In the first edition of the “Editor’s Mailbag,” PWP Nation’s Chief Editor Eron Ramadanov goes though the Powerhouse mailbag to answer your burning questions on today’s world of Professional Wrestling.
Welcome to the first installment of the “Editor’s Mailbag,” where PWP Nation‘s Editor-in-Chief Eron Ramadanov goes through his personal mailbag, where you (the readers) sent in some burning questions that you want answered.
If you’d like to send in a question, you can tweet us @PWPNation or @Eron_PWP. Not a fan of Twitter? No problem; you can also send in your questions to Eron personally at ERamadanov@gmail.com!
December is usually a down-period for professional wrestling, especially in WWE, but there are still some questions that need answering before the end of the year, as we approach the road to WrestleMania.
So with that being said, let’s begin:
Question #1: How do you suppose Tommy Dreamer received clearance to wrestle, but Daniel Bryan hasn’t?
Great question. I was wondering the same thing when he returned to join the Dudley Boyz. Well, there’s always the conspiracy theory that WWE is intentionally keeping Daniel Bryan out so they can protect Roman Reigns as the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion. I don’t necessarily buy that.
But I believe that WWE doest’t want Bryan to return for the simple reason that they don’t trust his body and health. If he returns, fans will once again get behind him and force WWE’s hand to pushing him to the moon because of the lack of star power and top babyfaces in the company at this moment.
WWE has a reputation of once a talent proves to be “injury prone,” they then become disinterested in pushing said talent because of the worry of them getting hurt again; WWE’s hates wasting time and money most of all.
As for Tommy Dreamer, I’m not sure exactly how he received clearance to wrestle, when he’s had reportedly over 15 concussions in his lengthy and storied career. The only thing I can think of as to why he was cleared to wrestle is because Daniel Bryan has had several concussions under WWE’s umbrella, whereas Dreamer has sustained most (maybe all) of his concussions away from WWE, so there is no real documentation for how many concussions Dreamer has sustained. So when WWE goes to evaluate him, they only have a small amount of concussions on file, where as Daniel Bryan has suffered several concussions and injuries under WWE’s banner. I’m grasping at straws, here.
Look, I like Daniel Bryan; he’s probably the only WWE contracted talent that is legitimately over with the universal fanbase, but he needs to think about his future. It’s been said that Bryan and Brie Bella want to have kids, and it should be a concern for Daniel to stay healthy to be there for his family for decades to come. It’s not really my place, obviously, to say that, but it’s true.
I’d be interested to see Daniel Bryan in a commentator or trainer role. He’s was fantastic on WWE Tough Enough, and seems to have good things to say, so I’d be all for Daniel Bryan converting to the broadcast booth or working full-time down at NXT.
Question #2: How would you book Roman Reigns going into WrestleMania 32 and beyond?
It’s never easy to book a World Champion, especially one that has had a difficult time of getting over with the hardcore and die-hard fans. With Roman Reigns, it’s simple. Treat him like a badass, who doesn’t give a crap about the power of the Authority or what people think of him. Keep his promos short and sweet, with NO John Cena-like smiling.
Also, something that is critical to his success is that WWE creative need to refrain from making his look like “just another guy” when it comes to going head-to-head with the Authority, most notably Stephanie McMahon. I’m someone that has been very critical and harsh on the “principal owner of WWE,” when it comes to interacting with top talent that they are so desperately trying to get over. Something WWE needs to have some foresight on is not allowing Stephanie McMahon to make Roman Reigns looks like everyone else that has come against the Authority.
A perfect example of this is the week after Reigns won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and appeared in front of Stephanie, where they kicked off the show. Stephanie McMahon slapped him over 10 times, where in all honesty was unnecessary. It made Roman look weak. With stuff like this, WWE has to understand that the main goal is to get Roman Reigns over, not Stephanie McMahon; she’s already over.
As for long term, some possible opponents are John Cena, Brock Lesnar, Triple H and even Seth Rollins when he returns from injury. But as for now, continue to have him run all over everyone he comes into contact with. Book him more like Daniel Bryan or ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin instead of John Cena or Hulk Hogan. It’s that simple.
Question #3: What do you think is in store for Sami Zayn in NXT and in the future on the WWE main roster?
We saw Sami Zayn make his amazing return at the NXT London tapings where he successfully defeated the “Perfect 10,” Tye Dillinger. Even though we saw a successful return, honestly, I’m concerned for Zayn’s long term future.
I said on “Main Event Madness” in December that I’m worried about these so-called, “indy journeymen” that worked on the Indies for so long, and have finally made it to WWE, but their bodies have broken down to the point where they can’t handle the grid of the WWE calendar. Sami Zayn falls into this category where I’m not sure if his body can take the WWE lifestyle. I hope it can, because I’m such a huge fan of his and he is and was one of the best things about NXT on a week-to-week basis.
As for his future in NXT, I can easily see him having a long and tough journey back to the NXT Championship, which would allow Finn Balor to move up the main roster, which has been reported by this very website. I think with the production value of NXT/WWE and the already built-in story of Sami Zayn’s recovery, it would be a huge angle to shoot going into NXT Takeover: Dallas.
As for long-term in WWE, there has been so much talk about Zayn rekindling his feud with Kevin Owens, but this time on the main roster. Of course that’s a possibility, but I’m not so sure if Vince McMahon will take Zayn seriously and if he’ll treat the Owens/Zayn feud seriously. Only time will tell what’s in store for Sami, but I’m certainly glad to see him back in NXT and I hope that he can stay healthy for the long-run.
Question #4: Recently on “The Ross Report,” Vince Russo made some comments about Kevin Owens‘ star power and look. What are your thoughts on Russo’s views?
This entire story is insane and I’m getting hot just thinking about it. Look, I’m a die-hard Kevin Owens fan. I really like the guy and think that he has everything a top heel should. He has incredible promo ability and has a quick wit; as for his in-ring work, it’s hard to find someone with his level of versatility and range that Owens has. He does a lot of little, subtle things that we don’t EVER see anymore in WWE, which is refreshing. He’s a throwback; yes, he has his flashy moves, but he has incorporated an old-school, brawling style and has added some flash. Kevin Owens is probably WWE’s most unique main-event level talent.
As for Vince Russo, I think he might be stuck in the 1990s. He clearly has a certain vision for what a “star” is suppose to look like and that’s exactly the outdated and ridiculous perspective that has held guys like Daniel Bryan back. Saying that Owens’ is “too fat” to be a star is absurd; it’s the same as saying Daniel Bryan or Ethan Carter III are too short to be World Champions. Defining what makes a star based on appearance is insanity. You can’t tell people what a star looks like. The people will determine that. People connect with superstars and divas that look and sound like them. Owens looks like a tough guy that you’d see at the bar. He’s a prizefighter, who doesn’t fit the typical mold of a “superstar.” That’s a good thing; that works in 2015… sorry to break it to you, Vinny but you are way off on this one.
The “he doesn’t look like a star” view is exactly what people (including Vince Russo) criticize Vince McMahon about all the time. If someone is too short, or too fat, or has big ears, they aren’t “star material.” That’s exactly the type of bogus thinking that doesn’t have room in modern-day professional wrestling and is exactly why every wrestling promotion won’t touch Vince Russo with a 10-foot pole and why Vince McMahon’s philosophy on professional wrestling has become out of touch with what fans want in a sports entertainment product.
In 2015, the definition of “star material” has changed. Wrestling is always evolving and today, fans accept guys like Kevin Owens. Deal with it.
Thanks for reading, everyone. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them in the comments section below or interact with us on social media!