PWTORCH.COM
VIP SIGN-UP JUMP TO VIP
CONTACT US VISIT MMA TORCH




Select Next Article by Category





TAKE PWTORCH
WITH YOU!

PWTORCH IPHONE APP
Get our iPhone App (FREE!): Click Here
Or enter "PWTorch.com" on your Blackberry or other Smart Phone browser for mobile-version of PWTorch.


TV Reports
CALDWELL'S WWE RAW REPORT 9/17: Ongoing virtual time coverage of live Raw
Sep 17, 2007 - 10:09:20 PM


By James Caldwell, Torch columnist

WWE Raw Live Report
September 10 in Nashville, Tenn.


The show started with a recap of the John Cena vs. Randy Orton feud, culminating with John Cena's father kicking Orton in the head at the PPV last night.

Live in the arena, Cena's music hit and he walked out to the ring with his WWE Title belt in hand. He was all-smiles tonight. His music stopped and the boos showered down on Cena. He acknowledged that some people are a little upset with Cena, who hasn't been himself lately. He said he has a lot of pent up aggression and he's sorry. Cena said tonight is different, though, because he feels great. Fabulous even. He said everything is going to be OK...because he lost to Randy Orton last night. He thanked his dad for showing up last night and then making him the proudest son on the face of the earth. Cena gave an important thank you to Orton, who made him put in perspective what's important in his life. He said Orton has also been stupid enough to think his father was an intentional distraction last night to help him get intentionally DQ'ed and Orton is stupid enough to want a re-match. Cena gave another thank you to Jonathan Coachman for agreeing to the title re-match. He said at No Mercy, it will be Cena vs. Orton in a Last Man Standing match. He recapped what that entails. He said what he did last night at Unforgiven is perfectly legal at the next PPV. That doesn't get everyone their $40 back.

Before Cena could finish, Coach's music hit and he walked out on stage. He said Cena should be thanking him for still having a job and the WWE Title. Coach said he doesn't want to do that, though, because he wants to see Orton get revenge on Cena. Coach then booked Cena vs. Orton for tonight. Coach said that's not enough, though. He said he met with Cena's father this morning, and he begged and pleaded with Coach not to strip Cena of the belt. Coach said pops would do anything to prevent Cena from being stripped, so it's Randy Orton vs. Mr. Cena tonight. John shook his head in disgust while Coach smiled with personal satisfaction.

[Commercial Break]

Ross and Lawler talked ringside about the Mr. Cena developments, then plugged Vince McMahon and Hornswoggle having a short meeting tonight.

[Q2]

Jeff Hardy came out to defend the IC Title belt and Ross talked about being surprised to see Hardy out here after Khali squashed his head last week. Shelton Benjamin then came out to challenge for the belt.

1 -- JEFF HARDY vs. SHELTON BENJAMIN -- Intercontinental Title match

They went through a back-and-forth exchange before Jeff knocked Shelton to the outside. He then went for a customary pre-commercial plancha on Shelton to have early momentum.

[Commercial Break]

Back from break, Shelton was in control with a mat hold. He cut off Jeff's comeback before settling into a ground-based attack. Jeff started another comeback and went for the Twist of Fate, but Shelton countered into a back breaker across his knee. Shelton then hit a Russian legsweep for a close nearfall. Jeff went for a suplex, but Shelton again countered, this time with a reverse DDT for a nearfall. Jeff then went up top, but Shelton did the cat-leap to meet him. He went for a superplex, but Jeff shoved him down and hit the Swanton Bomb for the win. Afterward, Ross and Lawler put over Hardy's resiliency after taking a beating last week.

WINNER: Jeff Hardy in 13:00 to retain the IC Title. Nice rebound victory for Jeff after being squashed last week. Let's see if they can put together a string of three or four weeks of strong booking for Jeff as champion. Hot finish after solid in-ring action. (**)

[Q3]

They aired a video package on the Diva Search contestants playing volleyball in bikinis. Blondes vs. brunettes in Jerry Lawler's dream world. Todd Grisham did a voice-over on WWE.com being the exclusive home for the diva search.

Backstage, they cut to Vince McMahon sitting in his limo pouting. Coach stormed into the limo and told McMahon to come out and play. McMahon said he's only concerned with his feelings of embarrassment. Coach said he has a plan set to make sure McMahon never has to worry about anything again. They panned out to show Hornswoggle munching on a box of Lucky Charms while taped up inside an infant's chair. McMahon told Coach that it's the law to have some sort of restraint for an infant. Hornswoggle tried to break free from the chair, then McMahon shoved him out the limo door with Coach. McMahon kicked the infant's chair away in frustration.

Get this, they've booked Triple H vs. the tag champions Cade & Murdoch in a handicap match tonight. We're back to 2006 where Hunter > entire tag division.

[Commercial Break]

Backstage, Mr. Cena talked to John Cena about fighting Orton tonight. Pops told his son that he has to fight tonight.

On the other side of the arena, Santino Marella pounded on the diva's locker room door and demanded to see Maria. Jillian Hall emerged and told Santino that Maria doesn't want to see him anymore. Santino dejectedly said he used to pleasure himself to that woman, which grossed out the live audience. Jillian then suggested they sing a duet tonight since they're in Nashville. Santino had other ideas and left Jillian in mid-sentence.

On the far other side of the arena, they showed Vince McMahon and Coach walking around looking for Hornswoggle, who got away. Suddenly, there was loud generic cartoon music in the hallway. McMahon walked into his office to find all sorts of green decorations and boxes of Lucky Charms stacked against the wall. They showed a Notre Dame Fighting Irish logo on the wall. Not a good week for that. McMahon told Coach to find Hornswoggle now. Suddenly, Hornsowggle popped out behind his CW Title belt and threw decorations at Coach and McMahon. Coach then chased Hornswoggle out of the office into the hallway. Suddenly, a small horse with a pole attached to its forehead appeared off camera and nudged up against McMahon. It's a makeshift unicorn. And the generic music continued to play into break.

[Q4]

[Commercial Break]

Unbelievable. They're doing a flag match where Daivari, who has been billed as being from Detroit and is from Minnesota, is representing Iran. And Hacksaw Duggan is representing democratic Iraq. OK, he's representing the U.S.

2 -- DAIVARI vs. HACKSAW JIM DUGGAN -- flag match

Daivari tried to scale his corner to grab the Iranian flag, but Hacksaw quickly pulled him down. Daivari tried to work on the knee, but Hacksaw shook him off and scaled the USA corner. Daivri met him up top and they exchanged right hands before Hacksaw rammed Daivari into the pole, knocking him to the floor. Hacksaw then grabbed the flag to win.

WINNER: Hacksaw Duggan in 2:00. Completely random match where someone must have been feeling patriotic over the weekend. Of course, this could be a set-up for Iron Sheik to start a program. (n/a)

Backstage, Cody Rhodes asked Coach if he could face Orton tonight since Orton kicked his dad in the head. Coach told him they would let him know if his services are needed tonight. Cody dejectedly walked away, then Coach rolled his eyes. Suddenly, John Cena met Coach and told him to call off the Orton vs. Mr. Cena match or else he would face some serious consequences. Coach said he forgot to tell him that he's in action tonight. Coach said that if Cena wins his match, then Orton vs. Mr. Cena will not take place. He said that if Cena loses, then his father will wrestle Orton. Coach told John that his dad's fate is in his hands.

[Commercial Break]

[Q5]

Vince McMahon walked out looking quite upset and Ross said McMahon is smiling as much as Charlie Weis these days. McMahon said he doesn't want people to think he's ashamed of his son, so he's going to welcome his son into his family. Hornswoggle then danced out and McMahon cracked a smile. McMahon become agitated when Hornswoggle wouldn't stop dancing, then he said he has something to say to him. He got down on one knee and addressed Hornswoggle face-to-face. McMahon said that when he dies - well, if he dies - Hornswoggle is going to come into a lot of money. McMahon said it's not all about money; it's about love and compassion. He said it's not just about money, so he's going to open his heart to Hornswoggle and put him up for adoption. Hornswoggle didn't agree, so McMahon screamed it out. McMahon then brought out Alice and Ed Koskie as the new parents.

A random couple and a generic attorney walked out with the Koskies to sign the paperwork. McMahon said it's a very special moment for everyone. Mr. Koskie said they've been waiting years for a little boy. McMahon then shoved Hornswoggle into Mr. Koskie for a big hug, then Hornswoggle pantsed his father and gave him a big splash. (McMahon probably had a chuckle thinking of the writer Ed Koskie.) Mr. Koskie pulled up his pants and rolled out of the ring, then Hornswoggle gave Mrs. Koskie a shark bite on the back side. She scrammed with her husband and left in fear. McMahon then cut a promo on Hornswoggle. He screamed at him to get out of his life and go back into hiding. Hornswoggle rolled out of the ring and started to cry, then the fans let McMahon have it with boos and an asshole chant. He said there isn't a person in the audience who wouldn't have done the same thing. McMahon said a man of his distinction... Triple H's music interrupted before McMahon could continue.

Hunter walked out dressed to wrestle and he approached McMahon with a non-approving look on his face. McMahon asked what he's doing out here, then he screamed at Hunter and the fans when Hunter wouldn't answer. McMahon said he was about to have a tender moment with his son, but Hunter interrupted. Hunter said he went through a lot of trouble today decorating McMahon's office. McMahon did the big eyes of shock look. He then asked McMahon if he realizes how hard it is to find a unicorn in Nashville. Cheap pop. Hunter said he understands that McMahon is upset because he's the genetic jackhammer, but along the way, McMahon had a little too much Jack...Daniels, he forgot to jack...off, and now he's the genetic jack...ass. Hunter said he's surprised McMahon didn't see this coming, as McMahon has a microscopic penis. How would he know? McMahon, agitated asked if he's finished. Hunter said that's the same line Hornswoggle's mom used when McMahon slipped her the shillelagh. He then wanted to know if McMahon nailed Hornswoggle's mom on the yellow brick road or in Smurf village. More penis jokes from Hunter, which irritated McMahon. He said he's done fooling around and has one more serious question. Hunter asked if Hornsowggle's mom was magically delicious. McMahon nodded his head slightly to answer yes, which took Hunter aback. McMahon then reminded Hunter that he has bigger problems, as he's in a match right now. McMahon brought out the tag champions to face Hunter, who didn't look impressed.

[Commercial Break]

[Q6]

3 -- TRIPLE H vs. WWE tag champions CADE & MURDOCH -- handicap match

They joined the match in progress and Hunter landed a double-clothesline out of the break, then cleared both men to the floor. Carlito walked out on stage to watch the match, which distracted Hunter. Cade caught Hunter with a swinging neckbreaker, then the tag champs started double-teaming Hunter. Hunter quickly dumped Murdoch over the top rope to the floor, then he caught Cade with a spinebuster for the pin and the win.

Afterward, Carlito and Murdoch ganged up Hunter before Cade shook off the finish and tried to make it a triple beating. Kendrick and London then made the save and cleared the tag champions. Carlito was left alone in the ring, then he turned around and found a right hand blow to the face. Hunter dropped him with a spinebuster, then Carlito rolled out of the ring. London and Kendrick then re-entered the ring and patted Hunter on the back. He wasn't sure what to make of it. They did their top rope flips and shook hands with Hunter, who was all-smiles. He then snapped on the New Rockers and gave them each a Pedigree. Of course, the fans popped for Hunter. He then gave one of those "I couldn't help myself" shrugs and innocent looks toward the announce table.

WINNER: Hunter in 5:00 of TV time. I would list the dates of the tag division on a tombstone, but we all know the tag division has been dead for a while. It's just dirt on the grave and Hunter dancing on the tombstone. It's easy for Hunter and the writers to justify it as a means to the end of Hunter getting over as the top star in the company to save the weak PPV division down the road. (*1/4)

[Commercial Break]

[Q7]

Beth Phoenix was ringside subtly twisting around in her black outfit. She did not look happy. They recapped Candice Michelle pulling out the victory against Beth last night at the PPV to retain the Women's Title.

4 -- MELINA & JILLIAN HALL vs. Women's champion CANDICE MICHELLE & MICKIE JAMES

The heel divas took turns working on Mickie James in the early going, then Melina accidentally shoved Mickie into Candice's hand for a tag. Candice came in and drop kicked Melina before hitting a back drop for a nearfall. Jillian then took a tag and Candice surprised her with the Unprettier for the win. Afterward, Beth ran into the ring with the Women's Title and shoved the belt into Candice's stomach before pushing her back.

WINNERS: Candice & Mickie in 3:00. Not much to it. Short and to the point to continue the Candice vs. Beth feud with the finish and post-match. (1/2*)

[Commercial Break]

They aired a video package hyping the DVD release of The Condemned.

Backstage, Vince McMahon and Coach walked in the parking garage area. McMahon wanted to make sure the Cena opponent deal was done. He also wanted to know about Hornswoggle. Coach said no one has seen Hornswoggle since the in-ring segment. He said McMahon might have scarred him for life. McMahon smiled and Coach said they would see him at the wedding. McMahon hopped in his black limo and it took off, but not before Hornswoggle popped out in the trunk and waved at Coach before slamming the trunk back down. Coach, apparently without McMahon's phone number handy, stood by helplessly as the limo pulled away.

[Q8]

[Commercial Break]

Ross and Lawler announced Hunter vs. Carlito in a steel cage match next week. John Cena's music then hit and he stormed out for his match against a mystery opponent. After Cena's music stopped, it was Santino Marella's music and Cena laughed.

5 -- WWE champion JOHN CENA vs. -- non-title match

Cena quickly went on the attack and had the FU on Santino less than a minute into the match, but Randy Orton stormed into the ring and attacked Cena from behind, giving Cena a DQ win.

WINNER: Cena via DQ in 1:00. (n/a)

Orton laid into Cena with right hand blows after the match, then handcuffed him to the corner ropes. Ross and Lawler were dumbfounded as to why Orton would cause a DQ to give Cena the win. Coach then came out and pulled an Eric Bischoff by adding more stipulations to the Cena match. He said he forgot to tell Cena that he had to win his match by pinfall or submission for Mr. Cena not to wrestle. Coach said Orton vs. Mr. Cena would be next. Orton slowly walked up the entrance ramp to the backstage area as they cut to a break.

[Commercial Break]

Cena was still handcuffed to the bottom rope back from break. Orton's music hit, then Orton re-emerged for the official main event match. John and Randy stared down each other with Randy smirking at what was to come. Lillian Garcia announced Mr. Cena, who slowly walked out in a track suit without music. John tried to grab his hand before he entered the ring, but Mr. Cena shook him off and entered the ring.

[Q9 -- over-run]

6 -- RANDY ORTON vs. MR. CENA (w/John Cena handcuffed ringside)

Orton stalked Mr. Cena, then grabbed him by the head and clutched him before landing a knee to the gut. Orton started to stomp Mr. Cena while John told him to take it out on him, not his father. Suddenly, Cody Rhodes hit the ring and went after Orton to cause the match to be thrown out. Orton then tossed Cody over the top rope to the floor and he followed out on the outside to throw Cody hard into the ring steps. Back in the ring, Orton gave Mr. Cena an RKO in center ring while John tried desperately to break free of the cuffs. John managed to unhook the bottom turnbuckle, then he dragged himself and the bottom rope across the ring to send Orton scurrying out of the ring. John stood over his father's fallen body while Orton stood on the entrance ramp with a killer look on his face. The announcers laid out, while the fans provided the audio with a chant of, "You can't wrestle". They closed with John and Randy continuing to stare each other down.

WINNER: Orton via DQ in 3:00. All storyline here with some good writing. Really good at moments to sell a PPV, but the live TV aspect hurt the final 15 seconds with the Cena-hating chant. It was a good idea on paper to have the announcers go silent to have the wrestlers tell the story in the ring, but in hindsight, a Jim Ross call over the chants would have been the better decision to close the show. (n/a)

We welcome your 1-10 score and comments on this show for a "Raw Reax" feature in the Torch Feedback section of PWTorch.com. To contribute your thoughts on Raw, click here.

Comment on this Article Below

(CLICK FOR COMMENTS RULES OR TO REPORT ABUSE)
[an error occurred while processing this directive]

(CLICK FOR COMMENTS RULES OR TO REPORT ABUSE)

ALSO DISCUSS MORE SUBJECTS IN OUR PWTORCH FREE FORUM

For more BREAKING NEWS on WWE, TNA!
VISIT OUR AFFILIATE - PROWRESTLING.NET


For UFC NEWS & BLOGS:
VISIT OUR SISTER SITE - MMATORCH.COM

Upgrade to PWTORCH VIP: DETAILS & SIGN-UP INFO


MORE "TV Reports" ARTICLES
PARKS' WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT 7/3: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of the show, including Punk & Jeff Hardy vs. Jericho & Edge
WWE News: Preview for tonight's Smackdown - Mysterio vs. Kane and Edge & Jericho vs. Punk & Jeff Hardy
PARKS' TNA IMPACT REPORT 7/2: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of the show, including Team 3D vs. Booker & Steiner
KELLER'S TNA IMPACT TAKE 7/2: Thoughts, observations, nitpicks, and quotebook
CALDWELL'S WWE SUPERSTARS TV REPORT 7/2: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of Punk vs. Edge
WWE RAW ROUNDTABLE REVIEWS 6/29: Caldwell, Mayer, Parks, Stevens rate and review
KELLER'S ECW ON SCI-FI REPORT 6/30: Results, star ratings, thoughts, observations, nitpicks, and quotebook
ECW ON SCI-FI ROUNDTABLE REVIEWS 6/30: Caldwell, Mayer, Parks rate and review
FCW TV REPORT 6/28: Tyler Reks wins the FCW Title, Abraham Washington name new FCW GM
FCW TV REPORT 6/21: Tyler Reks becomes #1 contender, Dusty Rhodes criticizes Josh Mathews, Abraham Washington involved in decent segment
6/30 ECW on Sci-Fi Report: MAYER'S alt. perspective review of multiple FCW debuts, Shelton's offensive ECW debut
CALDWELL'S ECW TV REPORT 6/30: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of Dreamer & Christian vs. Kozlov & Regal
KELLER'S WWE RAW REPORT 6/29: Results, star ratings, thoughts, observations, nitpicks, quotes
CALDWELL'S WWE RAW TV REPORT 6/29: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of Edge & Jericho vs. Colons
WWE SMACKDOWN ROUNDTABLE REVIEWS 6/26: Hoops, Mezzera, Parks rate and review
KELLER'S WWE BASH PPV REPORT 6/28: Ongoing coverage including results, star ratings, analysis, quotebook
KELLER'S WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT 6/26: Results, thoughts, star ratings, analysis, nitpicks, and quotebook
WWE VINTAGE COLLECTION TV REPORT 6/28: Old-school Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels, Bossman vs. Hercules, Taker & Roberts vs. Savage & Duggan
FCW TV REPORT 6/14: Lance Hoyt in WWE developmental, Ezekiel Jackson squash, Ricky Ortiz challenges for FCW Title...and has a good match
PARKS' WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT 6/26: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of the show, including a special appearance by Mr. McMahon

(c) 1999-2009 TDH Communications Inc. - All rights reserved.

QUICK CLICK REFERENCE LISTING
-CLICK TO FOLLOW PWTORCH ON TWITTER!
-CLICK FOR OUR FREE PWTORCH IPHONE APP

-CLICK FOR OUR FREE PODCAST (#1 in iTunes!)
-CLICK TO GET INFO ON BECOMING A VIP MEMBER
-CLICK TO VISIT MMATORCH.COM
-CLICK TO VISIT PROWRESTLING.NET

-CLICK TO EMAIL PWTORCH EDITORS


PWTORCH READER POLL

FOURTH OF JULY POLL: What's your favorite July 4th "gimmick" in pro wrestling?
The Great American Bash
The Bash
Consequences Creed
Independent wrestling
The Patriot Del Wilkes
Hacksaw Jim Duggan
Mr. USA Tony Atlas
U.S. Title
USWA promotion
Babyface Sgt. Slaughter
Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle
Lex Luger bodyslams Yokozuna
USA Network
  

VOTE IN OR SEE RESULTS OF PREVIOUS POLLS


ARE YOU VIP? SIGN UP NOW FOR $7.50 A MONTH FOR INSTANT ACCESS TO AD-FREE, BENEFIT-PACKED VIP VERSION OF PWTORCH.COM (see screen capture)
PWTORCH VIP HOME PAGE

INFO ON SUBSCRIPTION TO AD-FREE VIP SITE

INCREDIBLE BENEFITS!
Over 50 full-length audio updates per month (iPod compatible)... New weekly award-winning Pro Wrestling Torch Newsletter (text and printable pdf versions) with latest exclusive insider news, new Torch Talks, great columns, Keller's cover story, much more... Hundreds of full-length back issues of PWTorch Newsletter from late-'80s to today... Ad-free access to PWTorch.com's Main Listing... VIP Forum with interaction with other subscribers and Torch staff... Torch Talk Library with text and audio of hundreds of interview installments from last 20 years... Great layout... Deepest archives on pro wrestling history anywhere... Keller's PWTorch Today PDF Bulletins with email alerts... VIP Email reports on major PPVs and TV shows... Staff Roundtable Reviews (text and audio) followiing major events... The best staff of writers and world class reporting since 1987... We'd love for you to join us and experience the most entertaining, authoritative, experienced staff of professional reporters and commentators in the business...

SIGN ME UP NOW!

Compare the value of four or five months of PWTorch VIP content to the price of just one PPV. Can you cut 25 cents a day from your budget to make room for PWTorch VIP?

AND NEW FOR 2009!
Monthly "Vintage Audio Torch Talks." We are releasing for the first time ever audio versions of our text Torch Talk updates, the historical first series of insider interviews ever. Wade Keller's newsmaking in-depth interviews with wrestling's biggest names are now being made available exclusively to VIP members. But you must be a member each month, as these are not archived, so they are replaced with a new one each month! This debuted in January 2009 with a 68 minute interview with the late "British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith. Who's next? Hulk Hogan? Eric Bischoff? The Rock? Goldberg? Jeff Hardy?

SIGN ME UP NOW!


UPCOMING EVENTS LISTING

Articles Grouped by Category
Torch Today
FOURTH OF JULY: Fun facts from the Great American Bash 10 & 20 years ago
TORCH MONTHLY AWARD VOTING: Polls OPEN for best/worst in pro wrestling from the month of June (Part 2 of 2)
TORCH MONTHLY AWARD VOTING: Polls OPEN for best/worst in pro wrestling from the month of June (Part 1 of 2)
WWE News
WWE News: Jeff Hardy contract status update, Hardy's future to be decided soon
TNA News: TNA video game franchise without a home after Midway Games bought out; Analysis of interesting domino effect involving WWE
WWE News: Jerry Brisco's heart surgery postponed again, update on his health
TNA News
TNA News: Latest episode of the Spin Cycle with Sting, Jarrett, Cornette, Foley greatness (w/VIDEO)
TNA News: TNA video game franchise without a home after Midway Games bought out; Analysis of interesting domino effect involving WWE
TNA News: Sting talks Shockmaster with Jeff Jarrett, Jim Cornette (w/VIDEOS)
ROH News
ROH News: Lance Storm's first match out of retirement announced, details on second match against Chris Hero
ROH News: Notes on Toronto Gauntlet match, Nigel McGuinness below-average performances into storyline, ROH selling PWG DVDs
TOP FIVE STORIES - Weekend edition: Three WWE PPV title changes, WWE announcer leaving, Lashley blasts Sapp, Jerry Lawler's son arrested, "State of TNA" address
Other News
Other News: Torch Talk All-Star Lanny Poffo Video interview, great poem on taking out Hulk Hogan
Other News: Brian Blair denies hitting his children in Father's Day Fight; local news runs 911 call leading to arrest (w/VIDEO)
Other News: New clip of Rob Van Dam doing a stunt for his upcoming movie (w/VIDEO)
PPV Reports
THE BASH PPV COVERAGE: Listing of the Torch's WWE PPV coverage - Title changes, Jericho writes on Rey match, Miz on Cena match
RADICAN'S WWE THE BASH PPV BLOG 6/28: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of Orton vs. Hunter PPV
CALDWELL'S WWE THE BASH PPV REPORT 6/28: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of Orton vs. Triple H, Punk vs. Hardy
TV Reports
PARKS' WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT 7/3: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of the show, including Punk & Jeff Hardy vs. Jericho & Edge
WWE News: Preview for tonight's Smackdown - Mysterio vs. Kane and Edge & Jericho vs. Punk & Jeff Hardy
PARKS' TNA IMPACT REPORT 7/2: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of the show, including Team 3D vs. Booker & Steiner
Arena Reports
7/3 WWE in San Diego, Calif.: First-hand report on Edge's apparent injury, Punk vs. Rey Mysterio, Ricky Steamboat in action
6/27 ROH in Chicago: Austin Aries vs. Nigel McGuinness, KENTA vs. Black, Petey Williams looks odd, Crowd eats up Flair's generic promo
6/28 PWG in California: Joey Ryan vs. Necro Butcher, Davey Richards vs. Young Buck, Michael Jackson entrance themes
MMA / UFC Coverage
UFC News: Kimbo Slice, Rampage Jackson, Rashad Evans plus rest of cast of TUF 10 to be revealed...
UFC - ENNIS COLUMN: The Lay of the Lane - A look at MMA's top heavyweights from Brock to Mir to Carwin to Fedor to...
MMA: Plan a week of UFC and other MMA viewing with the Torch's viewer's guide including Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva
KELLER'S TAKE
KELLER: How bookers, like Jeff Jarrett last night, show that they're the toughest SOBs in the world
KELLER'S TNA IMPACT TAKE 7/2: Thoughts, observations, nitpicks, and quotebook
KELLER'S ECW ON SCI-FI REPORT 6/30: Results, star ratings, thoughts, observations, nitpicks, and quotebook
MITCHELL'S TAKE
MITCHELL SHORT: WWE Proving Once Again That Life is Easy...
MOJO MITCHELL'S 6/29 Raw Stream Of Randy Orton Faces ECW and Loses and That's The Main Event
Mitchell Short: Your Thank-You Note to WWE
MCNEILL'S TAKE
The Names Have Been Changed To Protect The Buyrates: McNEILL Previews WWE Bash 2009!
Redemption: McNEILL previews TNA Slammiversary 7!
MCNEILL BLOG: A Modest Proposal For Monday Night Trump
CALDWELL'S TAKE
CALDWELL: Analysis of WWE's roster shuffle from the 15-person trade - who benefited, which brand needs help
CALDWELL: Instant Reaction to key storylines on Raw and post-PPV developments
CALDWELL: WWE Smackdown/The Bash PPV analysis - Don't Mess with C.M. Punk's dynamic character
RADICAN'S TAKE
RADICAN: Torch readers sounds off on Mark Henry's shining moment on Raw (w/Radican Reax)
RADICAN: Mark Henry's shining moment on Raw leaves a bad smell in the room
RADICAN: A follow up on the Death Before Dishonor audio with Feinstein with notes on Special K angle, Punk-Raven feud, where's Misawa now?
The Specialists
CHARACTER MATTERS: Why The Game Doesn't Play with Me - The Flaws of Triple H's On-Air Persona
ABSURDITY OF IT ALL - 7/2 TNA Impact: Kurt Angle saw "The Hangover," Stacker2, A.J. Styles Eats a Lot of Cookies, Stacker2, Jeff Jarrett Has the Power of Flight
HITS & MISSES - TNA IMPACT 7/2: Kevin Nash's sit-down, Kurt Angle Plays the Game, Matt Morgan a Hit?, Samoa Joe muted, Bad acting, Raven MIA
Guest Editorials
EDITORIAL: Historical perspective on Austin Aries's ROH Title victory - his journey from main event to mid-card back to main event
EDITORIAL: TNA needs to K.I.S.S. the King of the Mountain match to make it more appealing to TNA viewers
EDITORIAL: How WWE could have better handled the Vickie-Edge segment on Raw and caught up with the year 2009
Torch Feedback
Smackdown TV Reax #1: "Fresh match-ups, superstars, and storylines just create great TV"
Thursday Night TV Reax - SS/Impact: "X Division, we hardly knew ya after Abyss beat up the only two representatives who showed up"
ECW TV Reax #2: "Yoshi is already on the road to being the next Funaki at this point"
Ask the Editor
Ask the Editor: Wouldn't incorporating MMA-style holds into pro wrestling matches just be trying to be something it's not?
ASK THE EDITOR: Have the Michaels-Batista promos crossed a line with use of insider terms, references to "jobs"?
ASK THE EDITOR: Why do wrestlers in WWE refer to wrestling as "the business" and not "the sport"?
DVDs - VGames - Books
RADICAN'S ROH DVD REVIEW SERIES: 2/7 "Proving Ground: Night 2" (Danielson-Generico, Steen-Richards)
RADICAN'S TORCH DVD REVIEW SERIES: YouShoot with Sabu: Sabu opens up about working in WWE, incident with Kurt Angle, negotions with TNA, more...
RADICAN'S PWTorch DVD review: The Best of RVD TV Vol. 1: RVD trains MMA with a UFC fighter, talks the power of the mind with The Ultimate Warrior, discusses love on a beach with Samoa Joe
Torch Flashbacks
KELLER'S TNA IMPACT REPORT (5 Yrs. Ago): Eric Young headlines, Jerry Lynn, R-Truth, Dusty Rhodes, Sabu, A.J. Styles, Jarrett, D-Ray 3000!
OWEN HART 10 YRS. AGO: Bruce Mitchell Feature Column - The Fluke Death of Owen Hart - May 23, 1999
OWEN HART 10 YRS. AGO: Torch Newsletter #550 cover story on Owen Hart's death (PART TWO) - May 23, 1999
VIP Exclusive Features
7/4 Bruce Mitchell Audio Show, part two: The Vickie Guerrero Injustice, Torrie Disrespect, Jericho Laments Schedule, Wrestler Twitters Going Too Far, Punk's Surprising Hardy Comment, TNA's Ho-Hum Kidnapping of Lauren (76 min.)
7/4 Wade Keller Hotline - The News: Edge Injured, Jeff Hardy's Uncertain Future, WWE PPV Strategy, Wrestling on FX? (19 min.)
7/4 VIP East Coast Audio - Smackdown: Punk-Hardy great exchange, Rey loses to Kane, Dolph and Maria an item? (40 min.)
Torch Trivia
TORCH TRIVIA 2/28: Which wrestler backed out of a WWA PPV in February 2002?
TORCH TRIVIA 2/27: Who said this quote about Hulk Hogan's athleticism 11 years ago?
TORCH TRIVIA 2/25: What said this quote about WWE's mid-1990s drug testing policy?
Torch Instant Polls
FOURTH OF JULY POLL: What's your favorite July 4th "gimmick" in pro wrestling?
7/3 SMACKDOWN MICROSCOPE POLL: What related topic from tonight's Smackdown do you want to see analyzed Under the Microscope?
TNA IMPACT POLL: Who was the MVP of the 7/2 episode if you saw the show?
PWTorch Free Podcast
6/23 Nostalgia Audio with Brian Hoops: Former WCW rapmaster PN News joins Brian Hoops to preview upcoming Midwest shows (10 min.)
FREE AUDIO: Keller & Mitchell Discuss Randy Savage's Place in WWE History, Elizabeth's Strengths and Weaknesses
FREE FOR ALL TODAY - 5/31 Keller Hotline: Tons of info on Kennedy situation, immediate future, plus what top star's days in TNA are numbered, what's working against Kennedy getting big push in TNA, much more
Annual Obituaries
SPECIALIST: List of Deceased Wrestlers for 1999 - Muchnick, Rick Rude, Owen Hart, Renegade...
SPECIALIST: List of Deceased Wrestlers for 2000 - Solie, Albright, Duncum, Tsuruta, Blue Demon, Al Costello
SPECIALIST: List of Deceased Wrestlers for 2001: Johnny Valentine, Terry Gordy, Chris Adams, Bertha Faye, Helen Hart