Nice to see the WWE Raw rating rise and get their best rating since Dec. 10. Who cares about stats from a year ago or ten years ago, or 1998. It's a joke. Everyone knows they aren't going to get 5.0-6.0's again so your 5-10 year lows are pointless. Raw this week drew a higher rating than it did in 1997. Also you never mentioned the fact that it was up from a 3.2.

Stephen Rourke

WK: The inclusion of the same-week rating comparison is something we do routinely to provide perspective on how Raw is drawing today compared to recent years. We only go back as far as we do to seek out a time when Raw drew a lower rating. Often, the previous lower rating is much lower, so it shows the ebb and flow of ratings for Raw over the years. No doubt, as a trend, it's down slightly from recent years and much lower than seven or eight years ago. It's not an editorial statement on our part to include those stats, but a way to provide some perspective to what is often a pretty dry weekly stat that doesn't move much. Lately there's been more volatility, but that happens around the holidays, especially when going up against a college football championship game. I was glad to see the ratings reached 3.6 this week because it shows WWE can draw with fresher faces such as Jeff Hardy pushed as a top babyface and that his drawing power may match his pops from the live crowd (those two do not always correlate). It probably helped that Ric Flair was featured right beforehand in another retirement-stip match.

***

Regarding the Timbaland steroid story, why is this being reported on PRO WRESTLING website?! Why has virtually no coverage been given to the steroids in UFC on your website? The whole ''If Anyone Takes Steroids They Will Ruin Their Life & It's All Vince McMahon's Fault'' is getting pretty tiresome now. Do you report that every time a sports team win a major trophy "The Cleveland Browns won the Superbowl today and they once sat in the front row at a Raw taping"

Andrew Cross

WK I didn't write what you wrote above, or even infer it. The story was reported because Timbaland was involved with WWE last year. If a UFC fighter was on a WWE program last year and was involved in cross-promotional activities, I'd have probably run the story, too. Also, it was a mainstream story that mentioned the words "pro wrestling" numerous times when talking about steroid scandals. Had pro wrestling not been mentioned, it might be debatable whether it was worth publishing the link, although I probably would have still reported it based on Timbaland's association with WWE.

***

Your story about Timberland just proves that you are obsessed with the WWE and can't get past the idea that other entertainers besides baseball players and wrestlers are taking them. Over 30 NYPD officers were caught using them as well. Yet nobody cares. I would be more worried about a law enforcement official that carries a gun instead of someone who throws a little white ball or wrestles in spandex. I really think we have our priorties wrong. Do you even know why Timberland was in the WWE? He's part of Universal just like the WWE. So whats next? Will you call Steve O a WWE performer if something happens to him again??

Drug abuse is running wild in the entertainment industry and no one is calling for suspensions or testing. Have you ever called on Congress to clean up the entertainment industry? I don't think so. Has Congressman Waxman ever held hearings on steroids and drugs in the entertainment industry? The answer is quite simple. They haven't. Why isn't Waxman calling for hearings on the entertainment industries. Could it be because he is from California and all these companies are all located in Hollywood? 2008 is his election year after all. They even have a governor that admits using them for crying out loud.

The part that you failed to mention is that three of the music entertainers work for Universal. 50 cent and Timberland via Interscope and Mary J Blige via Geffen. Does this mean that your going to call out Universals CEO Doug Morris. Do you know if Universals American Gladiators has a testing policy? I know at least that the WWE has some kind of policy when I'm watching raw on a Universal TV network.

Wyclef Jean was named in this as well. He works for Columbia records which is part of cbs and Tyler Perry works for Lionsgate which is run by Jon Feltheimer. Wyclef is also a big contributor to the Democratic Majority Congress, so I doubt he will ever be called up to testify. He also works for AOL Timewarner as well.

I would just like it for one time for some one like yourself to call out one of these companies before we get another Britney Spears, Anne Nicole Smith, Kifer Sutherland, etc.

Thanks for your time. I doubt you will respond or even care since the CEOs of these companies don't have the name "McMahon." In the mean time we will see that more rappers and young women in the entertianment industry are getting arrested, dying and overdosing. At least we will get to see our Congressman publicly flog Bud Selig again. I hope they don't ask for pictures and autographs like they did the last time we had hearings on baseball.

Chris F.

WK: I write for Pro Wrestling Torch. I cover pro wrestling, not Hollywood, not the music industry. My area of the most expertise and knowledge is pro wrestling. So that's where I focus my editorials. It'd be great if there are other industries in which the system rewards dangerous prolonged use of steroids and growth hormone and, with knowledge of that, does little or nothing about it for years, even after bodies stack up of talents who die from heart-related failures linked to the effects of years of steorid abuse, for Congress to step in and investigate that, too. I don't want to see any entertainment industry continue to dangle fame and fortune in front of talented people where those who abuse their bodies and minds get an edge on those equally talented individuals who choose not to take such risks. And, really, does the fact that multiple industries that create dangerous incentives for its talents are perhaps being investigated or disciplined "in the wrong order" really mean no investigations should take place at all? Do we need to line up the industries in order of worst offenders before tackling any of the problems? If there are double-standards or conflicts of interest that let some off the hook while others are scrutinized, that is wrong - but it is not a wrong so great that it's better to let everyone get a free pass. Just because we can't catch every drunk driver doesn't mean we don't want police pulling over those they can catch. If a cop lets off a buddy or the mayor's son now and then, it's not reason to dedicate time to campaigning to let all drunk drivers do whatever the want on the roads.

***

This is in response to Sean Radican's recent review of ROH 2007 Matches.

(2) ROH World Tag Team Champions The Briscoes vs. Kevin Steen & El Generico. Man Up. September 15, 2007. (*****). This match was like watching a car wreck. The more I look back on this match, the harder it is for me to digest the risks these four men took. It’s simply not worth it anymore for wrestlers to put themselves in harms way in this manner.

I was watching TNA Impact recently and Abyss took a series of unprotected chairshots to the head. It really clicked with me right then that no angle or storyline is worth risking the long-term health of the men and women who perform in the ring.

WWE has toned down the unprotected chairshots dramatically. TNA just doesn’t care. ROH still showcases a high-risk in-ring style, but hopefully a match like this never takes place again, as all four men went overboard in terms of the risks they were willing to take. With the recent findings on concussions and the ramifications of blows to the head, I would hope that all people in power in wrestling never put anyone in the position that El Generico, Kevin Steen, Jay Briscoe, and Mark Briscoe were in for this contest again.

The match was spectacular from start to finish and was a fitting conclusion to the feud between these two teams. There were spectacular spots, dramatic moments, and a rabid crowd fueled these four men to put on an excellent performance. As ROH tried to use their PPVs to generate a larger audience, these four men did all they could to create a buzz surrounding the “Man Up” PPV.

Based on Wade Keller's cover story about the consequences from the Benoit Family tragedy, which were too few, this review stood out as part of the problem.

Radican gave this match Five Stars, which is a high and rare rating for a match and puts it in contention for Match of the Year. However, if this match featured the type of dangerous chairshots and violence that is (rightfully) being condemned by viewers, readers, and many in the wrestling business, then why is it being rewarded and not penalized? I believe that a responsible review of this would not reward the behavior, rather punish it. “Hopefully a match like this never takes place again…” and “five stars” does seem mutually exclusive for a match review. If this match were indeed close to five stars with this level of violence, then a responsible review would deduct from it’s rating….not add to it.

Many wrestlers rightfully strive to be the best and reach notoriety for their skills and match quality. What message does this send to them? Where is the line? If the match is really close to greatness, does that stiff chairshot make it five stars? Is it okay just this once? Those questionable choices are not available in most sports and reviews like this make the acceptable level of violence a moving target that is impossible to gage.

If you as a fan have true interest to clean up the unneeded violence, serious health issues, and tragic losses in the wrestling world, a good start would be to reject this dangerous behavior, not to embrace it.

Jon Cudo
Lakewood, Ohio

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