Ask the Editor ASK THE EDITOR: Steamboat-Savage, Hogan-Austin, Carlito's WWF status Dec 12, 2007 - 1:25:05 PM

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By Wade Keller, Torch editor

Chris asks: Is there any chance whatsoever of Hulk Hogan and Steve Austin doing something down the line? I know Austin has been down on it, but maybe they will work something in the ring together. They could have appeared together on Monday, with Austin and Hogan beating on Vince, and Hogan turning into a Stunner, leading to a feud. Is something like this 100 percent wishful thinking for an Austin/Hogan mark?

Keller Replies: I don't see this happening anytime in the future. Neither Hogan nor Austin trust each other. Hogan is more likely to agree to work with Austin than vice-versa. Neither has a lot to gain other than a payday, which is something, but not everything for these two. Austin knows he has an unblemished record in terms of facing off against Hogan, and Hogan would love to add Austin to his list of wrestlers he has either beaten or showed up in the ring. At this point in Hogan's life, though, he's so physically beat down, that even if Austin was healthy, it wouldn't be pretty. Which brings us to the no. 1 reason Austin wouldn't get in the ring with Hogan - he can't trust that Hogan wouldn't accidentally hurt him. Austin, as he said in a recent interview, feels pretty good at this point in his life and any move gone wrong could change his life for the worse forever given his neck problems along with an array of other ailments from years of hard work in the ring.

Terry L. asks: Did Carlito sign a new deal? I read that he had decided to leave WWE, but now it appears he's still on Raw after all. Did he sign a new deal or what?

Keller Replies: Carlito was planning to leave, but he got talked into staying by Vince McMahon. My hunch is that McMahon saw that TNA would likely snatch up Carlito in a second and probably utilize him better than WWE had been. With the signing of Booker T, the image that TNA was a destination for WWE wrestlers would further solidify if Carlito showed up. I think if TNA didn't exist, McMahon may have left Carlito leave, assuming he could convince him to return in the future. But with a TNA offer likely, he pressed him to stay. Carlito has had a rep for years for not having the drive necessary to really stand out among the young wrestlers, and it has frustrated management, and that has led to Carlito being frustrated with his position on the roster. If they're on the same page, I still believe Carlito could be a great asset to WWE. The key with Carlito is wrestling "tougher." He doesn't have great size, and he needs to wrestle in a way that makes him seem like a guy you'd feel safe walking with down a dark, dangerous alley. Roddy Piper, despite his lack of size, effectively conveyed that. Carlito's in-ring style was too conventional and soft to seem like a threat to main eventers.

J.R. Barnes asks: First off I'd like to say that you for all the hard work you put into the Torch.  I've been a PWTorch reader since '93.  Whenever I need my insider info I've always gone to the Torch.  And the audio features have been a great addition.  I burn them on CD and listen to them on my long 50 minute drive to work... Okay, on to my question.  One of my favorite wrestlers of all time is Randy "Macho Man" Savage.  Since this is the 20th Anniversary of the Torch, I thought it'd be appropriate to ask you about his match that took place during the Torch's first year with Ricky Steamboat. Whenever anyone brings up great Steamboat matches, they always mention his classics with Ric Flair, but rarely do I hear anyone mention his classic with Savage at WrestleMania III.  I'm curious as to your opinion on this match.  Was it overrated in your view?  I recently rewatched it and it wasn't as good as my memory recalled.

Ricky Steamboat [artist Joseph Borzotta, PWTorch]

Keller Replies: You're hanging out with a different crowd than me, because that is a match that is often brought up as a classic of the early WrestleMania years, the 1980s, and the careers of Steamboat and Savage. That said, it does not hold up to some of the great matches of ten or twenty years later, but such is the industry - always progressing style-wise. It was one of the better WWF matches of the late-'80s. At that time, in its context, it was a stellar match because the WWF had brought in so many great workers who developed in various territories in the early-1980s, but few were showcased well because of Vince's philosophy of not stressing competitive, realistic matches, but rather personalities, ring entrances, catch-phrases, and broad-stroke angles. After a streak of disappointing matches during the first two-and-a-half WrestleManias, seeing Savage and Steamboat have a match that lived up to expectations was cause for celebration among those who had seen what both were capable of before entering the WWF. I rewatched the match a few years ago and thought it held up reasonably well over time, but if you heard about it for years, but had been exposed to the best matches of the last ten years, it would seem relatively pedestrian.

Have you got a question for Ask the Editor? I'm aiming to make this a regular feature at PWTorch, so help out by sending in questions or topics you'd like me to write about. I also answer questions in audio format for VIP members about once a week as part of the VIP Keller Hotline. click here.

Background on Torch editor Wade Keller: Torch editor Wade Keller founded Pro Wrestling Torch in September 1987. He has been interviewed as a wrestling expert by dozens of TV and radio stations across the country; he has also been quoted in dozens of major newspapers and magazines across the world. Media entities that have featured Keller in stories covering wrestling include National Public Radio, Fox News Channel, ESPN Magazine, the New York Post, Entertainment Weekly, the All-News Channel, the Associated Press, and the Washington Post. He also hosted his own weekly two hour wrestling talk show on KFAN sport radio in the '90s. Over the past 17 years Keller has also interviewed, one-on-one, wrestling's top names for in-depth "Torch Talks" and feature articles including powerbrokers such as Vince McMahon, Eric Bischoff, Jerry Jarrett, Bill Watts, Jim Cornette, Jim Crockett, Jim Herd, Paul Heyman, Ed Ferrara, Terry Taylor, Kevin Sullivan, Jim Ross, and Vince Russo; top wrestling stars such as The Rock, Steve Austin, Kevin Nash, Mick Foley, Matt & Jeff Hardy, Rick Steamboat, Jerry Lawler, Bill Goldberg, British Bulldog, Road Warrior Hawk, Jesse Ventura, and Hulk Hogan; and legends such as Lou Thesz, Gordon Solie, Bruno Sammartino, Roy Shires, Terry Funk, and Verne Gagne. He is also host of the nationally distributed Ultimate Insiders DVD series.

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