PWTorch.com readers are invited to send Ed Ferrara questions about his experiences co-writing TV during Raw's boom period and subsequently for WCW Nitro and TNA's weekly PPV series. When submitting questions, put "ASK ED" in the subject line of the email so we can differentiate them from regular "Ask the Torch" questions and thus quickly forward them to him. Ferrara was interviewed with Vince Russo for the "Ultimate Insiders" DVD released earlier this year and subsequently did a VIP Audio Talk with me with follow-up questions to our DVD interview. Now it's your turn to ask the questions. To send in questions for Ed Ferrara, click here.

Torch VIP member Jawbreaker asks

With One Night Stand still fresh in everybody's mind....did you and Vince Russo keep an eye on ECW during your days together, especially during your run in the WWF. Were they ever doing anything that you wish you could have brought to the WWF and did what they were doing having an influence at all in how you handled the booking duties. It seems to be an accepted fact that that the WWF Attitude Era was pushed along because of what ECW was doing.

Ed Ferrara answers:

I can only speak for myself on this one as, during our entire time together in the WWF, I never knew Russo to have been watching ECW. He was somewhat familiar with the product, and I imagine that he had to have watched it at some point, but he didn't "keep up with it" by any means. And, once I entered WWF, neither did I - there simply weren't enough hours in the week to do everything that we had to do AND watch ECW (or WCW for that matter). I slightly kept tabs on what was going on through the internet - reading results, news, etc. But that was about it on my end. After living wrestling 80-plus hours a week, the last thing I wanted to do during my precious down-time was watch more wrestling.

But prior to my entering the WWF, I was a huge ECW fan. I lived in Los Angeles at the time, and I subscribed to the Primestar dish service solely because I could watch ECW through the MSG channels the service offered. But even though I had stopped watching ECW after I got hired, it remained a huge influence on me as far as booking/storytelling was concerned. ECW showed me that wrestling didn't have to be a guilty pleasure, as the booking was so sophisticated and it appealed to the mature fan. So, in my case, the WWF Attitude might not have been pushed along because of what ECW was doing... but my contributions were definitely influenced by so much that ECW had done.

Torch contributor Paul Madavi asks:

Who has the potential to become the bigger star over the course of their entire career, Randy Orton or John Cena?

Ed Ferrara answers:

Actually, you're probably far more qualified to answer that question than I am. Since the abortion of a WCW "Invasion" angle, I've watched exactly five hours of wrestling - two hours of Raw (the night Kevin Nash returned and blew out his knee, and I only watched that because Nash told me he was gonna be on the show that night), and this past WrestleMania. So, I've only seen Orton and Cena each work once. If I had to answer, based on that one night, I'd say Orton - he seems more fluid in the ring, seems to have more natural charisma, and he isn't stuck in a gimmick that, IMHO, will take him years to get past (if ever). Then again, that night Orton worked with Taker, and Cena was out there with JBL... so take my assessment with a grain of salt based on who they worked with. Taker could make anyone look good. JBL? Not so much.

PWTorch.com reader Zah asks:

Do you have any regrets about any angles or storylines that you'd either want to re-do or not do at all if given the opportunity?

Regrets? Of course. Hindsight is 20/20... especially in the wrestling business where history is re-written more than frequently than in the current GOP. I don't mean to be lame, but I can't give you any specifics as to which storylines I'd like to take back or call a do-over on (except for my own portrayal of Oklahoma) - let's just say there were many over the course of my career. But, because of the week-in-week-out, nonstop nature of the business, I never had much chance to reflect at the time - it often became merely a matter of keeping things patched together and moving forward, and constantly adjusting on the fly. As a result of that, I never had the luxury to dwell on the "woulda, coulda, shouldas," and very few stand out in my mind to this day. Plus, because I have no interest to be back in that particular world, those thoughts don't occupy much space in my brain these days.

Final Notes from Wade Keller:

Ed Ferrara will continue to answer reader questions in coming days and weeks, so keep the questions coming. Direct them here and be sure to put "Ask Ed" in the subject line.

Ed Ferrara has written a collection of short stories called "Dark Consequences." I highly recommend it, especially for fans of Twilight Zone and Tales from the Darkside or horror movies with a sci-fi twist. You can get info on ordering a copy from him by clicking here.

To order the Ultimate Insiders DVD featuring my interview with Ed Ferrara and Vince Russo, together for the time for an interview since their split in WCW, clicking here.

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