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.

Mark Zigarovich of Greensburg, Pa. asks:

In your WCW days, did you ever write a major angle that was unknowingly changed by the wrestlers once they got into the ring? If so, what were the repercussions on the wrestlers involved? Thanks.

Ed Ferrara answers:

I can only remember two incidents... and, strangely enough, they both involve Scott Steiner. ;-)

(1) There was one time during the Sullivan regime right after Russo stepped away when Scott Steiner was to go out and deliver a scripted promo. I don't even remember what it was about - whatever angle we had planned for him at the upcoming PPV. Scott went out and went into business for himself. He completely tossed the promo he was supposed to deliver, and cut a scathing promo on Ric Flair. It was completely unplanned (well, at least by everyone except for Scotty, I'm guessing). Steiner wanted a program with Flair, and went into business for himself to get it.

Needless to say, the old boys network that was in power at the time (Sullivan/Dillon/Juster) freaked out. They thought that there was no way they could put Steiner in the ring with Flair after that performance, as they felt that Scott would take the same liberties with Flair as he did with his promo... besides the fact that we were booking a different angle for Ric that had nothing to do with Steiner. I think some sort of action was taken against Scott (fine? short suspension? I don't remember the specifics), but ultimately it was more of a slap on the wrist... because, with the guaranteed contracts, that was pretty much all the were able to do. I remember one Nitro a few weeks later when Scott went out with tape over his mouth - that was his response to the old boys' network for trying to shut him up.

(2) The other time was when Scott wanted to work with DDP. Again, we had something different planned for both him and DDP at the time. But, that didn't stop Scotty from going out and cutting a vicious promo on both Page and Kimberly. (You think we would have learned not to give him the mic.) What happened after that promo is well-documented - Page was waiting for Scotty in the back and, after Scott came backstage after his promo, Page and he got into a huge scuffle and it took several guys to separate them. It was ugly. Long story short, we had to adjust the booking for weeks thereafter to keep the two of them as far away from each other as possible.

Incidentally, that was a night I'll never forget as we were having all sorts of problems - we had a major angle planned for Sid that spanned the entire show. Sid flatly refused to do what we had planned (which I felt was odd, because I had never had any problems with Sid prior to that, and he was usually quite reasonable). Sid left in the late afternoon, and I was literally re-writing the ENTIRE show on the fly as it was progressing... when we went live at 8 p.m. EST. I only had the first three segments written and booked out. I was desperately trying to keep the show going, booking matches and writing segments for the boys that they were getting literally two or three segments before they had to go on. And then, halfway through the show, as I was desperately trying to figure out what should happen next, I look up from my seat at Gorilla position, and there I see Scotty and Page rolling around on the floor in the dark, looking like they were trying to kill each other. It was the perfect crescendo for one of the most f---ed-up days I ever spent in WCW... and that's saying a LOT.

Ah, sweet memories...

Anthony A. Viggiani of Westchester, N.Y. asks:

First off, I thought you were very candid and insightful throughout the "Ultimate Insiders with Wade Keller." My question, however, relates to the summer of 1999 and the introduction of Chris Jericho to the WWF. Who came-up with "Countdown to the Millennium" and subsequent Rock vs. Jericho debut promo? The vignettes and Rock interplay totally gave Jericho that superstar aura.

Ed Ferrara answers:

That was Russo's brainchild, as VKM had given him pretty much carte blanche over how to bring him in. I worked with VR on it. The idea was to bring him in, not as a WCW guy that we signed away, but as a superstar in his own right - something he had never been presented as in WCW. We wanted to position him as highly as we possibly could for his entrance, because we felt that he had the ability to take that and run with it. And he did have that ability. Unfortunately, I feel that after we left, he suffered for the creative team not knowing how to keep him in that position effectively.

Anthony A. Viggiani of Westchester, N.Y. also asks:

I also believe the countdown brought something totally missing from WWE debut's today-anticipation. After you and Russo left, Jericho's character lost focus and momentum and I don't believe he ever really rebounded (despite winning the WWF/WCW titles three years later). Before you left for WCW, what were your plans for Jericho?

Ed Ferrara answers:

Agreed. The anticipation we were able to create around his debut was truly something special. We felt that he was a Star with a capital "S," and he was deserving of that anticipation.

As far as our future plans for him, we felt that there were no limits as to what he could do. The sky was truly the limit as Jericho has it all - incredible talent, a great look, and immense charisma. At the time, we felt he could have been the next Shawn Michaels (no mean feat that, as both VR and I were huge Michaels fans) and, booked properly, could have easily been the top guy (or, at the least, one of the top two or three guys) in the company.

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.

We suggest these recent related articles...

ASK THE SPECIALISTS ROUNDTABLE: Who will be WWE's Next Top Star?

SATURDAY’S ASK PWTORCH STAFF for 4/11: How should WWE cater to Texas at WM32? Does WWE using Sting and Hogan add to chances more TNA wrestlers are hired? Do NXT gimmick wrestlers have a chance? Is El Generico really Sami Zayn?

THURSDAY’S ASK PWTORCH ALL-STARS 4/9: Are El Generico & Sami Zayn the same person? Next MITB cash-in for IC or U.S. belt? What match do you show non-fans so they get it? Why don’t heel teams cheat?