Want more wrestling news, rumors, and results? Be sure to visit PWInsider.com and PWInsiderXtra.com.
WWE has pushed the debut of so many new talents. When do you think some will show up? Who are you most excited for?
Well, they are running Raw in Orlando this Monday, so if they wanted to debut anyone, they have them all at their disposal, since they are based out of Orlando anyway. I just hope that WWE has meaningful plans to debut all of these talents and doesn't intend to just rush them out, because that is usually a recipe for long-term failure.
As far as who I am excited for, I'd say all of them. I think EC3 is a legitimate main event player who can talk and cut promos like so few can in 2019 and I want to see him get that chance. He looks like what a traditional WWE star looks like and I expect to see him get a chance. Heavy Machinery could very well be the Bushwhackers of the modern era - a team that is used to relate to kids (I especially see Otis as a potentially massive children's character similar to Santino, Hornswoggle and Hillbilly Jim) - that could be a fun addition. Lacey Evans has been one of the more underrated and quietly improving female talents in NXT over the last several years. Nikki Cross is absolutely great at everything she does. Lars Sullivan will have every opportunity to be the type of monster that WWE management relishes. I am hopeful for all, because only bad creative can hurt their potential.
With Brock Lesnar returning to Raw this Monday, who do you think is his Wrestlemania opponent?
Is he even signed to appear at Wrestlemania? I haven't seen WWE utilize him for any Wrestlemania 35 promotional material, so who knows, especially the way that WWE and Lesnar play everything close to the vest. If Braun Strowman isn't going to be Universal Champion going into Wrestlemania, Lesnar defending against Strowman makes sense. I feel like Seth Rollins is the natural choice here given how fans love him and that he's one of the top babyfaces, but here's a crazy idea - how about Lesnar vs. Drew McIntyre? McIntyre has been on a really great run of late and if WWE went in that direction, I think there could be something really special there. I don't know if that's a possibility, but I'd like to see it.
Why in the world is Shane McMahon wasting his time with The Miz? I don't see them being a good tag team.
Why does WWE do a lot of what they do? They want to play the characters off of each other. They aren't in that storyline to re-create The Midnight Express, but to play their characters and get fans to react to how they interact with each other. As I said on an audio a few weeks ago for the Elite section, I fully expect they will end up wrestling The Bar and maybe even end up with the tag belts. For all we know, this is the beginning of a bigger story that leads to Miz vs. Shane at Wrestlemania 35.
Who do you think was a bigger flop in WWF - Friar Ferguson or Outback Jack?
WOW. Well, the Friar Ferguson character disappeared after one or two appearances on Raw, while Jack was given some promotional hype before he settled into a low level role. I guess I would have to say Ferguson, although the late Mike Shaw did go on to have quite the, uh, run as Bastion Booger that got a lot of TV time. As Fergsuon though, the character never got out of the gate, so that would be my pick of those you suggested. Jack may have gotten more of a push to make him a star out of the gate and it didn't click, but he was there for a longer run.
Watching some of these AWA Hidden Gems on the WWE Network made me wonder about the former Mr. Magnificent Kevin Kelly, so where is Nailz? Why was his WCW run so short?
We get this one a few times a year. I know he is living in Minnesota but has pretty much resisted all attempts by promoters to bring him in for independent and convention appearances. II personally think if and when he pops up, especially at a setting like Wrestlecon, he'd make a killing, especially if he was in gimmick. I had forgotten he was even in WCW until you sent the question. I think it was just a quick booking to put over Sting, nothing more. I don't believe he has appeared around pro wrestling since the mid-1990s as I remember seeing him wrestle Abdullah the Butcher in New Jersey at an independent event in New Jersey and then he made a few appearances on the Paul Alperstein AWF promotion, then he disappeared. I always enjoyed his work as Kevin Kelly in the AWA as well and I think fans who only saw him as Nailz would be surprised by that run.
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!
Bang On Casino
