Interviews with EC3/Cena/Bryan/Hogan/RVD/Orndorff/Road Dogg, names in town for Mania, what WM30 means for the Network, rapper talks Raw brawl, examining the Orlando Jordan push, WWE on PPV update, Questions on live events on the WWE Network, breaking up The Shield, Kofi as a Wyatt, original plan for Bryan at Mania and the Andre battle royal

Ethan Carter III talked about WWE vs. TNA and more. I was a noted fan of his with his WWE work and think WWE made the right move in picking him up.

John Cena, Daniel Bryan and Hulk Hogan were all interviewed at the WrestleMania 30 press conference. I think Bryan would be justified in demanding a higher spot for himself and other hard workers.

Paul Orndorff is in New Orleans for WrestleMania week activities. I wonder if he'll induct Mr. T into the WWE Hall of Fame?

Variety examined how pivotal WrestleMania 30 is in relation to the WWE Network. A number of WWE execs were quoted. I'll certainly be keeping an eye on the numbers, too!

Everything else from yesterday is after the break.
Rob Van Dam talked about WrestleMania and more. Pretty boring. It's believed he'll be back on the Raw after WM30.

Rapper Wale talked about getting in a confrontation in the stands at Raw. Wow, that was really stupid to fight about.

A former TNA PR employee discussed the Orlando Jordan push. I would hate for even more people to write off wrestling for the supposed gay undertones. I liked the quote about whether someone is a worker being more important than their sexual orientation. I understand pushing buttons with characters, but I don't think the character got the right kind of heat for TNA. I can't say I blame the author for his deceptions.

InDemand is currently scheduled listed as carrying WWE Extreme Rules. Obviously there's been some tension between WWE and PPV providers.

WWE has a LOT of social media ventures planned for WrestleMania. The term "entertainment juggernaut" definitely applies.

Paul Orndorff talked about his history with Hulk Hogan and more. I'm not sure what Orndorff wants from the current product. There's no way they can "out-real" MMA or boxing. The people who want to see that kind of thing are going to stick to that and WWE could alienate part of its audience. I don't even know how much of a draw hardcore wrestling is in 2014 as the concept's been watered down a lot due to so many big gimmick matches and bumps. Orndorff's rather high on himself and dismissive of Hogan.

Hulk Hogan talked about slamming Andre (of course) and more. Hogan playing a serial killer would be... ummm.... interesting. LET ME TELL YA SOMETHING, BROTHER. I'M GOING TO EAT YOUR LIVER WITH SOME FAVA BEANS, DUDE. I think it'd be cool for Hulk to have a moment with Bryan either at Mania or on TV the week following, personally.

Road Dogg talked in his hometown before WrestleMania. I miss the dreadlocks...

For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Part of what makes live events special is not being able to see what happens there anywhere else. There's less of a worry about working for TV cameras and time limits and all that, so the talents have more room to experiment. There's also the concern of it drawing even more attention to performers' winning and losing streaks, overexposing them, etc.. So I'm split at best on putting live events on the Network.

2. While I certainly think WWE should get as much as they can out of the group as a babyface trio, inevitably there will come a time to split them. All three of them could work as singles competitors if used right, or WWE could pair Rollins and Ambrose up with different partners to create a new dynamic. They have enough potential and flexibility to be used in a lot of ways, and that bodes well for their employment.

3. Yeah, I also don't see how he fits in with what the Wyatts do. A heel turn would be nice to shake things up, though. I could see him getting fed up with the fans and joining either Brodus or Titus since neither of them are doing much of anything.

4. Presumably Sheamus would have been another roadblock for Bryan as a heel.

5. WWE likes their big clustermess matches at Mania (or the pre-show). The U.S. Champion is in a pretty good spot, but obviously not a title match. Part of me would definitely like to see the titles defended on the show, but there's potential to do something interesting with the battle royal. Hogan hinted at it becoming an annual thing in a recent interview.

More wrestling tomorrow.