compared to being in the middle of a crowd in public. Lesnar says that when he is inside of the ring, he feels like he has a dome protecting him. Austin asks if it is a phobia, but Lesnar just says that he gets uncomfortable. 
• The Shooting Star Press at WrestleMania XIX: Long before breaking the Streak, Brock Lesnar's WrestleMania Moment involved him doing the Shooting Star Press at WM XIX. However, he botched the move and almost injured himself. Stone Cold shows the video and says how painful it was to watch it. Brock says that he was talked into doing the move by a wrestler who will remain nameless. 
• WrestleMania XX: The Conversation transitions into Brock's last match with Goldberg at WrestleMania XX. Austin talks about how he was the Special Referee for that match and how they were just booed heavily by the fans. He then asks why Brock decided to leave after only two years into the WWE and at the top of his game. Lesnar said that he did not care anymore. Stone Cold wanted to know if it was the life on the road, the pace of the business, etc. Brock said that it was all of those things that factored into his decision to leave. 
• Getting Along with the Boys: Stone Cold asks Brock if there was any dissension or resentment from the locker room when he returned because of his part-time schedule. Brock says that he doesn't pay attention to that. Instead, he looks at it like a job where he clocks in and clocks out. He says that working for WWE is no different than putting on his singlet to wrestle for the University of Minnesota. The only difference is that Minnesota was not putting money into his bank account. Of course, that made Austin and some people off camera start to laugh. 
• Joining UFC: This is where things start to heat up. Steve asks Brock how he got his start in mixed martial arts. Lesnar says that after trying out for the NFL he went to New Japan Pro Wrestling to perform. NJPW tried to get him to try some MMA. Brock used his connections to sign a one fight deal with K1 where he beat Min Soo Kim. After unsuccessfully hooking up with Dana White, Brock told his manager that he wanted to attend the UFC event that featured Randy Couture vs. Gabriel Gonzaga. Lesnar bought his own tickets and sat in the crowd. After the fight, Lesnar jumps the rail to grab Dana so that he could introduce himself. They went backstage to discuss everything but money because that was not his goal. Brock said that he just wanted to prove himself to Dana and that if he could not draw money, then he would not return for a second fight. 
• Losing to Frank Mir/Winning UFC Title/Diverticulitis: When talking about UFC, Austin and Lesnar start off by talking about the fight with Frank Mir. Stone Cold said that it was a really good fight before talking about Brock tapping out to the kneebar. Steve wanted to know if it was unlike any other hold that he had been put in before. Brock says that he was disgusted with himself because he trained to get out of that exact hold. Yet, he did not have an answer for it. Meanwhile, Dana White was excited and impressed with Lesnar's performance. They signed a contract extension as Brock would later win the UFC Heavyweight Title. The discussion later moves into Brock's diverticulitis. Lesnar says that it was unfair and that if he had not had to fight that illness, he could still be in UFC smashing heads. I am sure Vince loved to hear that. Brock says that he felt he was at his best against Randy Couture, but he knew there was something physically wrong. Brock says that he was too stubborn at first to get a CT Scan until he fell out of his deer stand in Canada. The Dr. focused more on saving Brock's life than his career. 
• Returning to WWE/Comparing Vince McMahon & Dana White: Steve asks Brock what it was like to mend the fence with Vince McMahon, admitting that he burned some bridges himself in the past. This leads into something I had been waiting for. Austin talks about his decision to walk out of having a match with Lesnar. Brock said that he understood where Austin was coming from, because it is still a business. Austin wants to compare and contrast Vince and Dana. Brock says that he thanks them both for giving him opportunities. 
• Place in the Locker Room: Austin asks if Brock feels like there is any competition among his peers. Lesnar says that he doesn't deal with colleagues that much, but instead is hands-on with Vince. 
• Breaking the Streak: Steve talks about the surprising and career-defining moment at WrestleMania XXX when Brock Lesnar snapped The Undertaker's streak and asks what that honor meant to him. Brock says that as a businessman, it was huge for him because of how special the streak is. Lesnar says it was his biggest honor next to winning the WWE Title. He also gets criticized for ending the streak before asking who within the current industry has the credentials and credibility of ending the streak (honestly, nobody else does). When asked about the misconception from fans, Brock simply says, "I really don't care, Steve". 
• Hell In A Cell vs. Undertaker: The Interview concludes with Stone Cold bringing up Sunday's match with The Undertaker inside of Hell In A Cell. Brock says that he is going to end Undertaker inside of the Cell. 

Overall, this was simply a look into the Journey of Brock Lesnar. Brock has never been a man of many words, so it was good to get his insight without Paul Heyman involved. When Heyman was the guest, he provoked Austin by bringing up Brock Lesnar's name up. Stone Cold went into full form saying that he would welcome a match with Brock Lesnar. Unfortunately, they never had a face to face stare down. Stone Cold was not talking trash like he did with Heyman. Looks like that "match" for WrestleMania XXXII was just smoke and mirrors. 

This Interview was not as highlight-filled as Austin's episodes with Vince, Triple H and Heyman, but it was much better than the Paige Interview. 

In Conclusion, I give it 3 out of 5 Brock Lesnar WWE Titles. 

Legends with JBL (Eric Bischoff Interview) Review

Last week, WWE introduced a new Interview show with John Bradshaw Layfield called "Legends with JBL". The first guest that JBL had been none other than Vince McMahon's former archrival Eric Bischoff. When Eric was announced as the guest, I figured that he signed a deal with WWE to have a working relationship that includes a DVD (Maybe even an HOF Induction).

I was looking forward to seeing what Bischoff would talk about, and I was not disappointed. JBL gives Eric a great introduction as he gives him credit in a roundabout way for the creation of Stone Cold Steve Austin, DX, etc because of the opposition that he gave to Vince McMahon. 

Origins:

In part 1, JBL goes into the idea that the Attitude Era and the Monday Night War might have never taken place had Eric Bischoff gotten hired by the WWE. In the Interview, WWE reveals Eric Bischoff's past when he tried out as an announcer/interviewer for the WWF at that time in 1990. They showed clips of Bischoff being instructed by Vince to sell the viewers a broom. 

I remember finding this still image of Bischoff trying out as an announcer on Facebook and led me to think that this moment might have planted the seeds for his competitive nature in the Monday Night Wars. Not to make a big deal about it, but just a coincidence. Eric says that he 'desperately needed the job, but wasn't ready'. Of course, he never got the job and the rest was history. 

Next, they discuss Eric's beginnings. Bischoff talks about how he was a fan of wrestling as a child growing up in Minnesota. He was even on the High School Wrestling Team. I had no idea Eric's history of wrestling went that far. 

He talked about growing up watching the likes of Bruno Sammartino. Eric talks about how he first met Verne Gagne when he was on the amateur wrestling team in high school. Eric's amateur career would come to an end with a knee injury during his Senior year in 1973. Verne would resurface in Eric's life and played an important part of his career when he gave him his start in the AWA. 

Bischoff's amateur days were over, but he still had kickboxing to fall back on. This opened the door for a friendship with Sonny Onoo, the man that Eric hired to be a manager in WCW. 

Like everybody else, Eric mentions how Verne Gagne was behind the times and could not see the future of the business like Vince McMahon. This out of touch mindset is what ruined the AWA. The twilight years of the AWA drew strong similarities to WCW in their dying years. 

Vince McMahon in the 80's "Killing the Business":

Eric Bischoff said that he had no desire of being an Announcer for the AWA. He said that Verne pretty much threw him in that role against his will. Eric said that he had no real desire to do it, but he was a guy that they needed at the time. 

By his own admission, Bischoff says that he was not very good. He says that it was only supposed to be a short-time gig, but he stuck around longer because the guys that they hired were worse than him. Basically, he was the lead voice by default. 

JBL transitions into the perception of Vince in the 80's. Layfield shares his own personal experience about working in Texas and in Europe, and the perception at the time was that Vince was "killing the business". He wonders if Verne felt the same way. Bischoff says that Verne did and so did he, because Eric was so close to Gagne that his opinion meant a lot to him. 

Eric said that he took Verne's word as 'gospel' and he heard many negative things about Vince. However, Eric doesn't feel that way himself after getting to know Vince and working with him. JBL says that Vince wasn't killing THE Business, but he was killing THEIR Business. 

Ted Turner:

JBL goes into the detailed and complex history of Vince buying Crockett promotions, selling it back to him, the failed SuperClash PPV, AWA going out of business and Bischoff going broke to the point where his car was towed from his garage. Given that history, JBL asks Bischoff if he and Ted Turner had the common goal of taking down the "bad guy from New York" and driving him out of business.

Eric says "No, not at all". He claims to not know much about the wheelings and dealings between promotions and Vince's dealings with TBS until the last few years. He said that it never came up except for when Ted asked him how they could compete with Vince McMahon's Monday Night RAW.

Jim Herd:

JBL and Eric briefly go into the subject of Jim Herd. Bischoff briefly talks about Herd's terrible business ideas and lack of creativity, because he lacked experience in the wrestling industry. Jim is a very despised figure in wrestling history. Jim was a regional manager at Pizza Hut that had no clue what he was doing as a booker for WCW. Others including Ric Flair have shared their displeasure of Jim Herd.

Bill Watts:

The Interview transitions from Jim Herd to Bill Watts. After things did not work out with Jim Herd, WCW hired Bill Watts. Things went from one level of awful to a whole new level of terrible. Both Herd and Watts are controversial figures. JBL asked Eric if he liked Bill Watts. Bischoff instantly said, "No, I didn't like him on a personal level".

Eric called Bill Watts a "bully" and did not like the way that he treated people. Both men would mention the fact that Watts was fired after making racist remarks in an interview.

Becoming the Boss:

After Bill Watts was fired, Ted Turner made the decision to promote Eric Bischoff from third string announcer behind Jim Ross and Tony Schiavone to becoming their Boss. Ted said that he wanted to move away from the Southern stigma that WCW carried for years.

Eric said that it was the right place at the right time.

Jim Ross:

JBL mentioned how Jim Ross has told others that Eric fired him, but Bischoff denies the claim. Eric says that he didn't fire JR, because JR wanted to go.

Expanding WCW (Signing Hogan, Savage, etc):

Eric Bischoff discussed his expansion of WCW to compete with WWE. When Eric took over, he cut costs at every corner. WCW was losing money from the time that Turner purchased the company, and Eric's cost cutting helped WCW make a profit. People always like to make the claim that all Eric did was "Use Ted's money". Part of that may be true, but Eric did his part by eliminating things that were costing the company financially.

When it comes to using Ted's money, Eric freely used Turner's checkbook to pull Vince's stars away from him. Bischoff poached names like Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage. During the Interview, JBL said Hulk Hogan's name like it was no big deal. I guess there is a time and there is a place to say it, especially when you are not on live WWE Television. JBL also brings up the Lex Luger signing. Eric was not in favor of bringing Lex back, because of his previous experience with Luger was unpleasant. However, Sting pitched over and over for Eric to sign Luger, and he finally did.

Eric talked about how he brought in those names to change the landscape of the company. JBL brings up how Arn Anderson has said that Eric did not make stars but stole stars. Perfect examples were the aforementioned Hogan and Savage. Eric admits that other than Goldberg and a small number of others, he did not organically create stars. (Yet people seem to only give Vince a hard time about that) Hall and Nash were originally in WCW but returned after becoming stars in the WWF.

The Debut of Nitro:
Eric says the reason why the first episode of Nitro was at the Mall of America was because

Firing Steve Austin:
Bischoff opens up about the firing of Steve Austin. JBL brings up how Austin said on his Podcast that if he were Eric, he would have fired himself as well. Eric said that Steve needed a change, because of his attitude, injuries and the signing of Hogan. I think that we all know the rest of the story.


Other missed talent:
Besides Steve Austin, Triple H and Mick Foley spent time in WCW. Eric says that he felt that Foley was a liability to the company.

Glass Ceiling/Cruiserweights:
The Interview transitions into the topic of the Cruiserweight Division. JBL asks Eric if that was a catch 22 for a guy to be labeled a Cruiserweight then he gets stuck in that spot. Eric said that he implemented the Cruiserweight Division because he wanted to create an alternative from the heavyweights in the Main Event. JBL mentions how the WWF tried with the Light heavyweight Division and admits that they failed miserably. Eric blows his own horn about how he "made" Chris Jericho, Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio and others before they joined WWE.

JBL mentions the "glass ceiling" that everyone knows about with the Cruiserweights. Eric says that he assumes that Jericho, Eddie, and Rey would have made the main event, but he doesn't know when that time would have come. To give my personal take, I think they would have been stuck in the Mid-Card level for the rest of their careers if they stayed in WCW. The writing was on the wall because Eric was too busy catering to the Veterans (Hogan & Friends). Jericho would say the same thing in various interviews as well as in his books.

Monday Night Wars:

JBL brings up the NWO and the War with Vince McMahon & WWF. He says that the NWO and the Austin vs McMahon storylines were the greatest angles ever. Eric mentions that he got the idea from Japan and how he knew that WWF would not get pulled off the air because of the crazy things they were doing at the time. He talks about how that is the way that society was, and the WWF programming was widely accepted.

They talk about bringing in Bret Hart after the Montreal Screwjob. Eric says that he did not need Bret to bring the WWF Title, because he was not permitted to do that (Especially after what happened with Madusa). JBL also asks why Eric decided to wait to bring Bret on Television. Bischoff says that he wanted to have Bret Hart as a centerpiece for WCW Thunder (The B Show). As we all know, things did not end well for Bret in WCW. He was a shell of who he was in WWF.

Rise of Attitude:
On a brighter note, JBL talks about how Vince brought in Mike Tyson for WrestleMania XIV and the rise of the Attitude Era. Eric says that he was not worried, because WCW was still winning the war. Bischoff says that one day he was taking flying lessons. When he got the call that was bringing in Mike Tyson, he knew it would be big.

WrestleMania 13 did the lowest buy rate in Wrestlemania history, and the next year it tripled the amount with over 700,000. That was a sign of things to come as an Austin vs McMahon match headlined RAW to knock Nitro off of the throne for the first time in 2 years. 2 weeks later, DX invades Nitro. JBL asks why there was no response. Bischoff says nobody knew that it was going to happen. Eric did not have a response and admits that WWF was coming after them with everything. Even after the first loss, WCW was still competitive.


WCW Downfall:

Eric says that he knew that WCW was in trouble, because of the merger with AOL/Time Warner. They also go into the idea of Eric challenging Vince McMahon to a fight at WCW Slamboree. McMahon never responded. Other topics include the debacle of Halloween Havoc, as well as the decision to make Kevin Nash the booker. As we know, it would pour the gasoline on the flames of the company. Eric would also admit that he regrets not leaving the company in 1998, at the time when WCW's red flags were starting to rise. JBL mentions how the company went from making $300 million a few years prior to Vince buying it for only a little over $4 million including the video library. That company bled money even before Vince Russo arrived.

In the end, JBL compares Eric Bischoff to Tesla because of how both men were geniuses. Tesla was an innovator, but Thomas Edison took a lot of his ideas and put them on a larger platform. The same could be said for Bischoff. Vince took many of Eric's ideas and put them on a larger stage. JBL brings up the Power Plant, and how WWE now has the Performance Center. WCW put guys in motion pictures and now WWE has a division for films. WCW started the idea of reality angles and WWE has used them since. Eric admits that Vince did things on a greater platform, but he still knows where he stands in history.

The Attitude Era was done in a response to what Bischoff was doing in WCW.

In the end, it was fascinating to see WWE give Eric Bischoff the stage for his own Shoot Interview. It was not that much different from the other Interviews that Eric has done, but JBL came across very knowledgeable. I can tell he did his research going into this. I can tell that WWE is paying attention to the trend of reality based Shoot Interviews that have surfaced on YouTube and other places. This will be a nice, new vehicle for them to use in order to drive content for the Network.



I would give this Interview 3 JBL WWE Titles out of 5. 

Beast In The East Review

Over the 4th of July Weekend, WWE took an International Trip to the Far East in Tokyo, Japan for their "Beast In The East" Live Event. The Show took place Exclusively on the WWE Network at 5:00 in the Morning. I was one of those who refused to wake up that early, but I did watch it later in the morning. For me, this show did not disappoint. In the opening match, Chris Jericho defeated Neville by Submission with the Walls of Jericho. Y2J is a legend in Japan from his years wrestling in the Super J-Cup Tournament in WAR (Wrestling Association R), and he always receives a great reception. Jericho and Neville told a terrific story during this match. When Neville landed for the Red Arrow, Jericho blocked it and locked him in the Walls of Jericho (Liontamer version) to secure the win. This became one of the standout matches of the night. The loss does not hurt Neville because he was in the ring with one of the greatest warriors in the history of the sport. As I have said, Jericho is beloved in the Far East so it does nothing to bury Neville. This match gets a B+

The next match was a Triple Threat Match for the Divas Championship between Nikki Bella, Paige, and Tamina. In predictable fashion, Nikki won to retain her title on the "Race to 300" as she climbs the mountain to break AJ Lee's record of 295 days. I was not very impressed because I knew that it was part of the plans for Nikki which is why I cannot respect this reign (another story). Nikki has made improvements in the ring, but I just did not like the finish of the match. C-

The next match featured the Beast In The Far East himself, Brock Lesnar! Lesnar was the marquee attraction in the Land of the Rising Sun, and I was impressed with the marketing. Brock was booked to wrestle Kofi Kingston. The Internet immediately exploded at the announcement of Brock wrestling Kofi. The Memes about Kofi were hilarious. I don't know who booked this match, but it was hilarious. Lesnar murdered Kingston as he threw him around the ring from pillar to post like a ragdoll. Brock finished his massacre with an F5. The Beast continued to lay waste when he gave Big E and Xavier Woods the F5. Since this was in Japan, Brock Lesnar is the Broly of the WWE. He made Kingston, Woods and Big E look like Yamcha, Krillin and Tien for my Dragon Ball Z fans out there. I guess WWE needed a black guy to take the fall against Brock. Kofi and The New Day were just punching bags as Brock prepares for his WWE World Heavyweight Title Match with Seth Rollins. Lesnar looks at the camera and says "Seth, I am coming for you". B+

The Biggest and Best Match of the Night featured NXT Champion Kevin Owens defending the title against Finn Balor. Kevin started the match in tradition heel fashion by throwing the bouquet of flowers out of the ring before the match starts. This match was spectacular, especially since it took place in Japan. This was a homecoming for Balor, as he made a huge name for himself in NJPW. Michael Cole even acknowledged their past when he made references to their names away from WWE. He mentioned that Kevin Owens was Kevin Steen and Finn Balor was Prince Devitt. Owens mocked John Cena during the match with the Attitude Adjustment and Five Knuckle Shuffle. Kevin mocked Finn throughout the match saying "You can't beat me", but Balor would not back down. Balor countered Kevin's Pop-Up Powerbomb and sent the champ to the ground with a lariat. Finn nailed Kevin with two straight drop kicks before finishing with the Coup De Grace to win the NXT Championship. The Celebration was incredible as recent WWE Hall of Famer Tatsumi Fujinami came to the ring to congratulate him. Backstage, John Cena approached Balor to shake his hand and congratulate him as well. In typical heel fashion, Owens refused to shake Balor's hand. This match was A.

The last match of the show was Tag Team match featuring John Cena & Dolph Ziggler versus Kane & King of the Ring Wade Barrett. Cena and Ziggler received a huge reaction from the crowd during their entrance. The match was a fairly decent quality, but it could not follow up the excitement of the incredible match right before it (Balor vs Owens). Dolph gives Kane the Superkick, as the 7-foot stooge gets set up for the Attitude Adjustment from John Cena. The match ends with Cena giving Barrett the AA for the win. After watching Balor vs Owens, it was hard for me to be invested in this match. Cena is the franchise of WWE, but the night ultimately belonged to Finn Balor. C

This was a very impressive show as it is the first International WWE Show streamed on the Network. The work rate of Japan is superior to that of the United States because they pride themselves on the technique in the ring. I look forward to more WWE Events in Japan in the future. Overall, the show gets a B.

As far as Titles, this Event gets 3 IWGP Championship Belts out of 5.

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.

Undertaker: Phenomenal 50



Today, we will celebrate one of the wrestling's true icons reaching a tremendous milestone. Mark Calaway (aka The Undertaker) will become the big 5-0. 50! As the sun sets on the Undertaker's career, I would like to take the time to speak of how phenomenal (pun intended) and remarkable his legacy is to the world of wrestling. For the past 25 years, Undertaker has been a pillar for WWE, and the world of wrestling overall. After paying his dues in territories such as World Class along with a brief stint as Mean Mark in WCW, Taker joined WWF in November of 1990. From that point on, his career would never be the same. Undertaker made his monumental debut at Survivor Series joining the Million Dollar Man's Team with Brother Love as his manager. Taker and Brother Love were a very strong contrast, considering Bruce Pritchard's character was a parody of Televangelists in the South. Meanwhile, Undertaker was a mortician. However, the partnership would soon end as Brother Love introduced the man that would shape The Deadman's career into something even greater: Paul Bearer. In reality, Bearer actually was a mortician, so it was the perfect combination. What is really interesting is that when Taker was in World Class as Eric the Red, his first manager was Percy Pringle. Funny how things come full circle. Undertaker made waves from the moment that he made his debut, as he has been constantly in the top spot for the course of his whole career. His Survivor Series legacy started that night, and his WrestleMania legacy would start at WrestleMania VII. That night, he conquered Superfly Jimmy Snuka in convincing fashion. As history shows, Undertaker's debut was one of the highlights of WrestleMania VII. Taker would continue his impressive run throughout the year, including a feud with Ultimate Warrior that became the top feud of the year for PWI. During that summer, Taker was aligned with Jake The Snake Roberts. Undertaker continued to make a name for himself when he attacked Hulk Hogan in the legendary funeral parlor segment where he came out of the casket to nail Hogan in the back of the head with the urn, as both he and Flair attacked the Hulkster. Savage and Piper would run to the stage with chairs to fight off the Deadman, as this is one of the most memorable segments of history. Five legends in one segment. Undertaker's feud with Hogan would earn him a shot at the WWF Title at Survivor Series. A year after he made his debut as a member of DiBiase's team, Undertaker continues his Survivor Series legacy by defeating Hogan to become the new Champion. Fans even cheered for him, despite the fact that he was a heel. This was a sign that Taker was one of the leaders of the future. However, Taker would lose the title at Tuesday in Texas to Hogan resulting in a Royal Rumble to crown the champion. Taker would settle his feud with Jake The Snake at WrestleMania VIII, before feuding with Kamala. Taker would defeat Kamala at Survivor Series '92. Long before becoming a WrestleMania legend, Undertaker was a Survivor Series legend. After legends like Hogan and Andre faded off of the scene, Stars like Undertaker, Bret Hart, and Shawn Michaels would take the mantle of the company and they did not disappoint. Undertaker was able to make the best out what was given to him during those lean years where he did not have his best dance partners. It wasn't until 1996 that Undertaker's rivals started to improve, with the exception of Yokozuna. Undertaker's WrestleMania legacy started to improve with his match against Diesel at WrestleMania XII after Diesel cost him the WWF Title match with Bret at Royal Rumble '96. From that point moving forward, The Deadman would battle the likes of Mankind, Bret, HBK and later Austin. Undertaker's biggest WrestleMania moment to date at the time was winning the title from Sid at WM 13. He would carry the belt into Summerslam as he would lose to Bret Hart with a chair shot from Shawn Michaels. This match would create a number of effects, as Taker would feud with HBK while the feud with Shawn and Bret would culminate in Survivor Series. Meanwhile, the Deadman and HBK would create something fantastic at Badd Blood '97 with HIAC. This would transition into the storied feud with Kane. After Kane cost him another match with Shawn Michaels at Royal Rumble '98 (Casket Match), The Undertaker and Kane story would reach the pinnacle at WrestleMania XIV. If there was any point where Kane could have ended the Streak, it was at this time where Taker was in his prime. Undertaker would continue to be one of the key players on Team WWF during the Monday Night Wars. Ironically, Undertaker was one of the rejects of WCW and was made into a Megastar. In 2000, Undertaker made his return as he reinvented himself as a Biker. He would come to the ring on a motorcycle and jeans. Undertaker would continue competing at a high level, as he would compete in a 6-man HIAC match at Armageddon. He would also team with Kane as The Brothers of Destruction. Together, they would win the tag titles and play a major role in the Invasion storyline by wiping out teams like DDP and Kanyon. Undertaker's biker gimmick would develop even more of an edge in 2002 as he became a heel. He would defeat a legend like Ric Flair at WM X8, and an Icon like Hogan to win the WWE Championship on Judgment Day just as he did 11 years earlier at Survivor Series. Taker would drop the title to The Rock in a very entertaining Triple Threat Match that featured Kurt Angle. Undertaker would continue the Biker run until Survivor Series 2003 when he was Buried Alive by Kane. The Deadman would return at WM XX to defeat The Big Red Monster before becoming finding new life in the Ruthless Aggression Era as a cornerstone of the Smackdown Brand. Like Shawn Michaels, Undertaker would engage in the finest matches and feuds of his career from new faces like Randy Orton and Batista to freshly established main event stars such as Edge. Even though Taker would find himself in a few forgettable feuds here and there (Great Khali, Boogeyman) for the most part, his work overall was special. Lately, Taker would also clash with familiar faces such as Shawn Michaels and Triple H. Even though he has not been known to put over people the way that Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho have by losing, he has found ways to bring the best out of his dance partner. Kane greatly benefits from working with Taker. I would even say that Kane needs Undertaker more than Taker needs Kane. The Deadman can adapt from working with opponents of Batista to Shawn Michaels. It doesn't matter because he can tell a special story as a Big Man. Undertaker's WrestleMania dominance would come to an end at WrestleMania XXX at the hands of Brock Lesnar. Even though there were mixed reviews about it, the bottom line is that it created a whirlwind of attention. Now, Taker sets his sights on Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania 31. Taker's final resting place could be in Dallas at WrestleMania 32, which is the attraction that fans are waiting with great anticipation. We could potentially see his long awaited match with Sting to end a remarkable career. I would not be surprised to see Undertaker go into the Hall of Fame as the Headliner in Dallas before his last match, just like Ric Flair did the night before his last match with Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XXIV. The Undertaker is a brand, and a marketing machine as his Streak was even more of a draw than the WWE Title or World Heavyweight Title. As we move closer into the future, it is time to think about the life of WWE without Undertaker. It may be hard to imagine, but Taker has left footprints that are too large to fill. In the process, Undertaker has become a 7-time World Champion, multi-time Tag Champion, 2007 Royal Rumble Winner, Match of the Year Award Winner, 5-Star Match Award Winner, and ushered in Casket Matches, HIAC Matches, along with Inferno and Boiler Room Matches. His consistency over a long period of time is remarkable, from a physical standpoint and a character standpoint. Vince McMahon has done very well in protecting The Undertaker's character by not making him too shallow, but at the same time not making him too much of a comedy character. Even though his debut may look cartoonish today, he brought a side that no one had ever seen before. Lately, Undertaker has become humanized as we have seen more pictures of him out of character with his wife Michelle McCool. This means that when it is time to say hello, it is time to say goodbye. The more access The Undertaker gives to his persona away from WWE, that is a sign that he is on his way out of the door. When The Undertaker calls it quits, his DVD Documentary and potential Autobiography would break records. I firmly believe that. Thank you, Undertaker, for all that you have given to the company and to the fans.

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.