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.


CALDWELL'S TAKE
CORNER CUBE THURSDAY: TNA Impact preview, Torch awards - Match of the Year contenders
Jan 3, 2008 - 6:15:10 PM


By James Caldwell, Torch columnist

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 Thursday, January 3

6:15 p.m. Three days before the Final Resolution PPV to kick off the 2008 PPV season, TNA will run four gauntlet matches on Impact tonight. The matches will presumably shake out the rankings in the World Hvt. division, X Division, Tag division, and Women's division. So, if you're a fan of a bunch of people in the ring all-night-long to water down the competition's Royal Rumble PPV, tonight is your night.

TNAWrestling.com has the list of wrestlers scheduled for the matches. The Heavyweight division gauntlet will feature 14 wrestlers. No word on how Black Reign is depositing his paycheck if Dustin Rhodes doesn't know he exists. Actually, that would make a heck of a TV segment with Rellik peering over Dustin's shoulder as he verifies his account balance to find deposited checks signed "BR" with a tiny paw print from the Arctic Fox.

I digress. Meanwhile, the X Division gauntlet only has six wrestlers booked, including Petey Williams, who has a TNA Hvt. Title shot in his back pocket. Moving along, the Knockouts gauntlet is scheduled for seven participants. The tag gauntlet has five teams of ten wrestlers, including the team that doesn't get along, VKM.

Also scheduled is a follow-up with A.J. Styles as he tries to make a decision on whether he's on Angle or Christian's side. Oh, and there's a TNA Title match at the PPV between Angle and Christian that should get some pub.

***

1:45 p.m. Breaking down the match of the year candidates is an apples vs. oranges comparison. How does a WWE main event-style match compare to a state-of-the-art Ring of Honor contest? Plus, having just written a column for this week's Newsletter on whether we learned anything from the long-term effect of injuries and concussions in 2007, it's difficult to glorify three of ROH's contenders.

The B.J. Whitmer vs. Jimmy Jacobs cage match at ROH's second WrestleMania weekend show, the ladder war on ROH's third PPV between the Briscoes and Steen & Generico (which ROH has since banned), and Bryan Danielson vs. Morishima from Manhattan Mayhem II all deserve consideration. However, in all three matches, the competitors took unprecedented risk by placing their bodies on the line. Jimmy suffered a serious leg injury in the cage match. Danielson's eye was severely injured in the match against Morishima, putting him on the shelf for several weeks. Who knows what the long-term ramifications will be from the matches between the Briscoes and Steen & Generico.

Out of the three contenders from ROH, Whitmer vs. Jacobs was the most amazing live match I've ever seen. The passion from both men in the ring and the passion in the crowd was unlike anything I had ever experienced. But, after the bell sounded to end the match, I paused and asked myself what my cheers were encouraging. More blood? More violence? More potential for injury? I had a mix of joy after watching a great wresting match and guilt over encouraging more bodily harm to the wrestlers in the ring. These are questions we all have to ask ourselves when the risk factor continues to increase, while more information is out there about the potential for long-term damage.

Heavy stuff to think about! On the WWE front, three contenders come to mind. Batista vs. Undertaker at WrestleMania benefited from its place on the card, but the story was the show-stealing action that had the crowd on its feet. It was WWE main event-style done right. Another contender is the four-way WWE Title match at Backlash between champion John Cena, Shawn Michaels, Randy Orton, and Edge. The finishing sequence of that match was put together beautifully to cap off a great main event. But, my match of the year was from six days before that Backlash PPV.

(6) Match of the Year - John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels goes 57 minutes on April 24. From a business perspective, the Cena vs. Michaels classic didn't sell the Backlash PPV as well as WWE would have liked, but the match will stand the test of time as one of top TV matches this decade. It's easy to say Shawn Michaels carried the match, but that wouldn't be accurate. Cena also rose to the occasion and proved to be in tremendous shape to keep pace with Michaels.

The match probably wouldn't have played well in front of the majority of American audiences with short attention spans, but in front of wrestling-hungry fans in the U.K., the energy never subsided from bell-to-bell. The only drawback is, of course, commercials, but the commercials may have helped by providing a breather for viewers at home (instead of watching a three-minute rest hold if this were on PPV) and to build anticipation for each segment of the match.

Tomorrow: Best feud.

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.

***

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.

***

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.

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


MORE "CALDWELL'S TAKE" ARTICLES
CALDWELL'S PPV/DVD REVIEW: Dragon Gate USA's "Open the Historic Gate" debut event - Review of whether following DGUSA is worth your time and money
CALDWELL'S TUESDAY CHAT w/GREG PARKS: Raw, Smackdown, TNA PPV discussion - MSG crowd, Survivor Series hype, Kofi breaks out, CSI:Miami vs. 30 Rock
CALDWELL'S BLOG: Hitting the hot topics - Raw tonight, Turning Point vs. Survivor Series, Jesse Ventura, Brock Lesnar, Shane McMahon
CALDWELL'S BLOG: Sobering fact on WWE's list of Best/Worst Survivor Series teams - nearly every team with a deceased wrestler
CALDWELL'S TUESDAY CHAT w/GREG PARKS: Raw & Smackdown discussion - WWE Title match build-up, Batista-Hardy slugfest, Taker-Jericho on free TV?
CALDWELL'S BLOG: Vince McMahon is officially delusional, plus Vince's hidden message to Stephanie McMahon
CALDWELL'S TUESDAY CHAT w/GREG PARKS: Raw & Smackdown discussion - Orton-Kofi build-up compared to Rey-Batista, DX dissension, Sheamus stands out
CALDWELL FLASHBACK: TNA Year-End Review 2005 - Must-read flashback to when TNA became a choice for wrestlers in an era very, very similar to 2009
CALDWELL'S BLOG: Warning sign? Hulk Hogan talks everything but TNA on Larry King tonight
CALDWELL: Is Hulk Hogan the piece of the puzzle TNA needs to improve the company's visibility?
CALDWELL'S BLOG: Analyzing Jim Ross's review of the Bragging Rights PPV - younger stars that benefited, Seven-on-Seven analysis
CALDWELL: What a fine mess we have here - it's time to bring back Jeff Jarrett to TNA management
CALDWELL'S TUESDAY CHAT w/GREG PARKS: Analysis of last night's Raw, Team Smackdown break down, Marine II helping Marine I, Nigel signing with TNA, One Bold Prediction
CALDWELL'S BLOG: Day-after Bound for Glory review - Torch readers pick best match, Foley-Abyss clustermess, Where does Matt Morgan stand?
CALDWELL'S BLOG: A.J. Styles vs. Sting captured TNA's growing pains in one match
CALDWELL'S BLOG: Texas vs. Oklahoma turns into Batista vs. Big Show; Content coming up tonight
CALDWELL: Why would Shane McMahon leave WWE?
NEWS BITS BLOG: Jim Ross reviews Raw, Book a match for the Hulkamania Tour, Sting talks BFG PPV and TNA = WCW
CALDWELL'S TUESDAY CHAT w/GREG PARKS: Discussion of Raw's illogical offering last night, Smackdown's top storylines
CALDWELL'S BLOG: If you believe TNA is heading in the right direction creatively, then don't read this blog

(c) 1999-2009 TDH Communications Inc. - All rights reserved.

Current Top Ten Staff Picks
Staff Picks
11/21 Hulkamania Tour in Melbourne: Very detailed report on Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair's first matches back, Hogan and Flair bleed heavily, Undercard matches re-create Attitude Era
TORCH TALK DAILY with Eric Bischoff: In-depth look at why Vince McMahon is marketing the WWE product as PG family-friendly
WWE News: TOP STORY - "The Rock" Dwayne Johnson working with WWE on a TV project beyond guest-hosting Raw
WWE News: Linda McMahon reveals the McMahon Family's vast wealth in Senate campaign filing
WWE News: Raw TV ratings are in - Did Raw rebound from the 2009 year-low?
WWE News: WWE announces guest hosts for the next four weeks of Raw, including two new names
Hogan News: Watch VIDEO of the Hulkamania Press Conference breaking down into a staged fight (w/VIDEO)
TNA News: SPOILERS - first two matches announced for TNA's December PPV
MOJO MITCHELL'S WWE RAW 11/16: Stream of Piper In The Back, Hornswoggle Stabbed in the Back, An MSG Look Back, Mr. McMahon Backs Out, Kofi Kingston Backs Randy Orton Up
CALDWELL'S WWE RAW REPORT 11/16: Complete coverage of Roddy Piper hosting, DX vs. Cena & Taker vs. Jericho & Show


TORCH QUICK-CLICK REFERENCE LIST
-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

SMACKDOWN POLL: Who was the MVP of the 11/20 Smackdown if you saw the show?
The Undertaker
Kane
Chris Jericho
Big Show
Batista
Rey Mysterio
Matt Hardy
Tyson Kidd
John Morrison
Dolph Ziggler
C.M. Punk
R-Truth
Drew McIntyre
Finlay
Mickie James
Layla
Eric Escobar
Vince McMahon
Teddy Long
Vickie Guerrero
  

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
WWE SURVIVOR SERIES PPV PICK 'EM CONTEST: Prediction Contest for Sunday's PPV
WWE RAW 11/16: Place Your Bets on tonight's Raw - Week 12 featuring Roddy Piper
WWE RAW 11/2: "Place your Bets" Scoreboard after Week 11 - Review the previous scores before tonight's Raw PYB contest
WWE News
TORCH TALK DAILY with Eric Bischoff: Bischoff talks Standards & Practices in WCW before Vince Russo came along
WWE News: What's on Smackdown tonight - Taker & Kane vs. Big Show & Jericho
WWE News: Jim Ross comments on possible WrestleMania 26 return, current WWE contract status
TNA News
TNA News: Spike TV pre-empting episode of Impact in December
TNA News: TNA Impact ratings break down - Inside the numbers on TNA's recent ratings trends
TNA News: Impact rating is in - how did post Turning Point episode fare?
ROH News
ROH News: ROH Title match signed for Final Battle; Air dates for McGuinness and Danielson's Farewell speeches
ROH News: Ring of Honor announces details on Austin Aries's next ROH Title defense
ROH News: Tonight is Bryan Danielson's final ROH match - details on tonight's special ROH TV episode (w/VIDEO)
Other News
Other News: "The Rock" Dwayne Johnson records PSA for NASA as new spokesman (w/VIDEO)
PWG News: Results from Battle of Los Angeles first round matches; final matches scheduled for tonight
PWG News: First round matches for tonight's Battle of Los Angeles tournament - Aries vs. Kendrick; Cabana, Shelley, Strong in action
PPV Reports
CALDWELL'S TNA TURNING POINT PPV REPORT 11/15: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of A.J. Styles vs. Samoa Joe vs. Daniels
RADICAN'S DGUSA "Untouchable" PPV review - Doi vs. Danielson, Shingo vs. Richards
10/25 WWE Bragging Rights Results: KELLER'S detailed match-by-match PPV report - Cena vs. Orton Iron Man match
TV Reports
PARKS' WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT 11/20: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of the show, including Jericho & Show vs. Undertaker & Kane
CALDWELL'S WWE SUPERSTARS TV REPORT 11/19: Complete coverage of Henry vs. Rhodes on WGN
PARKS' TNA IMPACT REPORT 11/19: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of the post-Turning Point show
Arena Reports
11/21 Hulkamania Tour in Melbourne: Very detailed report on Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair's first matches back, Hogan and Flair bleed heavily, Undercard matches re-create Attitude Era
11/14 TNA in Scranton, Pa.: Second Report - Styles vs. Joe vs. Daniels, Chris Sabin vs. Suicide, Amazing Red vs. Homicide
11/14 WWE in Dublin: The Undertaker very limited in the ring vs. C.M. Punk, Rey vs. Dolph, Very interesting John Morrison vs. Matt Hardy match, No Jericho
MMA / UFC Coverage
MMA News: Update on Brock Lesnar's health - how long Lesnar had been dealing with health problems, expected return to UFC
MMA News: Brock Lesnar health update - UFC president much more optimistic than this weekend
MMA News: Brock Lesnar released from the hospital tonight; Lesnar's UFC future in doubt
KELLER'S TAKE
KELLER BLOG: WrestleMania goes up to $55, all other PPVs $45 - let the pirate feed frenzy begin
KELLER BLOG: Dixie Carter asks wrestlers to step it up, but what does that mean? Shouldn't their goal to be winning matches and nothing else?
KELLER FLASHBACK: Review of Hulk Hogan's first autobiography - Hogan's political maneuvers evident in who he protects and buries
MITCHELL'S TAKE
MITCHELL FLASHBACK (Dec. 1994): C.M. Punk's character is the latest Vince McMahon creation responding to criticism of his WWE product
MOJO MITCHELL'S WWE RAW 11/16: Stream of Piper In The Back, Hornswoggle Stabbed in the Back, An MSG Look Back, Mr. McMahon Backs Out, Kofi Kingston Backs Randy Orton Up
MOJO MITCHELL'S RAW 11/2: Stream of My Fourth Grade Hero and The Mid-Card Kicks Main Event Ass
MCNEILL'S TAKE
Get Thru This: McNEILL Previews WWE Survivor Series 2009!
The Night They Drove Ol' Dixie Down: McNEILL previews TNA Turning Point 2009!
McNEILL BLOG: The Big Questions About Hulk Hogan in TNA
CALDWELL'S TAKE
CALDWELL'S PPV/DVD REVIEW: Dragon Gate USA's "Open the Historic Gate" debut event - Review of whether following DGUSA is worth your time and money
CALDWELL'S TUESDAY CHAT w/GREG PARKS: Raw, Smackdown, TNA PPV discussion - MSG crowd, Survivor Series hype, Kofi breaks out, CSI:Miami vs. 30 Rock
CALDWELL'S BLOG: Hitting the hot topics - Raw tonight, Turning Point vs. Survivor Series, Jesse Ventura, Brock Lesnar, Shane McMahon
RADICAN'S TAKE
RADICAN: A list of things wresters and TNA fans can support for Dixie Carter
RADICAN'S SHIMMER Vol. 23 Review - Busic-Melissa, Kong-Martinez, MsChif-Deeb
RADICAN: Daddy's little girl V 2.0 debuts on Impact
The Specialists
ABSURDITY OF IT ALL - TNA Impact: CLICK ON THIS LINK TNA, If You Dress Like Hulk Hogan People Will Give You Money, I Use Amazing Red To Floss My Teeth
11/19 WWE Superstars Hits & Misses: Rosa Mendes, Eric Escobar, Lackluster Show
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE - TNA Impact 11/19: Forgotten history between A.J. and Angle, TNA's new cameras, Pope gets referee assist, Numbers - The Rock a horrible tag champ
Guest Editorials
GUEST EDITORIAL: Disgruntled TNA fan says he's done with the promotion after today's Impact taping (Contains SPOILERS)
GUEST EDITORIAL: The ultimate irony - Hulk Hogan appears on TNA Impact and pre-taped TV sitcom promoting WWE on the same night
GUEST BOOK REVIEW: Hulk Hogan provides strong defense of his public image in new autobiography
Torch Feedback
ECW TV Reax #1: "C.M. Punk scoring the pin in the main event made Smackdown seem more important than ECW"
WWE Raw Reax #3: "While WWE delivered an above-quality show, they still haven't given viewers a reason to order Survivor Series"
WWE Raw Reax #2: "This was NOT one of the best Raws of 2009, but one of the worst..."
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
CALDWELL'S PPV/DVD REVIEW: Dragon Gate USA's "Open the Historic Gate" debut event - Review of whether following DGUSA is worth your time and money
RADICAN'S ROH DVD REVIEW SERIES: Death Before Dishonor VII: N2 - Storm-Hero, Ryan-Cabana
RADICAN'S SHIMMER Vol. 23 Review - Busic-Melissa, Kong-Martinez, MsChif-Deeb
Torch Flashbacks
KELLER'S WWE SURVIVOR SERIES PPV REPORT 5 YRS. AGO (11-14-04): Benoit & Orton & Jericho vs. Evolution & Edge, JBL vs. Booker T, Team Angle vs. Cena Dream Team
PARKS'S WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT 1 YR. AGO (11-21-08): Final Survivor Series build-up to Undertaker vs. Big Show casket match, Jeff Hardy vs. Triple H, Morrison & Miz
KELLER'S WWE SURVIVOR SERIES PPV REPORT 10 YRS. AGO (11-14-99): Big Show vs. Triple H vs. The Rock, Edge & Christian & Hardys team, Chris Jericho vs. Chyna
VIP Exclusive Features
11/20 Wade Keller Hotline - Guest Bruce Mitchell: Survivor Series Match by Match Preview & Predictions (20 min.)
11/20 Bruce Mitchell Audio Show: Listener Questions - How Vince McMahon was perceived before he took over, Outlaw Promotions stories, Sting Flips off Bruce, Albano Craziness (45 min.)
PWTorch Newsletter #1117/1118 (31 pages!): Raw at MSG, TNA Victory Road PPV Roundtable, Mitchell on Russo-Hogan, Keller on Dixie Speech, more
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
SMACKDOWN POLL: Who was the MVP of the 11/20 Smackdown if you saw the show?
TNA IMPACT POLL: Who was the MVP of the 11/19 Impact if you saw the show?
ECW MVP POLL: Who was the MVP of the 11/17 ECW TV if you saw the show?
PWTorch Free Podcast
11/4 Nostalgia Audio with Brian Hoops: Format change to the show, new guest host, upcoming shows
FREE FOR ALL: 10/27 Bruce Mitchell Audio Special: Hogan-Bischoff-TNA story from all angles including Monday Night War II possibilities (32 min.)
6/23 Nostalgia Audio with Brian Hoops: Former WCW rapmaster PN News joins Brian Hoops to preview upcoming Midwest shows (10 min.)
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