If you have a wrestling or site related question you would like answered, you can send it in to the Mailbag by clicking HERE (please select the "Mailbag" drop-down).
From: Wayne
First off glad to see the mailbag back - Rajah has been a part of my
enjoyment of rasslin since I started watching in '98. Two questions:
1) Is the Rock scratched from the next PPV due to his injuries?
and
2) Do you know the backstage word on why Zack Ryder never got a big sustained
push, despite a long period where he was clearly very over with live TV
crowds??
Cewsh:
1) The Rock is definitely scratched from the next PPV, yes.
2) There’s no real reputable word on why, but it seems as though the belief with Ryder is that he was sustainable as a top star. He just didn’t have the talent to make it on that level, and his reactions did cool off significantly after his US title win.
From: D-Bomb
Quick question... What exactly was GTV hidden camera act the WWE did during
the attitude era? It never fully developed and I was always left wondering
what it was leading up to. Thanks!
Cewsh: The original plan was for Goldust to have been behind it all, using it as a way to throw people off and create chaos in the locker room. But before the reveal could take place, Goldust asked for his release from WWE and headed off to WCW. So they just never bothered to reveal the culprit behind it all.
From: turdpower
Hello, how did you see HHH being involved during the 2001 invasion angle had
he not been injured?
Cewsh: Always good to see a fellow member of the forums pop up.
I think that had Triple H not gotten injured when he did, the Invasion Angle as a whole would have looked very different. The consensus opinion is that they rushed the Invasion due to Triple H’s injury ruining months and months of booking that they had set up. Had none of that gone away, Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit would have been pushed to the moon, and the Invasion would have been pushed back. If they had waited, as they always intended too, we likely would have had Ric Flair as part of the Invasion at the very least. Which would have changed everything.
As for Triple H’s role, I suspect he would have taken the role that Kurt Angle wound up adopting, as the trueborn WWE savior fighting Steve Austin. The fans were already ready for a face turn, and the reversed marquee matchup seems like a can’t miss idea.
Sadly, we’ll never know for sure.
From: Matthew Matteny
Is is just me or did wwe just rip off the bully ray recap segment from a few
weeks back on impact. I was just curious about your thoughts on weather or
not this was actually the long term plan or was the wwe just trying to play
catch up after bischoff claiming that tna has more of a long term booking
approach than wwe.
Cewsh: For those unaware, after turning heel recently and revealing himself as the leader of the Aces and Eights since their debut last year, Bully Ray did a backstage video where he explained how everything came together and how it had been his plan all along.
The videos are similar, certainly. I think it’s very possible that WWE producers were influenced by TNA in this case, though this storyline is rumored to have been planned since before the Royal Rumble. So while the video may have been influenced by TNA, that “long term booking” comment from Bischoff still remains dubious.
From: Cameron
Good to see the mailbag again. Alright news is circling that the next in line
to be called up to the main roster from NXT are Ohno, Wyatt, Neville, and
Paige. Now don't get me wrong all of those are awesome talents but my
question is why do you think they haven't pulled the trigger on Steamboat Jr.
yet? You'd think he would automatically be over with the fans just with the
name he carries and from what I've read and seen he seems more than main
roster ready. Do you think he's just stuck in the WWE's long long line of
young and midcard talent or is there a part of his game he doesn't have ready
yet?
Cewsh: Well the word out of Orlando is that Steamboat is hurt right now, which explains his absence from NXT, as well as his not being called up. I think most people believe that he’s ready when he returns from injury, but WWE has to wait until they find the right fit for him on the main roster. You don’t want a talent like that called up when there’s nothing for him to do, or he’ll never get the chance to make it. I still believe that this is Steamboat’s year, so we’ll see.
From: Jenn
What's going with Maria Kanellis lately? Seems like she all of a sudden on
this huge crusade to get her job back in the wwe, the company at one point
seemed too good for her. I've heard the rumors about the backstage heat, i
also know her fiancee mike bennett had a tryout with the company months ago
and no one's heard anything...do you think maria's comments not only came
back to bite her on the backside, but mike bennett's chances to make it big
as well and she realizes that?
Cewsh: Maria has long been rumored to have some pretty serious heat with Kelly Kelly and the Bella Twins. She’s acknowledged it herself, though Kelly no longer works for WWE. But it is entirely possible that those issues might keep her from wanting to work there or keep WWE from wanting to hire her. However, I sincerely doubt that any of that hurts Mike Bennett’s chances to get signed, as WWE has shown repeatedly that they don’t punish wrestlers for things their girlfriends/wives do. If they did, then John Morrison would have been mopping the floors at Titan Towers.
From: Gavin
I know their almost 50, but would you think Undertaker or Stone Cold, or HHH
would do a full time schedule again?
From: Benny Trujillo
is there any chance we will ever see rock vs michaels..it seems like they
never wrestled in singles matches against each other, or maybe i'm wrong, but
anyways that would truly be a great match ..
Cewsh: Sorry guys. Due to injuries, retirement and simple old age, the answer to both questions is a pretty definitive no.
Send all Mailbag questions HERE (select Mailbag drop-down).