Ask Richard - Jeff Hardy/SummerSlam, Punk As A Heel

You stated that Jeff Hardy signed a 30 day contract extension. Does this mean he will face CM Punk at SummerSlam, and then drops the title to him there?

The current plan is for Jeff Hardy to defend the WWE Championship at SummerSlam. His opponent is not 100% confirmed but Punk is certainly in the running. WWE signed Hardy to the extension not only to keep him through SummerSlam but to continue their negotiations, to try and get him under a long term contract. WWE does not want to lose Jeff Hardy, especially with how depleted the roster is right now.

Do you see CM Punk replacing Edge as the top heel on the SmackDown now that Jericho is the only top heel on the SmackDown roster and Edge is out with an injury and do you like Punk's heel turn?

With Chris Jericho being a "floating heel" as one half of the Unified WWE Tag Team Champions, CM Punk is the top heel on SmackDown. The WWE office is thrilled with Punk's heel delivery and was raving at the fact his mic had to be turned up at Night of Champions just to hear his promo. I like Punk's heel turn and feel it is refreshing to take his gimmick in another direction.

I understand why WWE does dark matches prior to shows, as it helps to warm the crowd up before they go live. But why do they do dark main events, after the shows are already over?

WWE does dark match main events to give the live audience a bonus for attending the show. The company often uses these matches to give workers who are in main event programs a little more practice without the match being filmed on TV. The biggest difference between a dark match and a match that is aired on TV or PPV is a worker can afford to mess up when the cameras aren't on, but only gets one chance when the cameras are shooting.

Do you think that most of the former WWE workers that go to TNA rather than re-sign are doing it because they can negotiate a lighter schedule?

Yes this is actually one of the main reasons WWE workers go to TNA. They are able to keep their name out there, work a lighter schedule and still collect a pay check. This is why Sting has never gone to WWE. He doesn't want to be on the road all the time and Vince McMahon won't hire someone that is only going to work a limited scheduled.