By Jon Cudo, PWTorch specialist

TRUE - SAMOA JOE WOULD BE A BIGGER STAR IF ONLY HE WERE A BIGGER STAR

For the second time in less than a year, Samoa Joe explained in an interview last week that he needs to perform in front of crowds larger than in the Impact Zone to be his best. Joe explained that he can't be motivated to do his best work in front of that small crowd. Earlier this year, he noted that it's hard to go all-out for PPV since the buyrates are so low.

There are a lot of reasons Impact Wrestling should move out of the Impact Zone. As the last taping in London showed, the large, hot crowds look better and made the show feel major-league and significant. This often-discussed move out of Orlando is costly and, if done too soon, poorly, or without the proper follow-through, could leave Impact playing in empty, dingy arenas. This would have the opposite effect, creating a smaller, more-minor league feel.

Samoa Joe made his backward case (twice) that he'd be finally able to achieve his epic potential if he were just seen by more people. Now imagine an NBDL player or minor league baseball player calling his parent team offering up that reasoning to be summoned to the big leagues. "If only I were playing in front of NBA crowds, I would be so much better." Or, "Batting at Yankee Stadium would make me great." Not only is that not a ticket to a call up, it's laughable and it's reason enough to consider investing in other talent.

This column posted in Time Magazine wouldn't make it any better and if I need a larger audience to inspire me to do my job...then I would probably need to look for another occupation - one where I can motivate myself to be my best, not rely on some ideal setting of fans who are passionate to see me at my best.

Samoa Joe doesn't need to headline WrestleMania at Dallas's Cowboys Stadium to be great. He needs to get in shape, find his voice on the mic, and develop a character that people can connect to, relate to, and invest in. He needs to care enough about the fans who are watching to give his best. Perhaps this is the best window into seeing why he never seems to reach the potential some see in him.

FALSE - WWE IS GETTING THE REACTION THEY SEEK WITH ZACK RYDER

When Eve kissed John Cena on Raw and the camera panned back to reveal the hapless Zack Ryder, I can't imagine WWE wanted the response to be hearty laughter. But, it was, it was the hardest I have laughed watching wrestling in a while.

I have been critical of the acting by this trio in recent weeks. Their thespian limitations make it hard to interpret the stories they are telling. This week, they provided a new ineffective twist to the story: Tone-Deaf Character Mixing.

If the story of John Cena and The Rock includes Kane, Eve, and Zack Ryder, then there should be consistency to the seriousness of the characters. You can't have a serious Broadway show that also includes a Barnum and Bailey clown interjected along side Derek Jeter. The clown and Jeter may be among the best at what they do, but mixing and matching them makes the story confusing. It's hard to take anything more seriously than the least-serious character. So, while Kane and Cena aspire to tap into hatred and inner turmoil, I can't take the sum of these parts more seriously than the pathetic goofball with orange hair, a purple headband, neckbrace, and a dozen roses watching his sweetheart tongue kiss the lead babyface.

It's the same reason why they picked Shawn Michaels over Santino to sell Triple H on the idea of facing Undertaker...you can't mix silly and serious and stay on track. However, WWE writers don't seem to understand that or they don't understand how Zack Ryder is perceived by the masses.

ALSO FALSE - IT'S POSSIBLE TO LOOK MORE FAKE ON CRUTCHES THAN ZACK RYDER DID

It's just not.

HAS BEEN DETERMINED - DANIEL BRIAN CAN BE BUILT INTO A WRESTLEMANIA 28 MAIN EVENT WITH MARK HENRY (TBD November 22)

"When Daniel Bryan won the briefcase at Money in the Bank, he did the most logical thing: he put himself in the WrestleMania 28 main event. The question then, and now, is can WWE create a compelling long-term storyline for him."

On November 22, I asked if WWE would be able to turn Daniel Bryan into a suitable main event participant of WrestleMania 28. He had been a surprise winner of Money in the Bank and was mired in the mid-card for months following. Now, it is clear that the answer is YES, even though WWE did it in a very unique way. Not only did they have time to make him credible, they made him champion, then turned him heel (slowly) and built him into a character people want to see lose (and he's a vegan!). It wasn't a way most people saw coming, yet it's been effective and it's been in the context of WWE storytelling.

So, in less than three months, WWE told a compelling story and Daniel Bryan proved he has everything it takes to be an upper-card player in WWE for years to come.

[Torch art credit Grant Gould (c) PWTorch.com]

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