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TJR Q&A #14: Money In The Bank Winner, Injuries, Women’s Title Future & Plenty More! (Over 60 Questions!)

TJR Wrestling

It’s time for another edition of the Q&A here at TJRWrestling where I offer up some opinions on reader questions related to the wrestling business in present as well as things from the past and of course predictions from the future. It seems like wrestling fans are always wanting to know more about what’s to come. I honestly don’t have all those answers, but I always have opinions.

I asked for reader questions this week on my Facebook page and then I picked out the best of the bunch talking WWE for the most part. Thanks to those of you that took part. There are 63 questions here. A lot of topics are covered, so be sure to check it out!

Before I get started, I must put over this violin edition of Shinsuke Nakamura’s theme song. It’s awesome.

Let’s get to it.

1. Tim Kelly
What major changes will we see when Vince eventually leaves the wrestling business and hands it off to someone else?

I dunno. He’s probably living until he’s 100 and booking until then too so another 30 years lol. I’m only kind of joking. It’s hard to really know because I think Triple H would be the likely successor, but you can’t push the main roster the way you do NXT. They push NXT for the smart fans and the main roster is geared towards kids too. None of us have an answer to this because we don’t know. Vince has been in charge for our entire lives and just because he’s 70 years old does not mean he is going to retire in a few years.

2. Cory Andrew Bacon
Do you think Owens, Cesaro, Balor and Zayn have legitimate chances as main event/World Champion wrestlers in the WWE? Not just wishful thinking, but do you think management will actually push them that far?

Yes to all of them. They all have the talent and the credible to be in that spot, so I hope so. The problem is there’s only one WWE Title and it’s not like the 2002 to 2012 era where there were multiple major champions. It may be hard because guys like Reigns and Rollins could dominate the title picture. I’m not as concerned with title reigns as most people. Good stories matters. Titles are props that are part of telling a story.

3. Richard Cuellar
Do you think the League of Nations is a flop? What three guys would make an awesome stable today?

Yeah it’s pretty much going to be gone after they put over the Wyatt Family as far as I know. I think Finn Balor, Gallows & Anderson would be an awesome stable. =)

4. John Harper
I think I asked you about a Women’s Tag Team Division a few days ago – what are your thoughts? The women’s division is ever increasing and if they truly want to make the division as close to equal as the men’s as possible it’s probably a good way of doing it.

I don’t think there’s enough time on WWE television to do it. They can barely do two women’s feuds at the same time, so why add more titles to the mix when they don’t know how to find time for it? Just seems like a waste to me. The number of titles they have now is fine. No need to add more.

5. Patrick DeGrace
Apollo Crews… Bust or future star?

The optimist in me says future star. I just don’t know what his gimmick might be in the future or if he will have anything other than the guy that smiles a lot while doing athletic things. Get him a manager or valet or something to make him stand out more. He’ll be fine.

6. Aaron Whited
Becky Lynch….future Women’s Champion or bust?

She’ll probably win it. Still not even 30 years old, is well liked by the crowd, gets a reaction and is skilled in the ring. She should hold it at some point. Always a good story when the face is chasing for it.

7. Pete Pavlovich
Where do you see Seth Rollins fitting in and when?

Back to back Johnny Award winner for Best Wrestler! I think he’ll be back around June, but maybe they save him for July after that PPV and build him back for SummerSlam. They should book him as a face that beats Triple H up first. Then go for the title. He’ll get a huge face reaction. I’m so excited about him as a face as well as the potential matches he’s going to have.

8. Gary Lund
Does Roman Reigns remind you of a Samoan version of Diesel now?

Not at all. He’s about 8 inches shorter and he’s had more good matches than Diesel did. People are way too hard on Reigns. He’s not my favorite, but I like him.

9. Daniel Mount
What will they do with Sasha Banks and why isn’t she in the Women’s Title picture?

Probably just keeping her out of the mix for a couple of months and push her strong again. I like Natalya a lot and happy she’s finally in the title picture. Can’t push them all at the same time. It’s the Complain Era where people will complain about how they can’t push everybody lol. I love Sasha and think she’ll still have a lot of time in the spotlight. There’s just not enough time for everybody to be used all the time.

10. Jake Pumfleet
Who do you you think will take the belt away from Roman?

I hope it’s Kevin Owens later in the year when he cashes in MITB and then Owens goes into next WM as WWE Champ. Doesn’t mean it happens. Ambrose winning it from him would be a good story too. As I’ve said in the past, I think he’ll have the WWE Title for at least six months. Hard to know who may be at that top level at that point.

11. Eric Stuve
What happened to the the valet that was with Enzo and Cass in NXT? She was HOT (and you can’t teach that).

Enzo and Cass. It’s Carmella. She’s not a polished performer in terms of in-ring so I think they want to keep her in NXT to get her to improve. On Twitter she said she wants to win the NXT Women’s Title, so that’s another way to explain it too.

12. Diego J Amarilla II
With Anderson and Gallows attacking the Usos and Styles going against Roman what are the chances the Bullet Club with go against the Roman Empire?

Seems like a possibility although don’t see Reigns losing the title. Another short title reign would be really bad or him. I like not knowing and that there’s an element of surprise there.

13. Brigid Martinez
Since Bray is out (possibly) how would you book the Wyatt’s? Just keep them on the shelf? Or let the turn continue?

I’d keep the two guys (Strowman & Rowan) as a heel team. Harper’s out at least six months with a torn ACL. Let Bray be solo after. If it’s just a calf strain he should be fine within a few weeks, though.

14. James Tascar Mayhew
Who do you think was Vince McMahon’s best commentary partner(s)? Who was Gorilla Monsoon’s best commentary partner(s)? Who was Jim Ross’ best commentary partner(s)? Who was/is Michael Cole’s commentary partner(s)? Does Mauro Ranallo remind you of any previous WWE play by play announcers?Who’s the best heel color announcer right now, John “Bradshaw” Layfield or Jerry “The King” Lawler?

Holy announcer questions! We talked about announcers on the last podcast: https://tjrwrestling.net/tjrwrestling-podcast-25-talking-an-improved-wwe-raw-plus-announcers-past-present/

Vince with Jesse had great chemistry.
Gorilla with Bobby Heenan for sure.
JR with heel Lawler also Heyman in 2001.
Cole with Tazz I thought was his best partner.
Mauro reminds me of just a really good announcer. Similar to JR a bit.
I think JBL is probably ahead of Lawler, but I like Graves better than both.

15. Shay Smithers
What do you think of Kenny Omega if you’ve seen much of him? Do you think he could be NXT bound within a few years?

Pretty good, but signed a nice New Japan deal to stay there for a couple of years. He was in WWE developmental at one point, didn’t have a good experience and may never want to come back. I don’t blame him.

16. David Fonseca
Is David Otunga still wrestling?I haven’t see him in a long time.

Otunga works on the Raw pre-show. Not wrestling. I don’t think I’ve ever had somebody say they have missed him in the ring. Really good physique and an above average talker, but was limited in the ring.

17. Darrius Gaddy
Do you ever see wrestlers doing away with finishers all together within the next 5 to 10 years. Finishers are kicked out of so often and you have guys winning matches with more than one move such as AJ Styles. They lead up to big moments and pops but wrestlers are so versatile in their move sets it’s crazy.

Nope. Actually if you pay attention they have stopped kicking out of finishers since late last year. It’s been better. I don’t think you can get rid of finishers. They are a necessary part of telling a story in a match. It’s what the story of a match tends to build to and when people see a finisher, they should mark out.

18. Kelsey Graham
Would you be invested in a Nakamura/Orton feud? I could see them having great chemistry and we could get some really fun matches out of the pairing.

Sure. I’m in favor of Nakamura versus anybody. He’s the man.

19. Octavio Fierros
Hi John. What was your first and last WrestleMania mark out moment?

First is Randy Savage winning WWE Title at WM4. Last was Stone Cold this year partly because I was there and it was just a lot of fun to be a part of that ovation he received.

20. Danyo Ochoa
Can you see Brock working a program with Cesaro?

They should have done it a few years ago. I hope it happens. Not sure what they are going to do with Lesnar. He’s better as a heel, but the Suplex City thing has moved him into face zone.

21. Tim Shady Bone Mattox
Do you think LON should just split now? Or what would you do with them since Bray is hurt – the fued with The Wyatt Family is obviously done.

Yeah they’ll be done soon. Likely within a month or two. About six months as a group is pretty short.

22. Ed Luis Valentin
If Shaquille O’Neal does wrestle, would you prefer Shaq vs Show, Shaq and Show vs another team, or something not involving Big Show? Personally, I’d rather it be Shaq vs Show at SummerSlam, then Shaq and Show vs the Social Outcasts at WM33.

I think Shaq vs. Show is intriguing because of the size and the history they have. Why not? Would be fun. I’d be okay with it being a tag team match if they were able to find relevant wrestlers to be on their teams. That way you can build to a hot tag spot as a big deal.

23. Sven Vogt
What’s your opinion on Tye Dillinger? I enjoy him and his gimmick quite much, liked his match with Nakamura on nxt. Unfortuanly he seems to be the new Tyler Breeze since he got moved up to the main roster.

He’s a really good Canadian wrestler that has been around for a while. He was actually originally signed about a decade ago, then released and came back. I hope he finds a way to break through. He’s a talented guy for sure.

24. Kelsey Graham
Who do you believe will finally be the one to benefit from Brock Lesnar ending the streak? I thought that it would be Roman Reigns at WM 31 but we saw how that turned out. If it’s not gonna be Reigns, Ambrose or Rollins then who realistically on the roster can conquer the conqueror?

Roman will probably beat him because I think that’s a story you have to tell at some point. Maybe at SummerSlam because by then you could really build it up as a big deal.

25. Mark Tallentire
How would you introduce Bayley to the main roster, whenever that may be?

Pretty easy. I don’t think it will be difficult at all. Probably do it after Banks wins the title and be like “remember me?” Mention Bayley beat her for NXT Women’s Title last year and then they can rekindle the feud. Would be fun. I think around SummerSlam is most likely, but if it’s earlier then that’s cool with me.

26. Ben DarthYoda Dombek
Should they do Cena-Taker at SummerStam or try and wait for WM33?

Do it at WrestleMania. I’m not sure if Undertaker will still be wrestling, but I think it would be very appealing. They would have done it this year if Cena was healthy.

27. Tommy Mondschein
Heel/Face Bullet Club vs. Heel/Face Shield at SummerSlam?

Sounds good to me. All of them will probably be faces. Not really heels that much anymore, but whatever the role it would be fun.

28. Josh Rhodes
If you could put together a dominant faction using any 4 guys on the WWE roster, who would you use?

Owens, Cesaro, Rollins and Styles. Team Awesome. I dunno the name lol. I mean it’s not that hard to put together four of the best guys. Just no guarantee there’s chemistry or that it will work.

29. Greg Holman
Can Tyler Breeze make it big or forever enhancement?

I don’t know if he can make it big, but I don’t see him as a forever enhancement. Still has many years ahead. Get him in a tag team soon. Put him with Fandango. They would work as heel or faces.

30. Nick Watanabe
Chances Nakamura becomes first Japanese WWE Champion?

I hope it happens. I think he’s the best Japanese star they’ve ever had under contract and he will get over with the main roster crowd if they let him. Will Vince McMahon want a guy as champion that can’t speak English that well? That’s where I’m not sure. I’d do it. I’m not sure if Vince will.

31. Charlie Pérez
How long do you think TNA will last?

This might be the last year, but it depends on who the investor is and what kind of money that person has. Don’t know. I don’t want them to die. I just think the TNA name is damaged at this point while Dixie Carter probably isn’t the right person to be running a wrestling company. I think that’s pretty obvious.

32. John Marr
Because of Finns status as not “a brick shit house” do you see him main eventing on the main roster or just a big splash then mid card limbo? Also, who do you see in nxt and the indies making an impact in the wwe in the next 5-7 years.

Finn will get over because of the Demon thing especially. He knows how to play off the crowd. That entrance is so good. Plus he’s skilled in the ring.

I think Ricochet/Prince Puma, Zack Sabre Jr. and Will Osprey will be huge in the future. They aren’t big guys, but they are awesome. Another guy is Moose from ROH. He’s got the look that WWE will like. I hope other ROH guys like Jay Lethal and Adam Cole can be big stars in WWE too.

33. Paul Carreau
Historically speaking (other than the Austin/McMahon feud), what do you think the most significant angle/storyline has been for the WWE?

Hogan vs. Andre because WrestleMania 3 was the most important show in terms of growing the company and getting so many fans in a big arena. Huge turning point for them. Also WrestleMania 1 as well for obvious reasons with the main one being if it failed then the company may have died.

34. Ron Venturino
Bring back one WWE title that’s retired–what would it be, and who would have it?

None! They have enough and don’t even know how to book them right. See the US Title now. Can I say they should do King of the Ring again and actually book the winner in a positive way? That’s my pick.

35. Tyler Mills
What would WWE have done if by mistake, Santino accidentally eliminated Alberto Del Rio at the end of the Rumble a few years ago? For example if they were both on the outside apron and Del Rio fell outside of the ring. Would WWE actually go with Santino, or what?

I guess they would have. Not sure how what else they would have done. It’s not like it mattered since Del Rio worked the opening match at WM with Edge instead of something more important later in the show.

36. Deryl Parnell Jr.
When do you think Hideo Itami is coming back?

He teased something on Twitter and I believe he’s back in the ring training, so maybe a month or two? Been nearly a year since he’s been out with shoulder surgery. I miss him.

37. Shad Ilyas
Would you bring back Carlito to team up with his brother and Cousin as the antagonists to the new days act?

Sure. He’s in good shape and is a solid name that the WWE audience knows. He’s in his mid-30s and is a better talker than Primo & Epico are. Not bad for a three man group.

38. Brandon Quillen
With women’s wrestling growing in popularity in WWE now, do you think a women’s match will ever main event a ppv or Wrestlemania?

Does a NXT Takeover special count because I was at the one last October? I think a PPV is a maybe. I think a WrestleMania is unlikely. Then again Triple H and Stephanie have three daughters, so one of them probably will.

39. Kevin Alexander
Will the USOs ever turn heel? I think they would greatly benefit. With a bunch of new teams coming into wwe they need something to keep up with them and though they are favorites of childen i thinn there act is running dry.

One day they probably will, but they work really well as faces. I’m not sure if they’d be good as heels because they are typically smaller than their opponents and if you are smaller it’s natural to be a face. I think they need to tweak the act a bit, but I like them.

40. Josh Warner
How would you transition Stardust back to Cody Rhodes and to make him credible again?

I would have him do a promo after a loss saying “I did this Stardust thing to make me stand out and it worked for a while as I had success with my brother and then even got Stephen Amell to wrestle me. But for what? It didn’t get me anywhere. My name is Cody Freakin’ Rhodes (pause for reaction)…I said Cody Freankin’ Rhodes the son of the legendary Dusty and for the rest of my career I’m going to bring back that Rhodes name to make him proud.”

Then book him strong as a babyface maybe even as MITB winner. It would be an easy transition.

41. Rick Bulow
Do you ever see AJ Styles and Samoa Joe teaming in the future in WWE? Mayhap even Roode and Eric Young if Young comes to WWE?

Sure. All of those things are possible although I don’t see WWE mentioning TNA history, so it’s not like something they are going to harp on too much. I think Roode/Aries were amazing as a team in TNA (Dirty Heels), so it might be smart to revisit that.

42. Leo Carter
Do you honestly think The Rock buried Bray? Or do you think it helped his stardom? I personally feel that anyone who gets to do a segment with Rocky (whether they get the last laugh or not) gets a nice boost with popularity (like getting in the ring with Mayweather).

No The Rock did not. I don’t think I ever use the word bury in wrestling anyway. Some people are f’n crazy and overreact to everything. It didn’t hurt or help. Just a moment to pop the crowd. It worked in that sense.

43. Rob Platanitis
If they ever brought back the cruiserweight title,who would you see as the first champ?

I would pick a new signing and have him win it. Better somebody that’s new than somebody that has lost a lot of matches before. If they wanted to pick a guy that’s been on NXT before then Johnny Gargano would be a really good choice since he’s so talented. I don’t have a name of a non contracted NXT talent because I’m not sure when the thing is starting, airing or finishing, but Zack Sabre Jr. would be a wise choice there.

44. Roderick Walker
Why has their never been a Asian wwe world champion or ic champion?

I guess they haven’t felt like there was somebody good enough. Tajiri was pushed fairly well. Mr. Fuji was too as a tag wrestler back in his day. Yokozuna wasn’t really Japanese. I think Nakamura could be the guy.

45. Nicholas Pruner
Do you think that having all of these “indy darlings” in WWE is best for business for the casual viewer?

Sure why not? Better than more Kane vs. Big Show matches. They are signing some of the best guys from around the world. It will only make the shows better.

46. Steve Dorsett
Looking at the state of wrestling today, with the exception of John Cena, do you think there are any “megastars” on the current rosters. Those with the potential to break into the mainstream, like a Hogan, Rock, Austin etc.

I hope Seth Rollins does. I’m not sure if there is anybody. A guy like Austin came out of nowhere. He was a good midcarder in WCW that had star potential, but I doubt many people thought he’d be arguably the biggest star ever. It could be somebody that’s in WWE right now, perhaps a NXT guy or somebody not even there yet. It’s hard to tell right now.

47. Greg Holman
Can you see a wrestler holding a title for over a year again in the next few years? if so who, who do you think would be the guy to build prestige?

Roman Reigns might. Perhaps Seth Rollins. I’m not sure if it will happen, but those two are candidates.

48. Eric Hay
I know a lot of people are excited for all these guys coming into the company, but how angry do you feel the die hard fans will be when the more established company guys win? I know you say wins and losses don’t matter, but having guys who have never, or barely, been in the company defeating established stars be saying our guys aren’t on their level? Love the talent now just a thought. Thank you.

People will always have something to complain about. That’s just the nature of the business and the way fans are online. There’s so much talent right now that there’s no way to properly utilize everybody while also stocking the main roster with NXT ready talent as well. It’s such a difficult era for WWE in that regard.

I don’t care about wins and losses as long as they fit in with what they are trying to tell us in the ring. Just give us great matches with stories that makes sense. It works itself out that way.

49. Aj Giacobbe
What do you think the women’s division is heading in the next 6 months?

More big time matches like maybe some main events on Raw and things like that. Sasha will get the Women’s Title by SummerSlam. Bayley will be on the main roster. Maybe Asuka by then too. I’m excited about it.

50. Cory Chizek
Do you think the loss in the IC ladder match and the fact K.O. is not getting a rematch puts him at the top of the list for MITB?

Yeah I get the MITB question a lot. I think Owens, Zayn and Wyatt are the biggest favorites with Cesaro as another option. They can have Owens and Zayn feud the next two PPVs and then they’re ready for MITB. There are so many other choices too. AJ Styles would be an option as well. I think Cesaro could benefit from it greatly because he just needs something to really get him over the top. If they really get behind him then Money in the Bank would be perfect for his career.

51. Hyung Il Son
What was your best shortest match and worst longest match? Sometimes great workers make awesome matches even though very short time is given, while other matches are given over 20 minutes and just don’t click. Worst ones that I can think of is Lesnar vs Goldberg and Steiner vs HHH.

Short match Mysterio vs. Orton vs. Angle WM22 for World Title. Something like 9 minutes it was awesome. Wish it was longer. I remember some Owen vs. 123 Kid match mid-1990s too. Maybe 1994? I don’t know. It was like 6 minutes and special.

Yeah I agree with your worst choices. Some bad Undertaker matches in the 1990s too. The 1994 Rumble against Yoko stands out. He got better by late 1990s.

52. Joe Sondag
With women like Sasha, Natalya, Becky, Paige & others all deserving of holding the new Women’s Championship is this a good problem to have as the roster is deep or is it a problem ’cause you can’t push everyone as champion in the same amount of time?

Yes it’s a great problem. What sucks is it’s going to lead to endless “hey why aren’t they using this person?” questions like how they aren’t using Sasha now and I get why people ask it. Just the nature of the business. Can’t push them all.

53. Josh Burrus
With all the injuries happening do u think wwe needs to just do 3 shows a week? Ppv, raw and smackdown? Seems all the injuries happen on house shows or overseas tours.

No. House shows make money and are a way for many fans to get to WWE events. If you want to fuck over the fans then you would get rid of house shows. No reason to do that. The talent will be fine.

54. James Ferriman
Do you think King Barrett could’ve ever been a top tier heel? Do you think he should’ve been?

Absolutely. I mean he did main event PPVs in end of 2010 so he was there. I thought in 2011 they could have legitimized him and they did not. Daniel Bryan mentioned in his book that the company thought of having Barrett or Cody win 2011 MITB for SD, but they had a heel win on Raw with Del Rio so they went with Bryan who ended up being a heel soon after. Barrett had so much main event potential. He’s up there with MVP as a guy that I thought could have been bigger.

55. John C Hoddy
Will Sandow ever exceed comedy jobber status?

He should! I hope he’s on television regularly, but for whatever reason he isn’t able to break through. Listen to the fans. They care. I wish creative cared.

56. Geoff Landtbom
Do you think the triple threat for the Women’s Title at Wrestlemainia was the best women’s match in WWE history not counting NXT?

Yeah I think that’s a fair statement. Hard to remember them all. There have been some damn good ones non WrestleMania too. This year’s match really stood out to me, though.

57. Van Wilhoite
With all the trios+ around, do you think they’ll add a WWE 6 man tag team title belt?

No. They have enough titles. They can’t even book all the titles right. No need to add more titles. I say that all the time because I believe if you add more titles you’re only hurting the product because it will mean less time for the other titles.

58. Tim Behnken
How do you think the Global Cruiserweight Tournament will affect the booking of smaller guys, going forward? Do you see it becoming a fully developed division, or more of a feature attraction that only gets trotted out sporadically?

I think it will be its own thing as a featured attraction on WWE Network as a way to provide more content. I don’t see it affecting main roster too much except maybe giving a push to the winner.

59. Ryan Mullins
Do you think we’ll finally see The Shield triple threat at WrestleMania 33??

That would be nice. I hope they don’t do it before then. That’s the kind of match that needs to be saved until WrestleMania.

60. Joseph D Graves
My question may seem odd: why is the WWE bringing in new wrestlers when they are not properly using the guys that are already there?

Because the guys that are new are going to get bigger reactions than the ones that have been there for years and have been booked as losers for part of their careers. Plus, they have talent and it’s always good to add talent.

61. Ryan Cocke
How would you use Rollins when he comes back? Also what should be his finisher in your opinion? Thanks John!

Clearly a face when he comes back. Go after Triple H, which is why you can’t totally get Hunter off screen. Then go after title soon after.

I’m not sure what his finisher should be. I wish it was the Curb Stomp because I love it. I’m not sure if doing the Pedigree will last past his feud with Triple H. He’s such a good worker that I’m sure he can come up with something. Not like guys like us should be telling Seth Freakin’ Rollins what to do!

62. Ryan Petrynka
How would you solve the epidemic of all of the injuries in WWE?

It’s bad luck. Shit happens. They aren’t working any more than the guys in the Attitude Era. The guys in the 1980s were working more dates too. What they could do is give guys a scheduled month off. By that I mean let them have live events off for one month, but still book them for Raw & SD. That way they might wrestle only 3 or 4 times in that month instead of 12-15 times. Maybe take them off completely for 2 or 3 weeks at a time. There are ways to conserve their bodies a bit better.

People that think they should have an offseason don’t understand the business or how the company has contracts that prevent them from doing such a thing. Not to mention the money losses that would occur.

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That’s all for now. I’ll do another Q&A on here soon. It’s probably not going to be a weekly thing, but I enjoy doing it.

Thanks for reading and supporting us here at TJRWrestling!