Questions answered on this week’s edition of the Friday Fishbowl for April 8, 2011:
Question #1: (Submitted by Zach Harper)
During the early 2000s, there was a wave of superstars brought into WWE under their real names: examples include Brock Lesnar, John Cena, Randy Orton, Shelton Benjamin…and the list goes on. However, in more recent years it seems the company has gotten away from this practice, even with second-generation guys like Joe Hennig and Windham Rotunda. The benefits for a wrestler being able to use his real name are obvious (i.e. being able to jump from company to company with the same name), but in your opinion are there any benefits for the WWE by allowing their superstars to use their actual names? Along the same lines, when, if ever do you think we’ll see another real-name wave of superstars in the company?
Question #2: (Submitted by Dane from Down Under)
Do you see any similarities between old PRIDE FC fans who now watch UFC/Strikeforce, and the the post-ECW crowd who now watches WWE/TNA? They just seem to harbor that same “can’t let go” mentality, most notably with the “we want knee strikes” movement so similar to the “we want hardcore wrestling” minority. I was just at UFC 127 in Sydney and the mixed reaction for Bisping’s illegal knee was a major talking point post-show, and you could just tell it was that former-PRIDE crowd which ate it up the most. What are your thoughts on the post-promotion crowd similarity, and also your opinion on the current stance in unified MMA rules which ban knee strikes/kicks to a grounded opponent?
Question #3: (Submitted by Darragh O’Connor)
Is the concept of “dream matches” redundant?