By Chris Newth, PWTorch political analyst

Thursday night's "Hardball with Chris Matthews" on MSNBC featured an interview with Rob Simmons, the Republican candidate running against Linda McMahon in the upcoming primary this Tuesday.

The segment began with host Chris Matthews running down the latest Quinnipiac poll results (which was covered Wednesday here on PWTorch). Matthews noted that Rob Simmons is currently trailing McMahon 47 percent to 30 percent. He added, "But the poll also finds - and this is critical - 38 percent might change their minds before Tuesday." That's essentially a huge margin of error, and it likely speaks volumes about either the enthusiasm among Connecticut voters or their uncertainty with the line-up of candidates who are running.

The interview bounced back and forth between the subjects of Linda McMahon and Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, which seemed to soften the blows Simmons could deliver to either of his political opponents.

Chris Matthews asked him directly about wrestling, to which Simmons responded, "First and foremost [WWE] should take better care of the people that make that money. [The wrestlers] don't get any healthcare. A lot of them are dying before they're 50, and I think there's some real problems with the steroid use and abuse in that industry that they have not answered for."

During the interview, they aired McMahon's "Cup of Tea" ad in its entirety. Matthews called the ad slick and threw it to Simmons, who said that the two women in the ad were made to look like "airheads." He continued with a direct attack against WWE programming when he alluded to “a Down Syndrome wrestler” being beaten and having his head shoved into a toilet by Linda McMahon's husband and son. "It's not soap opera," said Simmons, "It’s ugly. It shouldn’t be marketed to our children."

When the topic shifted to Blumenthal and the political controversy surrounding his war record, Simmons displayed his own ribbon bar, explaining that he earned three ribbons while fighting in Vietnam.

Chris Matthews then tossed Simmons a very smart question about whether he would support McMahon if she wins the primary. Simmons said that as a loyal Republican - and apparently despite all the jabs he’s thrown at McMahon - he would support her if she becomes the Republican nominee.

Newth's Analysis: Overall, this interview felt like a last-ditch effort by Simmons to garner more support even though he actively stopped campaigning a few months ago. His obvious objective was to sully Linda McMahon's record as the former CEO of WWE, but his attacks felt canned and vapid. Plus, the format of the interview, which altered between Linda McMahon and Blumenthal, didn't give Simmons the opportunity to swing at either candidate in any meaningful way.

You could tell by watching the piece why Connecticut voters aren't flocking behind Simmons; he seems to lack passion and energy. First he takes shots at McMahon, then he admits that he's ready to back her. It comes across as if he has already accepted his primary loss. The interview was meant to promote a man hanging onto the ballet by a thread, and despite his military accolades and his hard case against WWE, it appears that Linda McMahon would likely be a more viable Republican opponent in November against Richard Blumenthal in the general election.

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