TJR Q&A #75: Sting in AEW, Roman Reigns Heel Run, Future of Live Events in WWE, AEW/Impact Working Together, More
It has been about three months since I have done a Q&A post here on TJRWrestling. Time to bring it back. The questions come from the Facebook page right here. Let’s roll.
1. Daniel Mount
Is online wrestling media biased toward AEW?
I think certain people are, but I’m not going to name names. I think it helps certain people’s own careers to favor and almost “push” AEW more than usual because then it gives them more content to write about. There are also people in power in AEW that are going to suck up in order to get favorable coverage and I think that’s the case here.
I’m followed on Twitter by a number of higher up people in AEW including the boss. I don’t think I’m biased towards it at all. It’s up to each individual to decide how they cover it.
I try to be honest and try to have fun with it because in the end it’s pro wrestling. We all have more serious shit to do in our lives than get too concerned about people pretending to fight for our entertainment. I want every show to be great, every performer to make money and I hope it’s fun.
I know people in WWE and AEW. If I was biased towards certain people you’d tell by the star ratings or praise I give them, but I criticize those that I know just as I would anybody else.
2. Jacob Cordell
Who is the most underutilized wrestler in AEW?
Probably Scorpio Sky, who gets TV time sometimes and then you don’t see him for a month. Rey Fenix should be pushed more. Miro has been booked terribly feuding over video games as a dude in his mid-30s. At least they booked him well this week.
As far as tag teams, Santana and Ortiz. They should be used way more often. I know Santana had a recent death in the family, but he has been around and creative has nothing for them.
3. James Woolford
Would you like to see Sting wrestle in AEW? Do you think it will happen?
Absolutely not. He’s 61. Don’t wrestle again. I don’t want to see my favorite basketball player or football player from 25 years ago playing those sports again either.
Perhaps it will happen as a cinematic match, but I don’t think he should have a regular wrestling match.
4. Michael Uong
How would you book Sting in AEW?
Maybe as a mentor to a wrestler or a group, or perhaps as a matchmaker instead of saying it’s Tony Khan that books the matches. He had a similar role in his TNA days. I wouldn’t have him in the ring.
5. Tom Robinson
Who was behind GTV?
Never really official, but I think the working plan was Goldust.
6. Nick Freeman
Do you enjoy Conrad Thompson’s podcasts? If so, which is your favorite?
Absolutely. I am listening to JR’s right now about Armageddon 2000. Happy for Conrad and his success. He reads my stuff sometimes, I believe.
I usually listen to Bruce Prichard, Jim Ross and sometimes Eric Bischoff. I don’t listen to Tony or Arn nothing against them. I can only take so much wrestling in my life.
7. Ron Venturino
What feud had the biggest impact on WWE and wrestling in general?
Stone Cold vs Rock
Rock vs Triple H
Triple H vs Stone Cold
Stone Cold vs. Rock because they are two of the top three biggest stars ever and bigger stars than Triple H was. Sorry Trips.
8. Joseph J. Dawson
If you could interview any wrestler from history who would it be and why?
The Rock. There’s a lot I don’t know about his career and life and I really look at him as sort of a role model in terms of being an entrepreneur that never stops working. Also anybody I am a huge fan of like Austin, Angle, Micheals. If I interviewed Hulk Hogan I would cut him off a lot when he speaks bullshit.
I have interviewed Bret Hart already, many years ago on our podcast. (Link is here.)
If it was a deceased wrestler then Randy Savage, who made me a fan.
9. Brett Beatty
When did you know you wanted to start to write wrestling reviews, and as well as doing this for a job?
When I hated other jobs. Worked in a bank, made pretty good money, but it was so boring. Worked for a pretty big tech company, they liked me, but I wasn’t going to advance so I got out. Worked for restaurants and family business, but never really had a passion for it.
I get a lot of creative freedom in writing for my own site that has become a profitable business. I wish I was making more and that I could pay others to work for/with me, but it’s not happening right now and I don’t know if it will.
I’m also at a point now where I don’t know if I want to do this for many more years. I get more of a rise out of sports betting/fantasy sports that I do well at, so maybe that’s going to be more of a career and this will be more of a hobby. We’ll see. Maybe I’ll go get that MBA I should have done over a decade ago and that could lead me down a different path. I don’t know. Never stop learning.
10. Eric Buhler
Do you think AEW eventually overtakes WWE as the top wrestling company in the world?
Probably not. One company has a 40+ year head start and more fans around the world.
11. Gary Lund
So are AEW and Impact gonna merge soon?
Probably not. Impact owns the network they are on and they are not for sale.
12. Brandan Kelly
What’s your prediction for who is in the WWE title and Universal title matches at Wrestlemania?
I hope it’s not Reigns vs. Goldberg, but think that’s what they will do. I’d prefer Reigns vs. Daniel Bryan or Big E.
For WWE Title I’d like Drew McIntyre vs. Keith Lee. If Lesnar is back, then I can see the rumored triple threat happening.
13. Joe Harris
We’re you surprised Liv Morgan recieved her own special on WWE Network? Do you think this means a bigger push for her down the road?
Or was this a random one off?
I think it was just a case of somebody wanting to share more info about their career and WWE’s documentary team does a lot of work, so Liv got to do it. I haven’t seen it yet, but this coming weekend might be quiet for me, so maybe I’ll check it out this week.
I don’t think it necessarily means a big push for Liv Morgan. Liv is only 26, so she’s one of the youngest women in the company and I think she has a bright future.
14. Mark Tallentire
Briefly, what kind of direction would you want the Reigns storyline to go? Uso’s to turn on him again? More people added? Who would finally beat Reigns etc?
I want both Usos to align with Reigns, I want them to win six-man tags together, I want the title run to last a long time and the guy that finally beats Reigns should be Big E. Make it a guy that has never been a World Champion before that is truly elevated by winning.
15. Ed Morris
Why did Vince treat Jim Ross so badly?
Vince employed him and paid him a lot of money for over 25 years, so it’s not all bad. I read JR’s book and I wish Vince treated him better too, but that’s Vince thinking it’s funny to tease people. Vince does it to entertain himself. Wish he was nicer to JR, though.
16. Geoff Landtbom
Will house shows ever happen at the frequency they did before the Covid 19 pandemic? Or do you see a setup much like now but this time with just TV and pay per view? It would be easier on wrestlers.
It will probably never be that way ever again. The days of three house shows before a TV day are done. I think what you’ll see are maybe one or two house shows in a weekend leading to TV, but that’s it. It is easier on the bodies of the wrestlers, but wrestling in front of a live crowd is a positive experience that is good for the talent.
17. Cory Andrew Bacon
Had Impact maintained the same quality and momentum they had in 2005-2006 (meaning no Dixie, Hogan or Bischoff eras), do you think they would be better, worse, or in the same situation they’re currently in?
Better if they had the patience and the financial stability. I think wasting money on Hogan/Bischoff hurt them in the long run. They would have been fine without them. I think Dixie felt like she had to get Hogan to try to make the company bigger. It worked to some degree, but it’s not like they became a major company and paying Hogan millions per year also set them back a lot.
18. Joel Thomas
I know Sting has wrestled a lot of ppl, and I know everyone (myself included) wanted to see Sting vs. Taker (10 or so years ago. Age is a bitch). But now if he were to have a match (I hope he doesn’t Again, age is a bitch), who would you want to see Sting vs. from either Impact or Aew? Is there any dream matches left out there?
Sting vs. Jericho would be cool because they’re the legends and would have awesome promos leading up to it. Sting putting over a much younger guy like MJF or Darby Allin would be fine too.
19. Aaron Whited
What company through 2020 was more fun for you to write about? And as always thank you for your work and your opinions. Been a fan a long time and it’s because you aren’t a dirt sheet and a good person on top of being a great writer. Cheers and happy holidays. Stay safe out there.
Thank you buddy. Stay safe out there and inside lol. I don’t go out much! I enjoy writing about AEW and NXT a lot, moreso than the other shows because I think the other shows are repetitive, especially Raw. Still, I have enjoyed the rise of Drew McIntyre a lot. Smackdown was poor for a lot of the year, but has been good since September with Roman Reigns in the mix. I guess I like AEW and NXT a bit more because there are some different faces in situations where they can learn and grow. I like any show that is good! I don’t like writing about shitty shows.
20. Alex Podgorski
Why do you think there are so many kick-based signature moves and finishers in today’s wrestling? It just seems boring and repetitive to me.
I can see that because there are a lot of running knees and kicks used. I think the reason is because you can do a kick or a punch or a clothesline to anybody regardless of the size. A smaller guy can finish off a bigger guy with that running knee (like Adam Cole does) or a superkick or whatever. If you rely on a lifting move, you can’t always to the bigger guys. I believe Shawn Michaels said or somebody said about him that they gave him the superkick because he could do it a bigger guy like a Diesel or Sid, but he wasn’t going to be able to lift them.
I like how AJ Styles has it with three finishers – Phenomenal Forearm, Calf Crusher submission and sometimes the Styles Clash.
21. Drew Jefferson
Who is the bigger star between these two: John Cena or Brock Lesnar?
Probably Cena because his movie career is taking off, but before that I would have said Lesnar since he was so successful in UFC too. In WWE only, Cena by a bit although if Brock didn’t leave WWE for 8 years then he might be bigger.
22. Ali Vaughan
Is Undertaker really done? And is he headlining hall of fame next year then?
I really think he is done, but people always will believe he has one more match lol. Next year’s Hall of Fame will probably be the class that was supposed to go in this year. So in 2022, maybe yeah that’s when Taker goes in. Perhaps he’ll want to go in when it’s in Texas, but that likely won’t matter too much to him.
23. Matt Bruffell
Will Vinny Mac ever retire or will they load him up into his coffin directly from the Gorilla position…?
I don’t know about him retiring. I doubt it. At 75 years old, the rest of this decade will be interesting to see if he’s still in that same spot or if he does slow down. I’m never going to know the answer to that, nor do I think Vince knows the answer.
24. Richard Rue
Hi John, what is your opinion on when/if AEW will compete with WWE On a large scale?. It could be the merger of AEW/impact perhaps? I guess what I’m saying is, will we see the wars again like the late 90s, or is WWE just too darn big now?
I really don’t think merging with Impact or working with Impact is going to be a good thing long term. AEW already has over 100+ wrestlers under contract, so you’re supposed to feature Impact guys on Dynamite? That’s going to piss off AEW wrestlers. I think there are wars to the extent that AEW can compete with WWE in terms of salaries and guys choosing to sign with AEW. The TV audience isn’t that far already.
My feeling is that the next generation (meaning people 20 years old and under) are going to watch less cable television than our generation, so it’s not like the wrestling audience is going to grow based on that. They need to figure out other ways. I don’t know what the right way is.
25. Dangelino Ochoa
Is Samoa Joe injured? I think he is excellent on commentary, but I miss him in the ring. I didn’t know if it was because he was hurt or if it was a personal choice.
Joe had concussions and some other injuries. I think he might be cleared now, but maybe he made a commitment to announce until WrestleMania and then he can wrestle again. He has said he’s not done wrestling.
26. Parker Griffith
What’s your take on the amount of crap-talking, badmouthing and general shade done by AEW towards WWE. It honestly turns me off from watching it. I just want them to talk about their product and how genuinely good it is, there’s no need to involve WWE. It’s burned WCW and honestly, it makes WWE look classier by not acknowledging them or WCW. Just my two cents, curious as to your thoughts.
I’m with you. They think it’s funny and they think their fans like it even though their fans wouldn’t know half the roster without WWE lol. But that’s the wrestling business. When you’re on top, people will try to knock you down.
If I was AEW, I wouldn’t reference WWE at all or even make jokes about it. Pretend it doesn’t exist.
27. Jason Weber
Which is your favorite TLC Match?
The second one from WM17. Lots of great ones!
28. Ty Wasilk
What’s your favorite Zeus moment either wrestling match or movie?
His matches were awful, so none of those. I liked the movie Friday and Fifth Element, so good on him getting those roles.
29. JD Robert
Do you think Jordan Devlin will face Santos Escobar and unify the NXT cruiserweight title?
That would be good yeah. Just might be a while for Devlin to get there. Then again some UKers have come over, so I guess it’s possible since it is their job.
30. Daniel Lerma
Is Triple H sort of underrated? Marrying Stephanie probably helped him stay on top, but the guy was one of the best heels in his prime, and he had a lot of memorable matches.
I don’t think he’s underrated. He is one of the most pushed guys ever, he is one of the best heels ever, he had one of the longest main event runs ever (started in 1999 and he was main eventing WrestleMania 17 years later) and I think he’s one of the most respected guys. I think fans know how good he was for a long time.
With that said, a lot of his main event run was hated by people too because they think he held people down and maybe in some cases he did. Guys like Booker T, RVD, Jeff Hardy didn’t really get elevated by him when they could have. However, he also put over the likes of Benoit, Batista and Cena in three straight WrestleMania main events.
I liked Triple H as a wrestler for the most part. I just think the 2016 title reign shouldn’t have happened and maybe some of those title runs could have been shorter.
31. Matthew Fowler
Could you see Impact working as more of a developmental system to AEW sort of like NXT. Could send the guys they don’t use there to get some exposure and bring the best talent over when they are ready?
Maybe but if I was Impact I don’t think that’s beneficial. I’m still not sure how the relationship is going to work and what benefit AEW will have from it.
32. Mike Alexandre
Vince McMahon is really going to ruin Keith Lee’s career isn’t he?
If you’re referring to the story about wrestlers having to train more at the WWE PC on days off then I really don’t see what the big deal is. It’s the equivalent of players on a pro sports team practicing. They don’t have house shows, so these guys are working one day per week. Keith Lee and the other guys live like 10 minutes from the building in Orlando, so really I wish more of them were training. It’s not a big deal. Wrestling fans are too negative a lot of the time. If I was a wrestler, I’d love to be in the ring in my off days trying to get better at everything. Why not? It’s your job. Never stop working.
33. Dale Schofield
If late 80’s/early 90’s Sting had been in WWF, do you think he’d have been as big or bigger a star than Hogan?
I don’t think anybody would have been a bigger star than Hogan because he had it all with the look and size. I think Sting would have been at the level of peak Ultimate Warrior, but Sting would have been able to last a lot longer in a main event role because Warrior’s run was pretty short when you think about it. I just think it’s tough to say anybody could be above Hogan. Hogan was the right guy at the right time and I think most people can agree with that even if we don’t like him lol.
Good question. Don’t think I ever had one like that before.
34. Rob Coffey
If CM Punk does do a match for AEW who would you like to see be against?
I think Kenny Omega makes the most sense, but then if you had Punk as a heel then maybe he can go against Darby Allin, who is kinda like a “punk” in his own right. There are a lot of options.
35. Ryan Mullins
I got 1 more. Do you think it was ridiculous to have Tony Khan on Impact saying be could stop Omega from appearing if he wanted?? I thought that dampened the storyline cause if AEW’s boss don’t care, why should we?? I’ve heard some Tony Khan interviews and Disco might be right in saying it seems Khan always has to let it be known he’s the boss and in charge. I think it’d been better if he’d been upset. I do hope the seeds was planted for Rich Swann vs. Kenny Omega though. This AEW/Impact storyline could really be good and benefit both companies when it’s over if handled right imo. I’ve watched some Impact and before the pandemic, it was the show I liked the best, they are better than WWE and AEW with character development and storylines imo. This past week’s Impact was a weaker one, though.
I think it was pretty silly. The whole Khan/Schiavone segment on Impact seemed to be tongue in cheek where they’re just joking around and trying to be silly. I don’t think it was that interesting at all.
I’m not that optimistic about the story. Do most fans even know that Rich Swann is Impact’s Champion? I don’t know. It’s not like you’re going to convince people that Swann is at the level of Omega or Moxley when he was the top guy. A lot of people were asking me what channel it was on and I was telling them to go to Twitch, so I guess that helped Twitch numbers because people didn’t know about the TV channel.
36. Frank Shattuck
With WWE “mad” at Snoop, do you think they’d go as low as punish Sasha for it and take the title from her?
I really don’t think so, but I guess if Carmella wins then some people might think that. I feel like Banks should have a title reign until WrestleMania or so.
Snoop is appearing on Dynamite to promote the Go Big Show that he’s hosting with Cody Rhodes on it and it’s on TBS, which is a sister channel of TNT. That’s how TV works and I think WWE knows that. Just because Bryan Alvarez spews his bullshit about WWE mad about something doesn’t make it true.
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That’s all for now. Thanks to everybody that participated and to you for reading. Check out our Q&A archives here as well.