John: Welcome to the first edition of For Love or Money in 2009 and the19th edition overall. I will be joined as always by my good friend Matt Seagull, who I’ve been writing this column with since 2004. The first eight questions will deal with current topics in WWE followed by the final two questions that will be our usual “classic” questions talking about things from the past. Then we’ll wrap it up with some Quick Hits that are less complex questions that require shorter answers. Think of it like a written version of Pardon the Interruption, the hit ESPN sports talk show program featuring Mike Wilbon on Tony Kornheiser. Not exactly like that, obviously, but loosely based on it.
A little backstory before we start. The last edition of FLOM happened in August 2008. There’s no particular reason why this is the first one in 11 months. It’s just a case of both of us being busy. We’re hoping to do this every 3 months or so. The good news is we have both renewed our interest in the business enough to bring you FLOM again, so hopefully we can find the time to do it more often. We hope you enjoy it.
As always, Matt chose the odd numbered questions because he’s odd while John chose the even numbered ones because he’s not odd.
NOTE: There are some very small spoilers for the Smackdown episode that will air tonight. It’s nothing major, but be warned that if you are one of those people that avoids spoilers that there is a small discussion concerning them. It’s question #5 concerning Edge’s future. Since he’s one the shelf anyway, is it really a spoiler? I don’t know, but you’re warned anyway.
1. A little bit of noise was made about the Miz being built up so well and losing so decisively to John Cena at the Bash. What is your take on the situation?
Matt: I thought the two matches between Miz and Cena at the Bash and the next night on Raw were weird. They’ve been building this confrontation up for months ever since Miz got drafted to Raw, and first they give Miz practically no offense in a 6-minute squash at the Bash, followed by too much offense against Cena the night after on Raw! It was strange, as it looks like they stiff the fans who paid the money to see Miz/Cena and reward the ones who tune in for free. As for Miz, if they wanted him to get punked by Cena, they sure wasted a lot of time building him up for it. I think Miz is one of the best things going on Raw, and hopefully he can build some more momentum. Because he wasn’t anywhere to be found last week on Raw, and that disturbs me a little.
John: I don’t think it’s a big deal. Miz is somebody that might have a future as a top guy, but he’s not there yet. Obviously there’s a need to create new stars, which is why some are going to have a problem with Cena beating him clean twice in row. However, does anybody remember Cena losing to a lot of people clean for a good six months after we thought he should have been pushed more? I don’t think people remember. If Miz earns a spot at the top of the roster he’ll get there eventually. I’ve really got no problem with how the matches with Cena were booked. They were what I expected.
Matt: I remember Cena losing a whole lot back in 2006 when he was overexposed as champion, but since coming back from his neck surgery at Survivor Series he’s been damn near unstoppable. Miz seems to be thrown back into the midcard after Cena, since he was picking on Primo last week on Raw. Who knows though, he might be Jericho’s hand-picked partner to be the Unified Tag Team champs and this Tweet war they’re doing is just a work.
John: I remember when Cena was the up and coming guy that got a title match against Lesnar at a PPV and losing clean. People bitched about them even doing the match. I had no problem with it. The big picture is that Miz is going to be fine. There’s definitely an issue at the top of the Raw card with the lack of fresh characters, but I think Miz needs to prove himself in the ring more for the fans to really believe in him in that role.
Matt: I thought Miz really excelled in the Miz/Morrison tag team over the past two years and definitely kept up with Morrison. And the matches on Raw are so short anyway that he doesn’t have to go 15-20 every night. He’s certainly not as green as other guys they’re pushing…like that Mark Henry fellow…
John: It’s sexual, baby. Your favorite theme song ever, right?
Matt: No better song to do the horizontal mambo to!
2. Jeff Hardy’s contract is up this summer. Do you think he’s going to re-sign immediately, re-sign to come back in a couple months, come back in a few years (like Jericho) or never come back?
John: I think he’ll be back early next year, maybe for WrestleMania season. I don’t think he’ll retire. He’s too young for that. He’s been through a lot with his house burning down, so it makes a lot of sense for him to want to get out of the spotlight. Go home, spend some time away from the business, smoke some of those things that you love to smoke and come back early next year to score the big paycheck that you get for being in a big match at WrestleMania. He’ll be back…at some point.
Matt: WWE is going to have to make a serious pitch to Hardy to stay, at least on a lighter schedule. He’s one of the most over talents on Smackdown and could bring in some serious coin through merchandising. But there’s no denying the toll that wrestling his style is taking out on his body. I hope that Jeff could sign for a lighter schedule like HBK or Undertaker, simply for his own sake. It’s this reckless style that’s gotten him so over, so I can’t imagine him toning down his matches and staying over. So maybe by having it happen less, he’ll have more longevity. But I think he’s staying. WWE is going to make him an offer he won’t be able to refuse.
John: I just read in the most recent Observer that Jeff Hardy has 3 weeks left on his deal and he has yet to sign an extension. I do agree with you that he should have a lighter schedule because I’m sure injuries have taken a toll on him over the years even though he hasn’t missed significant time like some of the other regulars. I guess he’s one of the lucky ones. I think once he loses at Night of Champions (and he will) they should just write him out. Don’t even mention him. Then hopefully he comes back for the Rumble and maybe even wins it as a nice surprise. Plus, he deserves it.
Matt: Just because he hasn’t signed the extension yet doesn’t mean that he won’t. Three weeks left on the contract are three weeks that WWE can make counter-offers. To me, it’s just a giant game of chicken to see who balks first. They need Jeff Hardy on Smackdown, and I think a deal will get worked out.
John: I think in three weeks he’ll go home, take out his collection of bongs (I’m no expert like you, my friend) and smoke all his troubles away because he won’t be subject to drug testing anymore. Although I hear WWE is pretty lax on suspending guys for drugs that aren’t performance enhancing.
Matt: Yeah, if anything, that’s a performance de-enhancer. Still though, if he goes, that’s just one more spot at the top. I’m sure John Morrison will enjoy that muchly.
John: Like I said before I don’t think he leaves. I just think he’ll take a break. Could be three or four months like I think, but it could be for over a year like Jericho. You never know. Hardy’s a different cat.
3. Raw’s title scene has pretty much revolved around Triple H, John Cena, and Randy Orton for a while. Who else do you think can legitimately stand at the top of the card with them?
Matt: MVP, MVP, MVP. He proved it during his interview segment with Jack Swagger that he’s got the charisma, the mic skills, and the presence to carry himself at the top of the card. I thought that was the way they were going with him when they drafted him to Raw, but the Raw writers just seem so damn reluctant to try and build new main eventers. Honestly, how much longer can you rotate Cena, Orton and HHH into different match combinations and make them interesting? I think somebody on the forums said something sick like since the World Title came to Raw in 2002, the main event scene has always been either Cena, Orton, Triple H, Batista or HBK. Although at this point, Shawn back in the main event scene will also be fresh, but I’ll get to him later on.
John: Right now there’s not a single person because the booking of Raw’s main event scene has been so poor. I’m sure that when Batista comes back in November or so they’ll throw him into it and act like it’s some fresh thing too. Same thing when Michaels comes back although in his case I think he deserves one last title run. They should have elevated MVP by now, but they’ve barely done anything with him. I think his feud with Swagger that’s just starting has the potential to really elevate both of them although who knows if they’ll ever pull the trigger on a MVP turn. I think long term Ted Dibiase is somebody they want in that spot especially if you pay attention to the rumors about them wanting to turn him babyface towards the year’s end to promote The Marine 2. Will he be legitimate by then? I hope. They sure need something new there.
Matt: I’m surprised at the ascension of Mark Henry into the upper card scene…as a face. For some reason, he’s getting over with the crowd. As much as I think MVP is more deserving, obviously the majority of people think different.
John: He’s not really getting over. On the taped Raw two weeks ago they clearly put in the piped cheers when Dibiase said his name and they were also very present for his match with Rhodes. If they gave MVP the same kind of offense against great heels like Orton and Jericho (the two best active heels in the company) then the crowd would be more into him. Instead, they just have MVP lose all the time for some reason. I’m sure if we looked at past FLOM’s we said the same thing about Shelton Benjamin. That guy’s deserved a better push for five years now. For some people it just doesn’t happen with crazy Vince.
Matt: Benjamin got the push over the last year on Smackdown, and honestly, he wasn’t that great. His promos didn’t get better and his in-ring skills were about the same as they were in 2004. I think the demotion to ECW was warranted. But we’re getting off track here. Night of Champions is coming up and we’ve got a Triple Threat main event with the badass heel Orton, the badass babyface Triple H, and the badass-who-panders babyface in Cena. Essentially the same roles they were in since their last Triple Threat match at Wrestlemania 24.
John: Of course Benjamin’s promos weren’t great. He needs a manager. Too bad they have a thing against managers. The problem with Cena/Orton/HHH is that all of those combinations have been done do death and they’re not even trying to hype it up as a huge match because they know it. I’m sure the match quality will be fine, but where’s the excitement? They need to find that spark again. At least HBK will be back in a month or two to hopefully spice things up.
Matt: I can’t wait for HBK. It feels like forever.
4. Do you like the idea of a “celebrity” GM on Raw every week or should they go back to the more traditional idea of a regular person in that role? If so, who?
John: I actually like it. I think it’s good to get a different perspective out there every week although in the case of Dibiase Sr. he turned face and heel about 5 times over the course of a two hour show. I’m interested in seeing them get actual celebrities out there too. It doesn’t hurt to try something different. They should bring back Adamle just for the comedy aspect of it for one week. That would rule.
Matt: Believe it or not, I actually do. As long as they keep it to wrestling. Seeing DiBiase on the show last week was awesome, and he really got his son over bigtime. I think bringing in some of the older guys who know how to work a mic without a script will be able to add to the story rather than take away from it. It’s just when they actually go down the actual “celebrity” road that things might start to get stupid. After a while, they can go with the GM after the novelty has worn off, but I think this still has some mileage on it.
John: I’m surprisingly okay with the celebrity GM too. Dibiase was very good although that’s not surprising and Seth Green did a fine job because he is an actual WWE fan who obviously has an acting background. I’m not crazy about ZZ Top considering they’re in their 60s, but I do know they’re WWE fans that have been at a lot of shows over the years. It’s something different, so it’s good for WWE to try it. Raw’s going to be in Calgary in August. Bret Hart as GM for the night? It won’t happen, but man, that would be amazing.
Matt: Oh man, you just put a wonderful thought into my head about Bret as Raw GM. Anyway, I hope they balance between real celebrities and WWE legends so it doesn’t get too repetitive, but this is actually one of the neater ideas they’ve done. A different authority figure has different ideas about how the show should be run so it doesn’t get boring….until it starts getting boring. When do you think this’ll run its course?
John: I think they can definitely find enough celebrities and ex-wrestlers to keep it going until the WrestleMania season for sure. I’d love to see guys like Dusty Rhodes, Terry Funk, Ricky Steamboat and other old timers in that spot for a night. And my girl Trish too! It’s fresh for a night. Plus, wasn’t there a period on Raw when they had no GM for well over a year with just Coach running things even though he wasn’t the real GM. The best former wrestler as a GM? Kamala. He can yell in Ugandese and we can just guess what he says. That’s entertaining!
Matt: If they do go to a regular GM, I think it’ll be JBL. He’ll realize after a while that his business ventures aren’t working out and he’ll be crawling back to Vince for a paycheck.
John: He’d be perfect in the role, no doubt. Plus it’s only one day a week. Once he has the time away he may be wiling to come back in that spot.
5. Edge is out for a year with a torn Achilles tendon. What type of program would you like to see for his return?
Matt: Everybody’s been clamoring for a face turn, and I’m inclined to agree. Edge has been a heel since the end of 2004. Five years in this role. Granted, his face stuff hasn’t been too interesting (remember “I don’t like you”?), but if he keeps his attitude, but just shows it off against heels like CM Punk, Edge could definitely be somebody to get behind. They did the same thing for Triple H when he was down for a while. Left as a heel, came back as a babyface. I think the same could work for Edge.
John: Bring him back as a babyface because it’s been about five years since his last turn as a babyface and that was long before his great run as a main event heel. I think he’ll get that “main event guy” pop if he turns face, which means that he would work very well in that kind of role. Show videos of his to the fans, play them constantly for a month before he comes back the same way they did for HHH’s return in 2002. It will make fans nostalgic, it will make them forget how much of a jerk he was (just like HHH actually) and it will give him a lot of momentum for when he comes back hopefully just before the WrestleMania season.
Matt: We answered this question a week ago before Jericho came out on Raw and chastised Edge for being weak, so it looks like a lock that Edge will be back as a babyface.
John: He also did it on Smackdown, which makes it seem like Edge coming back as a babyface is the most likely scenario. I’m absolutely fine with it. He’s a lot better than he was five years ago during his last babyface run. Now that he’s got all those titles under him he’ll get those legend style main event pops. It will work fine. Can’t wait. I hope he’s back for Mania against Jericho.
Matt: If Edge can be back before then, it seems like Edge vs. Jericho is a no-brainer for Mania 26. It would be a much better match for Jericho than what he got this year at Mania, despite how awesome the Steamboat exchange was.
John: I wouldn’t mind Edge vs. Christian on that big stage either because again they’re both better now than they were 8 years ago when they feuded last time, but that’s probably unlikely at this point.
6. WWE has changed some PPVs around. Unforgiven is now a Submission PPV named Breaking Point, No Mercy is now called Hell in a Cell most likely with two HIAC matches on the card and Cyber Sunday is now known as Bragging Rights. Do you like these moves?
John: I really don’t like a PPV that will see matches ending on submission moves because fans react to matches that end in a pinfall a lot better than they do a submission match. I remember the Angle/Benoit Ultimate Submission match from six years ago. It was good, but not great, and they were two guys who had legitimate finishers. I really don’t care to see guys going for submissions when they really don’t do them often. I’m fine with Hell in a Cell for a PPV name as long as there’s a maximum of two matches (the Raw and SD World titles) inside the cell. Don’t do more than that. A lot of people (myself included) thought the name of the PPV meant every match would be in the cage, but I doubt it. I’d compare it to the Royal Rumble, which has been a PPV for 20 years and signifies only one match on the card. If you compare it to that it makes sense. As for Cyber Sunday, they really don’t let the fans pick matches or opponents. They give you no choice and they do what they want to do. Lucky for them, most fans are too stupid to realize it.
Matt: I don’t mind the name changes. They changed the least impressive ones anyway. I mean, some really good stuff has happened at No Mercy in the past, but there hasn’t been enough of a tradition to warrant keeping the name. Now, naming the Pay Per View simply “Hell in a Cell” is unoriginal, and if the rumor that ALL matches are Hell in a Cell matches is true, it could be a disaster of December 2 Dismember proportions. As for Breaking Point, for as much shit as WWE likes to talk about UFC, something about an all-submission PPV seems very very sneaky to me. Since this is WWE, they’ll probably have unique ways to get a submission, like maybe choking the guy with TV cord. I just don’t think we’ll be seeing many Kimuras or Rear Naked Chokes.
John: I don’t think Hell in a Cell will see all the matches having that stip. It’s more like the Rumble where one match is like that. In this case it will be two matches most likely with the Raw and Smackdown titles up for grabs in the cage. I’m already dreading three more months of Orton vs. HHH because you know it’s going to end up there. The names Breaking Point and Bragging Rights won’t have much of an impact. The name changes are really minor to me.
Matt: The funny thing is, I actually really liked Taboo Tuesday. 2004 was the best version and 2005 was alright. As soon as it became Cyber Sunday it started to suck. But yeah, even though they manipulated the vote (remember “A CAGE! A CAGE! A CAGE!”?), at least it was something special for the PPV with the interactive deal. Bragging Rights is just going to be another Pay Per View. I would just get rid of it altogether.
John: I do think they should go back to 12 PPVs instead of 14, but from what I’ve read PPVs generally make them money albeit a lot less than they did when business was better earlier in the decade. There really are only the big four PPVs with the others being interchangable. I just don’t have high hopes for the submission PPV. Fans don’t care for submission holds the way they do for pinfalls. It could be awful.
Matt: My interest has been piqued for the submission PPV just to see how they handle it, so there you have that. I just don’t see what the problem is with just building a decent Pay Per View. Who needs all these gimmicks? You want Pay Per View buys? Give the fans matches they want to see featuring people who have a problem with each other that needs resolving. I’m surprised they’re having such trouble with this concept. It seems easy to me.
John: They give away too many good matches on TV, which leaves them having nothing fresh for PPV. I almost wish they just did what WCW used to do in the 1990s when they’d stick two good wrestlers in there, let them have a 10-15 minute match and do their thing. There doesn’t always have to be an issue. I’d rather pay for Kofi Kingston vs. Evan Bourne on PPV than see anything involving Mark Henry.
7. ECW has some new blood. The scot, the black talk show host, the surfer dude and the token Japanese guy. Who do you think has the best chance to make an impact?
Matt: The Brits on the Forums are raving about this Sheamus O’Shaughnessy guy. To me, he just looks like the long lost Highlander. Of the four that have come to ECW, he seems the most interesting. I wonder when they’re going to call Low Ki (Kawal) up.
John: It’s far too early to tell. I like the Scottish guy’s look although are they really going to push him consistently or will he get a few wins, then disappear like what happens to Mike Knox all the time? The talk show host has potential in terms of his promo skills, but they don’t have managers anymore, so long term what’s his role going to be? I have not seen enough of the surfer dude while the token Japanese guy is probably just that. Funaki’s still on contract, right? He’s been that guy for over a decade.
Matt: I figured out the Japanese guy’s name is Yoshi Tatsu. Honestly, it’s too early to tell with these guys, but it looks like Abraham Washington is too green to wrestle, otherwise they’d have him in the ring. I want to see how the guys who got traded to ECW like Benjamin, Regal and Goldust will act as mentors to these new guys.
John: They should have Goldust on the Washington show and he can stutter the entire time. I will laugh…maybe. Tatsu reminds me a lot of Jimmy Yang, who was never used properly because they couldn’t find a role for him other than a comedy act. Maybe Sheamus will break through like Swagger did. It’s too early to tell.
Matt: I know how ECW is really just a televised breeding ground for the new stars of Raw and Smackdown, but man, they got raided really quick. Losing Bourne and Swagger in one fell swoop was rough.
John: Raw needed some fresh blood badly, so I’m fine with it. ECW is buried here in Canada with a Friday night at midnight time slot. I tend to DVR it and watch it on Saturday or Sunday, but I never think “wow that was a great show” when I watch it the way I do with Smackdown. It’s either okay or really bad. Maybe if they brought The Zombie back I would watch more.
8. We haven’t seen The Undertaker or Shawn Michaels since their MOTY at WrestleMania. Both are rumored to be back for the end of the summer/early fall. What do you see in their future?
John: I wrote in my WrestleMania recap that Michaels deserves the title. To me, he was the best performer in WWE in 2007 and probably second to Jericho in 2008, then he has a classic match against Undertaker at Mania. Give him another title run. He’ll work a reduced schedule, but that’s fine. There’s enough star power to carry the house shows without him there. As long as he’s at PPVs and TVs it’ll work. With Undertaker, I really want the feud with Jericho because it’s never been done before and Jericho’s track record has been awesome since he’s come back. He has the best feuds in the company because he has a lot of input in them. I’m sure he could pull off a great feud with Undertaker.
Matt: Raw needs Shawn like whoa. And Shawn needs the World Title. Everybody loves HBK, and he always puts on the best matches. I’m not sure if the relaxed schedule would be a problem for him to be champion, at least for a couple months. As for Taker on Smackdown? Feuds with Chris Jericho and CM Punk seem like a no-brainer, but they’ll probably put him in against Kane again.
John: If Undertaker comes back to feud with Kane I will be furious. That should never happen again. It was good the first time 11 years ago. It was never good again. I’m sorry to the fans of those guys, but that’s the truth. I’m such a fan of Undertaker working against the smaller guys. He gives them enough offense and he makes them better while they remind me of how great of a big man he can be against the right opponents. I’m very excited about Jericho and Punk feuding with him. See Raw, those are fresh main event feuds!
Matt: It’ll be Kane, you watch. Vince may not pay as much attention to Smackdown as he does with Raw, but he loves his big man vs. big man feuds. And unless Kane turns face (unlikely), it’ll be Taker vs. Kane when he comes back. But going back to what you said about Michaels, can you belive it’s been almost SEVEN years since HBK was a world champion? Considering who we’ve had as world champion since then (JBL, Khali, Goldberg), you’d think they’d give HBK another run. We’ll see though.
John: I think Shawn deserves it, but maybe they don’t want to put the belt on a part timer. I can understand that. It’s just a case of good nostalgia with him as champ plus he absolutely deserves it more than anybody else based on being arguably the best performer in the company since he came back seven years ago. How many other people would you mark out for if they won the belt? Michaels tops my list. It feels new again.
Matt: I absolutely agree. Enough time as passed to where I’d mark out as much for an HBK title win as I would for a first-timer.
John: I’ll end this again by saying no more Undertaker vs. Kane. Please, for the love of God, no more!
9. I’m watching 1991 Superstars on WWEClassics.com, and the Berzerker just debuted, only he’s known as the Viking now. Who’s your favorite early-to-mid 90s silly gimmick?
Matt: So many, what to choose? I really liked Papa Shango, because his stuff was way too scary for kids back then. He would start convulsing in the aisleway, and the dude standing in the ring would start to ooze black sludge from the top of his head. I remember when he did that to Ultimate Warrior. That was some pretty dark stuff they did back in the day.
John: The Berzerker was along with the Repo Man. With the Berzerker you had a guy that walked around holding his hand out, yelling “Huss” at people randomly and his finisher was an atomic drop that would send a guy over the top rope to the floor. His finisher was to get his opponent counted out. What the hell is that? I remember laughing hysterically as Gorilla Monsoon would be yelling during IC title match: “You can’t win the title on a countout!” Repo Man made me laugh as much as any gimmick ever. He walked around stealing things. In many ways he stole my heart with his ridiculousness.
Matt: To throw some more crazy gimmicks out there, what about the ORIGINAL MVP, Abe “Knuckeball” Schwartz?
John: Haha, good old Steve Lombardi aka the Brooklyn Brawler. There were so many bad gimmicks back in the day. We’ve already mentioned a bunch, then there were guys like Damien Demento (from the outer reaches of your mind), Duke the Dumpster Droese and Ludvig Borga, who is one of the worst ever.
Matt: Down here it stinks funny! I remember thinking Borga was impressive back in the day because he ended Tatanka’s one-year undefeated streak with one finger! I also wondered why they ever bothered with a guy like TL Hopper the wrestling plumber.
John: Ha, the plumber ruled. There were even bad main event level gimmicks like Lex Luger as The Narcissicst. I still remember the hype surrounding it at Royal Rumble 1993 and even then as a mark I thought “wow this is pretty bad.” Is it wrong that one of my favorite uses of youtube is to look up old wrestling gimmicks just for the sheer ridiculousness of it all? Thank you to the wrestling nerds out there that post these rare clips.
10. In honor of Edge’s injury, what do you think are his best matches and feuds in his stellar 11 year WWE career?
John: I think in terms of feuds the one with Undertaker in 2008 was the best one. He really held his own, they worked together a lot for four months and they were able to keep it fresh unlike what we’re seeing with HHH vs. Orton all the time on Raw. I loved the Hell in a Cell match at Summerslam even with the lame “send him to hell” ending that seems too cartoonish to me. My favorite matches of his range from that HIAC against Taker, the TLC match at WrestleMania 17, the hardcore WrestleMania match against Mick Foley at WrestleMania 22 and teaming with Rey to beat Angle and Benoit at No Mercy 2002 in a match that was, to me, the best pure tag team match that WWE has ever had. I loved that one so much.
Matt: I really hold his late-2004 heel turn in my heart. The HBK/HHH match at Taboo Tuesday was going really well with Shawn barely being able to stand and working a full match. It looks like he’ll pull of a miracle, but here comes Edge with the spear, pulling his hair out and yelling “It should have been ME!” It led to a really underrated wrestling classic between the two at Royal Rumble 2005, followed by a sick Street Fight on Raw. The HBK/Edge feud seems to have been forgotten, but it was the feud that turned Edge from a contender to the main event scene to a bona-fide main eventer. Oh, and I guess Money in the Bank didn’t hurt.
John: I think when I look back at Edge’s career there really aren’t the number of epic or great feuds with him the way I can rattle them off for guys like Austin, Michaels, Hart, Angle and others. That means he’s not at that level of greatness yet. I still he’s got time to create those memories for us as fans, though. I do think the entire run with Undertaker was great and is a good example of how can you can carry a rivalry out for five months while ending it with a bang.
Matt: The Vickie Guerrero stuff definitely hurt that feud though because she was such a good heel that I feel she scooped some of his heat. When he was making a name for himself against HBK, it was all him. This was pre-Lita as well. I think a criticism against Edge can be made that he had to rely on evil women at his side to stay hot as a heel.
John: That’s true. Sometimes that’s what it takes and they need to realize that with some of the others. I’ll always hold out hope that the epic Edge vs. Christian feud is coming one of these days. They’re my boys that I watched grow up in the business, so I can only hope.
Matt: Not to take this off topic, but I think you’ll see Christian on Raw or Smackdown before the next draft. They’ll have some sort of loophole that will get him on the shows.
John: That would be terrific. I don’t know if it’s going to happen, though.
THE QUICK HIT QUESTIONS
Matt: Let’s say we do a complete reset and re-draft the rosters for another brand extension. Who’s your number one draft pick and why?
John: Chris Jericho because he makes everybody around him better. He’s got a lot of experience while still wrestling at a high level in his late 30s, he’s not injury prone and he’s also a good leader in the locker room. He’s everything that’s good about pro wrestling.
Matt: From a smark’s standpoint, that’d be my pick too. From a mark standpoint, it’s John Cena. He’s a guy who brings great reactions everywhere he goes.
John: Who’s going to have the better career: John Morrison or The Miz?
Matt: Morrison. Miz is slightly better on the mic but Morrison is much better in the ring, and he’s no slouch on the mic either. Plus, people like somebody they can get behind, and they’re getting behind Morrison.
John: Morrison is my answer too. He’s got the potential to be a very good worker. His backstage segments with Teddy Long have been awful though. They need to limit his talking for now. Let him get over by his ring work.
Matt: Pick a definitive end date for the Triple H vs. Randy Orton feud. I’m talking about the absolute last match between the two ever ever EVER.
John: I’ll say August 2015. I don’t even think I’m joking. Good question because when you think about Austin/Rock at WM17 in 2001 I never would have thought that their last match would be in 2003, but it happened. That’s obviously a much better rivalry than this one.
Matt: Son of a bitch, you stole my year! I was going to say 2015 too, when Triple H will retire. I mean, you can only do so many steroids to look like he does for so long.
John: He’s clean just ask him! And if I worked for WWE I’d say he’s clean too. I know how to kiss ass.
John: The decade’s up in a couple months. What was your favorite year as a WWE fan this decade?
Matt: 2001, no doubt. I loved Austin’s heel shtick, and I wasn’t nearly as down on the Alliance angle as everybody else was.
John: I’ll say 2000 for being more consistent. I loved Austin as a heel too, but the angles to end the years soured me.
Matt: Who do you think is going to headline the 2010 Hall of Fame class?
John: The Rock. And no, I don’t think he’ll ever wrestle again.
Matt: I’d say The Rock too. And I think Ted DiBiase will also be inducted next year.
John: This is not my last question, but do you think there’s a chance Rock would refuse to be inducted if he was asked because he wants to distance himself from WWE?
Matt: Nope. He still knows where he came from. He obviously wants to move on with the movie career, but I think he’d do right by the fans that made him the star he is today.
John: I think so too. He’s a genuinely good guy from all accounts and it’s been five years since his last time in WWE, so it would be the right time. In pro sports five years is the minimum wait. I think it would fit well.
John: Last question. It’s been three years since Trish has been gone and I’ve yet to found a replacement diva as my favorite. Who’s your favorite chick in WWE?
Matt: Maryse, no doubt. She’s the only Diva that has any semblance of sex appeal left.
John: Right now Maryse (another awesome Canadian performer, by the way) is at the top of my list although I’m very fond of Mickie James too. Melina would probably be first, but the PG version of WWE has killed her sex appeal with me.
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John: Thoughts? Questions? Comments. Email us at the addresses below or feel free to talk about it with us in the column feedback section of the Oratory forums or on my facebook page at Facebook.com/thejohnreport.
We hope to return for For Love or Money hopefully around October or November. In the meantime you can always visit the For Love or Money Archives for previous editions.
Thanks for reading.
Matt “The Love” Seagull – [email protected]
John “The Money” C. – [email protected]