What are your thoughts on Mike Adamle being named as the New Raw General Manager?
I got this question probably 50 times overnight so I'll give my initial reaction. I was surprised by the decision of Mike Adamle being named the Raw General Manager although I had figured that it was going to be a heel character. The fans in attendance looked as shocked as I was as it did not seem like the decision drew much of a reaction. On one hand Adamle already has heat and maybe this will keep him out of the announce table but on the other hand the initial decision lacked a reaction. The entire show was built around the anticipation and I do not feel like WWE delivered although I think that it is too early to tell how that he will embrace the role. Adamle is reportedly making $300,000 a year and he was not getting the job done as an announcer so maybe he will earn his keep as the Raw General Manager. I try not to be too pessimistic until I have seen the person work the role. Who would have ever thought that Vickie Guerrero would have the success that she has had as SmackDown General Manager?
My question is towards Katie Lea. She had her first match in tag team action with her partner being Beth Phoenix then she was put straight into an angle with Mickie James for the Women's Championship. Ever since then I've thought that her push to become a contender for the title came way to early. What do you think?
I agree completely. I think that Katie Lea has a tremendous upside and she could be a future WWE Women's Champion, however, I think that her push as the number one contender came too early. Katie Lea's first PPV match for the title against Mickie James at Night of Champions I felt was very lackluster and showed that she is not yet ready for such a role in WWE. I think that she will improve in time and that match was one of the weaker bouts that she has had in WWE but the company probably could have built her longer but they gave her this feud. I like how this is going right now with Kofi/Mickie and Paul/Katie Lea.
When a Superstar/Diva is interviewed for WWE.com or WWE Magazine, are they told what to say or is their interview doctored before publication?
It depends and you can usually tell when an interview is done as a shoot (out of character) or a work (in character). I have been reading the September 2008 issue of WWE Magazine and there is a mixture of both.
Do you think this move that WWE is taking to go PG is a smart one because their prime was in the Attitude Era and if I'm not mistaken was when they had their highest ratings and in that time most of the material wasn't exactly rated "PG"
I wondered the same thing as I was watching Raw last night; however, I think that a couple of things need to be put in perspective. During the Attitude Era not only was WWE in its prime but the wrestling business industry wide was experiencing a tremendous boom. With WCW breathing down their necks, Vince McMahon felt like that he needed to go with very edgy material to try and draw a bigger fan base. He did and it worked. However, nearly a decade later things have changed considerably. Not only has the wrestling boom tapered off considerably but WWE has no mainstream competition. Now WWE can set the tone to how they want their product to be perceived and until someone can challenge that I do not see things changing. Furthermore WWE is trying to protect their public image with the highly publicized death of Eddie Guerrero or the Benoit family tragedy. WWE has a plan behind what they are doing and this new initiative to produce more family-friendly programming is part of it.
Are wrestlers required to foot the bill for their medical expenses when injured? Also, what's your take? If they are required to do so, do you feel the company should take care of that matter?
WWE usually fronts money for surgeries and other serious injuries to wrestlers that do not have health insurance. This is a very controversial subject as obviously with WWE wrestlers working as independent contractors there is no option for health insurance. Vince McMahon will combat this by saying that he pays his workers enough where they can go out and buy health insurance on their own; however, could you imagine what the premium would be for a pro wrestler? I think that WWE should take care of their talent and for the most part - they do. I still feel that both WWE and TNA need to implement detailed policies about how they loan money to talent when hurt because both have been inconsistent in the past.
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