ASK-A-WAI: Questions Thread

Rod from England.

Will we ever see Post Wrestling represented at an AEW press conference following one of their PPVs?

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Anthony from Melbourne

AEWs over bloated roster has already been widely discussed but what are your thoughts on talents like Mark Henry and Paul Wights use?

I imagine they do a lot backstage to help the younger talent but both come to AEW off the back of being underused in WWE with ā€œone more runā€ in them. Mark didnā€™t last on commentary and Paulā€™s one match to date was more than forgettable.

Do you think they would be happy with their use in the company and what could be done to utilise them better on-screen, if you think they even should be?

In my opinion Christian is an example of a similar talent coming over that they have utilised on screen much better.

heya, happy belated birthday to you both! I never knew you were both Pisces.

my question: do you have any interest in that classic 90s shoot/puro hybrid scene? Iā€™m thinking Battlarts in particular - I get confused whether Pancrase and UWFI count. Big Mouth Loud, too (although thatā€™s early noughties.) have you had any interest in revisiting any hybrid wrestling? thanks :slight_smile:

Awhile back it seems that you guys loathed having to review WWE shows. The product was terrible. How does that affect you professionally and personally when you have to review crap over and over again.

Roy from Rhode Island

Hi Guys,

John; what criteria do you personally consider when voting for the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame each year? If you were given a special dispensation to induct one wrestler who is eligible but has so far not been voted in, who would you choose and why?

Hey guys,

Kenny from Glasgow.

Just wondering if there was ever a time where Austin vs Undertaker at a WM was an option?

Thanks

1 Like

from Luk

This might be a controversial topic, so I want to preface: I think most people would agree that womenā€™s wrestling wasnā€™t taken seriously for a very long time, as evidenced by the decades of divas and bra & panties match-type presentation the women would get in various companies. Fortunately, weā€™ve since seen a big improvement in match quality and opportunities afforded to women, leading to the rise of great wrestlers like Sasha Banks, Britt Baker, Io Shirai, etc. However, due to being set back for so long, I do personally feel that womenā€™s wrestling has yet to FULLY catch up to its full potential when it comes to workrate, aggression, acrobatics, as we havenā€™t really seen a female performer on the level of a Takagi, Omega, or Ospreay (in my personal opinion). What are your thoughts on the current state of womenā€™s wrestling compared to the menā€™s? Do you think that we tend to review women matches on a curve?

Alexander from Portland

Why do you think WWE has moved away from using jobbers on TV? Considering how many rematches/repeat matches we see, how many matches go under 3 minutes, all the matches booked to have screwy finishes, it seems like enhancement talent would be ideal for many roles. For example, on a recent episode of RAW Austin Theory beat Intercontinental Champion Ricochet in less than two minutes. Is there any reason a midcard champion needs to lose in such quick fashion when it actively harms the champion and the championship? Matches like that seem perfect to put ham-and-eggers into. Thanks.

Imran from Huddersfield

For all the talk of The Rock maybe showing up at Wrestlemania - there didnā€™t seem to be much talk, if any, of John Cena making a surprise appearance, which I found interesting - do you expect we see Cena in a program this year? Surely youā€™d think he could be a big name for Mania next year? Feels like a long time since heā€™s had a big Wrestlemania program/match.

Jason from Vancouver

As a gay wrestling fan, Iā€™ve been grappling recently with how I feel about the Briscoes and whether they deserve an opportunity in AEW despite past comments, especially as there seems to be a consensus in the wrestling community that they should be given another chance.

What bothers me is people seem ready to forgive Jay who said abhorrent and dangerous things while everyone was quick to condemn Brian Kendrick. While both cases are horrible, I would argue Jayā€™s comments that were an open call to incite violence on Twitter were more dangerous than conspiracy theories espoused by a kook on a podcast.

So I ask - what makes the Briscoes situation different? Is it level of stardom, the subject of the comments, the fact it was only Jay that uttered them? I just struggle to understand why there seems to be such a rush to defend someone who advocated direct violence not just against gay people but anyone who would suggest itā€™s even ā€œnormalā€.

Walter from Texas

Do you know the status of Todd Sinclair? I felt like he was the most glaring omission from Supercard of Honor as far as long tenured people who were there til the end.

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Excluding the Eastern and Pacific time zones, where would you two live in North America? From my perspective John has a strong upper-midwest personality, and I feel he would be a St. Paul resident. Wai would likely be the prototypical Coloradan, Boulder or Denver, who would discover heā€™s at peace with his new environment and humble-brag about it in conversations.

If both were to move to the same city Iā€™d bet it would be Chicago, as it would be the compromise city for both personalities.

James from norwich England
I know neither of you are football (soccer) fans but itā€™s a big deal that Canada have qualified for a World Cup in December and I wondered what your thoughts are and if you will watch it? They have a very exciting team.

Jake from The Windy City:

Hey guys, canā€™t thank you enough for all the great stuff on the POST Wrestling Store over the years. Happy to have bought sublime T-shirt designs as well as a great Wrestlenomics mug.
Was it always your intention from the beginning to open up your own T-shirt store? Was there any consideration of continuing to team up with Pro Wrestling Tees before deciding on this?

Also, you think you guys will return to the occasional movie review now that itā€™s been a while since the Rocky reviews or has TALK pretty much taken that over?

Cheers!

With news of Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou being a possibility in the near future and the increase in MMA fighters crossing over into boxing for big business, could you see anyone from the world of wrestling crossing over and trying their hand in a spectacle boxing fight? Is there anyone in wrestling with a big enough name to draw in fans for a fight, as well as have the skills to not emberass themselves? Cena vs Paul or Lesnar vs Fury anyone? More importantly, would you be interested enough to watch?

Sal from California

Who would be your dream opponent for Toru Yano at the Forbidden Door ppv?

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I was wondering while listening to John do solo recaps for the Impact Rebellion show if thereā€™s a match or MMA fight you recall so vividly you could attempt to do the play by play recap for it from memory alone?

San Diego + Lego fan = Lego World. How was it?

Anthony from Detroit

Less than a month in WWE and Cody is the biggest star on Raw. Does that say more about AEWā€™s ability to make new stars or WWEā€™s inability to make new stars?

Cheers!

Nas

I apologise for the heavy handed question.

I havenā€™t followed the product for a while. I specifically remember dipping out during the whole #SpeakingOut movement. It left such a bad taste in my mouth.

Are there any updates you can provide to the #SpeakingOut movement? Has there been any meaningful change coming out of that? Any consequences for the perpetrators? Support for the victims? Are there any safeguards in place going forward for future performers? Or was the whole thing completely just swept under the rug in the hopes that most people will just forget about it? If that was the case, theyā€™ve been quite successful Iā€™d say as Iā€™ve barely found any meaningful updates in my very brief search on Google.