Welcome to a new website-exclusive PWTorch feature! I am PWTorch founder and editor, Wade Keller. I've been covering pro wrestling since 1987 when I started the Pro Wrestling Torch Newsletter while still in high school. Over 25 years later, PWTorch reaches more wrestling fans every week than any other independent brand. When we launched PWTorch.com in 1999, one of the features I enjoyed doing the most was "Ask PWTorch." I haven't done it recently on the website, but did revive it in recent years in an audio format for PWTorch VIP members on my Keller Hotline. We reintroduced it to the website audience at the start of May 2013.

If you have a question you'd like us to respond to, send your question to askpwtorch@gmail.com. I, along with the Torch staff, will address you questions.

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PWTorch reader Chad L. asks: PWTorch has become a daily destination for me. I started watching WWE again in 2011 after 20 years or so of not paying any attention to it. The site has been a great tool for me to fill in a lot of the gaps I have in my knowledge base. Keep up the great work. Onto my question… I grew up watching in the 80s and one of my all time favorites is Ricky Steamboat. I've heard that his son is in developmental. Why has he not been brought up yet? Is it a case of WWE not knowing what to do with him? Is Ricky keeping him there while waiting for creative to come up with the right storyline? Is he just not ready? It seems like for every Randy Orton and Rock, you have two Ted DiBiase Jrs and Tamina Snukas. I hope he becomes more like the former than the latter.

PWTorch senior columnist Bruce Mitchell answers: I saw Richie Steamboat early in his career and thought he had the look, some charisma, and was ahead of most guys at that stage in his career. The word was he had a strong work ethic and a professional attitude. He trained with Harley Race, George South, and in Japan before going to WWE Developmental where his star quality really didn't stand out among his peers. Richie Steamboat recently underwent back surgery and his ability to return to the ring is yet to be determined.

PWTorch columnist Greg Parks answers: Richie has been setback by a series of injuries in developmental. In watching him a few times, while he's a good babyface and a solid in-ring performer, he's lacking that "pizzaz" that WWE looks for in their wrestlers when calling them up. As you mentioned, it's also a matter of Creative coming up with something for you. Triple H's new initiative is to make sure call-ups are not just lost in the shuffle and they have a storyline to work with when they debut on the main roster.

PWTorch columnist Pat McNeill replies: Richie Steamboat sustained a back injury late last year, and has been sidelined for the past several months. Richie, while not the wrestler his father was, may still wind up on the main roster once he's cleared to wrestle.

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PWTorch reader Jeff asks: Will there ever be equality in pro wrestling for women? Could A.J. and an up-and-coming Diva main event a PPV? Could Gail Kim and Mickie James headline one for TNA? Will any match come close to the magic that Lita-Trish had on Raw or have they given up on the division entirely?

PWTorch senior columnist Bruce Mitchell answers: Equality? This is professional wrestling, not a food co-op. This generation of WWE fans has been educated to see women's wrestling as a sexy place-holder between the men's main-events. To change that would take years of television build up before fans would accept a women's main event, and the woman who centered this hype would have to be a hell of a lot closer to Ronda Rousey than the current Divas or Knockouts are, although Mickie James would make a decent antagonist. There's a chance for a Trish Stratus-level star to still emerge, but thanks to all the behind-the-scenes drama Sable and Chyna - pro wrestling's last big women stars - put WWE through, the chance of women being pushed in the top positions are probably over.

PWTorch columnist Greg Parks answers: It's unlikely to happen. WWE and TNA don't take women's wrestling seriously enough, and there's no sign that it will change anytime soon. They're just not put in a money-drawing position, and fans have been conditioned to think their matches don't mean very much. That wouldn't bode well for fan reactions were the matches put in PPV main events, let alone TV main events.

PWTorch editor Wade Keller answers: I'm not sure what make food co-ops in particular a reference point for equality for women, but as to your question, I believe promoters could get more out of women's wrestling than they do. They're under no obligation to provide equal opportunity in the context of the on-air product (although certainly how they're treated behind the scenes should be equal). I think if a promoter felt he had a great group of women who could draw if positioned ideally, they'd benefit from being put in a main event even before fans were "ready to accept it" because sometimes the position your put in ends up being a self-fulfilling prophesy. I remember a WWF house show in Bloomington, Minn. in the mid-1980s headlined by a Wendi Richter WWF Women's Title defense. She wasn't good enough to live up to the push the WWF gave her, but it has been done and with the right roster of women, it could be done again. Basically, promoters should headline with the wrestlers who will draw the most money, and it's reasonable to think at some point a woman wrestler could be the biggest star.

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PWTorch reader Jack from Gilroy asks: I was reading Shawn Valentino’s recent recap of Summerslam, and I saw that he deducted a point from the Cena-Bryan main event for the use of the flying headbutt. I have to agree with him, as you only have to look to Chris Benoit and Dynamite Kid as reasons the move should not be in use. There just doesn’t seem to be a way execute the move without risking head trauma. As I watch old Chris Benoit matches, and see the vicious chairshots he took, as well as the brutal swan dive headbutts he executed, it’s hard not to see them and make the correlation between those moves and the CTE he developed that many opine led to the horrific murder/suicide of his family and himself. Specifically, I remember the end of ECW “One Night Stand” 2005 and Stone Cold instructing Benoit to “kill” Eric Bischoff with the diving headbutt. How sadly ironic. It’s almost as ironic as Joey Styles, on the same PPV, saying he wished Mike Awesome had killed himself with his swan dive onto Tanaka. My question is should pro wrestling promotions (not just the WWE) ban moves for safety’s sake? Is it even plausible?

PWTorch audio host Travis Bryant answers: They do. Not that one obviously, but they do. C.M. Punk doesn't do the Pepsi Plunge. Not because he wanted to try new things either.

PWTorch columnist Greg Parks answers: Sure, companies should ban moves if they feel they are unsafe. WWE has done it with the pile-driver and a number of other moves. It's certainly plausible: Just tell the wrestlers they can't perform the moves or they'll be fined. For smaller companies, those fines would scare off wrestlers who don't make much money anyway. It'd be nice to think that wrestlers could police themselves and wouldn't perform dangerous moves without having the organization step in, but the entire history of the pro wrestling industry suggests otherwise.

PWTorch editor Wade Keller answers: They do and they should more often. There are thousands of effective-looking, exciting moves wrestlers can use, and they should use the ones that are the safest in the short-run and long-run, especially when it comes to moves with a track record of causing harm and a visual connection with tragedy. You don't see running powerbombs anymore because of the Droz vs. D-Lo accident, and they shouldn't wait for tragedy to stop moves that are obviously highly risky of really bad instant or cumulative injuries occurring.

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PWTorch reader Aaron P. asks: What is your opinion of Ted DiBiase leaving WWE? Do you think he'll eventually come back? Why do you think he never got over? Did he just never find the right character or not have enough personality? When he was in Legacy I thought he was a very good wrestler and had more potential than Cody Rhodes did, so it's surprising to see where he ended up.

PWTorch columnist Greg Parks answers: I can't fault Ted DiBiase for leaving WWE. If his heart wasn't in it, perhaps that was evident to WWE, which may have been why he hadn't been pushed, then he made the right decision. I think it's possible he'll come back; he's young enough to still have the opportunity if he so desires. I don't think he found the right character to fit his personality. The best chance he had to really get over was when it seemed like he was about to turn face and break out of Legacy against Randy Orton, but WWE delayed the turn and I think that hurt DiBiase.

PWTorch audio host Travis Bryant answers: I don't care. I hope not, unless he grows a personality. He has no personality. Both. Not surprising to me. I yelled it from my tiny corner of the Torch.

PWTorch editor Wade Keller answered: I thought he had a ton of potential, but he probably was a better fit for another era. I can envision a wrestling promotion in 2013 built around him as the normal, stand-up guy (I don't think he's by definition as void of personality as Travis thinks, but I can also understand Ted giving off that impression) with a bunch of crazy people circulating around him - both friends and foes. I'm kind of a believer in the formula of a central babyface being a normal, likable guy (who can show fire and cut money promos, mind you) being the "control group" of sorts in the combustable chemistry experiment that can be a pro wrestling roster. I saw him along the lines of a Peyton Manning or Joe Montana. A regular guy who excels at what he does, surrounded by a lot of loud, brash personalities. Maybe I have an affinity and appreciation for the potential of a DiBiase-led roster because I grew up watching Verne Gagne as the lead babyface in the AWA. Because he was so normal and a stand-up, admirable, normal guy who happened to be a star athlete, the bombastic array of personalities surrounding him stood out more, such as Crusher, Jerry Blackwell, Jesse Ventura, Mad Dog Vachon, etc. I've seen it work and think there's something of value to that foundation for a roster.

=== VIP EXCLUSIVE ===

PWTorch VIP member Abdou from Chelmsford. England asks: Is it a coincidence that Daniel Bryan and John Cena are being featured so prominently on Total Divas and are simultaneously being pushed as no.1 and no.2 babyface on WWE TV. Considering that Total Divas was filmed months ago, does this mean the plan was to push Bryan to main events all along this summer?

PWTorch editor Wade Keller answers: (This is part of the VIP-exclusive portion of Ask PWTorch. I am now adding a segment exclusively for VIP members to this article as a bonus for VIP members. I will select questions sent by VIP members to my VIP Ask the Editor email box that I usually answer on my VIP Keller Hotline during the week and writing a text answer. To go VIP and get all PWTorch VIP content on our app and our website and our Audio RSS feed, www.PWTorch.com/govip.)

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