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

Select List of Articles by Category Type



UGO AFFILIATE

A PROUD UGO AFFILIATE SINCE 1999


PWTorch is customized for your mobile phone such as your Blackberry. Just enter www.pwtorch.com on your phone's browser and choose the "Mobile" option. Samsung Omnia II users, download our free Widget. Apple iPhone users, download our free PWTorch App (search "pwtorch")




 

The Specialists

HISTORY: The Royal Rumble retrospect - highlights, attendance, buyrate, perspective

Jan 29, 2008 - 1:23:14 PM


This year’s Royal Rumble will mark the 21st anniversary of the popular WWE pay per view. In our weekly look at wrestling nostalgia, we will review the history of one of the WWE’s core PPV’s, the Royal Rumble. Traditionally, the Royal Rumble is the second largest grossing PPV in the WWF, behind Wrestlemania. In order to understand the significance of the Royal Rumble in today’s era, we have to go back to how it all started.

Thanksgiving 1987; was a significant day in wrestling history. Vince McMahon Jr. was in the process of taking his company; the World Wrestling Federation, to national prominence. McMahon had attempted and successfully promoted 3 PPV’s; Wrestlemania I, II and III. Due to the enormous success, both in terms of profits and popularity of Wrestlemania, McMahon decided to expand his PPV universe and offer another PPV in the fall. This way, he could sell two ultra profitable PPV’s each year instead of only one, theoretically doubling his profit potential. He planned on having a PPV called Survivor Series in November 1987. Traditionally, Jim Crockett Promotions, which later became WCW when Ted Turner purchased Jim Crockett Promotions, had run very successful Thanksgiving house shows in Greensboro, North Carolina. Crockett was having financial difficulties due to a large debt load from purchasing other territories in a plan to go national and compete with the WWF. Similar to McMahon in 1985 and his gamble on the first Wrestlemania; Crockett planned on running his first PPV, the Starrcade event as the financial salvation to his company on Thanksgiving evening, 1987. However, McMahon decided to promote Survivor Series on the same day in an attempt to quash Crockett’s attempt at PPV, McMahon informed cable companies that if they chose to carry Starrcade, they would not be allowed to carry future Wrestlemania’s or other WWF events. The vast majority of companies showed Survivor Series, only five opted to remain loyal to their contract with Crockett.

After successfully sabotaging Jim Crockett’s first attempt at a PPV by creating the Survivor Series to run on PPV at the same time, McMahon devised a different strategy to counter Crockett’s second attempt at PPV. Jim Crockett Promotions announced his next attempt at PPV would be called the Bunkhouse Stampede and would be broadcast on PPV on January 24, 1988. The WWF announced a brand new event called The Royal Rumble that would be broadcast at the same time on free TV on the USA network. The Royal Rumble event was so successful that it moved to PPV in 1989 and has been on PPV every January since.

The concept of the Royal Rumble is a match that was a glorified over the top battle royal where two men start and a new competitor enters the ring at a certain time interval. The first Rumble had 20 men. Since then the number has been increased to 30. The time interval is usually either 60 seconds or 2 minutes but it has been changed periodically.

The first few years the winner of the match only received only the recognition of being the Royal Rumble champion. However, in 1992, Ric Flair won the Royal Rumble to win the vacant WWF Title. Starting in 1993, the winner would receive a title shot against the current WWF Champion at the next WrestleMania. Currently with the brand split, the Royal Rumble winner may choose which WWE World championship to wrestle for at Wrestlemania.

Here is a look at the past winners of the Royal Rumble, the attendance and the PPV buy rates.

Year Royal Rumble Winners Attendance Buy Rate
1988 – Hacksaw Jim Duggan 18,000 n/a
1989 – Big John Studd 19,000 1.5
1990 – Hulk Hogan 16,000 2.0
1991 – Hulk Hogan 16,000 3.1
1992 – Ric Flair 17,000 1.8
1993 – Yokozuna 16,000 1.25
1994 – Bret Hart & Lex Luger 14,500 0.9
1995 – Shawn Michaels 10,000 1.0
1996 – Shawn Michaels 9,600 1.1
1997 – Steve Austin 60,525 0.7
1998 – Steve Austin 18,542 0.97
1999 – Vince McMahon 14,816 1.88
2000 – The Rock 19,231 1.6
2001 – Steve Austin 17,137 1.35
2002 – Triple H 12,915 1.60
2003 – Brock Lesnar 14,712 0.95
2004 – Chris Benoit 17,289 0.98
2005 - Batista 9,642 0.83
2006 - Rey Mysterio 16,000 1.31
2007 - The Undertaker 15,000 1.25
2008 – John Cena 15,000 ? ???

Highlights of the Royal Rumble

1988 – First ever Royal Rumble match, broadcast on the USA Network in opposition to the NWA Bunkhouse Stampede PPV. Jim Duggan won the Royal Rumble. The Rumble match has 20 participants.

1989 – First Royal Rumble PPV. The Royal Rumble match had 30 participants and was won by Big John Studd.

1990 - Hulk Hogan won the Royal Rumble by eliminating Mr. Perfect. Undercard saw Ron Garvin defeat Greg Valentine in an “I Quit” match.

1991 – Hulk Hogan became the first two time winner of the Royal Rumble by eliminating the Earthquake. On the undercard, Sgt. Slaughter defeated the Ultimate Warrior to become WWF World Heavyweight Champion and Ted DiBiase and Virgil defeated Dusty and Dustin Rhodes.

1992 – Ric Flair become the WWF World Heavyweight Champion for the first time by winning the Royal Rumble. This was the first Rumble with the stipulation of the winner becoming world champion. Flair entered the Rumble as the third participant. This Royal Rumble match is generally considered the greatest Royal Rumble match in history. The undercard matches saw Roddy Piper defeat The Mountie to become the WWF Intercontinental Title.

1993 – This was the first Royal Rumble match where the winner would win the right to challenge the WWF World Champion at Wrestlemania. Yokozuna won this year’s Rumble. The undercard matches featured Shawn Michaels defeat Marty Jannetty to retain the WWF Intercontinental Title and Bret Hart defeated Razor Ramon to retain the WWF World Heavyweight Title.

1994 - Lex Luger and Bret Hart were named co-winners after they simultaneously eliminated each other. The undercard featured a Casket match for the WWF Championship, in which Yokozuna successfully defended the title against The Undertaker. In addition, The Quebecers beat Bret and Owen Hart to retain the WWF Tag Team Championship and Razor Ramon successfully defended his Intercontinental Championship against Irwin R. Schyster.

1995 – Shawn Michaels won this year’s Rumble. The final two participants in the Rumble were Shawn Michaels and The British Bulldog, who were also the first two participants in the match as well. Also, Diesel defended the WWF World Title in a draw against Bret Hart and Jeff Jarrett defeated Razor Ramon for the Intercontinental title.

1996 – The Royal Rumble match was not the main event this year. Shawn Michaels won the Rumble for the second consecutive year, while the Undertaker defeated Bret Hart in the main event for the WWF World Title by dq in the main event. Also, Goldust defeated Razor Ramon to win the WWF Intercontinental Title.

1997 – The 10th anniversary of the Royal Rumble event was held in San Antonio, Texas and drew a record Royal Rumble crowd of over 68,000 to witness hometown boy, Shawn Michaels; regain the WWF World Heavyweight Title from Sid Vicious. Steve Austin eliminated Bret Hart to win the Royal Rumble and Vader defeated the Undertaker on the undercard.

1998 – Shawn Michaels defeated The Undertaker in a “casket match” to retain the WWF World Heavyweight Title while Steve Austin defeated The Rock to win his second consecutive Royal Rumble match.

1999 – The Royal Rumble match returned as the main event in this year’s PPV. Vince McMahon defeated Steve Austin to win the Rumble match, while the Rock defeated Mankind in an “I Quit” match for the WWF World Heavyweight Title.

2000 – The Rock won his first Royal Rumble, eliminating the Big Show. In the undercard, Triple H defeated Cactus Jack in a Street Fight to retain the WWF World Heavyweight Title.

2001 – Steve Austin won his third Royal Rumble, last eliminating Kane. On the undercard, Kurt Angle defeated HHH to retain the WWF World Heavyweight Title, Chris Jericho defeated Chris Benoit in a Ladder Match to win the WWF Intercontinental Title and the Dudley Boyz defeated Edge and Christian to win the WWF Tag Team Titles.

2002 – In the main event, HHH won his first Royal Rumble defeating Kurt Angle; Ric Flair defeated Vince McMahon in a street fight and Chris Jericho defeated the Rock to retain the Undisputed WWF World Title.

2003 – This was the first Royal Rumble since the brand extension, thus 15 Raw superstars competed as well as 15 Smackdown superstars. Brock Lesnar won the Rumble, last eliminating the Undertaker. In the undercard, Kurt Angle defeated Chris Benoit to retain the WWE Championship.

2004 - Chris Benoit won this year’s Royal Rumble. Also, HHH and Shawn Michaels fought to a double count out in a “Last Man Standing” match and Brock Lesnar defeated Hardcore Holly to retain the WWE Championship.

2005 - In the main event; Batista won the Royal Rumble match, entering twenty-eighth, and last eliminating John Cena. John "Bradshaw" Layfield defeated The Big Show, and Kurt Angle in a Triple Threat match to retain the WWE Championship; and Triple H defeated Randy Orton to retain the World Heavyweight Championship.

2006 - The main event was for the World Heavyweight Championship between Kurt Angle and Mark Henry which Angle won. The main matches on the undercard were John Cena defeating Edge for the WWE Championship and the 2006 Royal Rumble match which Rey Mysterio won.

2007 – The Undertaker won the 2007 Royal Rumble match and won the right to challenge whichever WWE Champion he preferred. In the undercard matches, Batista defeated Mr. Kennedy to retain the World Heavyweight Championship and John Cena defeated Umaga in a “Last Man Standing” match to retain the WWE Championship.

2008 – Heavy favorites to win this year’s Royal Rumble were the Undertaker or HHH. To the surprise of everyone, John Cena came back early from a torn pectoral muscle and entered the Rumble at number 30 and won the Rumble by defeating HHH. Ric Flair won his match to keep his career alive against MVP in an undercard match. Also, Edge defeated Rey Mysterio for the World Title and Randy Orton over Jeff Hardy for the WWE Title.

I hope you enjoyed this week’s nostalgia review. As always, your comments, questions and feedback are always welcome. You can contact me at bhoops@iw.net.


Send feedback on this article to pwtorch@gmail.com and we'll regularly publish reader feedback in the "Torch Feedback" category on the Main Listing.

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


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

Upgrade to PWTorch VIP:

DETAILS & SIGN-UP INFO (rates now as low as $2.99/month)

More Recent The Specialists Articles
3/18 WWE Superstars Hits & Misses: Kane vs. Benjamin, WrestleMania Recall, Christian, Tatsu, Henry vs. Swagger, Regal, Ryder
3/16 WWE NXT Hits & Misses: Wins/Losses, Gabriel & Hardy vs. Young & Punk, Still No Format Explanation
ABSURDITY OF IT ALL - TNA Impact: Where's Samoa Joe?, How Did The Nastys & Spike Get On TV?, Destination X - "Wait, It's This Sunday?"
ABSURDITY OF IT ALL - WWE Raw: USA Network Censors Stone Cold & Blood, Mega Legacy Explodes, Stone Cold Gives John Cena The Ring?
3/15 WWE Raw Hits & Misses: Sheamus, Triple H vs. Orton, Legacy, Contract Signing
3/12 WWE Smackdown Hits & Misses: Punk Sings, McIntyre in MIB, Truth vs. Miz, Highlight Reel
GARDNER'S KEY MOMENT OF THE WEEK: TNA needs to re-evaluate its marketing strategy vs. WWE Raw after March 8 ratings results
VALENTINO'S MAGIC, MEMORIES, AND MANIA: Top 10 Shawn Michaels matches - vs. Undertaker, Bret Hart, Razor, Triple H, Flair, more
3/11 WWE Superstars Hits & Misses: Marella vs. Ryder, The Sleeper, MVP & Christian vs. Carlito & Guerrero
ABSURDITY OF IT ALL - Sting To Rampage Other Van Dams, NXT Rookies Power Rankings, Why WWE Isn't Marketing Mr. 1.9, Fear Edge's Love Tackle
3/9 WWE NXT Hits & Misses: Miz - Bryan, Chris Jericho, Justin Gabriel
3/8 WWE Raw Hits & Misses: Undertaker - Michaels, Legacy vs. Orton, McMahon vs. Cena
ABSURDITY OF IT ALL - WWE Raw: Everybody's Favorite Oily Psycho Randy Orton, Triple H Stars In "WrestleMania Mid-Card Match," Jack Swagger A Very Excited Toddler
ABSURDITY OF IT ALL - TNA Impact: TNA's "Yes Blood" Policy, Bischoff To Inject Steroids Into X Division, Brooke's "24" Audition, Sting Is Still Beating Up RVD
ABSURDITY OF IT ALL - Monday Night Countdown: Five Reasons You'll Check Out Impact, Court-Ordered Wrestling Matches, Stone Cold Salvages Bret-Vince Wreck
GARDNER'S KEY MOMENT OF THE WEEK: Overview of WWE NXT after two weeks
3/5 WWE Smackdown Hits & Misses: McIntyre's Streak, Ziggler vs. Benjamin, Gallows vs. Mysterio
ABSURDITY OF IT ALL - TNA Impact: Abyssmania Rages On, Heel A.J. Styles Promotes Video Game, N.J. Nets Tix More Valuable Than X Title, Hogan's Greatest Enemy Revealed
ABSURDITY OF IT ALL - WWE NXT & Superstars: Carlito Kills Household Plants, Knox Needs Hogan, WWE Tries To Get Hip With NXT
3/4 WWE Superstars Hits & Misses: Kingston vs. Guerrero, Blood Rule, Jericho vs. Goldust

(c) 1999-2010 TDH Communications Inc. - All rights reserved.

STAFF PICKS - TOP TEN RECENT ARTICLES
TNA News: Full preview for Sunday's Destination X PPV - Match line-up, 30-minute hype show (w/VIDEO)
WWE News: Shawn Michaels interview - says he's close to accepting retirement
Umaga News: Full details on "Umaga" Eddie Fatu's death - heart disease a contributor
WWE News: Jim Ross updates his WrestleMania 26 & WWE contract status
WWE News: Inside the quarter-hour ratings on WWE Raw from Monday night
WWE News: Official updated WrestleMania 26 PPV line-up
WWE News: Updated WWE Hall of Fame class with two more officially added on Raw
TNA News: More TNA Impact ratings data - Spike TV reports 5.6 million people sampled 3/8 Impact
WWE News: TV wrestling legend Gorgeous George added to 2010 Hall of Fame class
WWE News: Jim Ross says he doesn't expect to be back on WWE TV as full-time announcer



PWTORCH FREE AUDIO SHOWS
FREE: Friday PWTorch Livecast (3/19) now available featuring James Caldwell & Greg Parks
FREE: Thursday PWTorch Livecast (3/18) now available featuring James Caldwell & Brian Hoops
FREE: Wednesday PWTorch Livecast (3/17) now available featuring Wade Keller & Pat McNeill
MMATorch Daily Audio News Brief (13 min.): Rapid-fire overview of the news of the day in world of UFC, Strikeforce, all MMA
FREE: Tuesday PWTorch Livecast (3/16) now available featuring Wade Keller & Bruce Mitchell
FREE: Monday PWTorch Livecast (3/15) now available featuring Wade Keller & Jason Powell



PWTORCH INSTANT POLL
RawLogoOrig_WK150_4.jpg
Let your voice be heard. PWTorch.com readers are encouraged to participate in our regular polls where you can vote for the option of your choice and also see how other readers are voting. Be sure to vote in today's polls on the first two rounds of the Monday Night Wars II, and 3/15 Raw & Impact MVP... VOTE IN OR SEE RESULTS OF PREVIOUS POLLS

UPCOMING MAJOR EVENTS

SELECT LIST OF ARTICLES BY CATEGORY

ARTICLES GROUPED BY CATEGORY
Torch Today
WWE RAW 3/15: Place Your Bets on tonight's Raw - Week 11 guest-hosted by "Stone Cold" Steve Austin
WWE RAW 3/8: "Place your Bets" Scoreboard after Week 9 - Review last week's scores before tonight's PYB contest
3/15 TNA Stats in Review: Current champions, 2010 Win/Loss Records, Weekly MVPs, TV/house show results
3/15 WWE Stats in Review: Current champions, 2010 Win/Loss Records, Weekly TV MVPs, TV/house show results
Torch Today: Join the Official PWTorch.com March Madness Tournament Pool
WWE RAW 3/8: Place Your Bets on tonight's Raw - Week 10 guest-hosted by Criss Angel
WWE News
WWE News: Local coverage continues for WrestleMania - WWE executive says WWE isn't a wrestling promotion, Ted DiBiase, Sr. profiled
WWE News: Watch a preview for the "Survival of the Hitman" Bret Hart documentary (w/VIDEO)
TNA News: Daniels interviewed on X Division, WWE not spotlighting wrestlers his size, Monday night battle, more
WWE News: Shawn Michaels interview - says he's close to accepting retirement
WWE News: Plenty of local coverage for WrestleMania Week starting Monday
WWE News: Jim Ross says he's not broadcasting at WrestleMania 26
TNA News
TNA News: Full preview for Sunday's Destination X PPV - Match line-up, 30-minute hype show (w/VIDEO)
TNA News: Daniels interviewed on X Division, WWE not spotlighting wrestlers his size, Monday night battle, more
TNA News: Impact replay on Thursday night draws more viewers than Monday first-run episode
WWE/TNA News: Jim Ross evaluates TNA product, suggests Impact move up one hour on Mondays
TNA News: Jeff Jarrett on TV & radio promoting tonight's house show, Full details on "Evening with the Legends" event
TNA News: Impact replaying on Spike TV & TNA begins house show tour tonight
ROH News
ROH News: Full previews for this weekend's ROH shows in Detroit & Toronto
ROH News: Local Detroit press for weekend shows, stipulation for Toronto main event, ROH TV pre-empted due to college b-ball
ROH News: Preview for tonight's ROH TV on HDNet, new ROH Video Wire (w/VIDEO)
ROH/EVOLVE News: Previews for EVOLVE and ROH developmental promotion in New Jersey this weekend
ROH News: Austin Aries joins stand-up comedy show WrestleMania weekend, LA debut DVD, New WM weekend matches
WWE News: Colt Cabana calls WWE "ignorant" for how they handled his WWE run last year, talks not being on NXT
Other News
Other News: Piper's Pit, Dreamer vs. Lawler, Booker vs. Anderson headlining NEW N.Y. show on Saturday night
Rock News: Los Angeles Times profiles "The Rock" Dwayne Johnson in new action movie role
Umaga News: Full details on "Umaga" Eddie Fatu's death - heart disease a contributor
Other News: Booker T, Mr. Anderson, Tommy Dreamer headlining New York show tonight
Other News: A&E filming new documentary at two wrestling shows this month, including DGUSA WrestleMania weekend show
Hardy News: Jeff Hardy's court date continued yet again
PPV Reports
RADICAN'S DGUSA "FEARLESS" PPV REVIEW - Dragon Kid-Hulk, Richards-Mochizuki
KELLER'S WWE ELIMINATION CHAMBER PPV RESULTS 2/21: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of live event
CALDWELL'S WWE ELIMINATION CHAMBER PPV REPORT 2/21: Complete coverage of Raw & Smackdown Elimination Chamber matches - Sheamus and Undertaker defend titles
KELLER'S TNA AGAINST ALL ODDS RESULTS 2/14: Live ongoing results of PPV - Styles vs. Joe, Nastys vs. Team 3D, tournament
CALDWELL'S TNA AGAINST ALL ODDS PPV REPORT 2/14: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of A.J. Styles vs. Samoa Joe, Nastys vs. 3D
RADICAN'S TNA AGAINST ALL ODDS PPV BLOG 2/14: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of TNA's February PPV
TV Reports
KELLER'S WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT 3/19: Undertaker vs. McIntrye, Jericho on Cutting Edge, Rey vs. Gallos with WrestleMania stip at stake
PARKS' WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT 3/19: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of the show, including Jericho on the Cutting Edge
WWE SUPERSTARS ROUNDTABLE REVIEWS 3/19: Caldwell, Mezzera, Parks rate and review
CALDWELL'S WWE SUPERSTARS TV REPORT 3/18: Complete coverage of six-man ECW Reunion, Shelton vs. Kane
WWE NXT ROUNDTABLE REVIEWS 3/16: Mayer, Mezzera, Parks rate and review
WWE RAW ROUNDTABLE REVIEWS 3/15: Donofrio, Mezzera, Parks rate and review
Arena Reports
3/19 WWE in El Paso, Tex.: John Cena & Mark Henry vs. Sheamus & Big Show, Miz in four-way U.S. Title match
3/19 ROH in Dearborn, Mich.: Tyler Black & Briscoes vs. Wolves & Hero, Petey Williams vs. Austin Aries
3/18 TNA in Hattiesburg, Miss.: A.J. Styles vs. The Pope, Nash & Young vs. Beer Money, Jarrett vs. Wolfe
3/14 WWE in Bakersfield, Calif.: Cena & DX vs. Batista & Sheamus & Swagger, Miz defends U.S. Title, Orton vs. Legacy
3/14 WWE in San Francisco, Calif.: Chris Jericho pelted with objects, comments on Twitter about rough night; All-star six-man tag, Ziggler vs. Goldust
3/14 TNA in Wheeling, W. Va.: Kurt Angle & Jeff Jarrett vs. Beer Money, Abyss vs. Styles, The Pope vs. Wolfe
MMA / UFC Coverage
PENICK: UFC on Versus: Vera vs. Jones Main Card Previews and Predictions
UFC News: Tito Ortiz denies rumors he left TUF early, says he's still fighting Chuck Liddell
UFC NEWS: UFC 114: Evans vs. Jackson officially announced for May 29 in Las Vegas
MMA News: Bobby Lashley's next career fight scheduled - details and analysis
UFC EDITORIAL: Will fading stars in Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz be able to sell TUF 11?
TNA/MMA News: Bobby Lashley updates his status with TNA, talks WWE vs. TNA
KELLER'S TAKE
KELLER: March 8 - An evaluation of whether Impact is showing its ready to compete with Raw
KELLER'S TAKE: What's in a name? Survivor Series a goner, but does it matter?
KELLER'S WWE RAW REPORT 2/8: Bret Hart appears again after John Cena reveals to McMahon that Bret wants him one-on-one at WrestleMania
KELLER'S VIP BLOG: A ratings experiment for TNA to try with the Knockouts
KELLER: Vince Russo owes wrestlers another apology, plus one to the fans
KELLER: Russo wants to be a better friend, not explain his booking decisions
MITCHELL'S TAKE
MITCHELL: Mojo Mitchell's 3/15 Raw Stream of Disciplined Focus on the Main Issues of The Main Eventers on The Main Show of The Year
MOJO MITCHELL: Mixed-Up Mojo's Raw Impact Stream of Shocking Sting, Shocking RVD, Legacy Actually Beats Orton, and Mr. McMahon is Real Big
MITCHELL: Mojo Mitchell's 3/1 Raw Stream DX, Batista, Johnny Cash, Mad Dog
MITCHELL: Mojo Mitchell's Raw Stream of Ty, Jewel, Piper, a Fake Bull, A Real Money Stipulation. The Worst Plan Ever, And John Cena Twice A Patsy
MITCHELL: Vince Russo: The wrestling business has hurt me more than any other
MITCHELL: Mojo Mitchell's Raw Stream of Turning Left, The WNBA, Clapping, Miz is better than Jericho, Everyone is Better than Shawn Michaels, and Bret Hart Gets Over
MCNEILL'S TAKE
Rise Up: McNEILL Previews WWE Elimination Chamber 2010!
To Wait For You Is All I Can Do: McNEILL previews TNA Against All Odds 2010!
There Can Be Only One: McNEILL Previews the 2010 WWE Royal Rumble!
Calling All Stations: McNEILL previews TNA Genesis 2010!
It's On, Brother: McNEILL previews TNA Final Resolution 2009!
Tables And Ladders And Chairs, Oh My!: McNEILL Previews WWE's TLC pay-per-view!
CALDWELL'S TAKE
CALDWELL'S WEEKLY CHAT w/GREG PARKS - Raw, Impact, NXT, and Smackdown discussed in-depth
CALDWELL'S BOOK REVIEW: One of the best wrestling storytellers delivers highly entertaining history & insight in "The World According to Dutch"
CALDWELL'S WEEKLY CHAT w/GREG PARKS - Raw, Impact, NXT, and Smackdown discussed in-depth
CALDWELL: The biggest question going into March 8 - What is TNA?
CALDWELL'S WEEKLY CHAT w/GREG PARKS - Raw, NXT, and Smackdown discussed in-depth
CALDWELL'S BLOG: NXT Day-After thoughts, TNA out of the Impact Zone, Kid brings cereal laced with pot to school
RADICAN'S TAKE
RADICAN'S VIP BLOG: More thoughts on HBK: My Journey, HBK talks early WWF years
RADICAN'S VIP BLOG: Early review of new Shawn Michaels DVD
RADICAN'S VIP BLOG: A special moment on Impact between Abyss and Hogan (w/VIDEO)
RADICAN'S VIP BLOG: Having a concussion was "no biggie" according to Russo
RADICAN'S EVOLVE DVD REVIEW SERIES: Evolve 1 - Richards vs. Ibushi, Sawa vs. TJP
RADICAN'S TNA AGAINST ALL ODDS PPV BLOG 2/14: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of TNA's February PPV
The Specialists
3/18 WWE Superstars Hits & Misses: Kane vs. Benjamin, WrestleMania Recall, Christian, Tatsu, Henry vs. Swagger, Regal, Ryder
3/16 WWE NXT Hits & Misses: Wins/Losses, Gabriel & Hardy vs. Young & Punk, Still No Format Explanation
ABSURDITY OF IT ALL - TNA Impact: Where's Samoa Joe?, How Did The Nastys & Spike Get On TV?, Destination X - "Wait, It's This Sunday?"
ABSURDITY OF IT ALL - WWE Raw: USA Network Censors Stone Cold & Blood, Mega Legacy Explodes, Stone Cold Gives John Cena The Ring?
3/15 WWE Raw Hits & Misses: Sheamus, Triple H vs. Orton, Legacy, Contract Signing
3/12 WWE Smackdown Hits & Misses: Punk Sings, McIntyre in MIB, Truth vs. Miz, Highlight Reel
Guest Editorials
GUEST EDITORIAL: TNA presents Hulk Hogan as "Randy the Ram" and other Oscar Week ploys
GUEST EDITORIAL: Abyss - Let's Not Give Up On Him Yet, How to fix the Monster
GUEST EDITORIAL/ECW TV REAX: The final ECW TV episode was a microcosm of all that was good and bad about WWE's version of ECW
GUEST EDITORIAL: The End of an Error for the ECW brand, What to do with ECW's current stars
GUEST EDITORIAL: Proposal on how to use the ECW timeslot to create innovative TV feeding Raw & Smackdown
GUEST EDITORIAL - CD REVIEW: WWE's new album features work-out quality jams, awful tracks, screeching guitar solos
Torch Feedback
Monday Night Reax #4: "One word summarizes this week's Raw: focus"
Monday Night Reax #3: "I don't need to see The Nasty Boys or Jimmy Hart wrestling in 2010"
Monday Night Reax #2: "I want to be entertained and I want TNA to succeed, but this was bad"
WWE Raw Reax #1: "Austin showed more charisma than the rest of the roster combined before even opening his mouth"
WWE NXT Reax #2: "Slater & Christian could one day re-create the magic of Edge & Christian"
Monday Night Reax #6: "There is so much potential in TNA with RVD, Hardy, and Styles"
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"?
ASK THE EDITOR: Why didn't Curt Hennig get a run with the WWE World Title?
ASK THE EDITOR: Would Jesse Ventura make a good U.S. President, since he served your state as Governor?
ASK THE EDITOR: WWE excluded the Dudleys from Greatest Tag Team Ever - justified or not?
DVDs - VGames - Books
CALDWELL'S BOOK REVIEW: One of the best wrestling storytellers delivers highly entertaining history & insight in "The World According to Dutch"
RADICAN'S EVOLVE DVD REVIEW SERIES: Evolve 1 - Richards vs. Ibushi, Sawa vs. TJP
GUEST EDITORIAL - CD REVIEW: WWE's new album features work-out quality jams, awful tracks, screeching guitar solos
CALDWELL'S DVD REVIEW - "The Marine 2" strong on DiBiase's performance, weak on plot and storyline
RADICAN'S ROH DVD REVIEW SERIES: 10/9 "Clash of the Contenders" - Omega-Richards, Delirious-Aries
RADICAN'S DVD REVIEW SERIES: CHIKARA'S "Three Fisted Tales" - Castagnoli-Kingston, Colony-Portal
Torch Flashbacks
WWE WRESTLEMANIA COUNTDOWN - 2001 PPV Report (WM 17): Rock vs. Austin II, Undertaker vs. Triple H, TLC, Shane vs. Vince, Benoit vs. Angle
WWE WRESTLEMANIA COUNTDOWN - 2000 PPV Report (WM 16): Rock vs. Hunter vs. Foley vs. Big Show, Angle vs. Benoit vs. Jericho
WWE WRESTLEMANIA COUNTDOWN - 1999 PPV Report (WM 15): Steve Austin vs. The Rock, Mick Foley vs. Big Show, Brawl for All
WWE WRESTLEMANIA COUNTDOWN - 1998 PPV Report (WM 14): Steve Austin wins WWF Title, Undertaker vs. Kane, Mike Tyson, Pete Rose
WWE WRESTLEMANIA COUNTDOWN - 1997 PPV Report (WM 13): Undertaker vs. Sid, Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart double-turn
WWE WRESTLEMANIA COUNTDOWN - 1996 PPV Report (WM 12): Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart Iron Man match, Ultimate Warrior vs. Triple H
VIP Exclusive Features
3/20 Bruce Mitchell Audio Show (pt. 2): Top Ten Wrestlers of the 1970s, is Undertaker best gimmick ever, Richter-HOF, why booker recycle old ideas after they stop working, Ross, RVD-TNA, more (72 min.)
3/20 Wade Keller Hotline: Detailed Smackdown Analysis and thoughts Bischoff's reaction to ban on chairshots to the head (16 min.)
3/19 Wade Keller Hotline - The News: Ross's future, Linda McMahon campaign update, Rock vs. Austin for movie roles, Umaga, Tommy Dreamer, TNA-ECW, Impact replay rating (15 min.)
3/19 Bruce Mitchell Audio Show (pt. 1): Chairshots to Head WWE Ban, Jim Ross's potential future, TNA rants, rumor of TNA-ECW angle, more (59 min.)
3/19 PWTorch Livecast & VIP Aftershow: James Caldwell & Greg Parks discuss with live callers TNA PPV, Samoa Joe ideas, Future WWE champs, Smackdown, more (75 min.)
3/18 PWTorch Livecast & VIP Aftershow: James Caldwell & Brian Hoops discuss with live callers TNA panic time?, Jim Ross at WM26, Trivia on Gorgeous George, more (93 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 TRIVIA 2/24: What do you remember about the World Wrestling Network promotion from 15 years ago?
TORCH TRIVIA 2/22: Answer to who defeated Paul London on a TNA PPV from February 2003
TORCH TRIVIA 2/22: Who defeated Paul London on a TNA PPV from February 2002?
Torch Instant Polls
WWE & TNA POLLS: Vote on Raw vs. Impact Weeks 1 & 2, MVP of 3/15 shows
WWE SMACKDOWN MVP POLL: Who was the MVP of the 3/12 Smackdown if you saw the show?
WWE NXT POLL: Who was the MVP of the 3/9 NXT if you saw the show?
TNA IMPACT POLL: Who was the MVP of the 3/8 Impact if you saw the show?
WWE RAW MVP POLL: Who was the MVP of the 3/8 Raw if you saw the show?
WWE SMACKDOWN MVP POLL: Who was the MVP of the 3/5 Smackdown if you saw the show?
PWTorch Free Podcast
FREE: Friday PWTorch Livecast (3/19) now available featuring James Caldwell & Greg Parks
FREE: Thursday PWTorch Livecast (3/18) now available featuring James Caldwell & Brian Hoops
FREE: Wednesday PWTorch Livecast (3/17) now available featuring Wade Keller & Pat McNeill
MMATorch Daily Audio News Brief (13 min.): Rapid-fire overview of the news of the day in world of UFC, Strikeforce, all MMA
FREE: Tuesday PWTorch Livecast (3/16) now available featuring Wade Keller & Bruce Mitchell
FREE: Monday PWTorch Livecast (3/15) now available featuring Wade Keller & Jason Powell
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
SPECIALIST: List of Deceased Wrestlers for 2002 (Wahoo, Thesz, Rocco, Mr. Wrestling)
SPECIALIST: List of Deceased Wrestlers for 2002 (Wahoo, Thesz, Rocco, Mr. Wrestling)
SPECIALIST: List of Deceased Wrestlers for 2003 (Hawk, Hennig, Blassie, Liz)