Last time, Steve touched on some of the hot button issues at the time including the CM Punk situation, details behind The Undertaker’s streak ending, and the lack of ambition in the WWE locker room. Vince was playing ball that particular night and answered most questions with a palpable sense of honesty and candor. Quite frankly, I was surprised Vince found a way to answer most of the questions without letting his corporate filter get in the way.
I can confidently say that aside from last year’s WrestleMania, the Austin/McMahon podcast was my favorite original production on the WWE Network.
Luckily for fans, Stone Cold decided to unleash another can of audio whoop ass on the WWE Network with the COO of the WWE, former tag-team partner, and another longtime rival – Triple H. I had incredibly high expectations for this WWE Network production since the last one provided fans with a glimpse inside the mind of the most important man in the history of professional wrestling. Would Triple H prove to be a worthy successor to Vince McMahon? Take a look at some of the main talking points and decide for yourself!
Royal Rumble Backlash? Austin brought up how the crowd turned on the Rumble once Bryan was eliminated and asked quite frankly if “kayfabe has died.” HHH agreed to an extent and continued to say that WWE tries to keep their finger on the pulse of what is going on. Hunter said there is a clear vocal minority that has a tough time accepting storylines for what they are. He echoed that Vince is the true creative mind that has the final word on stories. HHH said a good promoter always listens to his audience and makes changes according to their reactions.
Sense of Urgency? Austin mentioned that the Attitude Era shows felt more like must-see TV. Hunter retorted that it is hard to maintain that sort of interest and that the reality era came about because “kayfabe is dead” and everybody is “smart these days.”
WWE: The Book That Never Ends: Austin said that he recently watched Triple H: Thy Kingdom Come (on DVD & Blu-ray, folks!) and asked HHH if he ever had an exit strategy after wrestling. He said that his exit strategy was always to end up behind the scenes in some capacity. There was a good amount of criticism since marrying Stephanie McMahon because guys thought he didn’t earn it. He mentioned that going down to NXT and helping a “lightbulb go off” for a young guy is almost as good as stepping in the ring.
Indies or WWE Performance Center? It depends: sometimes it is hard to fix the bad habits of independent wrestlers rather than molding a brand new wrestler out of WWE clay. HHH equates wrestlers having different styles to football players knowing different playbooks. He doesn’t think other playbooks are bad, but they may not be what the WWE is looking for.
NXT: Steve asked how HHH models the template for the weekly NXT show. HHH knows who the show is geared for: the most ardent and hardcore fans. He tries to give the talent less scripting so that they can learn on the fly with more of a “safety net.” He believes that NXT is becoming a new way to develop talent and also believes they have created an alternative brand that can possibly hold itself on the road. Hunter said the talent are a huge part of the creative process.
Chyna: Steve asked if Chyna is ever going in the WWE Hall of Fame. For the first time in the night, Hunter looked somewhat uncomfortable while stating, “It is one of those questions that has a double sided edge.” He put across that there is definitely no beef from his end and that he thinks she should be in the Hall of Fame for her wrestling accolades but fears his kids “Googling Chyna.”
Mending Fences: HHH mentioned how Vince and Bruno had a falling out and how he was the one that wanted to start mending fences. He said Bruno and Warrior both had their challenges but Bruno was more trusting of HHH after a while whereas Warrior was different because they had some heat back in 1996.
Dream Match: Buddy Rodgers because he was the first guy that had a true look and personality to match his wrestling ability.
CM Punk: HHH said that as it stands he is “cool” with Punk. He recalled people saying he didn’t like Punk when he first came into WWE but openly admits to not knowing who he was then. He feels like Punk holds a grudge for how some of the storylines involving Kevin Nash and himself in 2011 evolved. Hunter claims that Punk doesn’t communicate well. Austin asked if he will ever come back and HHH said that is up to Vince but if the fans want it, there is always a chance.
Word Association: HBK, Flair, Nash, Hall, Eddie Guerrero, Goldberg, Brock Lesnar, Paul Heyman, Owen Hart, Bret Hart, Undertaker, Kane, Pat Patterson, Michael Hayes.
Pro wrestling or Sports Entertainment? He understands the distinction between the two but sometimes being just a pro wrestler is somewhat limiting. Being a WWE Superstar is something that is bigger than just pro wrestling.
Brock Lesnar’s Contract Status: They are constantly talking to Brock and it ultimately comes down to what he wants to do. He indicated that he may have unfinished business in the UFC.
The Streak: He saw the Streak ending from both sides. He thinks it is something that should last forever but understands the other side that wants to put over talent.
One thing Triple H would change about RAW: Triple H revealed that he wishes RAW was 2 hours but that it’s a Vince call if RAW would go back to 2 hours. Hunter feels that the 3rd hour of RAW is incredibly difficult to write.
When will we see Triple H back in the ring? “You’ll see me back, stay tuned. I don’t want to give it away but I hope I haven’t been training twice a day for nothing.”
Although the second edition may not prove to be as gripping as the first, I feel it is my duty as a reviewer to give this WWE Network special the highest possible recommendation.
It is clear that WWE is making an effort to cater to their “smart” audience by providing them with content that extends past the ring. I think the WWE should consider keeping these episodes on the schedule every month or so. Even though the two biggest names behind the scenes have now been interviewed already, I think there could be some more interesting interviews to be conducted in the future. If you haven’t checked this interview out by now, please do yourself a favor and open a new browser and type “network.wwe.com”, search for the Austin podcast, and remind yourself why you have a subscription to the WWE Network.
You can watch a short preview of the podcast in the clip below – Stone Cold asks Triple H his opinion on whether or not The Undertaker’s streak should have ever been broken.
If you haven’t subscribed to the WWE Network before (why haven’t you?!) then February is your chance to get an entire month for FREE! Sign up now at WWE.com and take advantage of a free month and see the Fast Lane PPV and the latest NXT Take Over special.
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I much preferred the interview with Vince. It had much more of an honest, shoot element to it. This one was a bit bland, and HHH didn’t seem to even want to be there. I feel as if he lacked honesty. Vince was very open and I loved his comments about the brass ring, Sting, and guys getting over. HHH did not give us too much of anything. The Chyna question was a great one.
I enjoyed the HHH interview, but it did seem a lot more scripted compared to Vince. HHH however has a great mind for the business and I think WWE under his control would be great.
There was some questions he danced around like who currently is ready to be the next Austin, Cena, or Hogan. Was interested to hear who he would mention, my guess was he likely wanted to say Roman Reigns.
I never got the feeling that Hunter was working off a script. His interview wasn’t nearly as newsworthy as Vince’s, but being in Vince’s position, it’s hard to do an interview like that and it not be newsworthy.
I think his aversion to that question spoke just as loud as an actual answer would have, though. Maybe louder.
I enjoyed the Hunter interview, although I don’t believe he really said anything during it.
I couldn’t help but notice that he skirted on the question of whether or not he saw anybody on the roster who could be the successor to John Cena.
I thought it was an honest interview, and the hour really flew by.
I wonder where they go from here? They started with Vince. They started at the top of the line with these interviews. There’s only one way to go from there.
I’d like to see Vince do one of these interviews at least twice a year, if not quarterly, like a “State of the WWE Address”. I don’t think it’s probable, but I’d like to see that happen.
I think if they are going the McMahon route…then Stephanie will likely be next.
If not I could see either Rock and/or even Undertaker doing a live podcast with Austin. Those two would be HUGE. Austin mentioned he wants to do it with both but timing issues and availabilities stopped it from happening for now.
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I much preferred the interview with Vince. It had much more of an honest, shoot element to it. This one was a bit bland, and HHH didn’t seem to even want to be there. I feel as if he lacked honesty. Vince was very open and I loved his comments about the brass ring, Sting, and guys getting over. HHH did not give us too much of anything. The Chyna question was a great one.
I enjoyed the HHH interview, but it did seem a lot more scripted compared to Vince. HHH however has a great mind for the business and I think WWE under his control would be great.
There was some questions he danced around like who currently is ready to be the next Austin, Cena, or Hogan. Was interested to hear who he would mention, my guess was he likely wanted to say Roman Reigns.
I never got the feeling that Hunter was working off a script. His interview wasn’t nearly as newsworthy as Vince’s, but being in Vince’s position, it’s hard to do an interview like that and it not be newsworthy.
I think his aversion to that question spoke just as loud as an actual answer would have, though. Maybe louder.
I’m sure that Hogan would be next in line for the live podcast.
I enjoyed the Hunter interview, although I don’t believe he really said anything during it.
I couldn’t help but notice that he skirted on the question of whether or not he saw anybody on the roster who could be the successor to John Cena.
I thought it was an honest interview, and the hour really flew by.
I wonder where they go from here? They started with Vince. They started at the top of the line with these interviews. There’s only one way to go from there.
I’d like to see Vince do one of these interviews at least twice a year, if not quarterly, like a “State of the WWE Address”. I don’t think it’s probable, but I’d like to see that happen.
I think if they are going the McMahon route…then Stephanie will likely be next.
If not I could see either Rock and/or even Undertaker doing a live podcast with Austin. Those two would be HUGE. Austin mentioned he wants to do it with both but timing issues and availabilities stopped it from happening for now.
I think it already went downhill with Trips (understandably after Vince) but yeah, Taker or Rock would arguably be the biggest guests yet.