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Why would Chris Jericho appear on All In after all the stuff he's mentioned about loyalty to WWE? Is WWE pissed about all this?
Jericho made the appearance for several reasons. One, he knew it would get him attention and he's always been very good at reading the room and knowing what will bring him a lot of buzz. He's always strived to surprise fans and get them guessing with appearances in that way. He also needs to push and sell out his Jericho cruise next month, so the appearance allowed him to very easily promote that event and further his stories with Kenny Omega, etc. As far as WWE being angry, I don’t think Jericho he's going to be put on the "ignore forever" list, but they probably weren't thrilled. The reality is, he’s not under contract. They can’t stop him. He went to work for New Japan and they still brought him to the Raw Anniversary show so if he can go wrestle in New Japan and WWE isn’t phased by tha, then why wouldn't he try to do more and see if it's an issue for them. If WWE doesn’t want Jericho to do appearances for promotions that are technically competition to them, then they can lay down a huge contract at his feet and say, ‘we want you to sign this', but if Jericho doesn’t want to sign it he doesn’t have to, he’s made his money.” He's not trapped working for them if he doesn't want to. In recent years, whether it be Fozzy, his acting and hosting endeavors, etc., Jericho has really tried to find new ways to keep his creative juices flowing and to do something beyond just WWE. All In was just a quick extension of that and we'll see what happens next.
WWE just had Jeff Jarrett on their TV promoting Undertaker vs. Triple H. Do you think they are upset he appeared at the NWA title bout at All In?
Jeff Jarrett is not under contract with WWE. I have not heard that he has any heat because he appeared at All In. He was there because Jarrett works with Fite.TV. Global Force Wrestling still exists as an entity and they've partnered with the Fite App, which carried All In, and Starrcast this past weekend and Jarrett was involved in that aspect. One of the things that he is doing is working with local promotions to bring their events to the FITE.tv platform. So, Jarrett was there as a representative of the FITE App and it made sense because he was a former NWA Champion to have him come out and make the cameo with Nick Aldis.
How are the new TV deals going to change how WWE pays and finds talents?
Well, for one, they are going to be able to offer a lot more money to talents. Whether they choose to do so or not will be done on a specific case by case basis, but they will have that ability.
Now, the financial changes will allow WWE to cast an even wider net when it comes to seeking talent. They will be able to hire more staff, build new Performance Centers if they want, hold more tryouts and have a lot more money to invest into the developmental system. Already, I know for a fact WWE is casting a wide net. They are looking at talents in MLW, they are looking at lucha talents, they are looking at Japanese talents, they are looking at Ring Of Honor talents and basically, anybody who they feel is a blip on the radar could end up getting offers as their contracts elsewhere come up in the near future. There are a lot of names that WWE wants to have conversations with and might already been talking to via third parties. WWE are going to be flush with money in 2019, especially toward the end of the year and they are more than happy and willing to sign as many people as they can if they believe it will better their company while preventing others from building their own momentum. The WWE roster is going to ridiculous in the years to come.
The Shawn Michaels-Undertaker segment on Raw made me realize that at some point, Shawn Mchaels is going to come back to wrestle, at least for one match. It's been a long time since he's done so, so how long do you think he needs to be in ring shape? When do you think it happens.
Michaels is still in great physical shape, so that's a big step right there. I think he's far more ready than anyone else would probably realize. He's in the ring working out in the ring every day with talents in the WWE Performance Center. So, that's a big help. I think he'll likely want to be a perfectionist about it and will train hard for a comeback match and everyone will love it because it's HBK back in the ring. If it happens, it'll be the next Saudi Arabia show, the 2019 Rumble (they have a stadium in Phoenix to fill) or obviously, Mr. Wrestlemania at Wrestlemania itself. We will see where the next few months take him.
Did MLW pay for your flight down to Florida for PWInsider.com's coverage of Wargames?
No. I've never had a promotion pay for my flight to come cover their event. I felt the show would be worth covering based on the lineup and booked my own travel arrangements. The only thing MLW did was, upon request, provide me with a place to set up so I could see the show and do the coverage after I informed them I would be coming to the show. Really, that's all any promotion should be doing.
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