PWInsider - WWE News, Wrestling News, WWE

 
 

DOES WWE PURPOSELY HURT DEVELOPMENTAL TALENTS GOING TO MAIN ROSTER, WHY IT'S TOO SOON TO PRAISE GFW, DID MIKE TENAY GET SHAFTED AND MORE

By Mike Johnson on 2015-01-03 10:00:00
Do you think Jeff Jarrett is onto something with his GFW promotion? From all reports and interviews from him about the promotion, it sounds like a fresh idea and will be something totally different from what we have seen in the last 20 years. It almost sounds like the territorial days of wrestling, but this time, the territories being global instead of regional. I know its too early to tell, but on paper, it sounds like he's captured a pretty innovative concept and it will be exciting to see it bloom.

It sounds nice on paper but until Jarrett and his backers actually start running their own events, it's hard to praise or criticize GFW because we don't know what it's really going to be until the actual product exists. Until then, it's just fantasy.

I was watching Halloween Havoc '93 and Sid Vicious said in a backstage interview that some people call him "Psycho Sid". I always figured WWF gave him the nickname after the stabbing incident with Arn, which actually happened three days later. Do you know the origin of the nickname? Maybe derived from the squeegee incident?

I am pretty sure the name was just something tossed at him as they didn't want to use the Sid Justice name the second time around. I wouldn't be shocked to hear it was a takeoff of the Arn Anderson incident, as tasteless as that sounds.

I think Mike Tenay got shafted. It's well known that Big John go way back with Taz and Josh Matthews. So Matthews comes in and is just given Tenay's job? I really like Matthews, but this has nepotism written all over it.

No, it has the idea of freshening up the company written all over it. TNA is trying to do something different and they are also trying to cut costs. It's just the new reality. Unless Mike Tenay was going to move to Nashville and give up his life and full-time job in Nevada, what else was TNA going to do?

Also, I believe I read that Jim Ross wanted to have Mike Tenay be his announcing partner in Japan, but couldn't because of his announcing duties for TNA. But then, they announced Matthews as taking over after Ross found Matt Striker. Do you think this was TNA playing politics or just bad coincidental timing?

I think it was TNA being smart. If you think TNA was going to hand any of their talent over to work with Jeff Jarrett, who walked out of their company and embarrassed them in the process, you are gravely mistaken.

Do you think NXT indirectly sets up the talent for failure when going to the main roster? They will either have all this hype going for them from NXT and will have to live up to it or they will have their gimmick changed and will get rejected when the fans see something different.

I really hope not, but it's pretty obvious some of these talents were far better utilized and protected when they were in NXT....Why they aren't used as better assets for the company. I can't tell you, especially after they beat Charlotte in three minutes in her Raw debut. I got nothing!

I feel like the fans ruin wrestling. When you look at WWE or TNA, the fans who really care and respect what's going on are far outnumbered than those who are at the show trying to be a part of it or are just there for their kids. When you look at ROH, HOH or NXT, fans are more respectful in that they appreciate what's in the ring and don't give it the "What?" treatment. In a way, I feel like WWE is not the number 1 promotion in terms of wrestling compared to more concentrated promotions. Kind of like comparing Barnum & Bailey's Circus and Cirque Du Soleil...you'd get more fans who want to be there and more quality "on stage" at a Cirque show. My question is, other than creative directions, do you think the problems are fans and the grand exposure of the bigger promotions? I feel like the bigger the promotion, the less engaged fans are.

Whenever you have a larger group of people in one place, the reactions are going to vary. If they didn't care about pro wrestling, why would they spend their money going to it?

If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here!