New Pro Wrestling Illustrated Features Jericho Interview

Available today on newsstands is the new issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated, which has Triple-H on the cover. This issue includes the transcript from an in-depth interview conducted with Chris Jericho by one of PWI's most respected writers.

As the tagline reads, "After completing work on his book, 'A Lion's Tale: Around the World in Spandex,' Chris Jericho spoke with Senior Writer Dan Murphy about his life after wrestling, the creative process, and how the biggest story of 2007 affected not only his life, but also his book."


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Backstage Raw News

Even though Chris Jericho did not show up (on camera),WWE and Jericho did a lot to try to swerve the fans last night.

For starters, one of my colleagues confirmed that Jericho actually cut his autograph signing - at the University of Penn Barnes and Noble - short last night, offering no real excuse. Those in charge of the event claimed after he left that he had to make it to the arena as soon as possible.

WWE also had the staff of the Wachovia Center block off an entire quarter of the stadium that overlooks the loading docks below. These docks are where the wrestlers arrive and leave, and also where they film the parking lot segments. Traditionally, they tend to block off access to this section whenever there's somebody showing up that they want to keep as a surprise.

I was also excited to see that Jason Static had a match against Ron Simmons, presumably for Heat. Static was actually my first interview for an Introducing column upon joining Pro Wrestling Illustrated! I called and left him a voicemail while he was in the ring, but, unfortunately, the match did not last as long as my voicemail.

Mick Foley's appearance was a complete surprise to just about everybody in the arena. He arrived presumably in a limo and was quickly escorted inside. Perhaps he was the real reason for the blocked section of the arena.

Even though I did not actually make it backstage, I did have a guy on the inside who confirmed the presence of Foley well before the start of the show.
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Orton, New Pro Wrestling Illustrated

On news stands today is the newest issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated with Randy Orton on the cover.

The cover story - "Orton Pays the Price in the Ring, And Gains the Fans' Respect" - was written by yours truly and discusses how Orton may have turned the corner with fans after destroying that hotel room.

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Randy Orton's Pro Wrestling Illustrated Cover

The next edition of Pro Wrestling Illustrated (on news stands July 24) features Randy Orton on the cover with the feature story written by PWP's own Brady Hicks: "Orton Pays the Price in the Ring... And Earns the Fans' Respect"

(WWE is making Orton pay for his transgressions inside the ring—and the fans are finally granting him the respect he’s been craving) More on This Story...

Wrestling Reporter's Journal

Traveling the globe for my magazines, a lot of people ask me all the time who are some of the most surly individuals I've met and who are some of the best. Well, I can tell you that - reputations aside - Randy Orton is one of the most genuine and honest folks in the locker room. The problem he runs into all the time is that he's too honest.

Like when he told that woman he was going to poop in her travel bag if she didn't go out with him. Made sense I thought. He told her what he was going to do. She didn't do it. And she took remnants of his waste home with her as she walked out the company doors forever.

Like when he told the late Mr. McMahon he was going to get drunk and trash his hotel room like Shawn Michaels once did if he didn't get a title shot. I was in the corridor to see McMahon just laugh and shrug it off. I'm guessing you all heard what happened with that one as well.

Orton once told me - and I'll never forget this - "The problem with people, Hicks, is that nobody says what they mean." In a world of backstage politics and back-stabbing friends, Randy Orton is a courageous fighter, reputation be damned. He needs to get a more public face if he is to ever get ahead in this world.

As for the nastiest of the nasty, I'd have to give that honor to Umaga. When Raw was in Wilkes-Barre, PA last week, the wild Samoan and former three count member actually choked out Steve-O from Jackass to the chagrin of WWE executives. Now, I've met both men quite a few times and I can tell you that Steve-O is a legitimate Jackass dating back to well before his time in West Chester PA at the height of his show's popularity. And to have the gall to agree to sign a waver he will not sue the former Jamal for hurting him takes a lot of guts, and stupidity.

Would you let a guy with no command of the English language whatsoever choke you as long as he wants? I'm not sure where WWE keeps finding these island savages and Ugandan headhunters and Punjabi prize-fighters but it's probably somewhere near parts unknown.

That's all I've got for this week. Shoot me an e-mail at bradyhicks@gmail.com and I'll answer your letters in an upcoming column. More on This Story...

PWI Reporter's Notebook

Each week, Pro Wrestling Illustrated senior writer Brady Hicks provides his insights into the world of professional wrestling for you to study. He can be reached by e-mail at bradyhicks@gmail.com. ***

I still have an hour of Raw to watch, an hour of ECW to watch, and last week's entire SmackDown on tape waiting for me. And I really need to get those done before iMPACT tomorrow night, otherwise I'm going to be running out of room on my three VHS tapes. Thank god there's no more Wrestling Society X, right? No - I mean seriously.

Such is the lonely life of a PWI reporter.

It's still not as bad as back in the day when I had 16-1/2 hours to contend with between WWF, WCW, ECW, and local programming that took up hours on end. I mean, have you ever in your entire life HAD to sit through an entire three hour taping of Thunder just in the event that WCW might be planning something original, different, or - at the very least - worthy of writing about?

Didn't think so.

You wrestling fans today have it easy. You complain because you don't like John Cena (the most important champion since The Rock or Steve Austin). You complain because you don't like the particular creative direction that this week's watered down ECW show has taken or you aren't happy that Snitsky is now a monster or you don't even care if Batista learned a new move this week. And does it matter the slightest?

No.

Because Triple-H is no longer raping Katie Vick. Because we don't have to sit through two years of Sting dressing up like the Crow and doing nothing week after week only to come back and appear to conspire with Bret Hart to screw Hulk Hogan out of the title. You don't have the Bushwackers. You don't have preliminary wrestlers main eventing your Saturday Morning Superstars. You don't have Sean Mooney to bitch about.

I think you should all be kissing Vince McMahon's ass for keeping wrestling from returning to what it used to be. I'd take MVP any day of the week over Earthquake's Damian pancakes.

***

To the mailbag Batman:

Tim writes: WWE needs to protect this guy [Lashley] from the wrath of the smarks, cause he's on his way down Batista Boulevard to John Cena Drive.

Dear Tim: And would that be such a bad thing? I hope for Lashley's sake he is one-sixteenth as successful as John Cena or Batista. That would automatically make him more important than Chris Benoit. Wait a minute. He might be more important as we stand now! More on This Story...