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Updated daily 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 Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Was this the same group of people writing last night's Raw that wrote last week's stellar show? It's not possible. Sure, Cena has a bathroom joke or two every week, but it's never been this bad. Honestly, there has to be concern for the people writing his material.

How else do you explain a show where the main protagonist makes jokes about making a trip to the restroom earlier in the day, then turns around and spraypaints "poopy" on the hood of a limousine? Unfathomable.

The same people who paid attention to detail, focused on the youth movement, and wrote compelling TV last week couldn't have possibly turned around and decided on Punk vs. Snitsky, Kofi in a throwaway match, Kane with voices in his head, and left the tag champs off the show.

It has to be the curse of Stephanie McMahon. Yeah, that's it. There's no way a show could turn upside down in just one week. There's no way Michael Cole could sound halfway decent one week, then put his name in the conversation with Mike Adamle for worst announcer of the year.

Maybe it was the overseas trip. Maybe the writers somehow found themselves on the trip and ate something they shouldn't have. Yeah, that it's. Maybe Triple H was so upset about having to join the Raw tour that he decided to sabotage Raw. Ya know, convince some writers to make Cena look like a complete idiot.

OK, enough with that. The theories will abound as to what happened on this week's show. Some people will vow to never watch Raw ever again. Ever. And I mean it this time! Others will simply vote by tuning out and catching the show next time a friend sends a text that something important actually happened.

The takeaway is that WWE has two paths going forward with Raw. They can re-focus on the youth movement featuring Punk, Kofi, and Cody & Ted. Or, they can continue down this slippery path of poopy jokes, blonde bimbos, short and ineffective TV matches, and appealing to the lowest of the lowest common denominators.

WWE tried to take a shortcut last night and the show stunk as a result. Michaels vs. Jericho was the saving grace, but it was too late after one too many Cena appearances appealing to whatever demo enjoys a good ole fashioned tale about human excrement.

***

Updated Monday, July 7, 2008

Reflecting on the weekend, I took in several different aspects of pro wrestling content ranging from Smackdown to Ted DiBiase's book to ROH's 6th Anniversary show DVD. All were quite enjoyable with some stand-out performances worth noting.

Smackdown - July 4. The stand-out performance of the show (and possibly the year) goes to Edge, who has simply mastered his character's insecurities, outbursts, facial expressions, mannerisms, and even the placement of his hair. He was the reason to watch Smackdown earlier this year when the show was simply floating in the water not really trying to do much.

Now with Smackdown adding the likes of Triple H, Jeff Hardy, and Jim Ross, everyone is raising his or her game with the show taking on a much more important role in the company. Edge surpassed everyone on this week's Smackdown, though. Whereas Triple H is starting off his Smackdown run by living off reputation and insider jokes, Edge is making a case for himself as the top performer in the company, right up there with Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho.

Hunter, Hardy, and Ross are bringing new eyeballs to Smackdown, but Edge is the measuring stick. It will be interesting to see how the storyline plays out going forward with Edge and Vickie now warring against each other as the top two heels on Smackdown. Good television in the making here.

Ted DiBiase's book. I'll have a full review of DiBiase's book in this week's Torch Newsletter, but I'll drop some thoughts here. The book isn't so much a newsworthy story, but an honest and smart look at the wrestling business. Despite his concerns about the nature of wrestling these days, DiBiase doesn't condemn wrestling. He has his misgivings about his sons entering the business, but DiBiase's account focuses more on the positives from his experiences from the territory era to just a few years ago as a WWE producer and consultant.

The book is refreshing and doesn't try to be more than a simple story about one of the top performers and most-recognizable characters in wrestling. I read the book in two sittings on the beach this weekend, as the story flies by and is easy to relate to without taking a too-serious look at the wrestling business.

The best portion of the book comes at the end with DiBiase's scary-yet-hilarious stories about Vince McMahon's volatile attitude and behavior backstage a few years ago, followed by DiBiase's testimony on becoming a Christian. DiBiase skims the details of his career, but his honest and simple approach to his time in the wrestling business - and then finding the elusive redemption that saved his life - is well worth reading.

ROH 6th Anniversary show. Later this week, we'll have audio analysis of ROH's 6th Anniversary show for VIP members, but it's worth noting a stand-out performance by Nigel McGuinness on this DVD. Whereas Edge plays the perfect heel for WWE's audience with broad strokes that a worldwide audience can relate to, Nigel plays a more psychological heel with his actions and words aimed at a smarter, more specific audience. Edge and Nigel are equally proficient relating the character to the intended audience in and out of the ring.

On the DVD, Nigel vs. Bryan Danielson for the ROH Title is a very good main event. They laid out an intelligent story early in the show, then let it play out during the match with Danielson conflicted on whether to keep his word about not striking Nigel in the head. Very smart match with state-of-the-art competition in the ring.

The other stand-out match was clearly Austin Aries vs. Go Shiozaki. This was a stiff, competitive match that was in the four-and-a-half star range. At exactly 20 minutes, there wasn't a dull moment in the match. It's well worth your time watching the main event and this match.

As for the ROH "rape angle" on the DVD, I suppose timing is everything. On Thursday night, TNA delivered a trashy episode of Impact that featured more offensive angles than the one segment involving Larry Sweeney. ROH's angle certainly was a poor judgment call and not one of ROH's finer moments, but compared to what TNA put on TV this week, it was rather tame.

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