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WHAT TO ACTUALLY DO WITH STEPHANIE, PUSHING NEVILLE, SPORTS ENTERTAINERS VS. WRESTLERS AND MORE

By Dave Scherer on 2015-04-19 09:59:00

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In response to the recent Q&A question about Stephanie constantly belittling and emasculating the superstars, I agree with the reader that this is a problem, however I believe that the question was bogged down on violence towards her, particularly in referencing Brock. Ultimately the hope comes from Rousey, but I believe it is a symptom of a deeper issue as long as Stephanie's character remains in charge as a heel then nobody can come out ahead. This is in direct conflict with Vince and Shane, who more often than not looked dumb or weak to put over talent. Steph has had 1 opportunity with Brie at Summerslam and it was botched to feud the Bellas which was then dropped unceremoniously at Series! I know she can't get beat up by a guy, so what can creative do to fix this problem?

Now that I agree with and have said so for a while now on the site. Steph emasculates men and then rarely gets her comeuppance like her father did. It is an issue, for sure. The answer is NOT to have men beat her up. That stuff may have flown 20 years ago but it doesn’t in 2015. The best thing that they can do is have men outsmart her and make her look like a dope. But they can’t have her getting beaten up by men.

So at least since I saw him work with Sami Zayn at last week's NXT, I got to ask: Did Rhino fall into the same fountain of youth as Goldust did?! I mean, while a little heavier (not fatter), he basically looks and works like he did in ECW and that was almost 20 years ago! What's your take on that and him working on NXT in general?

There is no reason a guy can’t keep himself in good shape as he ages. As long as he wants to put the work in, he can stay in good shape. I believe Rhino is only around 40 years old, so he’s not ancient either. I think him being in NXT is a good thing for both him and the brand. He can help the younger guys learn. It’s a win-win.

In this day and age where WWE is a "sports entertainment" company, and "wrestling" is a dirty word, it's refreshing to see a guy like Stone Cold Steve Austin publicly acknowledge on his podcasts that he thinks of the guys as wrestlers, not sports entertainers.  I have a feeling that now that he's retired and no longer a member of the active roster (and therefore doesn't have to answer to Vince as much), he is more at liberty to use the term "wrestler."  My question is about the current wrestlers, including the veterans:  do the majority of the guys agree with Austin and consider themselves "wrestlers," even though they can't use that term since they have to follow Vince's orders?  And if they weren't working for WWE and had more freedom of speech, would they refer to themselves as wrestlers, or still use the term "sports entertainer?"

Until I poll them all and get answers I can’t say what the majority thinks but I can tell you that the guys I speak to consider themselves wrestlers, but they do understand that WWE is branding as well. And that is what being called a “Sports Entertainer” is all about, branding.

I don't get to watch NXT, but I read a lot about all the top stars there. And lately Neville has come to the main roster. I was looking forward to seeing him, and was impressed when I finally did. But he has lost more matches than he has won. Being a past NXT champion, please tell me what good does it do to bring him to the main roster, only to use him as fodder to the top stars? Something like this really shows me the difference in vision between HHH & VKM. Or am I seeing this wrong?

It doesn’t make much sense to me either. As I always say, you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. If you think a guy is good enough to be brought up to the main roster, you should give him every chance to succeed. Neville’s work has been great so far, they should give him a push commensurate with it. Coming close against top guys is fine and all, but winning matters too.

Do you happen to know if WWE has the complete match of Mike Awesome (when he was officially a part of WCW) against Taz (when he was officially a part of WWF) with Taz beating him for the title? If so, do you think they would put this on the network or make it a part of a dvd/blu ray package? Been wanting to see this for it's historical propose but yet to come across it.

As I remember it, part of the deal that ECW put together with WCW to have Awesome (who was still under contract with ECW when he signed with WCW) was that the match not be broadcast. I would not be shocked to find out that a copy exists but I don’t think it will ever be sold or air.

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