From: Chaz
*What was your opinion of WCW hiring so many luchadores?
I liked it because they provided excitement and action. Some of the boys liked it because the luchadores brought mass quantities of cheap steroids and painkillers across the border.
*What was your opinion of Goldberg’s massive push?
It worked. It made Goldberg a star. The fans loved it. Did the undefeated streak last too long? Maybe, maybe not. You started to see signs like "Getting Old-berg" in the crowd. But, more important, the crowd was still showing up. I might have kept him unbeaten a bit longer. Bill didn’t like being a heel, but turning him bad in the middle of the streak might have prolonged the streak’s shelf life. One thing’s certain: The way Bill sustained his first loss, with the cattle prod, was an awful decision. At that show’s production meeting, I remember somebody said, "The fans will still perceive him as undefeated." I said, "No, they won’t." And they didn’t. If Bill had lost legit, he would have still been the "real" guy. Beating him with a cattle prod made him part of the circus.
*Was the "Man of 1,001 holds" the funniest angle ever?
I enjoyed the Malenko-Jericho feud. I’m a Jericho mark; I love almost everything he does. One of WCW’s all-time (intentionally) laugh-out-loud moments was Jericho reading his list of 1,001 holds on TV, and every ninth hold or so was, "ARMBAR!" I’ll take credit for the idea to extend him reading his list through a commercial break. That made the promo seem INTERMINABLE without actually taking up too much TV time. Jericho’s delivery – which included numbering every hold – was priceless.
From: Rob
*What are your thoughts on CM Punk?
His size/physique makes it hard for me to take him seriously as champ or contender, but I love his character, especially given its irony juxtaposed to WWE’s family-friendly direction. Here’s a guy self-righteously preaching against the evils of drugs, and his delivery makes him a heel despite a babyface message. His opponent? A guy who looks like an extremely athletic crystal meth user. I’m not sure if my interpretation and appreciation match WWE’s intent, but I like Punk’s promos.
From: Jim
*I remember you calling a Sting-Raven match when a large bucket emptied over Sting. Sting was covered head-to-toe with a red substance and you shouted, "Blood! He’s covered in blood!" Tony Schiavone quickly corrected you, calling the substance "red liquid." What was the reasoning behind that? Was Turner that lame?
Yes. We were allowed to create the presumption of blood, but we weren’t allowed to call it blood. To be honest, Tony did the right thing. I was wrong. I violated one of our broadcast policies, limp as it may have been. I should have been more subtle and let the picture speak for itself.
*Have you ever had any altercations with anyone backstage?
The most notable time was when Sid Vicious got in my face and bellowed, "You don’t call the world champion a monkey!" Sid, a babyface world champ then, was scheduled for a three-way match against two heels. My comment was, "Sid Vicious is playing a very dangerous game of monkey in the middle." I was referring to the playground game where two kids toss a ball back and forth while the third tries to intercept it. Sid obviously took it the wrong way and simply would not listen to my explanation. Terry Taylor interceded and frantically said, "Just apologize! Just apologize!" But I said, "F*** that. I didn’t do anything wrong."
The confrontation fizzled after a few moments. On the next Nitro, I said that so-and-so was going to learn "that you don’t monkey around with Sid Vicious." Sid, watching backstage, said, "What’d he say?" And Scott Hall said, "Bro, that’s just his way of saying you’re cool." And it was. I really liked Sid. Sometimes people just argue.
*What was your single favorite nWo moment?
This might sound corny, but it came during the height of the invasion angle when the arenas were packed and half the crowd was rooting for the nWo and the other half for WCW, just a crackling atmosphere. I was working for the Internet department, and I used to love to go out into the crowd during a show, take a deep whiff of all that electricity and know that we, as a company, had beaten the odds and were better and more popular than WWE. As a long-time NWA fan, that meant a lot.
