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From: Boogared
hi I'm a long time fan of the site. My question is about Tough Enough. I am from the UK and last autumn they showed Tough Enough on Sky 1. I thought it was a great series as it took a look at the other side of wrestling. Anyway my question is, are there any plans to show Tough Enough 2 or 3 in the UK and if not where can I buy them?

I looked into this a little, and I it doesn't seem that Sky 1 have Tough Enough 2 or 3 on their current schedule, but that doesn't mean much. I know the WWE have released the DVD of Tough Enough 1, so I can't see why they wouldn't release TE2 shortly and TE3 sometime in the future.

From: Mathayus
Hey guys, feel free to answer these 2 quesitons, (1) Is Austin coming back, and if so do you think he will be back for Royal Rumble, (2) If you can remember the day Vince made his speech to Austin he 1st came out to NWO music and said that we have heard that music for the last time, What is the reason for that, One week NWO is carrying the WWE and the next week they just end the NWO. I am not sure if it was Austin's problem that cause this or because Hall left again. Thanx guys, and you have a great site. PS: Is Brock Lesnar ever going to lose a match? I am getting tired of seeing this guy beating the hell out of everyone its getting really old.

1. Austin could be back next month, or he could never come back. It's one of those weird situations where both the WWE and Austin need to make some steps towards reconciliation before we can even start to talk about a 3:16 return. There are currently no plans for Austin to return at the Royal Rumble and it's impossible to predict at this point. But how cool would it be if Austin turned up in the 30 man Rumble?
2. The WWE gambled big time on the nWo and they lost. In their defence, it wasn't completely their fault. Kevin Nash went down with a couple of injuries, Scott Hall was a loose unit who simply couldn't meet the commitment of employment with the WWE and X-Pac started making noises about being unappreciated and parted ways with the WWE. So the storyline was grounded before it ever really had a chance to take off. As for Vince McMahon stating "that's the last time you'll ever hear that music", well, Vinnie Mac always did have a bit of a dramatic flair. He reminds me of me sometimes - dramatic flair and a bad temper.
3. Brock Lesnar will lose because sooner or later everyone loses. Undefeated characters like Goldberg and Lesnar get boring because you know they're going to win every match. Why bother watching?

From: Bobmo
did anybody see/hear Rico telling Jeff to Hurry up when he was on the top rope ready to back flip onto Bubba Ray in their match at Suvivor series?

I saw that. Also, when RVD landed on Triple H after his huge frog splash you could hear the referee say to Triple H "Are you okay?" and Triple H said "NO!"

From: Oliver Scott
The WWE quality has taken a bad fall since 2002. The current trend sees a good PPV coming along once in a while (Royal Rumble, SummerSlam, Survivor Series) which gets some positive comments for a while but then the WWE fall back to square one and fall back down the ladder. What will it take to secure the positive remarks from the fans? What will it take for the WWE to put out three quality PPV's in a row?

Are you suggesting that in 2000 and 2001 every single PPV was gold? I don't think so. 2002 is no different to any other year. There were some great PPV's and some stinkers. I ordered Survivor Series and Summerslam this year, and I saw borrowed someone else's tape of Wrestlemania and the Royal Rumble so they're really the only ones I can comment on. Ever since the WWE went from 5 PPV's a year to 12 they've struggled to produce quality every month. I'd be interested to see the statistics on how many PPV's a year people order. I can't imagine that too many people order all 12. I can't remember the last time the WWE produced 3 quality PPV's in a row and quite frankly, I think it's really hard to set up exciting PPV matches based on 4 episodes of Raw and 4 of Smackdown. That would be a little like watching 4 episodes of a television show and then producing a movie and expecting people to pay for the privilege of seeing it. It just doesn't work. Maybe the answer to t! he WWE's problems lies in having only 6 PPV's a year rather than 12. But I guess it must be economically viable for them to run 12 PPV's a year or they just wouldn't do it.

From: Keith Williams
Just thought I'd send something for ya'all to chew on. I was talking witha friend of mine about possible scenarios for Survivor Series. One of the things I suggested was giving HBK(sorry, Shawn Michaels. HBK is dead..right?) the belt. WWE could do this for several reasons. 1. The general quick spike in ratings the WWE is so fond of. 2. No one really knows how long HBK will last, he's done alot for the company and he deserves one last hurrah ala Hogan. 3. As was stated by Rajah, Trips may not have been willing to lay down for anyone else. 4. It gives plenty of time for Shawns popularity to wear off. Why is this important? If he defends the title against Trips at armageddon, and then turns heel, it will conviniently be in time for No Way Out. I know, so what right? Here's the kicker, if you were Bret Heart, and Vince offered you a chance of redemtion at a PPV in Montreal against HBK, even if it was a one spot deal, could you really turn it down? Just something I'd toss your way. Love the site, its the only place I read on the WWE.

I adore Shawn Michaels, but giving him the belt was a strange thing to do. 1. Very possible, but then I'm not sure how many current WWE fans knew Shawn Michaels from 4 years ago. If the fan base is 50% new fans, 50% old (I think the split is more like 70/30 but I'm being generous) then the spike in the ratings won't be all that high. 2. HBK has done a lot for the company and giving him the title was nice, but you can't run a company on "nice". Plus, we all know he can't hold it for long so it seems a little pointless. I was hoping RVD would walk out of the Elimination Chamber with the title and was ultra-surprised when he was the first guy kicked out. 3. I really have to talk to Rajah about fanning the flames of the "Triple H Conspiracy Theory". If Triple H was told to lie down for someone, anyone, he would. He's not that powerful. 4. I feel a Shawn Michaels heel turn coming on. In my fantasy he and Triple H join forces and Chyna comes back and the DX music plays and...dream on Aree.
Bret Hart vs Shawn Michaels is very tempting, but I don't think Bret is in any shape to wrestle. The man had a stroke. Even if he could wrestle, he isn't going to reach the excellence of execution standard again. But it sure gives a person something to think about. And as Vince McMahon is so fond of saying, anything can happen in the WWE.

From: BillyBobGandhi
Hands down, best site on the web. I know you are entitled to your own opinion and all, but every week when i see your News & Rumors report, you always seem to be jocking Smackdown brand. In my opinion, both shows need a lot more work. Smackdown is no more "solid" than RAW...Brock Lesnar (especially without Heyman) really isn't all that amazing, and Stephanie MacMahon stinks as a face....i do agree, Smackdown has a good group with stars like Benoit, Misterio, Angle, Eddy Guerrero, i just think objectivity rather than personal bias would be a lot more constructive in that section...

I really don't know what to say to this except that I genuinely do like te Smackdown! brand more than the Raw brand and generally speaking, I genuinely do feel that they have a far more entertaining show than Raw does. I assume most fans tune into wrestling to see either a) good wrestling matches or b) enticing storylines or c) both. Smackdown! always seems to have at least one good to great match and the storylines don't seem like they have some continuity. I don't think Raw can say the same thing as we know pretty much know the pecking order: Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Kane and then the guys who can't seem to break through the "glass ceiling" in Rob Van Dam, Booker T and Chris Jericho. I don't know about anyone else, but apart from the fact that the wrestling isn't as good, I certainly don't want to see Triple H or Shawn Michaels winning every single month. This past week was a perfect example - WWE could have done something meaningful with the RVD/HBK match...but what do they do? Have Triple H run in, have the match end in controversy and basically set up HHH/Shawn AGAIN. What happens to Rob Van Dam? Nothing!

From: Sam
Great site, i was just wondering how long it will take them to realise that this split in the roster doesn't work. They are losing ratings and the matches are getting really stale as of late. do you think they might murge the two at the Royal Rumble.

I highly doubt it. The McMahons see the brand extension as they like to call it a long term investment. Unless something goes horribly wrong in the new year, I think they will remain split into the Raw and Smackdown! brands.

From: Frank McCormick
Hey, Rajah and Aree. To my knowledge, Pat Patterson is the only openly gay wrestling personality. Was he always out or did it occur after his retirement from the ring? Or was he forced out by that lawsuit way back when?

I'm not totally sure, but I believe he has always been openly gay, at least whilst in the wrestling business.

From: Mike
Has the PTC given up with their fight with Vince and Co., or is it just not reported as heavily as before?

They pretty much have. WWE took legal action against them for several false accusations and were victorious. As a result of the court ruling, PTC had to issue a public apology and probably won't be bothering WWE again anytime soon.

From: Oliver Scott
I am shocked to see that Angle is still feuding with Edge. This year, Angle has only main evented one PPV and apart from that, he has been putting over Edge and having matches with people who are not at his standards. After his fantastic match with Rey Mysterio at Summer Slam, Angle proved he could wrestle and have great matches from one extreme style to the next. So why isn't he headlining main events? I think he's doing great in the tag division right now, but his old feud with Benoit keeps coming back. Angle and Benoit have had countless good matches but it is getting a little old now. Angle is the best wrestler in the WWE right now. He's un-selfish, professional and his promos are a hell of a lot better than HHH's. There had better be a mega push lined up for Angle before he leaves for the olympics. And speaking of the olympics, when Angle takes a break from the WWE to get ready for that, the WWE will be a far less entertaining place with out him.

I have to agree with you - I have long belived that Kurt Angle is the best all-around wrestler and entertainer in WWE, moreso after the Rock and Steve Austin were taken off of TV. What makes him so valuable to WWE is that he is extremely versatile in that he can wrestle with just about anyone (and put on a good match at that), churn out some great interviews and he is equally as effective being a face or a heel. The speculation right now is that Angle will NOT be going to the Olympics and if that is true, you can expect him to face Brock Lesnar in the new year and more than likely have a lengthy reign as WWE champion. In a way, WWE is trying to save that for the more important times of the year, ie. Wrestlemania.

From: MlSTERMORDRlD
Someone told me that Big Show's actual height is 6"11 as opposed to 7"2 which WWE.com has him listed at. Is this true?

I have heard this too a bunch of times, including that Show is actually shorter than Kevin Nash when both are barefoot. I don't know how you find out except by asking him, but I would guess Show is around 7' and in the high 400lb range.

From: Paneleiro
Out of the recent farm league call-ups (Randy Orton, Batista, Cena, etc.) who would you consider the most impressive? Who do you think has the better future in WWE?

After a semi-long think, I'd have to say John Cena. I think his mic skills are far superior to that of Orton or Batista and he's probably just as good a wrestler as Orton and better than Batista. I like how you differentiated between the most impressive and the one having the best future because as we all know, they are two different things. I'm not certain any of them will become a main eventer or anything, but Orton has a very good ring presence while Batista has the size that Vince always loves when deciding on who to push and who not to. Ultimately, I'll stick with Randy Orton because I'm far from sold on Batista. In fact, there are some people within the industry who feel that if Nathan Jones ever makes it to WWE TV, he will grab the spot or niche if you will, that everyone envisions for Batista.

From: autophobian
Hey, love the site and keep up the great work. My question is whatever happened to Perry Saturn? It seemes that right after the "moppy" angle (a personal favorite!) he feel of the sides of the earth. Was he let go?

Yup. He got injured and then consequently released...well, technically he didn't get released, but his contract was not re-newed; end result is the same.

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