Ask 411 Wrestling 11.06.13: Paul Heyman, Bill Goldberg, AJ Styles, Triple H, More!

Before you read another word, I want to say that the end of this column will feature a huge, huge, HUGE announcement.

Stay tuned! Don’t scroll down to the end just yet (don’t do it!). Thankfully, the Monday Night Football game was great between Green Bay and Chicago. It is always a privilege to be live at Lambeau Field. The Packers and Bears both have good players, so it was nice to see that in person.

As for the wrestling side of things, WWE continues its build to Survivor Series. All the while, TNA Impact Wrestling continues to be the butt of the jokes, but that is the usual for 2013. I am looking forward to seeing where both companies are come January 2014 or even the next couple weeks. Get ready…

BANNER!

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Backtalking

I ASK You Response: Props to Johnny – he was kind enough to email me some things:

1. How much did the movie play into the creation of the Powers of Pain as a tag team?

Probably none. The movie came out in 1986, and Warlord and Barbarian didn’t team until about late 1987. They were thrown into a feud with The Road Warriors and advised by Ivan Koloff, who had past kayfabe heat with the Warriors. Also, Warlord and Barbarian feuded violently with each other just prior to teaming up. They were likely another “Road Warrior Rip-Off” like Demolition. Something successful tends to get copied, and hey, two heads are better than one, right? Moreover, at this time, feeding off of the success of the Warriors, there was a theme of tag-team aggression, the Warriors style being imitated by many teams, i.e. The Nasty Boys, The MOD Squad, Demolition, The Master Blasters (w/ pre-Diesel Kevin Nash), etc.

2. As the movie came out right at the same time Demolition debuted, did the use of the name Axe as one of the Cannibals cause any problems with McMahon? I know he was particularly controlling of the Demolition copyright later.

I don’t think so; I used to read the Aptermags all the time back then, and I saw no heat from the WWF. The movie was released direct-to-video, so it was probably “under the radar”, and not a concern to Vince. I don’t think anyone ever tried to connect Ax (Bill Eadie) with Axe the Cannibal. Plus, our society was not so “lawsuit-crazy” as now.

3. The movie also makes use of the term “Rock n’ Wrestling” which Vince had used about the same time. Were there any copyright fights over the use of this name?

Pretty much the same as above. The movie also starred Roddy Piper, who, at the time, was in Vince’s employ. Vince had to clear Roddy to star in the movie, so it would seem that he made an attempt to find out about the movie’s content; don’t take this as Gospel, but Vince may have seen the movie as a marketing tool and relished the opportunity for any positive publicity he could get. It’s a business, and he’s always seen wrestling as something far bigger, like entertainment, show-biz, etc.

Credit to Johnny for the wonderful response!

Reminder: As warned last week, this column may be a little out of date. It was finished three days ago.

Your Turn, Smart Guy…

Last week, I asked about the Survivor Series 2005 main event. As of press time, there was only ONE reply. People are not even trying to comment on the content anymore. Not surprising – it is much easier to insult behind a computer screen and fake user name. However, Shucky Ducky Quack Quack did participate. He (or she) was correct with this answer: Survivor Series 2005: HBK, Big Show, Carlito, Kane, Masters vs Batista, Rey, Orton, JBL, Lashley. I think that was the final time where it actually meant something to do a Raw vs. Smackdown main event, but that is just my opinion. Either way, props for the right answer!

No question this week. Keep reading to find out why! My major announcement will reveal everything…

Questions, Questions, Who’s Got The Questions?

Let’s start like we do most weeks – taking a look at the best posts from the comment section without any cuss words or insults. Trust me, there were a few out there!

Joe: While I agree that it is unquestionable that Hogan and Austin belong on the Mt. Rushmore of American wrestlers, I don’t understand how you can say The Rock doesn’t qualify.

American Mount Rushmore.

That was the question last week. Notice Andre the Giant and Bruno Sammartino also did not qualify – they were not born in the United States. The Rock was born in this country, I get that…but does The Rock count as 100 percent American? I suppose he might. However, others would argue his bloodline, family, yada, yada, and then we have a mess. I just decided not to include him because of the grey area. Again though, the question was about an AMERICAN Mount Rushmore. Sorry for all the confusion sir.

The Saint: I have asked you more then once. What was the first thing that made you a fan of wrestling? Who was your favorite wrestler as a kid? How about now? What is your favorite moment in wrestling?

Thanks for keeping it polite.

*insert old school Chandler*

I addressed all of this in one of my very first Ask 411 Wrestling columns. I covered all the basic ‘best match, favorite wrestler, etc.’ topics when I started. Since “clicks are clicks” around here, please go back and read my earlier columns. They will all be found there. Doing repeat subjects is not fun for anybody.

SVL3081: Hey now! He got $500 from good old JBL, haven’t you seen his Facebook? Okay, it was months ago but still! Watry > Us

I guess I officially have stalkers! It only took a few months, but we got there. My fault though – getting people to Google my name will do that. My own mistake there; I admit it. As for the picture, I only wanted to post one check. It just felt weird taking a snapshot of a check, so I stopped there. Thanks for noticing though!

Uhh.: Justin Watry is 25 years old. The thing about trick-or-treating was a joke…right? …right?

As I always note, love me or hate me, I am honest. Now to answer your question…

Sasky: I am dressing up as you for Halloween this year Justin! You are my hero!

Very cool! It may be too late for 2013, but there is always 2014. I don’t think anybody in the comment section knows what I look like though. That mohawk picture is from over three years old and is nearly the complete opposite of my “look” now. Good luck with the costume.

IAmLars: Exactly. I wasn’t upset that a heel won. I was annoyed that we got another Dusty finish which will continue to devalue Bryan. The end.

My biggest fan! You finally posted something without cuss words or insults that I can respond to. Thank you. As for the comment, do you know what a Dusty Finish is? Just curious. Either way, my initial thought was to poll all fans who purchased the Heck on a Deck pay-per-view and then poll everybody online who did not. Just a hunch, the 10% (small minority) of the WWE Universe will be much more negative than the 90% or so who bought the PPV. Just a hunch. Nobody likes seeing their favorite get screwed out of the main event. Casual fan or internet fan, but this is pro wrestling. That comes with the business. If you want all the faces to win, and CM Punk and Daniel Bryan to be champions forever and ever and ever, then there are plenty of “fantasy booking leagues” to join. I will stick to reality and watching WWE.

Jake St-Pierre: Heck on a Deck confuses me on a number of conceptual levels.

1) What is this deck we speak of? I currently live in a small house, and the deck on the back of it might be bigger than my “guest” bedroom. Would a fight be sanctioned on THAT deck? Because I’m not sure there is a convenient way for WWE to hold a live PPV on some dude’s back porch.

2) How big is the deck? Does WWE have a band of carpenters to build this structure? Maybe he counts the boards under the rings as a deck. My best friend is a carpenter. Maybe I’ll ask him. Never once have I seen a large steel structure referred to as a deck. Maybe I’m behind the times? (which is odd because I just turned 20!)

3) Does he not believe in God (or Satan) and refuse to acknowledge H***? If it’s a religion thing, I suppose it’s wrong for me to take the higher moral ground here. Because I think that makes me a d***.

4) OR, is HE taking the higher moral ground by refusing to say H***? My Journalism teacher in high school said it regularly and his son was the most pretentious Christian p**** in the world.

5) Or, is everyone taking this whole act too seriously and not even thinking of the fact that this is the Internet, and people troll on the Internet. I have a feeling that Justin is the Lil’ B of “wrestling journalism” and just messing with people to get a rise out of them. In that case, I want him to write this forever.

I cleaned that up a little bit for you. Heck on a Deck has nothing to do with religion. However, you may be correct with one of your other points…

Mark of Excellence: It wasn’t that long ago that Rock/Cena vs Miz/R-Truth headlined Survivor Series. Just because it’s not being given that level of attention, doesn’t mean it can’t be done.

Fair point. From where I sit, WWE does not care to even bother. Cherry picking one match from two years ago does not make up for lots of damage done to the Survivor Series. I made mention of the 2005 version above, and I think it may have began after that. Even the 2004 and 2003 versions had some huge tag matches with stipulations attached. After that, it just matches thrown together with no hype or drama. Wrestlers had to get on the card somehow, so they were tossed into a tag match. Elimination or not, it was not going to produce many pay-per-view buys. What worked 20 years ago may not necessarily work in 2013. Speaking of, we are just 2-3 weeks away from the event…and no surprise – the hype has been sub par at best.

Are all of you getting pumped for my MAJOR announcement? It is drawing near. Before that, bring on a few emails!

DJPII starts us off with a TNA question…YAY!

I just read that the Carter family is looking to sell TNA, I am in no position to validate this, but it did bring two questions to mind. Do you think TNA would be a good investment for Paul Heyman? Or do you think this would be a good opportunity for the WWE to purchase TNA and run a pseudo invasion/crossover angle with Paul Heyman at the helm of TNA?

No and no.

TNA Impact Wrestling had their chance to lure in Paul Heyman a few years ago and blew it. They just HAD to keep Hulk Hogan. They just HAD to keep Eric Bischoff. They just HAD to keep Vince Russo. They just HAD to keep all of those legends collecting big paychecks. Now, sitting here in late 2013, how ironic is it? Hogan is gone. Bischoff is either gone or on the way out. Russo was shown the door long ago, and most of the high priced legends left as well. Amazing, huh? If only this could have been done a few years ago…

To be clear, this is not another “Heyman is the greatest” speech. I don’t know if his genius plan would work. I don’t know if he would turn around TNA. I don’t know that, neither does anybody else. However, what I do know is that everything said about Hogan, Bischoff, Russo, etc. has proven itself to be true. Now whether Heyman takes over, Jim Ross jumps in the fray, Bischoff gets investors together, or some other corporation takes over, who knows where TNA will be in the future? I would welcome change though. Clearly, what is being done is not working and has not been working.

Should WWE buy TNA for an invasion story line? No. It is not worth it. If AJ Styles walked down the ramp on Raw next week, you would hear crickets (outside of a ‘smark’ town). That goes for Samoa Joe, Daniels, and all these other guys. It is not like Scott Hall showing up on WCW television, and everyone knowing who he is. Or even Lance Storm running in to super kick Perry Saturn. Not even close. If anything, WWE would buy the company for cheap, wait out its current TV deals, take a few wrestlers (let’s be honest, only a few), and put the entire tape library on the WWE Network at 2am-5am every morning for those who care. That’s it.

Paul brings up a topic from last week about Maven.

Just wanted to bring up something since you were discussing Maven joining evolution possibly as a replacement and wanted to remind you of some things that were going on the year before with him and Orton. I wonder if there was an idea of having him be a part of an Evolution overthrow of HHH and Flair by Orton, Batista, and younger talent that was rumored at the time that may have been an idea for post Summerslam 2004. Look at this video at 0:30 – they did this a couple of times before dropping it permanently but wonder if they were thinking of planting the seeds there?

The video from September 2003 is posted below.

Honestly, there were two times when Evolution could have gone over a make over. One was in 2003 when Batista went down. That seemed to be where Mark Jindrak and others (Maven in the video?) were considered. It was also right before the group really took off (Armageddon 2003). Since Triple H was dead set on Batista being in the stable, they just waited out his injury. Also, as you noted, in the Fall 2004, the entire locker room revolted against them. That was pretty cool, and Maven was one of the few ‘new’ guys to shine there along with Randy Orton. Only Jindrak has been confirmed as being filmed for the vignettes. I do wonder if Maven was seriously considered or anybody else. Of course, hindsight is a wonderful thing. Maven was gone by summer 2005, and Jindrak never took off despite many opportunities. Thanks for the video though. I definitely am initriged to learn the entire history of Evolution and back stories. Maybe that would make a great DVD one day?

Time for another email question – this time from Nightwolf. Don’t forget! We are getting closer and closer to my major, major, major announcement…

1. Back at Wrestlemania 28, Undertaker and Triple clashed inside Heck on a Deck in what was dubbed The End of an Era. You know think back to that match, it is the end of an era. Back in the old days, wrestling had great wrestlers and phenomenal story lines and feuds. You had fans cheering the hero overcoming odd and diversities. You had great mangers managing talented faces and heels. You had great tag teams and stables that clash with each other is epic battles. So my question to you is, why is that thrill of wrestling gone?

2. This is more of an opinion question for you. Someone once told John Cena he had worked 88 straight days in a row without a day off. That’s unbelievable and impressive at the same time. He has gone at a non stop pace for the last 11 years. That’s incredible that he has that worth ethic when the thrill of wrestling is gone. Look, I know people hark on John Cena because he’s boring, needs a heel turn yada yda, and they need to give people a chance. In your opinion, if you were used to that worth ethic and doing so much to help people and you were Vince McMahon and you knew John Cena had that work ethic, wouldn’t you be afraid of turning him heel too?

Nice questions.

1. Considering that match took place less than two years ago, your ‘good old days’ speech just seems silly. My guess is that the “thrill” is gone for folks who read spoilers, spend hours on forums, dig up every single rumor online and then turn round and complain things are predictable. Amazing, huh? Search for wrestling news all day – then whine that the business is too predictable these days. Never ceases to surprise me. Also, the older you get the more you understand how much of it is scripted. As a kid, you are going to fondly remember everything because that point of view. For older fans or kids who watch it casually (I know some in Wisconsin) and just watch for the fun of it, they still love every second. As noted before (in other columns), if you only live in the internet bubble, you are going to think JUST in that sense. I have watched wrestling with internet fans…and casual fans. You would NOT believe the difference! Of course, it is much more fun to watch with the casuals who actually try to enjoy the show, but that is not the point. The “IWC” is a small, small, small minority of the fanbase. If they want to purposely ruin the enjoyment for themselves, then so be it. However, the thrill is what you make of it. Stay away from the spoilers for a few months. Stay off the internet all day next Monday before flipping on Raw. Watch Smackdown without knowing the results for a change. Go ahead. Try it. Then come back to me.

2. As for Cena, I have never once called for him to turn heel. In my many years of doing this, I have never said he would turn heel or even wish for it. Never! I don’t know about you, but I like money. Businesses like profits. John Cena is the most bankable star in the industry today and has been for nearly a decade. If the internet fantasy bookers want to play make believe and pretend he is a heel, go ahead. The man is a work horse and the perfect “face” of this generation. Vince McMahon knows that and is not going to jeopardize anything.

So close to my MAJOR announcement! Trust me, it will be worth the wait.

We continue on with Raza asking about WCW and undefeated streaks!

Firstly, as we all remember, Goldberg’s streak based on squashing almost every wrestler in his way lasted until Starrcade 1998. How come, any of the big names in WCW did not raise concern as to jobbing to someone very new in the industry? Let’s suppose today, WWE creates a moniker like Bill Goldberg who would beat the likes of Cena, Shemaus, Orton, Bryan and vacuous mid-carders etc. within a year. Then obviously such big names would be reluctant to job a newcomer no matter who he is or how much he is profitable to the company because it will affect their credibility, so why did big names in WCW not raise their voices?

Business came first. Even for guys like Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Hulk Hogan and others in WCW – they all recognized Bill Goldberg was hot. Like it or not, he was getting over greatly and was not afraid to speak up himself backstage. Thus, everyone knew the company had to keep his push going. Of course with WWE now defeating them in the Monday Night Wars, that made the decision even easier. WCW was forced to go all the way with Goldberg, whether it was in their best interests or not. WWE had too much momentum for the veterans to play politics and BS around. As history tells us, that all did eventually come into play but not right away.

Raza stays with the same topic:

Secondly, due to the streak, WCW managed to get some/great leverage obviously as Goldberg became a household name and trade mark performer of WCW, at least for small period. But ever since that period, why do the other companies like WWE TNA not try a create a top baby face icon like Goldberg or a similar streak of their own In which a wrestler would thrash wrestlers every week/month which results in high TV ratings, merchandise/gate sales and overall appreciation of company’s brand? Conversely, WWE and TNA opted to create starts like Cena, Orton, AJ Styles, etc. who made their way slowly to the top. Although there were likes of Lesnar, Lashley and Ryback who initially appeared to follow Goldberg path of success as a baby face, in the end, things did not materialize. Your comments?

You can’t capture lightning in a bottle.

Goldberg was a special ‘once in a lifetime’ performer who came across at the right time, right place, right moment, and caught on during the right era. WWE, TNA, ROH and every other company can try for the next 500 years to create the same effect, but it won’t happen. If it was so easy to create a main event star by doing this, then everybody would. You don’t just snap your fingers, and have a top level Superstar! You mentioned Brock Lesnar, Ryback, and others, but the undefeated streak only took them so far. If your entire gimmick is based on wins, the company is backed into a corner. We saw that with Ryback last October. CM Punk had to retain and defend the WWE Championship against The Rock. What was WWE to do with John Cena getting injured? Ryback was basically forced to lose, and to this day, he is trying to find his footing again. In his case, never losing for his first six months may have harmed his character more than helped (using hindsight). Sadly, guys can’t win forever. Then what? You have to lose eventually. That is why you need more than just crushing opponents in 30 seconds. If that is all you have, you are not going to last long. Stone Cold, Hulk Hogan, John Cena, The Rock, Triple H, CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, and many more all have been to main events, but none were based off undefeated streaks.

Chris wants to discuss an interesting idea concerning sports.

I really enjoy the writing you give us each week. I have been on 411 for something like 14 years. Scot Keith was writing his reviews which I thoroughly enjoyed and have been going through all the ups and downs of the wrestling industry. My question is more fantasy booking; would it be a more ratings grabber if the booking incorporated real sports related situations? Turn HHH into a Roger Goodell type but more extreme and certainly make him look like a hypocrite. For example, take the very real and scary concussion and safety issues. Turn that WWE style, have HHH ban head shots, but it would be okay when Orton or Shield did it. Incorporate some gambling and ‘throwing’ matches for money and HHH would have his issues with them. The idea of this appearing more like an actual sporting event. Have bad officiating. Selective replay. It can remain PG and would be an angle that nobody (nobody that I can recall since the days of the “State Athletic Commission” stopping matches due to blood) has done at this level. HHH would be even more hated and would really get him over if it is prolonged and done correctly. Thoughts?

Well, anything can grab television ratings if the booking and performers are top notch.

As for this idea, we are seeing it already. Triple H tried to fix the Night of Champions main event with referee Scott Armstrong. They also used replay the next night on Raw. The Game addresses the locker room as one big group, like Roger Goodell rules the NFL with an iron first handing out suspensions and fines each week. Some justified, some not. Also, Triple H let The Shield and Randy Orton beat down Daniel Bryan just after telling the entire roster NOT to touch him. Playing favorites. Being a hypocrite. In other words, he is playing a heel. Now, can they evolve that into throwing matches, gambling, and more sports related situation? Yeah, sure. I would not be opposed to the idea. They would just have to be careful with the PG rating and use of concussions. Doing an ‘extreme’ story line is fine, but going overboard just for the sake of it is not worth any potential risk.

Who knows? Maybe when Vince McMahon returns, we see this…

I Ask YOU!

No question this week. Keep reading to find out why. You can just feel the tension!

Ask Yourself

The next time you read an online report, ask yourself if the story actually makes sense…or is your typical gossip with no truth whatsoever. Just from the past week or so, let’s take a look:

The WWE Network will launch in early 2014. – This again? Come on. Are we really doing this AGAIN? Next.

Shawn Michaels will not wrestle again. – Um yeah, we learned that after WrestleMania 26 in March 2010. Thanks for the compelling UPDATE though! Oh yeah,”some in the back” believe he is returning to the ring. *sighs*

Alberto Del Rio may get his World Title rematch before Survivor Series. Or he might get it then. – Wow. That is such hard hitting reporting there. Del Rio could face John Cena soon…or at the next pay-per-view. Never would have guessed!

Survivor Series 2013 plans – You know, the “card’ going around online is the exact one I thought to myself after Raw this week. Maybe I am the source for all things newsworthy in the IWC? Or not.

Eric Bischoff is being paid by TNA Impact Wrestling to sit at home. – My, oh times change. Think back to January 4th 2010. Now, picture this headline “TNA pays Bischoff to sit at home.” Unreal. True or not, welcome to TNA!

Bound for Glory grabbed 17,000 PPV buys. – No clue if this is legitimate or not – these ‘estimates’ always pop up. Since nobody from TNA ever shows proof of the REAL buy rates though, I tend to believe these are at least close. Why is this posted then? Easy. It can’t or won’t be confirmed. Thus, nobody knows if this is news or not…yet pretends to.

WWE is still expecting Sheamus to return in early 2014. – Let me guess. He will return at the Royal Rumble with John Cena! Right? Oh wait, Carlito, Chris Masters, Shelton Benjamin, and John Morrison are all returning at the Rumble as well.

Talent do not like standing on the stage, especially the faces, while Triple H talks to them. Hmm, sure. This has work written all over it. Seriously, if it includes the words ‘especially the babyfaces,’ you know it was a leaked report from WWE. Nice try though.

Triple H not interested in Matt Morgan? -This was probably the biggest offender of the week. Focusing on signing younger talent? Wait a minute. That completely contradicts a story from last week about potential signings. Oh yeah, apparently students from the Team 3D Academy were present at tapings last week. Can’t have it both ways. In any event, expect Matt Morgan to be in WWE by January 2014…as I have been writing about for months now (on different websites). Maybe he is “The Devil” Bray Wyatt teased?

Davey Richards teases a WWE contract. – Interesting. What happened to WWE not signing small guys anymore or that garbage from a few weeks ago? Let’s just relax. If he and Eddie Edwards sign, then they do. If not, then so be it. All the while, PWInsider continues to report the two men have NOT been offered contracts. Go figure…

The Carter Family may have a ‘serious bidder’ to buy TNA. – This has picked up steam lately. Seems very, very, very, very reminiscent to late 2000. WCW/ECW wrestlers AND fans denied any problems. Denied, denied, denied. Almost sad to see. They just swore up and down everything was fine and dandy! Well, months later, Vince McMahon owned them. To be clear, I highly, highly, highly doubt the future of TNA goes that way, but it is so funny watching everybody bury their head in the sand trying to discredit the very obvious issues going on. Again, I do not think TNA follows the path of WCW and WCW, but there is something going on.

Janice Carter denies said sale rumors through a company wide memo. – I put zero stock into this. What is Janice going to say in the memo? “Yeah, this place is a dump. We have blown millions of dollars. The family is cutting costs left and right to ditch the sinking ship.” No, of course not. She will speak well of her company and say everything is rainbows and sunshine. This happened to ME a few years ago, I know first hand of such “company spin.” At my job in 2009, the boss and executives denied there were some work problems in a HUGE meeting one night and assured everybody things were fine…only to begin massive layoffs and salary cuts just a week later (I survived luckily). Baseball owners constantly give managers a lovely ‘vote of confidence’ in public…only to fire them months later. Even Michael Jordan was defending his embarrassing Bobcats basketball team last week. The owners HAVE to say this stuff! They have to. Now, how much is truth and how much is just an owner trying to silence negativity right now? We shall see.

Edit: For the record, both Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer and Jason Powell of ProWrestling.net reported this story. Since then, two other websites have independently confirmed talks HAVE taken place recently. Even if you do not believe most of Meltzer’s reports these days, Powell is (in my opinion) the best source for TNA news. Very best! The fact that Powell is standing by his story 100 percent says a lot.

Kane will not wear a mask going forward. – No. REALLY?!?! Kane handing his mask over to Stephanie McMahon on Raw sure didn’t give that way. Why didn’t somebody report this before Raw last week? How come these sources always get the story after we see something on television? Just wondering.

Triple H vs. Big Show is now pushed back to TLC in December. – The backtracking has begun! I wonder what the explanation will be should it move to Royal Rumble…or just never takes place. I think it will happen eventually, but these stories are just becoming more and more guesswork.

Bill Goldberg shoots down return rumors. – Ugh, here we go again! Next week will be about HBK. The next week will be about Stone Cold. Then Edge. Then back to Goldberg or Batista. Just a big cycle of *UPDATES* that never mean a thing.

Chris Jericho speaks in an interview. – I guess he was drunk tweeting a few weeks ago. Or maybe not. Or could be. Or wanted a headline. Or is returning soon. Or it was just Jericho on Twitter messing with wrestling fans…like usual. Why fans continue to believe a word he says is beyond me. He could tell me the sky is blue, and I would look just to make sure.

Examiner reports Hulk Hogan is returning to WWE. – Is this a joke? Examiner? Why not just go back to the National Enquirer for news? Of all the garbage news sources I have seen this year, I think this may be the worst. The exact same reporter on Examiner has had the following stories in 2013: nWo vs. The Shield is rumored for WrestleMania, CM Punk would be gone until Summerslam, Shawn Michaels may return to the ring within the year, The Rock ‘walked off’ Raw, and many more “exclusive” gems. So laughable. Sad as well. Are people even reading these alleged “sources” anymore before posting? Absolutely embarrassing. No shame folks…no shame…

Have any more examples? Please share them below in the comment section. Until then, just remember the next time you click on an article to ask yourself first how much will be truth and how much will be fiction.

#Ask411 Question

Phil Milkfish ‏(@Phil_Milkfish) Why was Zach Gowen fired from WWE back in 2003/2004? #Ask411

Fair question. Instead of digging into the usual ‘dirt sheets’ and speculating, I went right to the source – Zach Gowen himself! After posing this exact question to him, here is what Zach Gowen said:

wasn’t emotionally mature enough for that spot at the time

There you go folks. Moving on, the big moment has arrived…

My Major Announcement

Starting next week, Mathew Sforcina will return to take over Ask 411 Wrestling.

Yes, permanently! He is coming back.

Now before any rumors start up, this was the working plan from the beginning. Back in June, Mathew had to step away and leave the column. I never asked why and do not intend to. That is his business. However, it was always assumed he would come back and write Ask 411 Wrestling again when he was ready. It could have been a few weeks, a few months, or a few years. The early thought was about a year, but nobody really knew for sure. Well, his ‘retirement’ ended up being just under five months. Going forward, the man, the myth, the legend is back!

As for myself, I am now able to do what I initially intended to do when I joined this great website many months ago – write a weekly opinion column without all the questions flooding my email inbox. Filling in for Mathew just sort of fell into my lap when he left. Notice I repeatedly said nobody was “replacing” him. Now, you know why. My own opinion column will begin next week (Thursday or Friday, I think). Of course, my participation in round tables and voting will also be seen all over the website. The only real change is Mathew’s hiatus from Ask 411 Wrestling is over with! I tried my best to keep the seat warm, but this is his column. Happy to have him come back and take over his throne…

Until then, hit my music!

Self-Promoting Finale

Now, let’s close this with some “ME!” plugs out there for all of you…

Just Google my name.

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Be on the lookout for my new 411mania column next week!