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SEScoops Mailbag for December 2nd
(submit YOUR questions to [email protected])
Q: I have a question about the Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak. Was he always scheduled to be undefeated at WM or did he get a string of victories and they just figured they’d keep him undefeated? – Mccall102
A: It was not something they planned from the beginning. As a matter of fact, I don’t recall them even acknowledging the fact he was undefeated until he beat Triple H to go 9-0 at WrestleMania X7. They just sort of lucked into a great marketing gimmick.
Q: When is HBK going to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame? – Anonymous
A: 2012 at the earliest. You know WWE is going to make a play for Shawn to wrestle again, but the likelihood of him doing that so soon after retiring is slim. Their best bet would be to wait 2-3 years and then pitch him a storyline idea that would have him wrestle a match at Mania and be inducted into the HOF that same year. WM30 at Madison Square Garden, anyone?
Q: Why is Kurt Angle considered to be so great in TNA? Also, wouldn’t it be just AWESOME to see Triple H jump ship over to TNA!!?? – William Bell
A: You are mistaken. Kurt Angle has always been considered great, be it in TNA or WWE. Injured or not, the man always goes out there and has excellent matches. He’s just that good. What makes him such an asset to TNA is his ability to work with their younger talent and make them better. As for Triple H, I don’t know that it would be quite as “awesome” for TNA as you may think. Besides, Dixie doesn’t have any daughters old enough for him.
Q: Why does WWE always downgrade movesets? Like John Cena, CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Kaval, RVD, etc. Don’t get me wrong, they’re still good, but when they were in other companies, they were better. – Brian Collins
A: Do explain what other companies John Cena worked for, and with an expanded moveset to boot! As far as guys like Punk, Danielson and Kaval are concerned, they were all Ring of Honor guys who worked a very different style than is allowed in WWE. They worked a stiffer, more realistic style of wrestling that does not fit with WWE’s “safe style” of performing. Also, stars are sometimes unable to utilize certain moves if they are already being used by another person on the roster. If anything, someone like Daniel Bryan not being able to wrestle his usual style and STILL getting over big is a testament to how great he really is. The cream always rises to the top.
Q: How long have referees been wearing those ear pieces and what exactly is fed to them? – Dennis
A: The WWE referees have been wearing ear pieces for well over a decade now. They are fed important information about time cues, such as how much time is left in the match or how much time is left until the TV show fades to black. They will often let the wrestlers know when it’s time to “go home” or if a finish has changed on the fly, which doesn’t happen often, but has been known to happen from time to time. Also, pay close attention and you will sometimes notice, on Raw for example, after a wrestler wins a match and is posing, if they are not standing in just the right spot, the referee will whisper something in their ear and they will suddenly shift over to a different spot. These instructions are often coming directly from Vince McMahon or Kevin Dunn in the production truck.
Q: How long does Vince McMahon plan to keep WWE on the air in the future? – Alanna Rall
A: Sorry, Dixie. Vince isn’t going away anytime soon. Nice try.
Q: Do you remember a guy named Moliki (probably spelled it wrong)? WWE built him up for his debut and he was awful, called him “The Albino Undertaker”. He was dressed in white did something stupid with a sword on his way to the ring. Who was he? Where is he now and did he ever get a tan? – Scott Adcock
A: I believe you are referring to Mordecai, who deemed himself on a crusade to rid WWE of all sin. He was, indeed, very pale and would come to the ring with some sort of staff. He made his debut as the 2004 Judgment Day PPV, beating Scotty 2 Hotty. He was being groomed to feud with Undertaker from the outset, but after a match with Hardcore Holly where Holly did nothing to make him look strong at all, WWE soured on those plans and sent him back down to OVW where he was later released. He would return to the company in 2006 as part of the ECW band with a vampire gimmick under the name Kevin Thorn, managed by Shelly Martinez (Ariel). He currently wrestles independently for Frontier Elite Wrestling.
Q: Hypothetically, if Undertaker and Rey Mysterio had a Mask vs. Streak match, who do you think would win? – Eric Overfield
A: They would never book such a match because they don’t want the streak to end, nor is Rey nearly as marketable without the mask. With that out of the way, if I was guest booker for a WrestleMania and this match was made, then Rey goes maskless for the first time since his WCW days because there’s absolutely no chance Taker’s streak comes to an end.
Q: I understand why they have Michael Cole a heel and everything, but why does he pop such a boner for The Miz? – Nate OB
A: I prefer not to answer questions that involve the words Michael Cole and boner in the same sentence, but something you said struck me. You say you understand why WWE has Michael Cole acting like a heel. If that’s the case, I would love for you to share that with me because they have done NOTHING to follow-up on his heelish tendencies of the last several months. On NXT, he simply began ragging on Daniel Bryan for being a nerd and since that time, he’s slowly become more of a full-fledged heel character without any explanation at all. I’ve been waiting for a payoff to this angle and have gotten no such thing. At this point, I’m not convinced they even know where they’re going with this and it’s incredibly frustrating. It would make little sense for Cole to reveal himself as the Raw GM at this point, so if that’s not the end game here, then I don’t understand why they’ve converted their top play-by-play announcer into someone who can’t be taken seriously, especially when it comes to selling PPV shows to the audience. Message to WWE: go somewhere with this angle or STOP ALREADY.
Keep those questions coming to [email protected] and remember to include your name!
