CONTACTABOUTFACEBOOKTWITTERPODCAST IPHONE APP • ANDROID APP • AMAZON APPRSS
Pro Wrestling Torch
Pro Wrestling Torch Reaches The Most Wrestling Fans Every Week: #1 in iTunes • #1 on iPhone and iPad • #1 on Android • #1 on Kindle
GOT THE PWTORCH APP YET?
•iPhone & iPad
•Android
•Amazon Kindle
•Windows Phone
PWTorch Phone App
Ask the Editor
Inside Story on Goldberg-Jericho problems, who's really tough, Hall-Nash problems

Feb 11, 2004 - 2:10:00 PM
PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO BOOKMARK US & VISIT US DAILY


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!

***

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.

***

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.

***

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.

***

Got a question? Or got more details on a question I answered? Send to: "askthetorch" (@pwtorch.com).

Note: I, along with other Torch staffers and contributors answer reader questions all the time at the VIP Forum message boards. If you aren't a Torch Newsletter subscriber, but are interested in signing up to get the Torch Newsletter delivered to your mailbox each week, plus gain access to the VIP Forum and other VIP features, and get added to the VIP Email Express mailing list - you can do so for as little as $18 U.S. for eight weeks. For more info, click here: Torch VIP ESub Info.

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.


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?
prowrestling.net
CLICK HERE FOR EVEN MORE PW.NET HEADLINES


CLICK TO EMAIL THIS ARTICLE
CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO MAIN LISTING

NEW! SIGN UP FOR FREE PWTORCH BREAKING NEWS EMAIL ALERTS
BECOME A PWTORCH VIP MEMBER
-FORMER MEMBERS LOGIN HERE TO RENEW
-NEW MEMBERS CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP
SELECT BY ARTICLES CATEGORY
SEARCH PWTORCH.COM



CLICK HERE FOR LIST OF UPCOMING PRO WRESTLING EVENTS
MORE HEADLINES AT AFFILIATE SITES
MMATorch
LATEST HEADLINES - CLICK TO READ CLICK HERE FOR MORE MMATORCH HEADLINES


PWTORCH POLL - VOTE NOW!
RAW POLL 10/12: Vote on Monday's show
 
pollcode.com free polls


RAW POLL 10/12: What was the Best Match on Raw?
 
pollcode.com free polls
MCNEILL LIVECAST POLL: TNA will have a 32-person tournament to determine a new Hvt. champion - your thoughts?
 
pollcode.com free polls
CENA POLL: If John Cena takes a year-end break, who should win the U.S. Title from Cena?
 
pollcode.com free polls
VOTE IN OR SEE RESULTS OF PREVIOUS POLLS



LATEST HEADLINES - CLICK TO READ CLICK HERE FOR EVEN MORE INC HEADLINES

_
LATEST FREE AUDIO SHOWS - CLICK TO LISTEN VIEW MORE PWTORCH LIVECAST EPISODES
DOWNLOAD PWTORCH LIVECAST APP
SUBSCRIBE TO PWTORCH LIVECAST IN ITUNES


ABOUT US

THE TORCH REACHES MORE COMBAT ENTERTAINMENT FANS THAN ANY OTHER SOURCE

PWTorch editor Wade Keller has covered pro wrestling full time since 1987 starting with the Pro Wrestling Torch print newsletter. PWTorch.com launched in 1999 and the PWTorch Apps launched in 2008.

He has conducted "Torch Talk" insider interviews with Hulk Hogan, The Rock, Steve Austin, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Eric Bischoff, Jesse Ventura, Lou Thesz, Jerry Lawler, Mick Foley, Jim Ross, Paul Heyman, Bruno Sammartino, Goldberg, more.

He has interviewed big-name players in person incluiding Vince McMahon (at WWE Headquarters), Dana White (in Las Vegas), Eric Bischoff (at the first Nitro at Mall of America), Brock Lesnar (after his first UFC win).

He hosted the weekly Pro Wrestling Focus radio show on KFAN in the early 1990s and hosted the Ultimate Insiders DVD series distributed in retail stories internationally in the mid-2000s including interviews filmed in Los Angeles with Vince Russo & Ed Ferrara and Matt & Jeff Hardy. He currently hosts the most listened to pro wrestling audio show in the world, (the PWTorch Livecast, top ranked in iTunes)


REACHING 1 MILLION+ UNIQUE USERS PER MONTH
500 MILLION CLICKS & LISTENS PER YEAR
MILLIONS OF PWTORCH NEWSLETTERS SOLD
PWTORCH STAFF

EDITORS:
Wade Keller, editor
(kellerwade@gmail.com)

James Caldwell, assistant editor
(pwtorch@gmail.com)

STAFF COLUMNISTS:
Bruce Mitchell (since 1990)
Pat McNeill (since 2001)
Greg Parks (since 2007)
Sean Radican (since 2003)

We also have a great team of
TV Reporters
and Specialists and Artists.

PWTORCH VIP MEMBERSHIP

PWTorch offers a VIP membership for $10 a month (or less with an annual sub). It includes nearly 25 years worth of archives from our coverage of pro wrestling dating back to PWTorch Newsletters from the late-'80s filled with insider secrets from every era that are available to VIPers in digital PDF format and Keller's radio show from the early 1990s.

Also, new exclusive top-shelf content every day including a new VIP-exclusive weekly 16 page digital magazine-style (PC and iPad compatible) PDF newsletter packed with exclusive articles and news.

The following features come with a VIP membership which tens of thousands of fans worldwide have enjoyed for many years...

-New Digital PWTorch Newsletter every week
-3 New Digital PDF Back Issues from 5, 10, 20 years ago
-Over 60 new VIP Audio Shows each week
-Ad-free access to all PWTorch.com free articles
-VIP Forum access with daily interaction with PWTorch staff and well-informed fellow wrestling fans
-Tons of archived audio and text articles
-Decades of Torch Talk insider interviews in transcript and audio formats with big name stars.


**SIGN UP FOR VIP ACCESS HERE**

CONTACTABOUTFACEBOOKTWITTERPODCASTIPHONE APP • ANDROID APP • AMAZON APPRSS
VIP SIGN-UP
VIP LOGIN
THE TORCH: #1 IN COMBAT ENTERTAINMENT COVERAGE | © 1999-2013 TDH Communications Inc. • All rights reserved -- PRIVACY POLICY