Watry Q&A: WWE Business, MITB, Kurt Angle, More

“I have been reading your stuff on 411mania and nodq.com for the longest time now and I have never felt inclined to email in. The general consensus of you not being most popular is harsh at times but also can be well-founded too. But I still read your stuff because I do enjoy your articles and find your perspective interesting most of the time.

“I have been reading your stuff on 411mania and nodq.com for the longest time now and I have never felt inclined to email in. The general consensus of you not being most popular is harsh at times but also can be well-founded too. But I still read your stuff because I do enjoy your articles and find your perspective interesting most of the time.

That said, your article about your friend Megan and trip to Wrestlemnaia was the greatest thing you have ever wrote. Forget about the predictions you brag about getting right. This is your crowning piece. Maybe it is because I can relate as going to Wrestlemania is my ultimate dream and it will be happening next year. But I genuinely loved your article.

Thank you for the great stuff.”

Backstory

Once a month, I reply to the comment section. This is from my June 1017 columns. No cuss words or insults included.

Previous Q&A

Bryan: The ratings dive since the Roman experiment started answer the only question that matters.

What about the record breaking $900 million in revenue for 2016 or profitability of the company? Do those count or just the one metric down you wanted to pinpoint to seem smart?

AG Awesome: Watry vs A.G. Awesome in a legends BYW match! Book it.

Did you watch my vid btw? I think you’d be surprised. Just google “greatest backyard wrestler ever youtube” and enjoy.

You’ll see my slammy award in it. 🙂

I didn’t watch it. If I can’t be bothered to watch Rung of Honor, independent wrestling, stuff from Japan, or NWA-TNA-GFW Impact Wrestling, I certainly am not going to watch that.

As for NRW on my end, patience is key. 🙂

Saffin: Genuine question. Do comments and clicks on an article work similar to TV ratings in that you might get adverts put on for more? Or is it purely a way of judging popularity?

Let me ask you a question: Which website do you think makes more money: your standard Joe Blow blog or ESPN.com? Which do you think gathers visitors and attracts advertisers? Same applies.

Extreme Rules 2017 Review

World’s Schlongest Man: Hometown losses are tradition. I’m guessing VKM wasn’t made aware of Swann being from there. I do see the point of hometown losses. U get more heat on the heel.

Tradition? What tradition? The same one with all the hometown heroes celebrating and winning in front of their own crowd? That tradition? It goes both ways; there is no set rule. Just another garbage internet thing that people believe just because. I do agree with your last sentence, for the record.

ReadySaltedChips: I’m guessing Joes fire is going to be extinguished come the end of the year. As good as he is once Roman gets the belt we’re building to the shield triple threat at mania next year, sigh!

I’d love to see your comments dating back to Samoa Joe signing in 2015, much less your cynicism through the years in TNA and the independent scene. Here he is now main eventing a WWE pay-per-view against Brock Lesnar. It’s always gotta be something, huh?

Kurt Angle Mystery

Moonajuanaa: Angle may be joining the NWO

Well, he is a former WCW Champion.

>Dan Cook: Maybe an intergender match between Triple H & Steph vs Angle & a suprize partner like when he chose Chyna in TNA. This time maybe…..Ronda Rousey ! Would be interesting!

Despite the constant teases from websites and Kurt Angle himself, I just don’t know about him having another match. We can speculate on it every day forever; it just seems pointless. He was brought back to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, be a spotlighted character on a video game and lend his personality as the General Manager of Raw. Nowhere in any of that was getting back in the ring. I like your idea, and yeah – something with HHH would make the most sense IF it did happen.

David Oliver Burcham: When is Mick Foley supposed to be healed up from his surgery?

Whatever is going on with Kurt Angle, the last person I want to see enter the fold is Mick Foley.

Best/Worst Money In The Bank Cash-Ins

Billy: Such a tough call between him and Edge. Edge’s for the nostalgia, Rollins for the sheer awesomeness.

Both are so evenly matched, were a huge history making moment, bumped the Raw television rating a bunch, MADE them stars and were just amazing professional wrestling moments. I put Edge as #1 in my list but would have no issue flipping them.

Sting Rey: there are still a few option yet to be explored with the mitb.

-cash in at a house show. this would probably work at a sold out show on an international tour.

-mitb winner wins the title WITHOUT cashing in. rollins almost did this at the 2015 rumble in the rollins/cena/lesnar match. this would only work with a heel. they lose the title. as their opponent celebrates their win. briefcase to the back of the head, cash in. champ again.

-mitb winner waits to the last possible day to cash in. for example, if baron corbin cashes in the week before the 2018 mitb ppv.

I already predicted Carmella does it at a live event. Then again, I am writing this before Smackdown LIVE. She could just as easily do it then. Either way, one of the briefcases has to be used soon, while the other waits. My guess is Baron Corbin (and WWE) is in no rush with him. Good ideas.

The Ghost of Kwame Thomas: Rollins cash in ruined one of the best WWE matches of the decade, and resulted in the most interminable title run in years. A disaster

Yeah, ratings and such did tank during his reign. Guess that was somehow Roman Reigns’ fault too? I loved Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns at WM31. Not sure it was THAT good, but I won’t argue it that much. Think of the past decade. It certainly ranks up there when you consider the spotlight , magnitude, build, and payoff with Rollins…

Nemesis_Hunter: Looking back, I think Sandow was always going to be the cash-in loser in retrospect. The plan to unify the titles just accelerated it.

Yeah, hindsight is a beautiful thing. There was just no room for Damien Sandow, outside of a one night run or something. It simply wasn’t in the cards throughout 2013 and then 2014. Sucks for him but the truth.

MITB 2017 Review

Bubbles: Your summary is pretty much spot-on. Especially the women’s MITB match and the decline of the land of opportunity. We’ll done, sir.

Thank you. I have written a ton more on Money in the Bank and the controversial aftermath. Of course, you need to read other websites for my FULL thoughts. If you just read this column once a week, you miss out on a lot!

Mid-Year Rundown

Mark Schoeman: Had you just said “My taste is the right taste and everybody else is wrong”, you’d have saved a lot of time…

Exactly. Last I checked this was my opinion and my column. Mark nails it as usual. I like something you may dislike, and you may love something I don’t care about. Cool. Go write your own column if you want people to care…or just hang out in the comment section.

Also, I loved your Anthem comment Mark. Very good and true words. Remember TNA almost went out of business last year and sold for mere pennies WITH Mike Bennett, Maria, Drew McIntyre, and the Hardyz. That was WITH them! Ouch.

Ken Wood: Mauro announced for last night’s NXT. Which, now that I think about it, this article was probably written before that aired.

Most of my columns are done days in advance. Heck, I used to write some Ask 411 Wrestling columns a full week in advance. Unless it is a next day PPV review or something urgent, my stuff is sent in early. Coming from a guy who has never been late to work, being on time is very important.

JD: Nice of Watry to still manage to get the usual “WWE is Super Awesome & the only wrestling company in the world that matters” spiel in the article.

JD is a prime example of NOT reading my other columns elsewhere. If you had, you would know how wrong you are.

Bob Stankus: Please stop posting that email before every one of your articles. We’ve all read it 100 times and no one cares.

Sure, no problem.

Adam Crews: Saying it’s our job to make you care about other wrestling companies is one of the most pathetically condescending things I’ve ever read. If you’re too lazy or too enmeshed in WWE to really give something else a chance, that’s 100% on you.

You must be new to the business. It is the company’s job to convince viewers to care. To pay $50 for a PPV. To spend 25 big ones on a shirt. To plunk down 15 dollars on a DVD. To subscribe to the WWE Network. Not on us to mindlessly shell out our cash. That is on the promoter to get us invested and care.

Cheap Plugs

Watch Big Brother 19 on CBS.

NRW video is coming soon!

Multiple columns posted weekly.

Follow: @JustinWatry

Email: [email protected]

Thanks.