WWE Backstage (June 16th, 2020) - 5 Takeaways from this week's episode

CM Punk joined the show in the wake of Christian suffering a boot to the head the preceding night on RAW. Before WWE Backstage airing, Survivor Series 1996 was shown on FS1. Huge WWE Legends like the Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels, and Bret Hart had featured matches at the event.

Hart joined the panel this week to discuss many things including working with Austin, his move from WWE to WCW, and some advice he gave to Edge before "The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever". Dominick Mysterio's appearance on RAW was also briefly addressed as was the new Intercontinental Champion, AJ Styles.

The big match between Edge and Randy Orton was also analyzed with a mostly positive response from the panel. Hart had a lot to say, especially about his unhappiness with his move to WCW. He even mentioned that he wished that he never left the WWE. Here are five takeaways from WWE Backstage for June 16th, 2020.

New Champs in WWE! More RIGHT HERE

#5 The New Intercontinental Champion

Before the heavily-promoted bout between Edge and Orton, Daniel Bryan and AJ Styles set a high bar on SmackDown while battling for the WWE Intercontinental Championship. Of the match, Punk claimed that he's "watched them have great matches in VFW halls in the indies but I think what was missing was the people."

He added that "it was a good match and I wanted it to be great. It was missing that something and I think that something was the fans and the electricity and feeding off of that electricity. Structurally and fundamentally, I can't say anything bad about it."

Booker said that he "totally understands what Punk is saying" and that Bryan and Styles "right now are in the prime of their careers." He believes that because "AJ Styles has been all over the world and been the best wherever he's been" and "that match to me was everything that the Greatest Match Ever didn't have."

Mark Henry added that he "loved the physicality. I loved the toughness." Henry added that "they whooped each other and I guarantee you they felt it the next day. They both took serious, dangerous moves and reversed out of them and kept going."

#4 Thoughts on "The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever"

WWE promoted the match between Orton and Edge as "The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever" and this episode of WWE Backstage couldn't proceed without analyzing it. There have been many great matches in WWE history but none promoted like this one. Mark Henry was brief in his analysis, claiming that he "thought it was a great match and that they played the hits" but "for it to be the greatest match of all time, I wanted to see a ref bump. I wanted bells and whistles." WWE and pro-wrestling in general is filled with many matches that are great for one reason or another.

Two-time WWE Hall-of-Famer Booker T claimed that "on the merit, the match was excellent and throwbacks to the greats. It's all about the marquee when it came to this match." Because of the hype "when you call it the greatest match ever you want to see it whether it is or not."

Of the moniker for the match itself, Punk claimed that "if you're Randy and Edge, you ignore that. It's too subjective." He felt that way because "everyone's going to have a different opinion but that's what makes wrestling great." Punk also added that "I think they had a great match, but I've seen better Randy Orton matches. I've seen better Edge matches. I feel like it was a lot of unnecessary pressure, especially on Edge after not wrestling for nine years."

Booker T and Renee Young both liked the added crowd noise that WWE piped in as Booker claimed that he thought it added to the match. Hart also gave some thoughts on the contest, saying that "it's almost impossible to name one match as the greatest of all time. Wrestling evolves and changes."

Since he knows about great matches in WWE, Hart also claimed that "there are always matches that you remember for the hype." He added that the one missing ingredient was "that there wasn't an audience and unfortunately, the limitation was there and there was nothing they could do about it." The Hitman went on to praise it, saying that "it was very realistic and very intense" and that it reminded him "of a tennis match watching two great tennis players going back and forth at such a fast pace."

The former WWE Champion also claimed that it's "probably the difference between my era and the era today - they don't take a lot of time to slowly build the story like 20 years ago. You couldn't ask anything more for them. They have great chemistry and they're two of the better wrestlers or any era or all time."

Hart did reveal that he spoke with Edge before the match, claiming that he "tried to give him some advice" because "he (Edge) was a little bit uncomfortable with declaring that he's having the Greatest Wrestling Match Ever before even having it." The advice he entrusted to Edge was that he always "thought about sitting in the front row watching myself. This match is for me. I was always a fan of a great match and the psychology and working the angle."

#3 Dominick and Christian

Little Mysterio isn't so little anymore!

WWE is starting to feature another generational star in its ranks as Seth Rollins invited both Rey Mysterio and his son Dominick to RAW this week. The future WWE Hall-of-Famer showed up via satellite whereas Dominick attacked the Monday Night Messiah from behind. It's clear that WWE sees some potential in the younger Mysterio.

The panel discussed the younger's potential with Henry saying that "he's going to be the next guy who was born and bred into wrestling. He's going to be a great talent." The former World Heavyweight Champion added that he doesn't "want them to rush him but I think that he still has a couple more years before I consider him grown-man status."

Henry added that "everything he did looks solid and he did it in a way that he wasn't play wrestling." Booker T added that he'd "like to see Dominick get the rub. This kid is getting baptized in the business right now." While some stars have to wait to make an impact in the WWE "he's getting fast-tracked and you can see the greenness on him. I'm hoping they're not rushing him into anything too quickly. It's going to be hit or miss as far as Dominick goes (in his WWE career)."

Punk said "I like the idea that we get to see him and watch him grow. I don't want people that are just starting that are the best at everything." The reason for that thinking is that "not everyone is going to be a Kurt Angle and pick things up right away. I like the awkwardness. He's gotta lay his stuff in."

After the match that WWE promoted as the Greatest Ever, Christian was confronted by Orton the next night on RAW. Mark Henry said, "I was really worried about Christian, not about taking a punch but blowing up and taking a heart attack." Being a WWE Legend in his own right, Booker T answered with "I don't know what my colleague was thinking. It's not a good idea for these old guys to be running back in the ring."

#2 Bret Hart talks about Austin and Survivor Series '96

Before WWE Backstage each week, an event or Superstar from WWE's past is often featured on FS1 programming. This week it was Survivor Series 1996. It was at that event where one of the greatest rivalries in WWE history started as Hart and Steve Austin squared off.

Of Austin, Hart claimed that he had "wrestled Steve a few times before but never in big matches" and that he "was looking forward to working with Steve." The match at Survivor Series "was the first real consequential match that we ever had."

The former WWE Champion revealed that he thought Austin would "get a little nervous or anxious about working with me and it showed that he was going to come at me with everything he had." The Hitman thought that "he was still maybe finding himself a little bit" but that "it was one of my favorite matches that I had with Steve and on par with the one we had at WrestleMania 13."

Hart claimed that even while he was a member of the WWE roster, he saw something in Austin when the latter was elsewhere. Hart claimed that "he was always a guy that was coming up" and that Austin reminded him of Rick Rude as "a guy that was always trying to get better." The former WWE Champion also revealed that he was "mad that they let him go to ECW" but "a week later he was in a WWE dressing room."

Punk asked Hart about his "best dance partner" and if it was Austin. Hart felt that Stone Cold was "right up there with maybe a small handful of guys. Great chemistry with Mr. Perfect. I could have wrestled him in my sleep and had a five-star match." Hart also felt the same about HBK, saying that "you couldn't have anything but a great match with him" and that "Steve Austin was right on the edge of that."

#1 Booker T, Bret Hart, and WCW

The Hitman and fellow WWE Hall-of-Famer Booker T worked briefly together in WCW. Hart claimed that when he left WWE for WCW Booker "was one of the first guys I singled out that I wanted to work with. I wanted a good dance partner. For some reason, they (WCW) didn't know what that was."

Booker T said that he "was so excited knowing that he (Hart) was going to make his arrival. I was a fan." Hart added that he was "never more hungry to make a difference. The way I left WWE, I came with so much momentum from knocking Vince out in the dressing room to the Survivor Series match with Shawn."

The main issue was how he was immediately used in a non-wrestling capacity. He claimed that "right away they had the idea that I was the ref and I was like 'I can give you a million ideas better than that.' It never got better." The former WWE Champion even revealed that Vince told him that "WCW will never know what to do with a Bret Hart and after about three or four months later I realized he was right." The Hitman also remembered Eric Bischoff giving him the "lamest reasons" for not putting him with particular stars in WCW. In WWE, Vince put Hart with a range of stars like Sid, Undertaker, Yokozuna, Austin, and Michaels.

One problem that both Booker said he and Bret had in WCW was that "we were good workers but that was a threat to anyone outside of the top dogs in that company." Punk asked Hart if he would go to WCW again if he could turn back time, and Hart answered with a strong no, saying "I think I would have tried to figure out a better way to stay in WWE."

The Hitman even claimed that both Kevin Nash and Owen said not to leave WWE for WCW. The problem Hart said was "I thought I was going to make a difference and I thought I had value to them." Hulk Hogan had great creative freedom wherever he went and Hart felt that "there's no reason why I couldn't have done great business with Hulk Hogan and they just wasted me." Hart went on to claim that "there was a lot of talent there. Sting was a great talent and a great worker. I wish that they had trusted me and said 'hey, we want your input', but unfortunately, Hulk Hogan was calling the shots and there was no chance at that."

Edited by Kaushik Das