By Wade Keller, Torch editor

VIP members, check out my new "VIP Audio Q&A" feature in the "Audio Updates" section. About once a week from now on I plan to give extended answers to PWTorch reader questions in the audio format. If you've got a question you'd like to me to answer or an issue you'd like me to address, send your question to "askthetorch" (@pwtorch.com) and put "VIP Audio Question" in the subject box.

New Ask the Torch Responses:

WK: Yesterday, someone asked about Hurricane's age. He is 29 according to the IMDB.com website. Thanks to everyone who helped out with that info!

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Alan Guilliams asks: There is a question that I have been wondering about that I can't seem to find much information on. Some time back when Goldberg entered the WWE, he and Jericho (my favorite wrestler other than Flair) had a backstage incident. It is my understanding that this was caused by Goldberg saying that Jericho wasn't selling moves properly, or something to that affect. Can you elaborate on this? Also, I was wondering what this did for the respect level backstage of both Jericho and Goldberg. After all, when looking at the two, you would think that Goldberg could take Jericho easily, however, I have learned to never under estimate Canadian wrestlers, especially those who have trained in the dungeon. Obviously, no one wants to be involved in backstage antics such as this because they are certainly frowned upon by Vince. However, were there secretly any wrestlers who may have applauded Jericho, and/or laughed at Goldberg for this incident? Kudos to the comment made in one of the year-end review articles mentioning Goldberg "doing the job" for Jericho backstage.

WK: Goldberg got a huge push in WCW when he knew little or nothing about pro wrestling. He was in a locker room that was paranoid and unhappy. He aligned himself with wrestlers, such as Kevin Nash and Hulk Hogan, who had ulterior motives when giving him advice. When it was suggested he work a feud with Chris Jericho, Goldberg balked at it because he felt selling for someone smaller than him would make him look bad. He didn't believe Jericho was at his level and felt it would be a step down to work with him. The only concession offered was that Goldberg squash Jericho on TV. That led to personal issues between the two because Goldberg essentially vetoed Jericho's chance to be elevated, although management in this case deserves more blame than Goldberg himself, who was in no position to be having any influence over who he did or didn't wrestle and under what circumstances feuds took place.

Jericho spoke about his frustrations with the Goldberg situation in WCW last year on the WWE website: "People wanted to see him kick my ass (on TV in a worked match), and that's what I wanted him to do," Jericho said of Goldberg. "This was when he was in the middle of his winning streak, and the office wanted to end this in a two minute squash match, as we call them, with him just Spearing me and Jackhammering me. I refused to do it because people wanted to see this match, and they were going to pay for it. I wanted to have a match on a pay–per–view, and he could kick the sh–– out of me in a minute if that's what they wanted, but at least people would be paying to see it—not seeing it on free TV as just another guy that was part of his streak." Jericho said the problems he had getting the match were among the main reasons he left WCW. "Actually, that was the catalyst for me to leave because I realized if they weren't going to go with that, they were never going to go with anything that I had. Because that was a hot angle that people were into. If they weren't going to go with it, it was probably best for me just to move on."

Torch Newsletter #754, cover-dated Apr. 19, 2003, led with this in the "Top Five Stories of the Week" feature: "Bill Goldberg and Chris Jericho had to be separated after an incident that took place backstage after the Apr. 7 Raw. Sources report that Goldberg was badmouthing Jericho's selling ability to at least one other wrestler while backstage. According to one source, Greg "Hurricane" Helms overheard the conversation and after prompting by Kevin Nash, repeated it to Jericho, working him up in the process. Jericho confronted Goldberg about the remark he made and the situation became physical. Jericho put Goldberg in a front–facelock and held him there until the two were separated by wrestlers and agents. Goldberg and Jericho eventually shook hands before leaving the building. Although Goldberg has a reputation for having a short temper, at least one source defended the way he dealt with this situation. "I don't think Goldberg was wrong on this," the source said. "I just think Hurricane got Jericho all worked up (by repeating what Goldberg had said)… Jericho was determined to fight Goldberg because he was so worked up." The source also accused Helms of being a "sh-- stirrer" and claimed this was not an isolated incident. Goldberg had refused to work a feud with Jericho in WCW, largely convinced by Nash who told Goldberg that Jericho was "too small." Jericho grew frustrated since he felt he deserved that spot, and that was a major factor in his decision to leave WCW when his contract expired and sign with the WWF.

As far as who would win in a fight, all of my money would be on Jericho. If you've watched UFC fights over the last ten years, you realize you can't tell anything from looking at two people standing side by side. What matters is street toughness and fighting skills. Jericho has way more of both than Goldberg. The two got into a physical altercation last year early in Goldberg's WWE run and, by all accounts, Jericho got the best of Goldberg. It apparently wasn't a fight as much as a scuffle ending quickly with Jericho controlling Goldberg on the ground. As far as whether Jericho has been applauded and Goldberg laughed at, yet, that is what happened. I doubt anybody in the WWE locker room was rooting for Goldberg in that battle. Bret Hart wrote in his Calgary Sun column that Goldberg got what he deserved. "A reality check for Goldberg has been long overdue." Goldberg, though, has since acclimated himself much better into the WWE locker room and learned a lot from being around Steve Austin and other more trustworthy veteran voices for nearly a year.

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Bob Malachowski of Utica, N.Y. asks: Is Dixie Carter from Panda Energy the same as the Dixie Carter of Designing Women television fame?

WK: No. They are different people. TNA's Dixie Carter is much younger than the star of Designing Women.

From the Ask the Torch Vault - July 24, 2000

J.B. of Bridgewater, N.J. asks: On Thunder, Kevin Nash was interviewed and I assumed it was a worked shoot. He said Scott Hall will not be back in WCW because of upper management. He also said that when his contract is up in 17 months, he will go where ever Hall is. First of all, will Hall ever be back in WCW? If not, when is he free to explore other options?

Second, is Nash seriously considering leaving WCW or is this part of an angle? Was he accurate in saying there are 17 months left on his contract or was this, too, part of an angle? Personally, I would love to see them back in the WWF, but it would be interesting to see if Vince McMahon would bring them back as Hall and Nash or as Diesel and Razor Ramon. What do you think?

Jason Powell answers: First off, Nash's interview was a worked-shoot. His contract is up in 17 months.

As we reported in Torch newsletter #611, Hall has heat with Time Warner executive, Brad Siegel, who basically has the final say when it comes to anything related to WCW. While divorced from his wife Dana (whom he since remarried), Hall dated Siegel's niece, Emily Sherman, WCW v.p. of international coordination. On the final night of last year's tour of Germany, Hall and Sherman went out for a private dinner. According to sources, Sherman confronted Hall about his drinking problem at the dinner. According to the story, Hall stood up, threw his plate full of food on Sherman stormed out of the restaurant and there was a confrontation between the two on the elevator shortly thereafter.

The next day, Hall wasn't allowed to board the airplane to return home due to his behavior at the airport. Once she returned to Atlanta, Sherman is said to have told Siegel about the incident. Friends of Siegel say there is little chance that he would ever approve of Hall's return. Hall also has heat with Goldberg stemming from an incident that has been discussed at length in previous updates. That said, there have been times in the past when it seemed like Hall had burned his last bridge with WCW but ended up returning.

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Harry Salevurakis (no city/state listed) asks: Knowing wrestling is a work, who are some of the wrestlers who none of the workers would mess with in real life?

Jason Powell answers: There are a lot of names that come to mind, some for different reasons. To say that none of the workers would mess with them wouldn't be a true statement since there have been people who have pressed their luck with some of the names I will list.

I've heard several stories about Meng's toughness over the years. As legend has it, Jesse Barr, a.k.a. Jimmy Jack Funk, lost an eye in a fight with Meng in the '80s. In addition to Meng, many of the Samoan wrestlers (mostly Meng's family members) have earned "don't mess with us" reputations.

Also, David Finlay and Steven Regal have earned reputations as shooters due to wrestling shoot matches at carnivals in Europe.

Obviously, Ken Shamrock, due to his background in mixed martial arts, is known for his fighting skills. Although I'm sure most wrestlers wouldn't mess with Tank Abbott because of his career in mixed martial arts, the Steiner brothers (who also deserve mention) tested him when he first came in and told friends that they weren't impressed with his toughness.

ECW's Jack Victory is known for being a brawler if provoked. ECW's New Jack isn't so much feared for his fighting skills as much as he is for his unpredictability. I'm probably forgetting several names that belong on the list, but those are the first several that come to mind.

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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 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 16 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, Terry Taylor, Kevin Sullivan, Jim Ross, and Vince Russo; top wrestling stars such as The Rock, Steve Austin, Mick Foley, 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.

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