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.


The Specialists
Raw Storylines and Feuds - Thoughts on Punk's character, the Cena-Batista feud, and Adamle emulating Ronald Reagan
Aug 16, 2008 - 2:18:15 AM


By Chris Newth, PWTorch contributor

WWE Monday Night Raw
August 11, 2008
Upcoming PPV: SummerSlam (last episode before PPV)

RAW STORYLINES AND FEUDS

Welcome to the fifty-first edition of Raw Storylines and Feuds.

For those wondering about the Intrigue Level system that I employ, you can refer to the numbers as follows:

10 (excellent), 9 (great), 8-6 (very good, good, pretty good), 5 (decent; has its good and bad qualities), 4-3 (needs work, poor), 2 (bad), 1 (terrible)


World Hvt. Champion CM PUNK vs. JBL (7 weeks w/ 1 week hiatus)

Summary:

At the show's halfway point, JBL was set to deliver a challenge to World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk. They both met in the ring around a table where Layfield unveiled a bottle of liquor. He talked about how he's been at the top before and how CM Punk hasn't earned anything, but he was willing to concede a loss in a drinking contest if Punk downed a shot of alcohol. CM Punk shot back with arguments of his own, claiming that he is the World Heavyweight Champion because he earned it. He ultimately refused to drink the shot, saying that it would both compromise his values and make him more like JBL (something he didn't want to do). Instead, Punk threw the alcoholic beverage into Layfield's face. As JBL reeled from the stinging in his eyes, Punk hit a knee lift in the turnbuckle before leaving the ring as JBL fumed.

Analysis:

This segment touched on an issue that I've been waiting for WWE to incorporate into Punk's storylines—a firm test on CM Punk's value system. When Punk first arrived in ECW, there existed heavy hype for his straight-edge lifestyle; they promoted it as his primary selling point, the thing that made him different and unique outside the ring. In the past year, they downplayed that element of his character, focusing instead solely on his in-ring uniqueness.

In fact, as the segment progressed I wondered how many people remembered his straight-edge convictions. It would have been more effective if JBL hadn't explicitly mentioned CM Punk holding onto his morals while trying to goad him into having a drink. The subtlety of not saying it—or, perhaps, the fact that Punk could say it himself in his explanation—would have been much stronger. Overall, however, this week's events provided a good continuation and introduction of more character elements for both Punk and JBL, who was more manipulative than usual.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 9 [up 1 since last week]

Previous Feuds
CM Punk: Elijah Burke, John Morrison, Chavo Guerrero, Morrison & Miz
JBL: Chris Jericho, Finlay, Triple H & Orton, John Cena

JOHN CENA vs. BATISTA (4 weeks)

Summary:

John Cena kicked off the show with a promo to hype his upcoming SummerSlam match with Batista. He talked about "hype" itself, claiming that this match needs nothing but Cena and the Animal. Batista soon came out, but his role consisted of simply standing in the ring and listening to Cena. Cena, in a not-so-humble fashion, touted his own successes, but then raised the question of who was better between him and Batista. When it was Batista's turn to talk, he laid out his reasoning for why he believed he would win their upcoming PPV matchup. To close the segment, both men shook hands.

Later in the back, Cody Rhodes talked about how Cena and Batista aren't a real team. Ted DiBiase then talked about how he and Cody could main event SummerSlam next year before vowing to earn everyone's respect when they win the World Tag Team Titles back. In the main event, Rhodes and DiBiase were able to regain the titles when DiBiase rolled Cena up while he was distracted by Batista for the win. After the match, all hell broke lose between Cena and Batista, and the show closed with Mike Adamle and his security force attempting to separate the two livid wrestlers.

Analysis:

This week Cena almost seemed to be walking a fine line between a babyface and a heel. The amount of time he spent putting himself over as possibly the greatest wrestler in WWE didn't really help his babyface persona; it didn't sound humble or noble at all. As for Rhodes and DiBiase, it was nice to hear their promo in the back because they planted the idea in viewers that if they were to win, they deserved complete respect. Well, now people must give them credit for their big victory.

It's unusual to see Cena lose via a roll-up, so that pinfall alone should give the heel champions enough reason to brag about their win in the next few weeks. And of course, the brawl at the end was full of tension. It seemed as though Cena and Batista had a taut string keeping them from attacking one another, and that weak fabric ripped right off by the end of the show. There was a nice built to the tension, making this a SummerSlam match that many look forward to.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 10 [up 1 since last week]

Previous Feuds
John Cena: Edge, Umaga, Bobby Lashley, Orton & Triple H, JBL
Batista: Edge, The Great Khali, Undertaker, MVP, Umaga, Shawn Michaels, Edge, CM Punk

REY MYSTERIO vs. KANE (1 week)

Summary:

After being ordered to face Chris Jericho in a singles matchup by Raw GM Mike Adamle, Kane angrily left the General Manager's office to prepare. Adamle intensified Kane's rage when he demanded that Kane show what's in the burlap sack no matter what the outcome of the match is. The match ended when Mike Adamle, flanked by a group of security guards, stood at ringside to enforce his earlier edict. Kane became overly defensive about the distraction, and Jericho took advantage by hitting his Code Breaker for the win. After the matchup, Adamle tried to convince Kane to give him the bag so that Kane could have a more normal life. He botched Ronald Reagan's famous "Tear down this wall" line before drawing a really weak link to his own line about Kane handing him the bag. Eventually, Kane revealed that it was a mask and that it belonged to someone who's been forever scarred—Rey Mysterio.

Analysis:

Well, now we're left to wonder what in the world Kane did to Rey Mysterio, when he did whatever he did, and when Rey will return. This is a nice setup if it leads to a strong return for Mysterio in the coming weeks. If Kane said that Mysterio is scarred, one has to wonder how extensive Mysterio's injuries are. The Big Red Machine has been toting that burlap sack around for weeks now, so hopefully we can get answers sooner than later. It's a decent storyline start.

Adamle following a Reagan approach to his position, claiming to let the wrestlers do their thing and intervening only when necessary is an interesting idea. I don't think the political overtones will really resonate much with people considering how Adamle's simply using a particular method (Republicans equal smaller government and less interaction with the people, so Adamle will use a similar style of staying out of things as much as possible). That conservative approach is a fresh idea I guess, but only in a rhetorical sense. After all, Theodore Long uses a similar tactic over on ECW. Here's another small flaw: don't the Adamle Originals contradict this mindset since they are meant to broker deals with superstars and set up hyped events in order to fuel ratings and interest?

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 6.5

Previous Feuds
Rey Mysterio: Chavo Guerrero, Finlay, MVP, Edge
Kane: Shelton Benjamin, Chuck Palumbo, Chavo Guerrero, Miz & Morrison, Mark Henry

JAMIE NOBLE vs. WILLIAM REGAL (2 weeks)

Summary:

This week, William Regal defeated Jamie Noble in singles competition when Regal struck Noble with a knee right to the head.

Analysis:

It doesn't seem like WWE is too committed to this particular storyline anymore. Noble didn't seem to have a shot against Regal, and Layla, the third element in this equation, wasn't even around. I could be wrong, but my best guess is that Regal moves on to something new next week while Noble either participates in a short scene with Layla or doesn't show up at all.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): n/a

Previous Feuds
Jamie Noble: Hornswoggle, Vickie Guerrero, Chuck Palumbo
William Regal: Mr. Kennedy

Women's Champion MICKIE JAMES & Intercontinental Champion KOFI KINGSTON vs. SANTINO MARELLA & BETH PHOENIX (2 weeks)

Summary:

This week, Beth Phoenix went one-on-one with Kelly Kelly, and she beat the former exhibitionist with her sit-down powerslam finisher. After the match, Santino tried to get her to inflict more damage, but Kofi Kingston and Mickie James arrived to clear the ring. Santino then challenged Mickie to a singles match, which she ultimately accepted. That match ended when the Glamazon interfered, hurling Mickie shoulder-first into the ring post. Santino then rolled Mickie up with a schoolboy for the victory. He celebrated wildly afterward, even jumping into Beth's arms.

Analysis:

The fun pervasive in the Santino/Beth combo comes with a nice mixture of the seriousness WWE is incorporating with the Intercontinental and Women's Championships. As Santino and Beth joke around, laugh, cheat, and celebrate, Mickie James and Kofi Kingston are taking the threat very seriously. We also know that this heel team is willing to harm others. Santino makes a great cheerleader for Beth when he wants her to destroy vulnerable divas on the roster. He can't seem to do much himself, but his encouragement is slimy, yet effective. They actually make an interesting pair.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 6.5 [same since last week]

Previous Feuds
Santino Marella: Umaga, Ron Simmons, Val Venis, Steve Austin, Maria, Cody Rhodes & Hardcore Holly, Roddy Piper
Beth Phoenix: Candice Michelle, Mickie James, Maria, Mickie James, Melina


CONCLUDED FEUDS

(1) Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels
(2) Jamie Noble vs. William Regal?


POTENTIAL FEUDS

(1) Cryme Tyme vs. The Highlanders
(2) Beth Phoenix vs. Kelly Kelly
(3) Chris Jericho vs. Kane
(4) Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase vs. ?


Thanks for reading, everyone. If you have any questions, suggestions, or comments, feel free to email me at newthtorch@hotmail.com. I greatly appreciate all the feedback that I receive, and I will respond to every email. Please insert a word in the subject line that deals with a wrestling topic or write something such as "WWE," "feud," or "Charlie Haas" so that I know it's not junk mail.

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 "The Specialists" ARTICLES
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
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE - TNA Impact 7/2: Paging Dr. Wayne Cowan, look at all those tag team titles, cool stats for wresters in debut matches in WWE vs. TNA
7/2 WWE Superstars Hits & Misses: Santino, Reks, Edge vs. Punk
DEROSENROLL's ROH HISTORY: Classic Feuds v.6 - C.M. Punk vs. ROH
6/30 ECW Hits & Misses: A Look at the Total Re-Launch of ECW
ABSURDITY OF IT ALL - 6/30 ECW TV: You See, Stereotyping People Put Smiles On Faces
ABSURDITY OF IT ALL: Mark Henry Returns From His Time Machine, Monday Night Raw Wants To Be Like Saturday Night Live, Why "Proven Commodity" Reigns Supreme
6/29 WWE Raw Hits & Misses: McMahon's Announcement, Miz vs. Cena, MVP vs. Triple H, Gauntlet
MAYER'S BLOG: Analyzing the "Re-Draft" - ECW is only supposed to be pillaged once per year, Looking at where Swagger, Hardy, Benjamin fit in
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE - 6/29 WWE Raw: Raw Trade Players to be Named Later, Spellchecking Signs, A closer look at Lilian Garcia, Can Big Show really bench press a VW?
ABSURDITY OF IT ALL - Wrestling Burnout, Suge Knight Shares Foxhole with Vince McMahon, Feuds That Won't Go Away, Yoda Teaches Young Skywalker About "The Cena"
PARKS BLOG: The Bash Hangout Report - Quick Reaction to Rey vs. Jericho, Hunter vs. Orton stretcher job, Miz's clean loss, McCool & Taker
NEWTH'S STORYLINE ANALYSIS - As The Bash airs, get analysis on how WWE handled the Punk-Hardy rivalry leading into the PPV
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE - 6/26 WWE Smackdown: No good reason why McMahon was on SD, Name Game History of The Bash, English please, The Crusher
GARDNER'S KEY MOMENT OF THE WEEK: Randy Orton vs. Triple H given away on commercial-free TV
6/27 Awesome Independent Wrestling Show: Featuring PN News, Mastino, Matt Morgan, Alex Shelley, and Homicide
6/26 WWE Smackdown Hits & Misses: McMahon - Long, Truth vs. Benjamin, Morrison vs. Punk, Rage in the Cage
HITS & MISSES - TNA IMPACT 6/25: Kurt Angle and Eric Young money promos, Beer Money vs. Steiner & Booker, Gimmick match overload

(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