ROH's "Dragon Gate Challenge II: By all accounts, this show was a big success for ROH, as they made their Orlando, Fla. debut with an absolutely stacked card. I discussed the event in-depth with Radican Audio show guest Derek Burgan, who told me the event was much like any other big ROH show he had attended in the past with a big crowd (around 1,300) that was hot throughout the night.
The matches, which featured mostly ROH stars matched up against Dragon Gate wrestlers from Japan, were all have said to have been very good, especially the Kevin Steen & El Generico vs. Naruki Doi & Masato Yoshino contest.
The show also was said to have only lasted around three hours. I asked Burgan if the changes ROH booker Gabe Sapolsky had made a difference in terms of the experience one goes through at an ROH live event and he said he left the show wanting more. He said the transitions from match to match only took about 20 seconds or so, which was much different compared to his experience at ROH's WrestleMania weekend shows two years ago in Chicago that lasted late into the a.m. ROH announced they will return to Florida later this year.
Live at Impact: TNA taped Impact live for the first time this past Thursday. Many fans were left frustrated, as apparently an email error generated several VIP invitations to a number of people, which meant that very few of the "regulars" waiting in line actually got into the show. Burgan told me that the line of people waiting to get into the Impact Zone was enormous. The people waiting in line were forced to watch a long line of VIPs get escorted into the building while they stood and watched, which I can only imagine was a maddening experience for them after some of them reportedly stood in line for upwards of five to six hours.
Apparently the TNA production crew had difficulty on all ends the other night, as not only were there production gaffs visible to the people watching at home, but there were also problems for the live audience in Orlando who couldn't hear any of the numerous backstage skits. TNA obviously struggled with the production of their show, but Burgan told me the production staff is working on making the necessary changes for the next time Impact live if it happens, as they encountered several problems that hadn't occurred when airing live PPVs.
Fans in attendance weren't given any countdown for the start of Impact, as Booker T and Robert Roode came out and began brawling through the crowd, which was kind of an odd way for TNA to begin the event. Nevertheless, the crowd was said to have been red hot all night. Burgan and I discussed the "carnival" atmosphere of being at TNA live and how it is different from watching the product on TV. Burgan noted that TNA did a lot to generate fan enthusiasm by promising backstage access, throwing out t-shirts into the crowd, and also setting up a place where people could get their faces painted like Sting for free.
WWE wrestler shown on Impact: I was appalled that TNA showed WWE's Dereck Graham-Couch watching Impact. I don't know what TNA management was thinking, as they could cost him his job. Graham-Couch, who you might better know as Robbie from the Highlanders, went to Impact to watch his friend, Johnny Devine, wrestle. WWE management is apparently very unhappy with Graham-Couch, as they don't want any of their wrestlers being seen associating with TNA or ROH talent this weekend.
This all comes off as very petty to me. There are rumors going around that Graham-Couch was sent home and Burgan told me that several TNA wrestlers are very upset with TNA management for showing him on TV, as they feel it could cost him his job. Graham-Couch, who has a family to support, certainly did not deserve to have TNA put this kind of heat on him and I'm hoping he keeps his job, although it wouldn't be a shock with the petty nature of this industry that we hear of his release.
TNA video game: Midway gave ten media members an exclusive look at the upcoming TNA video game that is set to release this summer after Thursday's live Impact taping. I'm incredibly jealous, as I'm a huge fan of wrestling video games and Burgan was invited to attend this exclusive screening of the game, which featured a deluxe sweet full of pizza, beer, and other assorted beverages. Burgan and I discuss in detail during my audio show this week how the presenters from Midway surprised the media by bringing out several TNA wrestlers to play the game with them after the initial presentation.
Present for the presentation from TNA were Christopher Daniels, A.J. Styles, Kaz, Jay Lethal, Samoa Joe, Low Ki, and Homicide. Burgan had a chance to play the game against Samoa Joe and talked to the producers of the game from Midway. Several TNA wrestlers, including Joe, Daniels, and Styles have been hands-on in helping Midway making this a great release, and Burgan reported that the game looks and realistic as the screen shots that have been circulating on the Internet. I'm looking forward to getting my hands on this game ASAP!
VIP members can listen to an in-depth Radican Audio Show right now with guest Derek Burgan, who offers a ton of insight into the topics above. You can contact me at seanradican07@pwtorch.com.
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LATEST PRO WRESTLING TORCH NEWSLETTER #1045 (20 PAGES)
This issue begins with a cover story by Wade Keller on Jake Roberts's indy show meltdown... Keller's BBL looks at WWE's decision to put all three World Champs in a Triple Threat on the MyNetwork debut of Smackdown... Page 2 Buzz with Jason Powell features tons of insider news items from WWE and TNA... Part three of the "Torch Talk" with Lanny Poffo... Pat McNeill's "At the Bar for Unforgiven" column... In-depth coverage of the TNA No Surrender PPV including the newsletter-exclusive Roundtable Reviews from Keller, Mitchell, and McNeill... Plus WWE Newswire, TNA Newswire, and ROH Newswire, Keller's reports on Raw, Smackdown, and Impact, the Top 5 Stories of the Week... PDF EXCLUSIVE features include the Greg Parks's review of the new Mr. Perfect DVD and Brian Hoops looks at pro wrestlers with Olympic backgrounds........
