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.

PWTorch.com reader Ryan Plato of Milwaukee, Wisc. asks:

Ed, looking back on it now, what was your favorite angle from your WCW tenure?

Ed Ferrara answers

That's a tough one, because I tend to think of angles in terms of long-term storylines that would play out over a series of weeks, with a build-up to a big finish. Unfortunately, we didn't have a helluva lot of those, due to the ever-changing nature of the booking team and philosophy. I would have loved to have seen how our main storyline (that I described in an earlier "Ask Ed") involving the reformed NWO would have played out, not to mention the subsequent angle involving Goldberg.  

Beyond that, there were dozens of little angles that I had a blast working on:

- Using Terry Funk, Larry Zbyszko, Paul Orndorff, and Arn Anderson as "the Old Age Outlaws" to stand up to the NWO had me marking out like a little kid. These guys were all idols of mine, and I loved seeing them standing up to the NWO when no one else could/would.

- Pretty much anything we did in the early months with Kevin Nash (doing his VKM and Sid impressions), as well as Nash AND Hall (sneaking into the arena "drunk" on cough syrup).

- "Positively" Kanyon was pure comedy that was 100 percent entertaining, IMHO... and he was gaining heat week after week. Having him come out of nowhere at the most random moments on the show to Kanyon Kut someone made me pop every time.

-Scott Steiner's "retirement" speech, tears and all, was probably one of the few things in our first three months that played out perfectly - perhaps even better than we had imagined it could be.

-La Parka's "voice" getting him in trouble. I was always a huge mark for La Parka, and I loved being able to give him more and more TV time.

-The night that Stasiak and Palumbo took over the TV control room was also a lot of fun. Again, pure comedy, but it really worked.

-I consider myself fortunate to have laid out with Terry Funk and the late, great Chris Candido (god,sometimes life is so unfair) one of the best hardcore matches I'd ever seen - the one where they brawled there way to a nearby stable, and Terry ended up (unintentionally) getting kicked by the horse.

- FINALLY establishing Booker T as a main eventer... especially after his embarrassing, potentially disastrous side-trip into "G.I. Bro" Land.

...and I'm gonna stop here, because the more I write, the more I think of, and I could be here all day.

PWTorch.com reader Joel Harbison asks:

Alright Ed, I got a good question for you. Did Vince Russo diliberately run WCW into the ground?

Ed Ferrara answers

If that's a serious question, my answer is no. If you're being a wise-ass, then by all means, yes - we were sent in there to destroy them.

PWTorch.com reader Joel Harbison continues:

I believe he did because before he showed up, WCW was whipping that attitude ass of the WWF, then he shows up and suddenly David Arquette has the title, you got a guy dressing up like Gene Simmons, and WCW went straight to hell. I am a WCW fan at heart, not the Russo WCW, but the Bischoff WCW. WCW when Kevin Nash was throwing Rey Mysterio into a trailer like a dart, and Sting dropping from the rafters to get a piece of that NWO ass. If WCW should be thought of at all, wouldn't you agree that that is how it should be remembered, and not how it was when it was doused with kerosene by Vince Russo?

Ed Ferrara answers

Actually, you need to shore up your memory a bit - there was a long stretch before we went into WCW when WWF was absolutely destroying WCW. I'm not gonna quote numbers, but there was a long time there when it seemed we were doing almost double the ratings of WCW every single Monday night. When we went to WCW, the Titantic had long since hit the iceberg and was already taking on lots of water. There was a LONG stretch of time - almost two years - between Kevin Nash tossing Rey-Rey like a dart, and our entering that company.

Personally, as a fan, I'd rather remember WCW when it was on top as well - those were the weeks before I even went into WWF and I was watching as a fan... I could barely stomach the WWF's product at the time, and WCW was changing the business. But a lot of water went under the bridge between then and the time when we entered. The place was already dripping with kerosene by the time we got there.

Should we have been lighting matches, though? No - we should have taken the time to clean up the kerosene first. Unfortunately it didn't happen that way. But if you think Russo (and/or myself) was the sole reason for the demise of WCW, you don't have even half of the facts.

Mike Kereakos of Minneapolis, Minn. asks:

Ed, I'm a huge fan of the Russo/Ferrara writing team era from the WWE, and WCW days. The era you come from in wrestling got me hooked on WWE TV back in the day. I'm still a huge wrestling fan, and would like to see someone of your creative mind back into the writing mix. My question for you is, do you still follow the wrestling product on TV these days, and could you maybe see yourself writing wrestling storylines again someday?

Ed Ferrara answers

After giving up many years of my life to the wrestling business, I no longer spare the time to watch it on TV - life is far too short for that... especially considering the state the business is in right now. I do loosely follow what's going on in the business - both storyline-wise and behind-the-scenes - through the Torch's coverage, but that's about it.

Could I see myself writing storylines again? Not really. I can't see WWE hiring me back, but not only because I've burned bridges there - we all know that "anything can happen" with them. No, I can't see it for the simple reason that I would never give up my life for their product again. That's what they demand - you need to put the WWE first, and everything else (family, friends, quality of life, etc.) gets put on the back burner. If somebody wanted to hire me to do it again, it would have to be on my terms... and for a good deal of money, to boot. That doesn't come from me thinking that I'm all that... it comes from the fact that I have no desire to go back into the business (I'm very happy doing what I'm doing right now, teaching and working with my students), so the only way I'd even consider it would be for me to get an incredibly lucrative, comfortable offer. I'll never sacrifice my own quality of life for the business again.  I did my time - leave it to the younger guys who are willing to make those sacrifices for now.  

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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