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WILL WWE COMMIT TO THE BRAND SPLIT, IS IT BETTER TO WORK INDIES OR GO TO NXT, GFW AND MORE

By Dave Scherer on 2016-07-20 10:00:00

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I'm not an MMA guy but I did listen to the MMAHour that Ariel Helwani did after the UFC 199 incident and something he said had me scratch my head.  He kept saying he had 2 reliable sources to report the Brock Lesnar story.  He claimed UFC accused him that there is a mole giving him information.  So I wanted to ask; what is the difference between a reliable source in a company  (UFC WWE TNA ROH etc) and a mole giving you information to break a news story?

Honestly? Perspective. From our perspective, that is a trusted source. From the company’s perspective, it’s a mole (and often a no good mole at that).

This question has been in the back of my mind for awhile. I see guys like Ziggler, Ryder, Rhodes, Sandow, Swagger, etc. being Midcard Allstars to the point some get released and some request to be released.  I noticed the pattern is a lot of them started WWE early in their careers in the developmental system while people like Bryan, Punk, Rollins, Styles, Zayn, Owens have been in the upper Midcard to main eventing PPVs.  My question is this; while I know the ultimate goal is to be in the WWE, do you think it's better for young wrestlers to not jump the gun? Build a strong following on the indies, go to Japan and around the world, get lots of experience for 8 years and then go to WWE? I know the ultimate goal is WWE and the money is great especially for someone starting out.  But I'm baffled by how guys like Ziggler get used.

I don’t think so, no. Yes, guys do get used poorly by WWE, as you mentioned, but the flip side is that at least they are in the system and in most cases, making more money and learning the WWE way of doing things. There is no guarantee that indy guys will ever make it to NXT in the first place. And Bryan and Punk? Greatness was never planned for either. Of course, things have changed with the advent of NXT and HHH taking over so now, more than ever, I think you are better off to get down to Florida and under the WWE umbrella sooner rather than later.

If you were Dixie Carter and you just watched NXT's The End show, spotlighting Samoa Joe in particular, would you realize you are clueless about wrestling, immediately resign from TNA and vow to never be involved in this industry again?

Shoot, if I were Dixie I would have questioned my sanity when I covered for Vince Russo over and over! Even recently, Russo rips her, and she praises him.  I don't get it, but there is something weird going on with those two.  It’s a shame, there are so many talented people in TNA that I want good things for. I wish that their leader had a better vision.

Any news on Global Force Wrestling? Does it still exist? Seems like it had big hype then burned out.

They are still around but given their business model, they aren’t going make a mark on the landscape as they are presently constructed. In order to really make their mark, they need a good television deal and the money it brings in. Without that, it will be hard for them to be any more than what they are now.

After HHH's remarks during the last conference call it seems that WWE decided to go through with the brand split on the fly and don't have a plan put in place; do you guys think they're going to botch the split? It just seems hard to believe that Vince is going to change his stripes when it comes to making Smackdown comparable to Raw.

I am typing this on Sunday so I don’t know how they picked sides yet but I do know that making this work is important to The USA Network and given WWE’s relationship with them, that should make Vince serious about committing to change. Also, while the company is doing very well financially, I have to think that Vince likes having a million more viewers for each show, so perhaps that will motivate him as well.

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