TJR WWE Q&A #56: Randy Orton’s Heel Turn, Comparing Styles vs. Joe and Bryan vs. Miz and More
I hope you are all having a good weekend on this last Saturday of July. It’s my second Q&A here this month, which is pretty much what I want to do every month. As always, the questions come from my Facebook page. Here are 30 of them.
1. James Tascar Mayhew
Which FOX network will SmackDown be on next year? My local FOX affiliate?
Yeah Smackdown will be on the main Fox channel starting in October 2019. FS1 will likely have additional WWE programming including possibly NXT and some sort of weekly WWE studio show. With the October start, WWE will get promoted heavily on major sports like college football and the NFL that Fox airs every week in the fall.
2. Dave Boehringer
What’s the one meeting with talent that has had the most positive impression on you?
The two nicest people in wrestling I’ve met other than ones I’ve known for a long time, are probably Mick Foley and Torrie Wilson. Mick gives time to everybody even if he’s got a long line. We’ve been able to exchange messages since then. Torrie is the sweetest woman. I’ll never forget when my dad died and she sent me the kindest message even though I had not seen her for like two years before that. Stuff like that goes a long way with me. Bret Hart too. He’s always great to me. I know some people in his family so maybe I benefit from that.
3. Daniel Hill
Do you think Joe v Styles will steal the show at Summerslam or Bryan v Miz?? Or any other match?
I think both matches can hit around the four star out of five level and whether they go higher than that is up to the time given, the crowd, the work in the match and so on. If those matches get 15+ minutes then they can be among the best matches of the year. I think I’ll be into Bryan vs. Miz more, but I love Joe vs. AJ as well.
4. Rusty Rowe
Will there be two Wrestlemanias? One male card, one female card?
I doubt that. I know that there were reports about doing some foreign show and using the WrestleMania name like they used the Greatest Royal Rumble name, but in terms of April there’s only one WrestleMania.
5. Simon Daniel
Do you find the Bludgeon Brothers gimmick a bit cringey?
It is pretty cheesy for today’s wrestling. Bearded guys with mallets is kinda lame, but it’s better than being regular guys like 90% of the roster. There are less gimmicks in WWE’s roster today than ever before.
6. Andy Savieo
Do you think we’ll see The Bucks, Kenny or Scurl in the E by the end of ’19?
I think they are going to stay where they are through 2019. Maybe early 2020 they go to WWE. But I have no idea really.
I just think with the success of All In selling out so quickly that Cody and The Bucks are going to run more of their own shows in 2019 in big markets like LA, NYC and places like that.
7. Aj Giacobbe
What was in your opinion was the first great match on Raw?
Shawn vs. Marty May 1993. I’ve never reviewed it, but it’s probably a ****1/2 match from what I recall.
I liked Flair vs. Perfect in January 1993 too, but Shawn vs. Marty is much better.
8. Dave Boehringer
Do you feel that 205 Live has hit its peak or do you see it being pushed further?
I think it has hit his peak and I don’t see it really growing. That’s nothing against the show because it has good matches. It’s just tough for the average WWE fan to dedicate even more time to WWE product when you already have 5 hours of Raw and Smackdown plus NXT for 6 hours.
9. Ed Eastin Jr
How do you see Dean Ambrose being handled when he comes back? Heel turn? Or will he dress up in more bear costumes?
They’ll probably milk a Shield reunion again for at least a PPV match against Ziggler, McIntyre and another heel like Elias. I would turn Ambrose heel around Royal Rumble time and go from there.
I’d love to see a Shield triple threat at Mania. That would be fun. I know they did it at Battleground 2016, but let’s see it at a WrestleMania.
10. James Bright
What do you think of this: Miz beats Bryan at SummerSlam, Bryan beats Miz in a rematch at the following ppv whichever that is and goes on to win the WWE Championship, Miz wins the Royal Rumble and goes on to lose to Bryan at WrestleMania in a huge blowoff match?
That would be fine with me. I think Miz winning the WWE Title would be fine as well and then Bryan can chase him. I think it’s likely that they will be in a Hell in a Cell match at the September PPV too, but I don’t know if that’s the plan.
11. Joe Harris
Do you think the women’s only pay per view is a one time thing? Or do you expect to see one or two if them a year? And who do you think will be the Womens inaugural tag team champs? I personally hope it’s Iconic.
I think it will become an annual thing. Once a year is a good idea. I think doing two in a year is too much. Once a year is cool and feels special.
Inaugural tag team champs Iiconics would be a great choice since they are so fun together. I think Bayley and Banks will fail to win leading to one of them turning (maybe Bayley). Mandy and Sonya winning would be cool too. It wouldn’t shock me if the Bellas came back to win them.
12. Damie Sinanan
Charlotte vs Rousey in the main event of Mania 35… too much too soon?
I honestly think it’s going to happen there and that it will be the main event. Ronda has the title. Charlotte wins the Rumble. Ronda is probably done after next WM because she wants to have kids (people close to her have told me).
13. Cody Nathaniel Linder
Who was better: Bret or Owen?
I think Bret was better and had a longer run, but Owen was fantastic and I liked him more just because I’m a younger brother that loved when he beat Bret at WM10.
14. Giles Hart
Would you put Osprey in the top 5 current Wrestlers in the world as of now? I ask as I believe that him being part of the revived World of Sport Wrestling show here in the UK which starts tomorrow, is going to provide some legitimacy to the show and help bring in viewers when it comes to the hardcore audience. He’s usually gold to any company he works for when it comes to attracting the hardcore fan base, UK and elsewhere.
I think he’s great and probably in the top ten, but I wouldn’t go top five. I think top 5 is probably Omega, Okada, Styles, Rollins, Naito for me. Daniel Bryan is up there too. I hope Will’s neck injury is okay.
Let me know how World of Sport is. It’s a big thing and a big reason why WWE is doing the WWE UK brand.
15. Oscar Omar Fernandez
Can you see other wrestling companies try book shows at The Garden now that ROH/New Japan will have a show there? How big is this for wrestling companies not called WWE?
I don’t know if other companies will go to MSG, but ROH and NJPW may put on a couple of shows there per year. I think it’s a significant thing and a sign that wrestling is popular right now even though less people watch it on television than they did about 20 years ago.
It also shows the power of social media because of how well the Bucks, Cody, Omega have built their careers up through Being the Elite on Youtube and stuff like that.
16. Deryl Parnell Jr.
Do you think Finn Balor will win a title by the end of the year or are they done pushing him?
Maybe the IC Title. I think he might be the next guy to win that. I don’t see him as Universal Champ any time soon.
17. Mark Tallentire
Who would you say is the most underrated star on the roster? Not necessarily the most underused, but the one who is really good but doesn’t get the recognition from the fans or management that you think they should? I know it’s a tough question because fans know good wrestlers, just thought I’d give you a thinker!
Chad Gable was the first name that came to mind. He could be so much more if he was given a shot, so it’s a shame that he’s forced to sit in the back doing nothing most weeks.
18. Douglas Gundlach
Just watched the Yokozuna’s Hall of Fame speech. I’ve always liked him cause I grew up watching him be a dominant heel. What do you think of when you think of him?
A lot of his matches sucked, but it’s fine because he was playing a character that was different. I think it was a mistake to book him in longer matches because he would get so tired. It was fine that he was a WWE Champion because in that era the timing was good. He was good at his gimmick and Hall of Fame worthy, but his career was short with about two or three good years. He started in WWE late 1992 and by 1996 he was done.
19. Richard Blyth
What match or ppv first made you love wrestling?
WrestleMania 4. I was about 6.5 years old, I remember watching it with my older cousins (they got me into wrestling) and marking the FUCK out for Macho Man winning the WWE Title that night.
20. Christian M Hessenius II
Since you’ve always said Randy Savage was your favorite wrestler as a kid, if you could see him in his prime vs. just one current WWE Superstar, who would you pick?
Any of the best guys, but I think heel Kurt Angle against Macho Man would be an incredible feud. Macho was so great at selling everything, so watching Angle throw him around and Macho Man selling like he was dead would be a joy to watch. Also, heel Macho vs. Shawn Michaels because they were around the same size (not counting Macho in WCW days) and likely could have gone 30 minutes easy without getting tired.
21. Luke Baxley
Do you think this is the last we have seen of Kane? I have made it clear, he is why I got into wrestling. Also, do you feel like he is a first ballot hall of famer? I know I do.
It’s near the end, but he’s probably going to wrestle again at some point.
Of course Kane will be in the WWE HOF whenever he is done.
22. Darrius Gaddy
They say if you’re doing what you love then you never work a day in your life. And you have the luxury of doing what a lot of us would love and that’s writing about pro wrestling. My question is does it ever become not enjoyable and begins to feel like a normal job and is it hard to separate yourself away from wrestling when you want to? Because I’ve followed you for years and I’ve seen even when you’ve tried to take a break for a week, something will pop up and you write about it lol.
There are always times where I get tired of it or maybe I don’t want to keep writing, but then it’s like Monday night comes and I’m back at it. It’s hard for me to take breaks or to stop. Sometimes it prevents me from enjoying other wrestling shows or even watching them because I write so much that when I’m sitting on the couch the last thing I want to watch is wrestling lol.
You guys know I’m a big NFL, NBA, MLB guy. I watch more of that in a week than I do wrestling.
23. Anthony James
How would you book the universal title to make it important again after they’ve smeared it with Brock Lesnar barely defending it and him railroading everyone they’ve had him defend against?
I’d have long matches, good matches, competitive matches, different people stepping up to challenge. Any title will seem important if the matches are good and competitive. It’s not that complicated. They just have to do it.
24. Andy Rif Sheriff
What’s your opinion on Kairi Sane and do you think she’ll become women’s champion at Takeover: Brooklyn?
I think she will. They might be ready to put Baszler on the main roster after SummerSlam, so that’s a way to get there. I think Sane is great. Love her style, her look and her work in the ring is easy to like. She’s a natural face due to her size.
25. Paul Yorke
Which has been your favourite ppv since the turn of 2010?
The ones that stand out the most are Money in the Bank 2011, SummerSlam 2013 and WrestleMania 31 in 2015 off the top of my head.
26. Orlando Juan
I’m trying to find some logic, not wwe logic here, Orton wants to feud with Hardy, Hardy had the title practically won and Orton cost him the match. Why didn’t he let Hardy win and then beat him and fight for the title and take it away from him???
Because he’s a dick that wanted to fuck over Hardy because Hardy is popular. It’s not really about the title even though they might be in a title match with Nakamura. It’s really about kicking Hardy’s ass. That’s how I see it anyway.
I do see your point, though. WWE could explain it better.
27. JD Robert
How long before we see the inevitable Lars Sullivan vs Braun Stroman match?
Maybe next year, but I don’t see Lars as a big deal. He’s not tall enough. Strowman is a legit 6’8″ and Lars is maybe 6’2″ so there’s a difference. Lars did okay against Aleister Black, though.
28. Daniel Mount
Do you think Kevin Dunn has something against HHH creations from NXT?
Some of them maybe. I just think he’s a crotchety old guy that is set in his ways and when you’re in the same job for like 30 years it’s tough to change your ways. I doubt Dunn or Vince is out there trying to bury guys that Triple H liked in NXT. You can’t push everybody.
29. Andre Jones
If Smackdown became a three-hour show (not saying any of us wants it to happen), do you think they can put out a better product then Raw over that timespan?
It’s not happening because Fox paid for it for five years and Fox primetime shows are 8-10pm because then they have local news, so it’s not going to be something we have to think about.
I think three hour wrestling TV shows are too long. Two hours is enough.
30. Nate Kuhl
Can we expect to see Aleister Black called up soon since he lost the NXT Title to Ciampa? If so what show should he be on and who should he feud with first?
I think Black will be on the main roster after SummerSlam. Raw needs more help, so he can go there, but they already have a lot of faces too. Smackdown might be the better option. A feud with Randy Orton would be cool to see.
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That’s all for now. Thanks to those of you that asked the questions. I think there will be part two posted in a day or two because there were more good questions. Check out our TJR Q&A section here if you want to read past editions of the Q&A. Have a great week.