Stone Cold podcast Reax, Plane crash anniversary, assorted WWE press, NXT lineup, more Network content, another Lockdown match, Interview with Russo, Blue Meanie remembers trainer, Impact audience, Otunga appears, Raw notes, and Questions on Axel in the Rumble, race in WWE, supporting Vince, WWE booking, and Cena vs. Rusev

Stone Cold Podcast Reax:
Interesting HHH implied there are things some fans know WWE doesn't know. It would be hard to keep track of THAT much info about the product and what the Superstars are doing, etc..

I don't think fans are upset at Reigns himself. Hopefully they understand he's just not ready for the big push he's getting. Will he ever be as good as guys like Bryan, Ambrose, or Rollins? Maybe. But they've got a big edge on him in experience. That can't be taught and isn't easy to pick up.

Good stuff from HHH about Vince picking up Hogan from the AWA. He knows his history.

Fair points about having to appeal to everyone today instead of just the vocal college-age males.

We're definitely seeing mainstream media take an insider perspective of knowing it's all fake. That's a good point.

I wonder if fans would have accepted Reigns winning in the Attitude Era. I can't think of a perfect comparison, but it would be like Austin or Rock not going to Mania when they were clearly the person to pull the trigger on.

I can't think, off the top of my head, of the last top guy who was really ready when they got their first World Title push. It's a whole different level. Bryan came into his own after winning his first World Title (during the heel turn), and Punk was in the same boat. He didn't really become who he would later be when he was a face World Champion. The feud with Jeff Hardy showed he had what he takes.

Timing is everything with a big push. Orton wasn't ready in 2004.

Vince is absolutely a workaholic. It's a good quality to be a hard worker, but maybe not THAT hard of a worker.

I like the philosophy of not playing a wrestler.

I do think now the bar is higher for a top guy to be a great wrestler AND have size AND be able to talk well, etc.. We're kind of spoiled from seeing all these talented names, and expect that from everyone.

I think it's definitely a fair criticism to not put Chyna in the HoF unless she really turns her life around for a good while. They are a family-friendly company.

It's great HHH and Warrior worked something out. Wow, did both men's careers really change from that Mania or what?

I could see Punk being very, very difficult to work with. I admire him for standing up for himself and all that, but at times, he was his own worst enemy.

Nash can definitely come across as a jackass.

I bet Bret will have something to say about HHH's comment. I agree with HHH.

Damn straight the Freebirds should be in the Hall next year!

Hahahahaha way to bury Kevin Dunn.

I like HHH's remarks about promos.

I think two hours of Raw and two hours of Smackdown should be enough for WWE in a week if they use it right. NXT doesn't count in that equation.

Based Haitch. Really good interview. He'll be fine replacing Vince.

Everything else from yesterday is after the break. 
Tampa Bay Online looked back at a major plane crash 40 years ago involving several pro wrestlers. Quite a sad day for the industry. Imagine having so much heat fans cheer when you drown at 29 years old. Jesus.

Sgt. Slaughter was interviewed ahead of AXXESS. I love him having a camo blazer.

Bret Hart visited at WWE's weekend live event at Calgary, where he got to see Tyson Kidd lose the opening match. As if Hart needed another reason to not like watching WWE.

Set for this week's NXT:
- NXT Championship Contender Tournament: Finn Balor vs. Hideo Itami
- NXT Championship Contender Tournament: Adrian Neville vs. Baron Corbin
- Carmella vs. Emma
- Bayley vs. Becky Lynch

Balor vs. Itami should be AMAZING. I expect Neville, Bayley, and Becky to have solid performances, too. We'll see about the others.

WWE has added episodes of Tuesday Night Titans to the Network. I bet WWE would replace Main Event with something like that if they could. Then again, the talk show's probably harder to write.

Brooke vs. Robbie E is also part of Friday's Lockdown special. That should be interesting. It does make sense to add something a little less serious to the card.

Vince Russo talked about C.M. Punk, and Hogan and Bischoff in TNA. I think he had some good insight to why Hogan and Bischoff couldn't make what they did previously work in that company.

The Blue Meanie talked about the recent passing of an influential trainer. Touching words, although it did feel like a wrestling promo at times. Very worth the read.

TV Guide looked at underutilized WWE superstars. Tough to argue with those picks, although Tyson Kidd's part of that equation, too.

David Benoit visited the WWE live event in Edmonton. I don't know if the wrestling world's ready for that last name to be in the conversation again.

Impact Wrestling dropped to 431,000 viewers this week. Hopefully Lockdown does their best number yet. That will be a real test of how much people want to see TNA going forward.

David Otunga was on the Raw pre-show, replacing Alex Riley. I'm sure that will get some rumors started about Riley's status! That's a good use for Otunga if they don't plan on having him be a character of some sort again.

The Undertaker wasn't backstage at Raw, despite rumors to the contrary. I definitely expect to see him before too much longer, though. Maybe the night after Fast Lane?

There was no post-show match at the Raw taping. The show did end with a Bryan victory, so maybe that's why.

For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I haven't heard that rule in a while, but apparently it was in place years back. It's not like they're going to put him in the title picture either way.

2. I'm glad this series of questions had kind of a happy ending. HHH vs. Booker's definitely a big example of why some people of color are really turned off by WWE.

3. BBBUUUURRRRRRNNNNNNN. I suppose PWInsider got stop covering WWE if they didn't want to support Vince, but that would cost them financially.

4. Bryan was only on top for a month because he got injured, but other than that I agree with their analysis. WWE has to do what's best for all its fans and what makes them the most money, though. If that's having Reigns beat Lesnar in front of a lot of boos instead of Bryan winning and that fanbase not supporting WWE financially, they'll probably have the former Shield member stand tall. We'll see what happens in the next two months.

5. They set it up on the Rumble post-show, and Cena makes sense as an opponent for Rusev given his rise up the card. I definitely think a loss to Cena hurts Rusev, even if they protect him in defeat. They have to be careful with booking that. That said, Rusev has to lose eventually.

More wrestling tomorrow.