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Updated throughout the day from the corner cubicle, Torch columnist James Caldwell's weekday blog focuses on hot topic current events and other items of interest from around wrestling.
Updated Wednesday, January 2
6:55 p.m. In 2006, the best TV show pick was tough because Raw, Smackdown, ECW, and Impact were very consistent. 2007 featured more inconsistency, but Smackdown at least stuck to a basic formula of solid wrestling, some angles, and a strong push for the main event feuds.
Raw was up and down for some months, great for other months, and terrible other months. ECW was fundamentally basic, sometimes drab, and featured a lameduck champion with either Morrison or Punk for most of the year. Impact was, well, it was a show. I'll quickly slide past that. Thus, my top pick for TV show of the year is Smackdown.
(5) Best TV show - Smackdown. There were some moments when Raw was really, really on its game, but the show slipped into the McMahon family therapy hour too often, which took away from the brand's potential throughout the year. Smackdown drifted away from the formula of great matches and angles at the end of the summer and beginning of the fall, but the Hardy vs. MVP feud created at least 20 minutes of must-see TV on Friday nights that kept the show adrift during those stormy months.
Otherwise, the quality of wrestling at the beginning of the year and during the last two months of 2007 made the show stand out above the rest. MVP became a break-out star. Batista vs. Undertaker delivered great main event angles. JBL's color commentary, which will be sorely missed, at least made Smackdown seem like a big deal, and not a "B" show. It was a good year for Smackdown.
Tomorrow: Match of the Year.
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12:10 p.m. TNA Impact drew a very strong audience for last Thursday's show. That's not an indication that the product is getting any better, because it's not. The audience is just steadfastly loyal to the show, and new or returning viewers are sampling the product.
Some credit has to be given to the exposure from the new TNA video game, which is set for release in a few months. There's assuredly a significant portion of casual wrestling fans who have never heard of TNA, or have only heard a few things about the promotion, but haven't found the weekly TV show.
Fans in the younger male demographic play video games, though. They check out video game websites, where there are sharp trailers for the video game. At the very least, it's enough to create awareness that there is another wrestling promotion besides WWE on TV. It helps that TNA's product caters to that audience with a fast-paced style of action that is different than WWE's more methodical and deliberate offering.
The issue is that people aren't buying the PPVs. In a good month, five percent of the TV audience is ordering a PPV. On the average month, it's about two percent. That doesn't seem to bother anyone in TNA, as they continue to book TV exactly the same - more focus on TV storylines than selling PPV matches. The video game will be a welcome boost to TNA's bottom line, but PPV business is going to stay the same barring drastic changes to the TV product.
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10:55 a.m. Happy New Year! If you're like me, you're still recovering from great college football to start the day, blow-outs to end the day proving the BCS matchmakers are idiots, and a whole lot of junk food throughout the day.
Going back to Monday night, I thought Raw was a good show to close 2007. Hardy vs. Orton was good. JBL vs. Jericho was good, although the fireworks were a bit much. Flair vs. Hunter has been done so many times before in WWE, but this match-up was unique and simply great. The convergence of Flair's career against Hunter's Rumble spot and his streak of bad luck in big matches made for a fascinating match. That's what pro wrestling is about. It's about big stars in big match-ups with a conflict and something tangible on the line.
With the show already taped, I thought the emotion of the match wouldn't be quite the same as if it were live. In fact, it was the opposite, as the story of the match was so great, even after reading the spoilers beforehand. It helped that the audience was red-hot throughout, the announcers talked up the match like Hall of Famers, and the figure four spot was a memorable scene.
I can probably count on my hand the number of times I haven't been bothered by a non-finish, but the match was too great for a run-in to spoil the match. What made it excusable was that it sets up a myriad of storyline options going forward. What does Hunter do about Regal's interference? Vince McMahon seemingly wanted Flair's career to end, or did he? What is his reaction to Regal choosing to end Hunter's Rumble bid instead of Flair's career?
ECW TV from last night was also a good show. It's a very simple, yet effective show. For the first time in months, C.M. Punk wasn't presented like the lucky guy who just so happened to be holding the ECW Title. At times, it seemed like the longest transitional champion reign in wrestling history.
Last night, they restored an edge to Punk that was missing at the end of 2007. During the opening promo exchange with Chavo, Punk looked more serious and in control of the situation. He wrestled a good match against Chavo in the main event. And, he didn't end up flat on his back with another post-match beating. It's as if a giant weight was removed from his shoulders when his night wouldn't consist of slugging around the ring with the likes of Big Daddy V or Mark Henry.
The tag title situation between Miz & Morrison and Moore & Yang gives ECW a feud unique to the show that viewers can look forward to each week. The 15-minute iron man match next week should be good, considering there will be a sense of urgency throughout the contest and they've had two good tag matches recently. 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.
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