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IS A SHIELD REUNION THE ANSWER TO GETTING FANS TO CHEER FOR REIGNS?, MOST INFLUENTIAL PROMOTERS, 'THE WRESTLER' AND MORE

By Mike Johnson on 2016-05-28 10:00:00

Who were the three most influential wrestling promoters of your lifetime?

I'm glad you said my lifetime, because you just made my job far easier for me.  If you are talking influence, I would say it's Vince McMahon, Eric Bischoff and Paul Heyman.  Vince because he changed the entire business and survived to the point that to most, pro wrestling and WWE are forever intertwined as a piece of Americana.  I don't think anyone will ever match that feat in my lifetime.  Eric Bischoff is second because he changed the industry with Nitro.  There will be some that say the end of WCW detracts from that, but the reality is that in 1995, he changed the game and no one has changed it, on a massive level to the point that WWE blinked and reacted, since.  He deserves that credit, for allowing the Cruiserweights to be featured, for having the cajones to be aggressive and for how changing how wrestling TV was presented.  If you miss squash matches, blame Bischoff.  He put top flight PPV main event material and put it on TV for free, weekly.  He changed the game.  I go with Heyman for third because he took pro wrestling and added so many unique elements and brought back a grittiness to it from a sporting perspective that had been lost forever to it.  He went for deeper characterizations and branded ECW so well, it was ridiculous.  Everyone chants for a promotion today - all of that harkens back to fans chanting for ECW.  He was the first to break down the walls of PPV and create a third brand that could regularly run PPV events.  Of course, what was the ECW Revolution was coopted and turned into WWE Attitude.  All of that was birthed spiritually from what Heyman was doing - from the music used to the cameras sliding during promos to the infommercial style of TV to the talents who were shephered them on their way to greater things.  Heyman's influence as a promoter is far greater than money made or lost, just as Bischoff's was.  Had Heyman been on national TV in 1995, the wrestling world would likely be a completely different animal today.   Since he wasn't, his concepts were used by others on a much more massive scale. 

Everybody is clamoring for a Roman Reigns heel turn, but the WWE is sticking to their guns, wanting Reigns to be this era's John Cena, hoping the fans will eventually come around. Wouldn't the obvious thing to do to make that happen be a Shield reunion? Have The Club injure the Uso's taking them out of the picture. Then have The Club attack Reigns, only to be saved by Dean Ambrose and a returning Seth Rollins. If booked properly (yeah right) they can stretch the feud to the next Wrestlemania. I can't be the only one who sees how obvious this is, can I?

A Shield reunion would certainly drive things in the right direction in terms of getting the fans back behind Roman Reigns.  I just don't believe that's what WWE wants out of the creative direction right now and honestly, I don't blame them.  To me, that reunion is an Ace in the hole that you can pull out once and make it work for you as a money-drawing angle.  They shouldn't rush it, not when there's money to be made with Rollins chasing Reigns for the belt he never lost.

I just got the WWE Network and I was wondering, which Hall of Fame speeches do you think are the best?

I hate to even rate them as "the best" because I think most of the speeches, when they are heartfelt, are awesome.  Off the top of my head, I'd go with Ric Flair, Edge, Bret Hart, The Four Horsemen, The Fabulous Freebirds, and The Ultimate Warrior.  I think all of those are just a tremendous mix of telling stories and some really true emotional acceptance speeches.  I have a deep affinity for the Freebirds' speech especially.  The Flair speech was just off the charts and the only downside is that he got the hook and never really had the chance to finish.  The standing ovation for the Horsemen in Miami still gives me chills.  Warrior's speech was like a roast and a therapy session at once.  Hart's speech was just a great collection of stories from a really interesting series of life experiences.  In all honesty thought, unless the speeches were cut short for time, I've enjoyed every HOF induction and I've attended every induction since 2005 for that very reason.

I'm watching Mickey Rourke KO Chris Jericho at Wrestlemania 25 and while WWE obviously pushed "The Wrestler" with this appearance, I was wondering what the reaction to the film was in the industry?

If I recall correctly, it was mixed.  There were some who hated the film and felt it painted the idea that everyone in wrestling was going to end up a penniless mess.  There were some who liked it because they felt it put a serious face on the sacrifice they put into the business.  Some were just happy to see independent wrestling featured and spotlighted.  Some loved the film enough that they threw their name in to help be part of the DVD release features, including Roddy Piper and DDP.  It was across the board.

Do you think WWE will get around to putting up some more SMW on the WWE Network?

Absolutely they will.  For them, it's a marathon, not a race.  They will add additional material over time.

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