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DOES AEW HAVE TOO MUCH TALENT, ARN AS THE BOSS, CIAMPA’S FUTURE AND MORE

By Dave Scherer on 2019-12-10 10:00:00

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Ok now for your 3000th Luke Harper question...  Now that he is released, is there anything the WWE could do to block him from AEW?

It would depend.  If he was out and out released, he could go there Wednesday.  If WWE did the deal where they announce a release and then pay him his downside guarantee for three months, he would have to wait.

With only 2 hours a week to present their product, AEW can only focus on so many talents at a time, and that has created situations where we don't see certain key talents for weeks at a time.  Case in point, their women's champion has all but disappeared as they introduce and build new challengers for her title.  A guy like Darby Allin shows up, has a good match in which he looks like an absolute star, and then is not seen or heard from for weeks.  My question is, is AEW's roster too large to properly showcase all of its talent in the weekly 2 hour time slot that they currently have?

I think it’s just the opposite.  I think the talent roster is anything but large, I think it’s on the thin side.  I don’t see any reason why Riho can’t appear on Dynamite.  She doesn’t have to wrestle.  Just look at how NXT uses Shayna Baszler.  She doesn’t wrestle every week, but she has a presence.

Tomasso Ciampa has said that he doesn't believe that his neck will hold up to the rigors of the RAW or Smackdown schedules, and that he would gladly retire from in-ring competition if he were to be moved to one of those rosters.  If this is indeed the case, do you think he should remain in NXT for the remainder of his in-ring career, where the schedule would allow him to have the longest career possible?

Absolutely I do.  I think NXT is the best place for him from a booking and health standpoint.  I don’t think he was saying he wants to retire.  He was saying the truth, that after the surgery he had the less rigorous NXT schedule is much better for his body and health.  I think he is right on the money.  WWE would be wise to keep him in NXT where they can maximize his talent.  Plus, he is a star for NXT at a time they are trying to create a third brand.  Taking him away would make no sense, especially given how he would probably be used on the main roster.

I know authority figures are played out in wrestling but I think the exception would be William Regal in NXT . What do you think of Arn Anderson in the same role for AEW?

If AEW was going to do an authority figure, Arn would be a great choice.  He can speak and he has a lot of credibility.  And if they were to do it, it should be done just like William Regal is in NXT.  He doesn’t dominate shows or do long promos.  He is there to be the boss when a situation warrants it. They book Regal perfectly.

Your thoughts on Jim Cornette and the NWA controversy and do you think someone higher up should be held accountable also as it was a taped show?

In a nutshell, Jim should have realized the way what he said would be interpreted by people when he said it.  But yes, I put more of the blame on the NWA staff for not editing it off of the show.  Someone in the group should have heard what he said and said, “We need to edit that off of the show asap”.  So yes, I place a lot of blame on the NWA hierarchy for the problem.

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