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Settle a bet - does The Brooklyn Brawler live in Brooklyn?
No, but he did at one point. I recall seeing him at a Brooklyn Street Festival in the mid-1990s, so even then he lived in that area, but I don't believe he still does. So, if you bet on Brooklyn, I'm sorry.
Why do you think every single stupid thing in AEW gets attacked, dissected and looked at so deeply online? There were incidents and dumb things and bad matches for decades and decades before AEW, so why everyone attack it like every twist of fate is the BLACK PLAGUE come to life?
I think it has to do with a few reasons. One, it's the first major promotion to be launched in the social media age and a good portion of those who are execs or top stars tried very hard to appeal to the same die hard fans on those platforms before and since AEW launched, so everything that happens, good or bad, gets ratcheted up to an insane degree. Sometimes it's worthy of that praise or scorn, sometimes I think it gets overblown. I personally found myself very exhausted of talking about the CM Punk-Elite stuff because for many weeks, nothing really changed and it was re-litigating the back and forth over and over as people kept getting enraged over some small detail on minutiae. I also think there are people who don't like or respect that AEW came into WWE's space, so they are always going to knock it, the same way The Red Sox fans will always knock The Yankees. I also think that there are some out there who just enjoy the chaos of ripping on something wrestling-related more than they do actually trying to enjoy wrestling. I see a lot of the same traits in certain circles of Star Wars and comic book fans online. I don't know how aspects of fandom ended up that way, but it's here and that's the reality of it. If you don't want to pay attention to it, don't read social media is my suggestion.
What do you think CM Punk's punishment should be for talking bad about Hangman Page?
We are told he apologized.
I've said all along everyone with the issues should be told they have no choice but to work together and make Tony Khan money instead of going into business for themselves. I still feel that way, although my gut says that's not going to happen anytime soon.
What do you think of the stories Punk is banning people from backstage? Should he have that power?
The only person who should have the right to decide what talents and staff can be at whatever shows AEW is running is Tony Khan and no one else. In my mind, he should put his foot down and tell everyone they are going to do what they are told because he's the boss and the one paying them extravagant salaries to WORK FOR HIM. THE END. I get trying to make Punk and the Elite happy, but thus far, no matter where you sit on the issues between those two sides, there's no world where gossip over Ryan Nemeth, who isn't even under a full-time contract with the company to the best of my knowledge, should be anywhere near the most talked about conversation in a world where AEW is running Wembley Stadium in a few weeks - but here we are. As long as things are allowed to remain fragmented though, that's what's going to happen, because you have those who believe they are right and the other side is wrong and then there's pushbacks and the stars need to be kept happy. We've all seen how this rots out and ruins great rock and roll acts and other partnerships. So, in my mind, AEW should put an end to that and I'd even suggest they hire Phil Towle, the therapist who pretty much saved Metallica from imploding and force everyone to get in a room and be done with all of this. What do they have to lose?
Do you think AEW put the title on Hikaru Shida because of the Lufisto situation? Is that why all these women have been in main event TV positions?
No. Shida won the title before Lufisto took to Twitter. I can't speak on why the women are in the main event position on TV shows, but AEW has put lots of them into main event TV slots, so I don't think it's fair to assume a Twitter rant led to that sort of changing of TV plans. If it did, it shouldn't have.
I watched the Dark Side of the Ring stuff regarding Bash at the Beach. They sort of glossed over the Hulk Hogan lawsuit. Can you break down what happened there?
To reiterate what happened: It was meant to be an angle where Hulk Hogan would eventually return with the WCW belt he took "home" and feud with whoever the "new" WCW champion was down the line. However, Vince Russo's comments about Hogan that night Hogan legitimately took offense with, so he eventually sued Turner Broadcasting about the situation. The trial court granted a summary judgment in favor of Turner, feeling Hogan didn't prove the comments were made outside of the context of WCW storylines. Hogan later appealed. The Georgia Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court's judgment in January of 2005. The court then denied Hogan's motion to reconsider the following month. The case went to the Georgia Supreme Court, which also denied Hogan's appeal in June of that year. In the end, Hogan received nothing for his legal troubles.
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