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




Select Next Article by Category





WE ARE A PROUD UGO AFFILIATE SINCE 1999




prowrestling.NET

WANT MORE NEWS? JASON POWELL, A TEN YEAR VETERAN INSIDER FULL-TIME PROFESSIONAL REPORTER, BREAKS NEWS AND OFFERS INSIDER INSIGHT EVERY DAY

MMATORCH.com

CLICK FOR DAILY UFC NEWS, UFC PPV LIVE COVERAGE, DAILY PODCASTS, BLOGS




The Specialists
THE ABSURDITY OF IT ALL: Raw and ECW - "Professing My Man-Crush for Matt Striker" and a note about treatment of fans
Aug 20, 2008 - 1:03:38 PM


Email This Article - Contact Us - VIP Sign-Up - Back to Home Page

| subscribe to this feed

By Shane McKinley, PWTorch Specialist

This Report's Theme: Professing My Man-Crush for Matt Striker

Jericho and Michaels Going At A Steady Pace

What I like most about this feud is that there is very little wasted motion or effort in hyping this feud. It is not too much or too little. It is going at a deliberate pace. The performances of both men have been great in this feud and that is why I say this is the WWE feud of the year. Impressive video package, with the tone and the music. Fractured jaw? I was brought back to when Robert Roode punched Booker's wife Sharmell. Did that feud really go anywhere? I am not really sure what the plan is for Lance Cade out there, or if there was a plan for him in the first place. The best wrestlers and the best feuds tap into genuine human emotion. Jericho-Michaels taps into such genuine emotions because everything that they have said about the other is true. It just depends on the view a person takes. That is why it is enjoyable, because you are involved in the story (even though it is the same old song and dance of hyping a feud). Many times feuds tap into cheap and fake human emotions. It is not to say that these feuds cannot work to some degree, but do they make a lasting effect? The answer is no.

The Gamble On The Scramble

Oh, Mike Adalme. Do I really believe a guy who reads directly from a script? Not so much. Like most wrestling fans when Adalme begin to read off the rules of the Championship Scramble, I begin to whine and complain. I guess it is like King of the Mountain, but no ladders or penalty boxes. Probably a way to pad the wrestler's stats, and C.M. Punk could be said to have won over four other men. If Kane comes down the ring as the 6x time world champion after Unforgiven, then there will be some problems. Maybe you writers should spend a little less time playing Madden 09 and more time making sure that your big PPV match is near bulletproof logically. Already there are visions of the ref counting two men pinned at the same time…bad storylines afterwards…nooooo…

This Kane Angle Is Like A Fungus That Grows In The Marshes Of Your Psyche

Seriously, who writes this garbage? Harley Race should have jumped the barrier and busted open Kane's eyebrow for saying such trite. According to Kane, Rey Mysterio, a WWE employee, has been kidnapped, tortured, beaten physically and mentally, and the folks over at WWE could not care less. You would think that the powers of the WWE would at least have police question Kane on the whereabouts of Mysterio, or bring him in for questioning? Perhaps suspend or fire Kane for kidnapping one of its stars? I guess not. Because Kane has got that 1997 music going on now and that is just too scary. Of course you will not see a segment like the one I mentioned above, because that would mean that the writers would confess that they screwed up. The burlap bag bit was just nonsense. This is just a way for Batista and Kane to start a semi-feud and to stall for time while Mysterio returns at a PPV. Mysterio has been locked inside Kane's basement and will make a dramatic comeback during a PPV that will sure to be groan inducing. Kane being placed in a badly written Raw storyline that is illogical? No way!

How The Tag Team Champs Could Not Win A Victory Over One Man

It appears that it will be Dibase and Rhodes vs. Cryme Tyme in some fashion. I enjoyed watching these guys work against Cena. Could Raw actually build up two tag teams? From the current standpoint all answers point to no. But I would applaud them if they did. The STFU was better applied this time. Unless you miss the comical expression that Cena would put on when locking in this hold. On one hand you got people saying that people will pay more attention to the Raw tag team champs (quick, who is the Smackdown tag team champs?) by being in the same room as Cena and Batista. On the other hand you got people pointing out the incredulous nature of Cena's comeback. Cena needed a win here to get the ball rolling, but did he need a win over both of the tag team champs? Absolutely not. Just pretty stupid that two guys could not find the victory over a man who had a grueling match less than 24 hours ago. They must suck a lot. Just nonsense. I did enjoy watching Cena getting beat up by my boys, but everybody knew that Cena was not going to lose. They will probably pull up reports and statistics showing that tag teams don't draw on Raw, but that is nonsense. Why would you blame the fans for changing the channel when you are serving up Rhodes-Holly vs. Carlito-Santino for the 10th time? Raw putting a Rhodes-Dibase match that lasts longer than 10 minutes and gets them a convincing win? We'll see.

The Propaganda Spewing Robot and The One-Liner

Jerry Lawler was in rare form tonight. Love those one-liners he throws out. The WWE propaganda spewing Michael Cole can be best described at times as robotic. I groaned in disgust as Michael Cole shamelessly said that Paul Burchill could knock off Batista. What a feather in the cap it would be. Stop me if you heard these lines before. Burchill could not defeat Kofi Kingston and they are expecting fans to believe that the pirate could pull off an upset, even with Batista's knee. Right. What a sight it would be if Burchill did win. The crowd would be stunned and probably boo WWE out of the building. It would be refreshing if they stop spewing the same old lines. I did like the line of JBL firing his employees in the storyline sense. "Cena is better than everyone!" Once again, who writes this stuff?

Other Various Tidbits

A chance to win bikinis from WWE.com? Creepy....Hey, Motorhead for Unforgiven... Rain effect for Unforgiven video package... Liked the faraway shot showing whole arena...


RAW'S FINAL VERDICT: In The Middle Of Absurdity

Jericho vs. Michaels seems to have solid bits every week. The Kane bit and Cena channeling his inner Hulk Hogan was just horrendous. Throw in a Batista squash and a stale Santino bit and you have Raw.

ECW
August 19, 2008


Mark Henry And His Heelish Laugh

I like the bit where big ol Mark Henry is pulling up 80 pound dumbbells (I can do 20 pounds myself). That is more effective to me than bending frying pans. I do applaud WWE for giving the fans the true matchup that should have taken place at the PPV. The main event was a example of what the entire show felt like: it felt like a timewarp back to AWA or early 90s WWE matches. The main event was not much: just a bunch of holds by Henry. However simple it was, it was still effective. I'll take effective over fast-paced but confusing any day.

So How's The Charred Flesh of Edge Doing?

Wrestling is surely moving forward. Back in the day when somebody was lit on fire, the announcers could not stop talking about it. Edge being burned alive by Undertaker at the end of Summerslam was a cool visual but it is very odd that there is virtually no mention whatsoever of Edge by WWE. I guess WWE assumes that fans would not believe that Edge was really burned alive and that it is all part of a storyline. I think I can do without WWE announcers putting on their sad faces and speak somber about the latest tragic storyline, be it the death of the chairman or HBK's wife getting punched. This is an example of going to the well far too often. So, WWE, how is the injured WWE chairman? Did somebody plan the attack? How is Edge doing? You will find this a lot in wrestling: The wrestling company portrays something as a big deal, but because they do not have a real answer or plan, then nothing is said about it and fans are just supposed to forget about it.

The Braden Walker Syndrome

Remember Braden Walker? He was this big time free agent over from TNA. Two weeks and he is out. I do not want to tune in to see a bunch of new guys who do not go anywhere in WWE. That is why I like the Ricky Ortiz vs. Gavin Spears match. If you are going to bring guys in, might as well bring them in to feed a guy. Ortiz's towel is not the Steeler's Terrible Towel, but it is something amusing. Ortiz throws up a semi-Diamond Cutter sign and lands his big move: a running body splash. Man, this show was a timewarp. I dig the camera interviews (just like the old days) but I could do without the very serious promos by guys like Gavin Spears, who looks like the son of Randy Orton and Jamie Noble. Somewhat interested in seeing Finlay vs. Mike "The Dessert Destroyer" Knox. At least they had the good sense of not dragging this thing out.

Matt Striker's Catchphrases

Only in ECW will you hear Striker throw out lines like "O.G. of extreme". I like Matt Striker announcing because he just gets it. If Mike Adalme was a reason to not watch ECW, Matt Striker is becoming a reason to watch it.

ECW'S FINAL VERDICT: A Little Absurd

ECW opened up with a fun opening match, a manageable Ortiz match, a standard Finlay-Knox confrontation, and a main event that was old-school but still effective. Not bad, but not great either.

LEAVING YOU WITH MY ABSURD THOUGHT: If you watched the start of Raw, perhaps you saw a fan dressed up as a clown sitting by the front row. He had his little clown buddy. The clown guy had a sign that said, "No Clowning Around." Ha ha. Clown flipping off Batista. Heh heh. By the Cena match Clown guy and his little buddy were gone. Ho ho. Here is the WWE version of what probably happened. The clowns were becoming too disruptive and were escorted out. Here is what probably happened. The powers of the WWE said, "Dammnit we cannot do a serious promo or match if there is a damn clown in the front row! Get rid of him! Now!"

It is a new day and age, but wrestling is still a place where you have the freedom to cheer and boo. Unlike any sport, wrestling allows you to create signs, dress up as your favorite characters, be unique, start up chants, etc. Case in point: some baseball stadiums do not allow fans to wear t-shirts or hold signs that say the other team sucks. The NFL is implanting a new "fan conduct" policy that will probably make watching the game on TV more enjoyable. Obviously there is a fine line between lewd behavior, swearing, and violent actions that cross the line. But what I am seeing a lot in wrestling lately is that the true wrestling audience is being taken away one bit at a time. I brought up the clown example because I wonder at times how far wrestling companies will go in dealing with audiences.

We already know that both WWE and TNA will confiscate signs if the signs do not agree with the company. But what would happen if for a televised show front row fans all dressed up like clowns? Or turned their backs during a lame promo that the company was trying to hype up as important? (I would like to see this pulled off somehow. A character is trying to gain the audience approval but everybody is turning their back on him).

It must be noted that WWE, for the most part, does a better job of treating its fans. I have not gone to see Impact live in the Impact zone, but I have heard stories about VIP treatment and whatnot. I also do not trust what TNA shows me the audience. We already know that they will use previous camera shots that show the crowd going crazy. I would not put it past them to have Jeremy Borash go out and say, "Ok, whoever goes the craziest will get a backstage pass, free candy, whatever". Genuine human emotion is what I am stressing. I know that I am not mentioning a lot of other wrestling companies, I am only mentioning the major two in America. Feel free to send me a email to let me know of your opinion/personal story on how your wrestling company treats its fans.

Perhaps one of the greatest things about wrestling, be it better or for worse, is that fans generally feel like they are connected. If wrestling companies start to dilute the audience until you cannot tell if you are experiencing genuine human emotion, then that is a problem.

"The Absurdity of it All" will appear every Wednesday and Saturday. Email is mckinley.torch@gmail.com.

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
THE ABSURDITY OF IT ALL - TNA IMPACT 1/8: Foley to Return as Dude Love, Popeye vs. Brutus feud, Beer Money Gets Chumped
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE - 1/8 TNA IMPACT: Who was Kong's prey? News from Japan, Creed's first gold, and main event matches
Smackdown Storylines and Feuds - Full summary and analysis on the main event, Michelle McCool, and more
TNA Hits & Misses of 2008: Kim vs. Kong, Angle Melodrama, Tomko, Team 3D, The Beautiful People, The PJB, Foley
MAGIC, MEMORIES AND MANIA: Top 10 Wish List for 2009 - Squashes, Swagger, Star Treatment, Shawn vs. Jericho
1/6 WWE ECW Hits & Misses: Finlay vs. Swagger, Boogeyman, Hardy vs. Henry
1/5 WWE Raw Hits & Misses: Michaels - Cena, IC Title Match, Legacy, Main Event
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE - 1/5 WWE Raw: HBK's "history," Axiomatic Jericho, Substantial Penalty for Early Withdrawal
THE ABSURDITY OF IT ALL - WWE RAW 1/5: Thou shall not come off the top rope, Conflicted HBK, Evil Kelly Kelly, Chumpy Punky
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE - 1/2 WWE Smackdown: Triple H selling eBay pics, Not-so-hot history of Smackdown GMs, Paging Boris Zhukov
KEY MOMENT OF THE WEEK (highly recommended read!): U.S. Government Remembers the Wrestling Industry
1/2 WWE Smackdown Hits & Misses: McCool, Edge's Promo, Helms Loses, Big Show & Edge vs. Hardys
THE ABSURDITY OF IT ALL - WWE SMACKDOWN 1/2: Trips plays with Dolls, Kozlov = New Khali, Scary Debut of Kizarny, Saturation, Snail Races
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE - 1/1 TNA IMPACT: The perfect example of how to present a best-of show
WWE Misses of 2008: Suspensions, Coach, Adamle, Khali Kiss Cam
The 1st Annual Absurd Awards: Awarding the Very Best and the Very Absurd of both WWE and TNA in 2008
WWE Hits of 2008 - Flair Farewell, Miz & Morrison, Michaels vs. Jericho
12/30 WWE ECW Hits & Misses: Dirt Sheet, Finlay & Boogeyman, Hardy vs. Henry
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE - 12/30 WWE RAW: JBL-HBK employee relations, How to play Hunter's Monopoly Game, Who played Charlie Snuka's coconut?
ECW Storylines and Feuds - A short edition as WWE wraps up many of the brand's ongoing rivalries

(c) 1999-2008 TDH Communications Inc. - All rights reserved.

Latest Free Podcasts
PWTorch Free Podcast
01/07 Nostalgia Audio: Nostalgia news and history; AWA Wrestling from 1979 and WCCW from 1982, a review of 20 year back issues of the Torch (freeclip)
1/7 East Coast Audio: ECW - Two fine matches, Alicia's debut loss, Boogey is Boogey, End of Hardy vs. Henry? (7 min. clip)
1/5 WWE Raw post-game Show: HBK delivers again, When Bam Neely was relevant, Who's the Boss? (7 min. audio clip)
1/4 East Coast Audio: Smackdown - Sputtering Show, Vickie pics, Kizarny debut (7 min. clip)
1/3 Radican Audio Showcase with Burgan (pt. 2): Radican and Burgan are joined by Torch VIP member DrunkNinjaMast2 for his in-person perspective of ROH's Final Battle 2008. (FREE 5 min. CLIP!)
NEW VIP FEATURE: Vintage Audio Torch Talk Series - Keller's 68 minute British Bulldog interview from 1993 (never-before-heard!) - FREE 7 MINUTE CLIP




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!



PWTORCH READER POLL

If you were to order TNA Genesis, what would be the main reason?
Sting vs. Rhino for the TNA Title
Jeff Jarrett vs. Kurt Angle
Awesome Kong vs. Christy Hemme
Lethal & Creed vs. Morgan & Abyss vs. Beer Money
Mick Foley's return in the MEM-Frontline six-man
Sheik Abdul Bashir vs. Shane Sewell
Chris Sabin vs. Alex Shelley
  

VOTE IN OR SEE RESULTS OF PREVIOUS POLLS

UPCOMING EVENTS LISTING

Articles Grouped by Category
Torch Today
TORCH TODAY RECAP 1/8: Every News Item for Thursday in one handy guide
TORCH TODAY RECAP 1/7: Every News Item for Wednesday in one handy guide
TORCH TODAY RECAP 1/6: Every News Item for Tuesday in one handy guide
WWE News
WWE News: Matt Hardy reviews "The Wrestler," says today's wrestlers are more intelligent than past generations
WWE News: The Vince McMahon Congressional Interview -- McMahon's significant distortion about Kids audience
WWE News: WWE launching two new magazines; four more to follow in Cradle to the Grave strategy
TNA News
TNA News: Preview for tonight's TNA Impact leading to Genesis PPV - Angle vs. B.G. James headlines
TNA News: Brother Ray's future in TNA revealed; how Brother Devon of Team 3D is affected
TNA News: Profile of new TNA Knockout appearing on Thursday's Impact against Awesome Kong (w/VIDEO)
ROH News
ROH News: Grab your popcorn - first trailer released for ROH's "Rising Above" PPV feat. Nigel vs. Danielson (w/VIDEO)
ROH News: Best 10 minutes of your day - new Video Wire includes Jerry Lynn and Claudio promos (w/VIDEO)
ROH News: Cary Silkin discusses WrestleMania weekend fan convention, Gabe Sapolsky firing, Paul London and TV deal rumors
Other News
WWE News: TIME Magazine reports on Congressional investigation into pro wrestling
Other News: New York Yankees bring in new heel pro wrestler, Mark Teixeira, says Boston columnist
Other News: Why "The Wrestler" was almost scrapped; wrestlers who were used to model Mickey Rourke's character
PPV Reports
KELLER'S WWE ARMAGEDDON PPV REPORT 12/14: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of live event - John Cena vs. Chris Jericho
CALDWELL'S WWE ARMAGEDDON PPV REPORT 12/14: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of John Cena vs. Chris Jericho
TNA Final Resolution ALT PERSPECTIVE mini-recap by Wilkenfeld
TV Reports
KELLER'S WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT 1/2: Matt & Jeff Hardy vs. Big Show & Edge, The Episode Where Triple H Made Fun of Vickie for Being Fat
KELLER'S WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT 12/26: McCool vs. Maryse with Maria as ref, Triple H vs. Chavo, Shelton vs. Hurricane, Show vs. Hardy
KELLER'S WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT 12/19: Jeff Hardy's title win celebration, Jeff Hardy vs. Kozlov, Matt Hardy vs. Edge
Arena Reports
12/30 WWE Smackdown Taping Results: Full results of Jan. 2 and Jan. 9 editions taped in New Jersey
12/28 WWE in New York City: John Cena cage match and crowd reaction, Team Rey vs. Team Orton, HBK vs. Kane
12/27 WWE in Trenton, N.J.: John Cena vs. Chris Jericho, Randy Orton vs. Shawn Michaels, Jack Swagger real deal
MMA / UFC Coverage
MMATorch Briefing: Comprehensive look at MMA heavyweight division in Ennis's "Lay of the Land," Fedor interview, Writers' Roundtable
MMATorch Briefing: Fight announcements, contributor editorials, ESPN.com covers UFC's attempts at New York regulation
UFC 92 PPV Coverage: Detailed team coverage of Frank Mir vs. Nogueria, Forrest Griffin vs. Rashad Evans, Wanderlei Silva vs. Rampage Jackson, Brock Lesnar at ringside
KELLER'S TAKE
KELLER SHORT: If Brother Ray retires from the ring, there's another valuable role he could play
KELLER SHORT: A message to Michael Scherer of TIME - you are not the center of the universe, and the big story is not the breaking news of how pro wrestling shows are produced
KELLER: John Cena is the perfect son Vince McMahon never had
MITCHELL'S TAKE
MITCHELL SHORT: The Real WWE Jeff Hardy Mystery (Spoiler)
MITCHELL: Kayfabe Commentaries Owner Disputes My Characterization of Iron Sheik Roast DVD
MOJO MITCHELL'S RAW 12/29: Stream of Manu Out, Shawn Michaels Sold Out, C.M. Punk Counted Out, and JBL On Top
MCNEILL'S TAKE
Tougher Than Chinese Democracy: McNEILL Previews WWE Armageddon 2008!
McNEILL's Mailbag: On WrestleMania, Punk & The DiBiases
Deja Vu All Over Again: McNEILL previews TNA Final Resolution 2.0!
CALDWELL'S TAKE
CALDWELL'S Daily Word 1/1: Happy New Year, HBK employee program, McMahon and Torch reader response to "The Wrestler"
CALDWELL: Christmas edition of Impact showed TNA's contempt for itself as a pro wrestling promotion
CALDWELL'S MEDIA CLUB: Eddie Guerrero DVD review series - final overview of WWE-produced DVD on Eddie's life and career
RADICAN'S TAKE
The Top 15 ROH Matches of 2008 Countdown: #1 Kevin Steen & El Generico vs. Age of the Fall from Driven PPV
The Top 15 ROH Matches of 2008 Countdown: #2 Nigel McGuinness vs. Austin Aries from Rising Above 2008
The Top 15 ROH Matches of 2008 Countdown: #3 Nigel McGuinness vs. Tyler Black
The Specialists
THE ABSURDITY OF IT ALL - TNA IMPACT 1/8: Foley to Return as Dude Love, Popeye vs. Brutus feud, Beer Money Gets Chumped
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE - 1/8 TNA IMPACT: Who was Kong's prey? News from Japan, Creed's first gold, and main event matches
Smackdown Storylines and Feuds - Full summary and analysis on the main event, Michelle McCool, and more
Guest Editorials
GUEST REVIEW: "The Wrestler" will make manly men cry, Mickey Rourke makes you believe he's a wrestler
EDITORIAL: JBL/Shawn Michaels "con" argument - Insulting to fans with real economic issues
EDITORIAL: JBL/Shawn Michaels "pro" argument - Suspend disbelief and enjoy the mic work
Torch Feedback
WWE Raw Reax #2: "Raw was the story of little things adding up to equal big things."
WWE Raw Reax #1: "Angry and conflicted Shawn Michaels is much more effective than sad, facially twitching Michaels"
ECW TV Reax #1: "There was nothing to write home about, but nothing offensive in the last episode of 2008."
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: Iron Sheik gets roasted and hilarity (and controversy!) ensue
RADICAN'S ROH DVD REVIEW: Return Engagement (Ibushi-Generico, Briscoes vs. Shelley & Sabin)
RADICAN: Last Call with Raven & Sandman dissapoints despite fantastic production and high expectations
Torch Flashbacks
KELLER'S TNA IMPACT REPORT 5 YRS. AGO (1-7-04): C.M. Punk, R-Truth, Styles, Raven, Ultimate X match
RATINGS: Vintage 1988 PWTorch ratings of top singles, top tag teams, top all-time masked wrestlers
KELLER'S WWE RAW REPORT 5 YRS. AGO (12-29-03): Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H for 30 minutes, Lita & Trish & Stacy, Mick Foley and Steve Austin
VIP Exclusive Features
1/9 Daily Keller Hotline: TNA Impact Analysis - The Fatal Flaw in Foley's otherwise strong promo, final Genesis hype (26 min.)
WCW Souled Out PPV, Lawler for Mayor, Monday Night War Insider News - 1999 PWTorch Newsletter Back Issue (PDF and Text Formats!)
PWTorch Newsletter #1061 (18 Pages!): Keller on the Waxman letter, McNeill and Mitchell at the matches, WrestleMania 25 scoops
Torch Trivia
TORCH TRIVIA 1/8: Answer to TNA Main Event Mafia members on WCW Thunder 11 years ago
TORCH TRIVIA 1/8: What do you know about the Main Event Mafia and WCW Thunder from 11 years ago?
TORCH TRIVIA 1/7: Who won the main event of the Jan. 7, 1995 edition of WCW Saturday Night?
Torch Instant Polls
POLL: If you were to order TNA Genesis, which match would be the main reason?
PWTORCH YEAR-END VOTING 2008 - Vote on Individual Awards II (Rising Star, Tailspin, tag team, promos)
PWTORCH YEAR-END VOTING 2008 - Vote on Collective Awards (TV Show, PPV, Feud of the Year)
PWTorch Free Podcast
01/07 Nostalgia Audio: Nostalgia news and history; AWA Wrestling from 1979 and WCCW from 1982, a review of 20 year back issues of the Torch (freeclip)
1/7 East Coast Audio: ECW - Two fine matches, Alicia's debut loss, Boogey is Boogey, End of Hardy vs. Henry? (7 min. clip)
1/5 WWE Raw post-game Show: HBK delivers again, When Bam Neely was relevant, Who's the Boss? (7 min. audio clip)
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