TJR Q&A #63: The Angle/Corbin Match at WrestleMania, Favorite Promo Guys and More
Welcome to another edition of the TJR Q&A where I’ll cover a bunch of different wrestling topics based on questions asked by you, the wonderful TJRWrestling readers. The questions come from my Facebook page and they cover a variety of wrestling related topics. Let’s get right into it.
1. Roshan Sirjoosingh
Do you think the Angle vs Corbin is part of a story? Or does WWE genuinely think it will be a great match?
I think that’s going to be the match at WrestleMania as planned. I don’t think it’s going to be a great match. Kurt can’t really have great matches anymore at 50 years old. Nobody can defeat Father Time as they say. I think it’s a way to put Corbin over and have him brag about it for years to come.
Do I love it? No, not really. It’s certainly not like Ric Flair’s last WWE match against Shawn Michaels or Michaels’ last WWE match (as a regular) against The Undertaker. As long as Kurt gets the standing ovation after the match then that’ll make me happy.
Corbin will probably win and it will piss people off, but in Vince McMahon’s eyes, it may be something that helps Corbin truly become a top guy, which is what Vince wants out of it. I don’t know if it will work. That’s just the best way I can explain it from my perspective.
2. Tom Young
You’ve probably answered this before, who is your favourite wrestler ever, and who is your favourite right now? And why?
My top three all-time are Shawn Michaels, Steve Austin and Kurt Angle. They were just there as some of the best guys when I was really becoming a huge fan. My first favorite was Randy Savage when I started watching around 1986 at about six years old. If I had to pick out a fifth guy to round out that top five it would probably be Chris Jericho. As you can tell those choices, I like all around performers that can have great matches, cut great promos and have success as heels or faces. They are awesome.
My favorite right now is Daniel Bryan just because I love his style, I think his heel character is amazing and it’s easy to root for a guy like that who truly loves the business. He lost three years of his career and is back as the best in WWE. I love that redemption story. The others I like a lot would be Seth Rollins, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens and Ricochet. AJ Styles too. There’s a lot. It’s hard to narrow it down.
3. Will Russell
Will there ever be a WWE Canada title?
I don’t think it’s necessary. They already have too many titles. The NXT North American Title covers Canada too. With that said, if a Canadian heel were to win the US Title and re-name it the Canadian Title like Lance Storm did in WCW then I’m all for it. I’m also Canadian, so of course I’d like it!
4. Eric Overfield
What writer influenced your writing style the most?
Bill Simmons originally from his days on ESPN Page 2 (I’m talking about year 2000 when I was starting university), then on Grantland and now on The Ringer although he doesn’t write much anymore. I just liked his “Sports Guy” style as a regular guy kind of deal. I don’t think I should write about wrestling like it’s something too serious. I used to joke a lot more in my reviews and I should get back to that. It’s only wrestling. I think you have to keep it light hearted, which is something I always try to do.
5. Kris Pridgen
Do you call up The Undisputed Era and Velveteen Dream before or after Vince turns all of his focus on XFL?
The XFL launch is in about a year, so lots of time. I think those guys should be in NXT for another year. There’s no rush. If they get called up and do nothing on the main roster then it will be a waste of talent. Call people up with a plan in place. Don’t do the call up and expect some plan to magically appear. Planning is good.
6. Bobby Nunez
If you could interview any wrestler, alive or dead, who would it be?
Vince McMahon by far. I think it would be incredible to talk to him, pick his brain and get a better understanding of him.
Since he’s not a wrestler, I’d probably pick Steve Austin because he’s a favorite and he’s a fun guy. We interviewed Bret Hart on our podcast about five years ago and that was such a thrill for me.
7. Roderick Walker
What was your favorite WrestleMania of the 90s?
I would have to look at my WM reviews again to see what I rated the highest, but I think WM10 in 1994 was my favorite. After that is probably WM8 in 1992.
8. Brandan Kelly
What is one moment that really got you hooked on watching wrestling?
Randy Savage winning the WWF Title at WM4 in 1988. I marked out like it was a sports team winning a title. I was watching for a couple of years by then, but as kids, we’re all over the map and doing different things. I just remember that one so well and then jumping up and celebrating with my older cousins.
9. Timothy Mercer
Ok Mr. Canton we all know Kofi is going to face Bryan at Wrestlemania. My question is since Vince decided to turn this into a convoluted mess, how do you think they get to announcing the match logically now that Vince has basically done everything possible to stop it?
It will probably be something where New Day threatens to quit or they won’t leave the ring until Kofi gets Bryan at WM. Then maybe Hunter or Steph says Kofi deserves a shot, so Kofi beats somebody to earn the title match. I mentioned doing an “Occupy Smackdown” segment like Daniel Bryan’s “Occupy Raw” five years ago in my Smackdown review too.
The “how” doesn’t matter that much at this point since we all know the match is going to happen, which is awesome because of the fact that Kingston was nowhere near the title picture over a month ago, yet here we are. The match at WM will be great.
10. JD Robert
If Owen Hart didn’t tragically die, who would he have feuded with between 2000 and now?
I think he would have had so many great matches with the likes of Jericho, Angle, Guerrero, Benoit, Malenko, Saturn and then if he kept going a few more years then the likes of Cena, Orton, Lesnar, etc. The thing about Owen was he could work well as a face or a heel (he was better as a heel) and it didn’t matter if it was a smaller guy or a bigger guy because you know it would be a great match. If you read my WWF in 2000 reviews regularly then you know how fondly I think of that era and the roster improved a lot that year. Owen would have fit in perfectly.
I think Owen vs. Angle would have been special just like Bret vs. Angle could have been.
11. Matthew Toy
In storyline, why does Vince hate Kofi? Has it been explained or even hinted at?
They don’t really explain it well enough. Like, why is he that mad about Kofi getting a title shot? We don’t know. Some people think they might tease racism or something, but I don’t think that’s a smart route to take, which is why they have not gone in that direction. It could be explained better, but that’s WWE in a nutshell. They could explain a lot of things better.
12. Deryl Parnell Jr.
Do you see The Undertaker showing up at Wrestlemania as a surprise?
Yeah I think it’s very possible. In fact, I think he’ll be the one that beats up Elias.
13. Kyle Nickelson
Which match at NXT Takeover New York do you think will be the best?
I think it might be Dunne vs. Walter, but Gargano vs. Cole could be the standout since it’s the likely main event for the big title. Every match will be great. If I have to pick one, I’d go with Gargano vs. Cole. Love the lineup. It’s so hard to narrow it down and that’s a good thing for us wrestling fans. We are spoiled by how awesome NXT is.
14. Nate Kuhl
What wrestling outside of WWE do you watch at least on a semi-regular basis? About 6 months ago I started watching ROH and NJPW.
I watch NJPW a fair bit, but a bit behind to start the year. I haven’t kept up with Impact or ROH as much as I have in the past even though I do record them. What I’ll usually do is read an Impact review, see what the highlights were and watch that part of it. They have some great matches.
Since I write about current WWE and then write about WWF 2000 at least twice a week it’s tough to find time for anything else. I need wrestling breaks sometimes. Most of my non-wrestling viewing is basketball whether it’s NBA or college. I don’t even have Netflix anymore because I barely used it. I’ll probably sign up again after NBA Playoffs are over in June and then binge watched a lot of stuff. What I do is different than somebody that just watches WWE and forgets about it after it’s over. After I write, I try to reply to the feedback, I want to engage with the audience on social media, I am always thinking about ways to bring content to the site and so on. Sometimes, though, the mind needs a wrestling break.
15. David Dyer
Do you see WWE doing supershows in Europe similar to Saudi Arabia & Australia? This whole living 6 hours ahead of eastern standard time is killing me for shows like the Rumble & Wrestlemania and in this day of social media and such it’s just not as fun to watch the next day…then again I don’t have to deal with 5 hour shows either.
If a country paid WWE the way Saudi Arabia or Australia paid them then I’m sure WWE would do that. It’s up to the countries and the venues.
Keep in mind that WWE does do regular European tours every year too. I agree they should get a major PPV in England. I’ve said it for decades.
16. Rick Bulow
Which tag team from NXT would you like to see go up against Sasha and Bayley for the WWE Women tag titles?
I think Shirai and Sane would be an awesome match against Banks and Bayley. They are outstanding performers that have only shown a glimpse of what they can do.
17. Van Wilhoite
After the next superstar shakeup who do you predict will be the first to win a Singles title on their new brand?
Andrade sounds good to me. Huge fan of that guy as well as his pairing with Zelina Vega. Plus, Andrade is dating Charlotte Flair. He should let out a “woo” in celebration of that. Elias is another name that comes to mind because he hasn’t that many memorable moments in terms of matches. Put a title on him and see if it helps his career. I think it would.
18. Brian Kroening
In your best estimation, how many more years do you think John Cena is going to wrestle?
Up to him. Maybe less than 10 matches per year now that he’s in his 40s. Maybe even less than five matches per year since he’s so busy making movies. I remember about five years ago writing an article where I thought Cena would be close to full-time until 43 years old or so. This year he turns 42, he barely wrestled last year at 41 and I think that’s going to be the new normal for him. Good for him doing what he wants in acting, though. He had one of the longest runs as a main eventer in WWE history. I wish him the best.
19. Shay Smithers
This may be a little too early to call, but what are some big feuds you’d like to see in the summer season leading up to Summerslam?
I agree it’s too early, but I hope it’s the year where we get a Rollins vs. Styles rivalry. I’d like Rollins vs. Bryan too.
20. Mark Tallentire
Who are your top 5 promo guys of all time?
That’s very tough and I hate leaving people off, but a top five means you have to make tough choices. My picks would be The Rock, Ric Flair, Chris Jericho, Steve Austin and Dusty Rhodes in that order probably. Sorry Roddy Piper, he’s probably sixth.
21. Kevin C Staed
I know the WWE Hall of Fame is pretty much bs, but are there any glaring omissions that you see?
I’m happy for people that get in, but I don’t ever get into the arguments. I would have liked to see Vader get in before he died, though. They had him induct Stan Hansen yet where were they to call Vader to induct him? It would have been nice if Vader had that moment on that stage.
King Kong Bundy should have went in, but he ripped WWE for years, so that kept him out. Now he’s gone. The Steiner Brothers should have been in way before Harlem Heat, yet they are not because Scott ripped on Triple H for years. That’s the wacky wrestling business.
I think the Hall of Fame matters a lot to the superstars and I’m happy for that. It has flaws though, so people are always going to get worked up about it.
22. Rhiannon Rodriguez
If given the chance to improve something about WWE, what would it be?
I would shorten Raw to two hours because three hours is a bad thing, but they are paid a lot by USA Network, so that’s not going away. I just think it’s such a big negative because fans get tired when watching a show that is that long.
The format of the show could change too because the 10-15 minute promos to start nearly every Raw gets too repetitive.
I could easily write about 10,000 words on this topic. Maybe one day I will.
23. Aneil Komal
Do you miss seeing blood in wrestling?
Sometimes yes, but I watch enough retro stuff regularly that I get enough of it lol. I think it helps tell a story. Like, when you think of Austin/Hart WM13 without blood it wouldn’t be the same. Due to the blood, it made the match extra special because of the visual we got to see with Austin screaming and then passing out with the blood on the face.
24. Francisco Andrade
Which is the worst match in a great ppv, you know, the one that really lowers the overall quality of the event? And the best match in a really really bad ppv?
Since it’s WrestleMania season, those shows come to mind right away. Chyna vs. Ivory at WM17 (the best WWE PPV ever in my opinion) is pretty bad, but it fit the story with Chyna getting revenge.
Best match in a really bad PPV there’s a lot, but I think Hart/Austin at WM13 stands out. It’s a shitty show lol.
25. Michael DeFilippi
Would you rather receive the stink face from Rikishi or be on the receiving end of Bastion Booger’s finishing move?
Booger one, I guess. Stinkface is awful.
===
I think we’ll end it on that smelly note. There were enough questions that I think I’ll be able to post a part two tomorrow as well. Thanks to everybody that participated. Check out our Q&A archives here as well.