Magazine Archives: The Mailbag - Edition 3

From FightfulMag.com issue 3 -- how did these age?!?

Albert A.: What can Ring of Honor do, if anything, to get back to where they once were in terms of prominent United States wrestling companies?

Sean Ross Sapp: They’ve taken this step already in some cases, but I’d like to see some personality-driven wrestlers that can work to complement their outstanding wrestlers. I know they want to build within and debut a lot of their Dojo wrestlers, but many haven’t quite stood out. DanhausenandEC3were fantastic signings, as well as re-signing Dalton Castle. I would look at some more personality-driven wrestlers like Matt Cardonaand Zicky Diceas people they should look into to help accentuate things as well. Also, they should really take advantage of the robust women’s scene to fill out that roster.

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David Towns: With all the coverage Fightful does, is there a performer or a show that often goes underlooked because there’s so much?

Rob Wilkins: David, this was a great question, and as far as the performers, one person came to mind instantly. Danny Limelightis who I feel is one person that is underlooked from a perspective that I am surprised more people are not talking about him. The upside in Limelight is greater than I think people realize, and he is gaining more and more experience each week.

He has shown his potential over and over in only a short time. He has wrestled in AEW and NJPW and has wrestled against some of the very best, like Kenny Omega, Jon Moxley, Rey Fenix, David Finlay, and Chase Owens, to name a few. He has been very impressive.

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Charles Cann: What wrestler have you seen utilize social media best to build themselves and why?

Kyler James: From what I’ve seen, it’s Danhausen. I see him constantly using his social media platform to promote everything that he’s working on. Whether that be posting skits, promoting his Pro Wrestling Tees store, etc. The pandemic has really helped him grow his audience in that regard. Also, his YouTube channel has a lot of fun stuff over there as well. The likes ofRob Funches, Renee Paquette, Xavier Woodshave all been featured over there. Also, I think Danhausen being in character in his videos has helped him grow because people click to see what “Danhausen” is unboxing or reviewing. So, yeah, I think Danhausen has used social media to market himself very well.

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Peter Sanderson: Who do you think could make a good transition to pro wrestling from MMA?

Shakiel Mahjouri: Colby Covingtonis, without a doubt, my top choice. Traditionally, having some sort of wrestling background (amateur or Olympic) has proven to be the best base for athletes transitioning to pro wrestling. Beyond that, you need someone who genuinely enjoys the craft. Think Ronda Rousey, Pat McAfee, Bad Bunny orStephen Amell. Colby is a fan.

He may not be the most charismatic presence in MMA, but he has committed to his heel gimmick through and through, and that will take him far in both industries. And boy, is he unlikeable. I’m firmly opposed to the racist elements of his MMA gimmick, and I hope he stops leaning into it. Colby is at his best when sporting a s--t-eating grin, pinning major movie spoilers to his Twitter, walking around with paid pornstars who would rather be anywhere else, and telling Kamaru Usman he “couldn’t draw money with a green crayon and a piece of paper.”

Other notable inclusions:

- Henry Cejudo, an ultra-cringy but supremely accomplished athlete and wrestling fan.

- Conor McGregorand Israel Adesanyabased solely on their charisma and star power.

- Yoel Romero, Cris Cyborg (and maybe Francis Ngannou) as silent heavies that will absolutely destroy you.

- Daniel Cormier,who is a nice blend of all the above.

- Tatiana Suarez, who has star presence, a great wrestling base and natural charisma.

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Coby Galenzoski: What is the more beneficial way for WWE to run the main roster? One roster or multiple brands and why?

Jimmy Van:I think it depends on who you ask. To me, you need separate rosters because five hours of television per week, you risk character burn-out and given how much NBCU and Fox are paying for television rights, I’d want to avoid that risk. To WWE President & Chief Revenue Officer Nick Khan, it might matter less because one roster means they can do even more talent cuts which will continue to pad the bottom line. Of course, ultimately, if creative isn’t up to par, it doesn’t matter whether you have one roster or two because ratings will be impacted either way, but bad creative + one roster would probably escalate that decline.

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Colt Badaux: If WWE were to sell, who would be the best option to sell to?

Jimmy Van: So the popular buzzword on that is “Disney,” but I think that might be a pipe dream on the part of WWE and WWE fans. NBCU makes the most logical sense. WWE already has a relationship with them and USA Network dating back to the 1980s. Currently, even though Raw’s numbers are down on Monday nights, it’s still the biggest show on USA, and without it, USA’s prime time ratings average would be pretty ugly, so they still need and value WWE. Then there’s the new NBCU-owned Peacock streaming deal that’s slated to not expire until 2026. An acquisition by NBCU between now and then would, in essence, save NBCU those annual television and streaming rights costs. And in theory, a deal with any company not named NBCU —especially one like Disney with its own streaming platform —is unlikely to happen for at least five more years. NBCU makes the most sense. The question will be, are they willing to pay the estimated $4.5 billion (which is undervalued —WWE is likely to sell for more than that)? I guess we’ll see.

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Milos D.: First pro wrestling tee ever bought?

Sean Ross Sapp: The first wrestling shirt was one I didn’t even get until I was a teenager. Wrestling was frowned upon in my house, so it wasn’t something I had a lot of. However, it was a nWo Wolfpac shirt about three sizes too big. Eventually, my best friend (OR SO I THOUGHT) stole it, and I saw him wearing it in our school yearbook. Unreal! It was the basic red and black nWo logo that was different but familiar with some unnecessary text on the back, which is par for the course with other pro wrestling shirts.