Rajah.com Mailbag – Edition #87

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From: David

Hey I was wondering, where is David Otunga? Did he quit WWE? I’m confused.

Cewsh: WWE’s only lawyer/wrestler has been absent from television recently, ever since he took part in the Triple H/Big Show lawsuit storyline, and even before then, it had been a long, long while since Otunga was actually a frequent in ring competitor. But while he may not be doing much actual wrestling these days, the man does keep busy. He’s been taking the occasional pro bono court case, covering legal cases for the HLN Network, appearing on the cover of Muscle and Fitness magazine in December 2013, doing the rounds as a fitness guru, and just generally being a celebrity husband to his wife, Jennifer Hudson.

Otunga has said recently in interviews that he fully intends to come back to the ring at some point, but that at the moment, both he and WWE are happy for him to be an ambassador for the company, and for him to pursue his other interests. He IS still employed by WWE, and could reappear on your screen in an argyle sweater any day now.

From: Bob Monteith

Instead of massive chants and such for hijackraw, It’s too bad dead silence
for the first 5 minutes of the show couldn’t be organized. There are too many
fans who may not know about it or kids and families who are there for their
first ever show. But I think what would cause wwe the most embarrassment
would be a dead quiet crowd for the “big opening”, no reaction to entrances
and so forth.

Cewsh: Here’s the thing about the “Hijack Raw” movement, and the extremes you’re suggesting taking it to: it doesn’t hurt WWE. Oh sure, it would be an inconvenience for them and they wouldn’t be happy about it, but then the next week will come and they’ll go to a new arena with a new crop of fans who won’t be clued in, and it won’t have made any difference. In the meantime, all you’ll be doing is hurting the wrestlers who get caught up in your protest through no fault of their own.

If you buy a ticket to a WWE show in order to protest them, then your protest has failed. The only way to vote against what you see is with your wallet and with your television remote. Anything else will ultimately just be fuel for WWE to use in whatever way they choose, (as shown by the savvy move of putting Bryan vs. Batista in front of the Hijack crowd.)

Ultimately, if fans are still watching and paying, nothing will change dramatically. And as someone who very much enjoys the current product, I find it hard to get on board with the idea of doing anything else.

From: Kenya

I think Big E is well built. Is he seeing anyone or is he married?

Cewsh: As far as I’m aware, the Big guy is single. Have at him, ladies.

From: Justin

Any idea where Summerslam is either still in LA or at MSG? Or just a rumor
about going to MSG?

Cewsh: Summerslam is confirmed for Los Angelas this year.

From: Mitchell

Been visiting this site since about ’98, thanks for all the great work. I
guess my question is: When Tajiri (and others who use the same gimmick) does
his green mist, is it as simple as him slipping something into his mouth
right before? I’ve tried to catch him and others doing it, but not much luck.

Cewsh: The poison mist is a gimmick that goes all the way back to the Great Kabuki in Japan in the 70s, and has had such users as Tajiri, the Great Muta, and TNA’s Winter, (for some reason.) The way that you do it is to take water and food coloring, or a powdered drink mix like Kool Aid, and put it either in a small bag or within a capsule that the wrestler will break open in their mouth and then mix with their saliva to produce the substance. Some wrestlers prefer to carry the capsule/bag in their mouth all match long, while some keep it stashed on their person or with the referee, who will sneak it to them at some point during the match.

The mist is one of the best protected gimmicks in all of wrestling, though. So if you ever do spot any wrestler preparing for it, you might well be the first ever to do so.

From: Kevin

The WWE seems to grow increasingly sick of having the same matches, wrestlers
and story lines shoved in their face over and over again. I have to wonder
if a future exists in which another company can actually give WWE a run for
their money and possibly knock them off the top of the mountain. For
example, perhaps CM Punk returns to ROH. As contracts expire in the
business, perhaps the likes of Paul Heyman, Brrrroock Lesnar, Daniel Bryan,
AJ Styles and so forth follow suit. If they can get the proper financial
backing…….I don’t know. WCW came close with the Monday Night Wars, but
can the juggernaut that is the WWE ever be bested and beat out?

Cewsh: People don’t like to hear this, and it isn’t particularly fun to say, but even if every single wrestler on the WWE roster other than John Cena walked out tomorrow and joined a new company, it would still take YEARS for that company to gain a level of casual, mainstream notoriety that would allow them to challenge WWE. People often hearken back to the Monday Night Wars for an example of how things could be again, but you have to realize that that was the culmination of two promotions running nationally head to head for 20 years before the NWO ever existed, and neither company was even remotely as globally recognized as WWE is today. It isn’t really a matter of talent or booking, or even of quality at all. If any promotion ever has a hope of truly competing, they will need a decade of smart marketing, savvy technology awareness, and incredible fan satisfaction. And even then, who knows?

There’s always that hope that sometime in the future we might see a true competitor step forward and challenge the king. But for right now, there’s nobody even close enough to put up a fight.

From: Chick

this guy is a bum a disgrace to wrestling why do they keep on bringing this
has been back he has to be the worst bum out there he does the same old crap
every match hes in mr. charisama mr crap pleasde get rid of him for good

Cewsh: Err…I appreciate your depth of feeling?

From: Shak

Just want to say I’ve been a loyal fan of the site for over 10 years and you
do great work!

My question is me and my friend always debate on who is the GOAT in the the
business and who is really Mr. Wrestlemania based on classic matches. I say
HBK and he says the Undertaker. Being an expert could you give your opinion

Cewsh: Thanks, Shak. It’s amazing how many write ins we get for people who have been Rajah readers for a decade or more, and we really appreciate hearing from you all, whether you’re crusty old veterans, or fresh faced newbies.

Now then, these are two heeeeeavy questions. Who is the greatest of all time, and who is the real Mr. Wrestlemania? While Shawn Michaels has deserved claimed the title of Mr. Wrestlemania due to his stellar work, I think at this point, it’s really the Undertaker’s show entirely. The knock on him for a long time is that, since he routinely got stuck with people like Sycho Sid and Giant Gonzales, the actual Wrestlemania matches Taker had on his resume weren’t anything to write home about. But for the past 6 years, Taker has stolen the show again, and again, and again. From obvious classics like vs. Michaels and Triple H, to lesser talked about gems like vs. Edge and Batista the man has been on fire. And hell, he’s still keeps right on going.

As for the greatest of all time, the scope of that is immense. But I know how people always cop out and refuse to answer, so I’ll go ahead and put a name out there. Ric Flair is the greatest of all time. He isn’t my favorite wrestler, and he wasn’t always the best or most successful wrestler. But for 30 years, he epitomized a standard of excellence that follows his name even today. He’s simply what your mind goes to when you think of greatness in wrestling, and nobody had a longer run of greatness.

Now, with that said, I will go ahead and make all of you hate me by suggesting that by the time he’s done, John Cena might very well have supplanted him. With a library of stunning main event epics in his already decade long run at the top, the man has truly improved every single year of his illustrious career, to the point where even the most vehement critics of his work have seemingly run out of things to complain about. Another 10 years at or near this level, and the man’s track record would be nearly impossible to deny. Here’s hoping we see it.

From: Richard

Are they more gay wrestlers beside Darren young and pat patterson?

Cewsh: Yes.

From: Richard (A Different One)

Hey guys, I am a longtime reader going back to the 90s. Bret Hart is my guy.
I always try to imagine how thw rest of his career would have played out if
the screwjob never happened and he stayed in WWF/E. The Austin era was coming
no matter what, but I think Bret would have caught fire as the new main heel,
and would have been a great leader of the Corporation. Taker didnt fit the
mold and Rocky was too over to be a true heel. A Mcmahon/Bret combowould have
been amazing in my opinion.. of course there might not be a “mr mcmahon” if
no screwjob… years later he would have had amazing rivalriles with angle,
Brock, jericho, even a returning perfect! Such a shame…. How do you think
his career would have gone if Bret/Mcmahon never split??

Cewsh: Well the trouble with that question is that it assumes that the WWE would have continued to exist. It’s truly hard to say what the future would have held for the company, because without Bret leaving, it’s very likely that there would be no Mr. McMahon character, and Steve Austin wouldn’t have gotten the immediate push to the top at just the right time. Can you imagine if they had brought in Mike Tyson and had him interact with Bret Hart instead? We’re talking about history being totally altered at this one branching point.

As for Bret personally, though, I have to believe that he would have found it infinitely harder to continue working for WWE after Owen’s death if he had been there for it, and perhaps his health would never have deteriorated the way it did thanks to all the concussions he suffered in WCW leading to his stroke. So better or worse? I don’t know, man. It could go either way.

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