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WHAT'S NEXT FOR NXT, ROUSEY, PUNK'S DEPARTURE, AWA AND MORE

By Mike Johnson on 2015-08-08 10:00:00
I know it should be forgotten now but asking this cause still many people are fighting over this. How do you see Punk's departure from WWE , as a Quitter or as a Rebel?

This again? I've covered my thoughts in-depth before. I see him as neither. I see him as an independent contractor who went home because something was wrong with his health and because he wasn't happy and he decided to change his life.

I have a question regarding NXT. The FCW crew brought us the Shield (among others) then NXT really worked hard to find the top international talent from other promotions to create the wave we see now (Owens, Zayn, Itami, Balor, etc) with Breeze being the only real success moving on from FCW. Where do they go from here? I have a fear also for the women's division once Bayley is moved on. Do you see an increase focus on the tag team division to smooth over the transitions in both the heavyweight and women's division? Who would you pick thats developing that we should keep our eye on? For me its the trio of Blake/Murphy/Bliss but haven't seen enough of Bliss' work in the ring.

I think where NXT goes from here is very much to be determined. They have quite a dream roster right now but eventually, a lot of them will move up and the pressure will be on WWE to find talents who can replace them and become stars in their own right. In many ways, they now have problems similar to what the original ECW and ROH faced at times. It's a great problem to have but you will eventually hit a point where fans see the succeeding generation as "not as good" as what came before, because that's how a lot of fans are. "It was better when..." I think you'll see emphasis on teams but I don't think it will be the only thing they will focus on. I know they are very much looking for new women and obviously, they will try to continue to develop talent as well as mine the independents and international companies.

Would it be smart of WWE to do a Stone Cold podcast with Ronda Rousey? Capitalize on her stardom, top of the female athlete food chain and connection to Roddy Piper and WWE in general? Could make for a fun interview and push the Network as a place for exclusive content.

It's a great idea, but whether her UFC contract would allow that is another question.

Were there ever any books written about the AWA?

There hasn't been a book specifically about the AWA's history but there are some record books and the late Larry Nelson wrote a book about his career "Stranglehold" which in wrestling, was the AWA.

What's the best piece of advice you can give someone going to Wrestlemania week?

Be prepared to do a lot of walking and standing around, so have comfortable sneakers, make sure you have emergency cash and the # of a local taxi company in case you are out late and the local public transit stops running and give yourself a strategy of what events you want to do and how you are getting there in advance. It all saves time.

Do you think WWE would have an issue if Ronda Rousey wanted The Rock to walk her to the Octagon?

WWE wouldn't have a say in the matter, but no.

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