Volume I, Number 17
*I'm going to answer 5 questions each week. If for some reason YOUR questions doesn't get answered, don't worry. I save all the questions I don't answer for a later date, so if it's slow one week, I'll have something to fall back on. If YOU would like to respond to one of MY answers, feel free to do so at the e-mail link at the bottom of the page.
*I know I'm a day late, but I've got some really good questions. And also, I finally remembered to watch WCW Worldwide this week, and saw "The Professor's Pick" classics segment. Just my luck the week I tune in I get a video package on The American Males, and the match from Souled Out '97 (?) between Bagwell and Scotty Riggs. Thanks, WCW.
QUESTION ONE
Dogg asks..."Do you think it's a godd move by WCW to put Sid Vicious in the Starrcade Main Event?"
BPP: I promised you all Sid Vicious, and I'm delivering Sid Vicious. Fundamentally at its core, putting Sid Vicious in this match against World Champ Scott Steiner is a good idea. However, if I may borrow a phrase from Sid Vicious himself, this is the "wrong place, wrong time." This is Starrcade, the crown jewel of the WCW PPVs, or "New Year's Eve" on the WCW Creative Calender. The wrestlers in the Main Event of Starrcade should either be the top two wrestlers in the company, or the wrestlers involved in the #1 feud. Steiner/Vicious doesn't meet either of those criteria. Basically, Starrcade snuck up from behind and surprised the WCW Creative Team, and they were left with very few options. That being said, I think Sid is an excellent first challenger for Steiner. He has some (even if limited) name appeal, and from a storyline perspective, has some claim to the World Title, having been "screwed out of it" in April. As much as I was pushing for Steiner/Goldberg to headline Starrcade 2000, having Sid fill the void allows a much better build-up to a potential Steiner/Goldberg World Title Match sometime in 2001, perhaps even as late as Bash at the Beach. What I think should go down at Starrcade is have Steiner absolutely punish Vicious, thus establishing his credibility as a killer World Champ, then let Steiner run with the belt while Goldberg plows through "The Streak: 2", leading up to his 177th Match...a World Title bout with Scott Steiner.
QUESTION TWO
Bischoff asks..."What do you think of the 'old guard' gradually being brought back into WCW? I say there's no sense having established names sitting at home (unless their initials are HH) and collecting a paycheck while there is young and hungry talent that needs a rub."
BPP: I chose to follow up wiht this question because it's indirectly related to the one about Sid Vicious. Personally, I try not to discriminate or categorize based on age, rather I want WCW to use guys who can give them something in return, be they 25 or 55. Focusing on that, there are members of the "old-guard" who WCW can use to their advantage. As much as I put him down in a previous edition of "The Chronicles", DDP can still go, even though nobody knows his true age. Bringing him back into the fold was a good idea. Sid Vicious was a conditional good idea. I think he's good in the role he's playing, but I really don't think he'll do much for any other wrestler. Would the fans take Reno, for example, any more seriously if he were to pin Sid Vicious? Working a program with Vicious just doesn't mean a whole lot to the average fan, I imagine. Lex Luger is a similar case. While he gets very little heat, amazingly he's more over than Sid Vicious. His name still carries a little credibility with the marks, but good luck if you're a young wrestler who thinks Luger will put you over. He barely jobbed to Goldberg, of all people, at Halloween Havoc. Let's see him sell for Chuck Palumbo. Kevin Nash also stradles the fence. For his mic skills and crowd heat alone, he's worth putting on television. But keep him out of the ring. He doesn't sell, he doesn't job. Hell, he doesn't even jog. I'd almost be willing to put 10 bucks on the fact that when Nash and Page finally drop the Tag Team Belts, it will be Page who lies down for the 1-2-3. To sum this up a little, it would be nice if the "old guard" would be willing to come back and give a rub to some young guys. I'd bet Page is willing to do that, and Flair is already doing that with guys like Mike Sanders. However, WCW has to be very careful with how they bring these old stars back, and what their attitudes will be like if they are brought back. If everyone involved can reach a happy medium, than I'm all for it, but I'd just assume have WCW cut guys like Sid and Luger if they're going to be hostile to the backstage environment.
QUESTION THREE
"The Nature Boy" James B. asks..."After a failed heel turn and the resultant lessening of his heat, do you think Goldberg can ever be as big as he once was?"
BPP: Yes, but there are a lot of outside factors that will play a part in it, factors Goldberg can't directly control. It's obvious the Goldberg heel turn was a terrible decision, and it came at a very bad time. Goldberg's popularity had already shrunk significantly due to the injury he suffered in January. When you can't wrestle, and you're not on TV, your heat starts to fade. What WCW needs to due is gradually build him back up to being the #1 focus of the company, at least on the "face" side. I know there are a lot of people out there who would disagree with me, but I think "The Streak: 2" is a good idea. The crowd always did, and still do, get fired up to see Goldberg when they knew he was about to punish some poor mid-carder for his past transgressions. It plays to out basic instinct. I think repeating that to an extent isn't a bad way to go. You get to follow Goldberg as he climbs back up the ladder, eventually getting his World Title shot. The only downside I see to it is that with WCW's thinned-out roster, 176 is going to be a long way to go. We all joked that they'd have to bring Glacier back to job to him 8 or 9 times. Who's joking now?
But like I said, there will be a major factor that affects his popularity, a factor he's not directly responsible for. In wrestling, a man is only as big as the company he works for. Case in point: Rob Van Dam. RVD is an ECW icon. He's probably more over than anyone has ever been in that company. However, if he were to show up on Nitro on Monday, he would most likely get the same reaction Mike Awesome got 8 months ago: "Who the Hell is this guy? He from the Power Plant?" The same principle applies to Goldberg. WCW just isn't as big as it was when he was first starting out. Now, a Goldberg resurgence may help WCW become a more popular company, but he can't do it alone. If Goldberg of 2000 wants to be the Goldberg of 1998, he needs to have the support of an organized front office, and a hard-working, contented locker room. Right now, both of those are in the planning stages.
QUESTION FOUR
Lyfe Style asks..."Do you think WWF interviews come off better than WCW ones because of the writing, or is there another reason?"
BPP: Writing may play a part in it, but I think the biggest reason is that the WWF has more people who are comfortable on the microphone than WCW. I know it sounds lame, but practice makes perfect. Case in point: Chris Benoit. He cut some seriously bad promos in WCW in the pre-Russo era, mainly because he hardly ever cut promos. During Russo's tenure, his promos started to improve, mainly because he was starting to get a lot of attention on camera, and was getting mic time. Today, his promos still aren't that great, but he can at least get through them, primarily because the more times you do something, the better you get. Let me put it this way: No matter where he cuts a promo, Ric Flair will always sound incredible. No matter where he cuts a promo, Lex Luger will always sound like a primate. Writing may make a difference for wrestlers who are on that "middle-ground" where they sound OK if they say the right things, but for the most part, I think you've got it, or you don't.
QUESTION FIVE
Triple H asks..."Are you as jubilant as I think you are now that Scott Steiner is the WCW World Champion?"
BPP: Ya damn right I am! I know there are pople who disagree with me and think that Steiner shouldn't be Champion, and I think there are always reasons why (Individual X) shouldn't be Champion. However, I think Steiner as Champion may be one of the better business decisions WCW ever makes. In a time where WCW needs solid on-screen leaders in their storylines, Scott Steiner is a #1 Heel you can set your watch to. With all due respect to Jeff Jarrett, who I think is an excellent heel and an excellent wrestler, he's got nothin' on Steiner. Simply put, Scott Steiner is a "money player". He's a guy who you can book in PPV Main Events and crowds are going to be interested in. With Booker T holding the belt for a long run, it was time for a Heel Champ to shift things around. Finally, for the first time in his career, it was "right place, right time" for Scott Steiner. I hope he has a strong first Title Run, and I'm sure it won't be his last.
*That does it for this week. I'll be back again next week (hopefully on Sunday this time) with another edition of "The Mike Tenay Chronicles." Until next time, keep sending in those questions, as I will get to every one eventually. Later.
QUESTIONS AND RESPONSES!!!
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