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TJR Q&A #43: Big Cass’ Future in WWE, Top Talking Smack Guests & More!

TJR Wrestling

A good way to kill a boring Sunday (I miss the NFL) is to post another edition of the Q&A right here on TJRWrestling. I asked for the questions on my Facebook page on Friday, posted 40 questions and answers late on Saturday and I’m back for more.

1. Roderick Walker
Do you feel that Naomi has benefited the most out of all the women since the draft?

Yeah that’s fair to say about Naomi, but I would put Bliss ahead because she’s been pushed more and won more titles (three to two). A lot of it is promos and the character too, which is where Bliss shines. Carmella has done well in that regard also.

2. Mitchell Wood
Is the attitude era overrated? Yes its the most profitable period in company history and some of the best talent at one time ever but I feel like overall we get a much better quality of wrestling than we did before….it just seems the attitude era hype train is runaway nostalgia that a few people take to very annoying levels or say “wrestling in my day was so much better” or “it’ll never be as good as it was when Austin was drinking beer every night” thoughts?

It is overrated in terms of people thinking everything was great all the time because they had a lot of shitty angles too. In 1998 and 1999 the match quality wasn’t that great either. In 2000 the matches really started to get better (after Russo was gone in late 1999), so that’s why 2000 is my favorite year in terms of best matches and stories.

People are always going to be like that about the best periods of their life as a fan. I think the 90s was the best period for music, movies and iconic TV shows. I don’t know if others agree, but those were my teen years and stick with me forever.

3. Eric Hay
What are some of the biggest matches that never happened that you wish would have?

I think Austin vs. Goldberg is the big one. I don’t even like Goldberg that much, but I sure would have loved to see it. Also Bret Hart vs. Kurt Angle would have been special.

4. Aj Giacobbe
I am a fan of the Fashion Files….do you see wwe get behind breezango again for a bigger push anytime soon?

I think at some point they will get the tag titles yeah. Slow build to it. I’d rather see them as next tag champs than New Day. Maybe in a few months.

5. Brett Beatty
Do you think Cesaro ever becomes World Champion?

If I was booking then yes. Since Vince is then probably not. I don’t think he sees him at that level.

6. Darrius Gaddy
Do you think some guys catch a bad wrap in the business when they’re being honest? Seems like wrestling is a very political business and if you give an honest opinion it comes off as being a hater.

Yeah. People in wrestling lie and bullshit so much that when people like to tell the truth (like Bret Hart better than anybody) then suddenly that guy is mean or whatever. It’s kinda bullshit and reflective of how weird the wrestling business is. I can’t explain it lol.

7. Jeremy Bennett
Do you have Roode and Asuka drop their titles on Brooklyn and call them up?

I think both will lose their titles that night (McIntyre beating Roode and Moon beating Asuka). I think Asuka gets called up to main roster very soon. I don’t know what show, but very soon. Roode maybe they wait until Royal Rumble. Just a hunch.

8. Ed Luis Valentin
Do you think any other in the current locker room (other than Brock) could beat Strowman in a real fight? He’s legitimately the strongest guy in the company right now. Show might KO him since he’s had boxing training and has a good right hook, but I don’t see anyone else having a chance.

I think Strowman would beat anybody other than Lesnar except maybe Big Show. Yeah I think that’s a fair assessment by us. He’s a beast. You never know, though. There are some big dudes in NXT and the Authors of Pain guys have legit fighting background. Maybe Erick Rowan is really though. Don’t know.

9. Matthew Sheehan
Do you think there’s a sly deal in place with WWE and Anthem for the Broken gimmick, part of which has Dixie on WWE programming? Coincidental timing that she’s on and there are reports the Hardys have a deal in principle.

I don’t see that being part of any deal. Dixie is gone from GFW/Impact and they are happy she is gone. I think you’re overthinking it.

10. Josh Lerud
Is there any signing TNA or whatever the hell they are called now to help compete cetter with WWE?

Nope. They need a better TV outlet because people don’t know what Pop TV is. Their ratings are around 370,000 viewers in the US, so how can they really compete with WWE? It’s not realistic.

11. Charlie PĂ©rez
Who are the your top three Talking Smack guests and why?

Miz was great because he got over huge and his promos felt like a shot.
Kevin Owens was always excellent at it in terms of being a jerk to everybody.
John Cena did a great job every time too especially during the feud with Miz.

Also shoutout to AJ Styles and The Usos creating some fun moments too.

12. Scotty Adams
Do you feel like WWE has an issue being able to develop new faces that the crowd is actually willing to engage with? Because they seem to be able to develop most heels well but faces just make me feel ‘bleh’.

Yeah. That’s one of their biggest issues, really. There are less people for the fans to root for and they don’t differentiate between the characters enough. It needs to be fixed.

13. Kenny Brophy
There was a fun little debate on twitter yesterday about top 5 tag teams of all time were so I was wondering who yours was?

Edge and Christian were my favorite, but weren’t together long enough.

Hardy Boyz
Rock N Roll Express
Midnight Express
Hart Foundation
Steiner Brothers

But that list could change any day lol.

14. Stewart Erridge
Where’s Bob Backlund at? And Darren Young for that matter?

Young hurt for a long time with a broken elbow injury that needed surgery. That was in February. I think he’ll be back in the next month or two, but will he ever get used right? I don’t know for sure. As for Backlund, he was just part of Young’s act, so when Young got hurt that meant no role for Backlund.

15. Jeff Goodridge
Tag Ropes: Yea or Nay?

Oh yeah I love them. Good way of having a guy stay in the corner and tells the viewer that they are following the rules.

16. Geoff Landtbom
How would you grade AJ Styles run in the WWE so far? I think that they’ve done a pretty good job with the exception of his feud with James Ellsworth late last year.

Probably an A or A-. It’s not perfect, but better than I thought it would go. Wish he was in a bigger match at WrestleMania, but that whole card was messed up. Of course I wish Styles was in WWE earlier in his career too. At least he’s getting used in a good way now.

17. Christian Michael
In recent weeks we’ve seen Chad Gable go one one with Kevin Owens and AJ Styles. Do you think those matches were “try outs” to see how he could do on his own? I’d hate to even say it but the comparisons to Angle are obvious and could see WWE making him into a big singles star. I just thought there was more to do with American Alpha, more as in they haven’t done anything on the main roster which is a shame.

Yeah I think they are tryouts to see how he can do on his own. I can remember them doing that with Shelton Benjamin in 2003 or so and of course he got a bigger push than Charlie Haas. I think Jason Jordan is pretty damn good, though. Hopefully AA stays together for another year or two, but if WWE is flirting with Gable as singles then it won’t be long until they split.

18. Jesse Ornelas
Is it good or bad for the secondary championships to be held and sought after by former world champions? Miz, Ambrose, AJ, and Owens as current examples.

I think it’s great. WWE has booked both the US and IC Titles better in the last two years for sure. When more established names are going after those titles it makes the fans care more.

19. Brett Beatty
Big Cass will most likely feud with Big Show. When that feud ends, where do you see him going next? I’m thinking Dean Ambrose vs. Big Cass would be interesting.

I think Big Cass will get booked like Strowman where he wins nearly every match. Strowman has only been pinned once in the last year. So it’s going to be a case of Cass going over some bigger names like an Ambrose, Rollins and eventually Reigns.

20. Bart Rowe
Do you look at – or can you even avoid, doing what you do – spoilers for things like the Mae Young Classic, or do you try your best to go into it not knowing any of the details about who’s won and who’s lost? If you do see spoilers, does it take away your enjoyment from the overall product or do you not care, as long as the matches are still really good?

I read the spoilers and I can still enjoy it just as much knowing who wins. Wins and losses don’t matter to me that much. I try to write about the finishes in the sense of whether they were well done or poor.

Like the women’s tag on SD was brilliant with the blind tag that Charlotte didn’t see because she was distracted by Lana and then Tamina beat her with a kick. If you just read the result “Heel team beats Charlotte’s team” then that doesn’t tell you anything, so the story becomes how they did their turn.

With that said, is a show better live without knowing a result? Absolutely. It’s why when I miss PPVs live I avoid the results.

21. John C Hoddy
A lot of people are hoping for the Hardys to do their broken gimmick in WWE. Given WWE ‘s history of lousy booking, what are the chances that they screw it up?

Always concern that they might screw it up, but I’ll be optimistic about it. Hope it works out. With WWE having a bigger budget there’s a chance things can be a lot better.

22. Chris Young
Is it too late for a Reigns/Strowman double turn or could it still happen? If it doesn’t happen do you think it’s a mistake?

It should happen, but I think Uncle Vince is so set in his ways that Roman will be booked as a face. It’s dumb because business feels stagnant now and changing up a key guy like Roman could provide a spark.

23. Drew Jefferson
Since Summerslam is coming up which ladder match for the IC title do you think is better Shawn Michaels vs Razor Ramon from 95 or The Rock vs Triple H from 98?

I think the Shawn/Razor match is better as a match, but Rock vs. HHH is more important in terms of launching their careers to that next level. The story was better for Rock/HHH. Shawn/Razor is better match, but Rock/HHH more memorable.

24. Tommy Mondschein
Think Brock stays past his contract?

Sure. He’s 40 and making good money. Might as well do a few more years although we don’t know how he feels physically. If he’s beat up then he might stop at the next WrestleMania. If he feels okay and likes performing enough then he stick around longer.

25. Jeremy Barnes
John what was your favorite Wrestlemania 21 Movie impersonations?

I like the Harry Met Sally one with Kurt and Christy. Pretty well done and funny. Booker & Eddie in Pulp Fiction was fantastic too. So many other great ones including the group Taxi Driver video and Cena/JBL doing the Few Good Men parody too.

26. Ruel Barrera Guevarra
If they’re protecting Nakamura and pushing Corbin, do you think they’re not going to have a good match at batteground?

I think Nakamura will win because then it sets up a future match assuming Corbin is WWE Champion. Plenty of Money in the Bank briefcase holders lose while holding the briefcase. Vince loves booking them like that.

27. John L Henegar
Do you think it’s a bad thing that there is not that many managers in wrestling anymore? And do you think people like Bobby Heenan and Jim Cornette are right saying wrestling is dead for lack of kayfabe?

Yeah I think it’s bad. Would help a lot of talents like a Big Cass. At least they are pairing up some women with the guys, so that helps. Some are married and that makes it easier. In NXT, Paul Ellering manages the Authors of Pain. It helped their gimmick and credibility right away.

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That’s all for now. Check out the Q&A Archive and I’ll be back with another Q&A in two weeks most likely. Take care and have a great week ahead.