{"id":13727,"date":"2016-03-20T01:30:58","date_gmt":"2016-03-20T06:30:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=13727"},"modified":"2016-03-20T13:05:30","modified_gmt":"2016-03-20T18:05:30","slug":"sundaymarch20torchtoday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2016\/03\/20\/sundaymarch20torchtoday\/","title":{"rendered":"Sunday 3\/20 Torch Today &#8211; WM32 Countdown, UR Fight tonight, UFC coverage, Zayn gets NXT send-off, Foley\/CTE, Stephanie on Rachael Ray&#8217;s show, WWE\/SMOSH, big push for Rey&#8217;s Lucha debut, Kimber Lee vs. Lovelace, SFA &#038; SCSA, Yoshi &#038; Kenny taking bookings, The Hornet, Laurinaitis, Trump, Videos &#8211; Schamberger&#8217;s latest"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-2063020725\" class=\"pwtor-before-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><hr \/><b>SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)... <\/b>\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?show_id=3076978&theme=light&playlist=false&playlist-continuous=false&autoplay=false&live-autoplay=false&chapters-image=true&episode_image_position=right&hide-logo=false&hide-likes=false&hide-comments=false&hide-sharing=false&hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"140px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\r\n<hr \/><\/div><p><strong>TORCH TODAY &#8211; Sunday, March 20, 2016<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&#8211; WrestleMania is now two weeks ago. This line-up is something else. But, barring a major angle before WrestleMania, it looks like WWE will simply push through with the build-up, get to WM32, and then unleash their gameplan to exceed low expectations. It&#8217;s becoming an annual occurrence where people are walking in the building\u00a0expecting some sort of major surprise (<strong>Rock\/Rousey<\/strong>) or major development (<strong>Rollins<\/strong> MITB cash-in). That idea of &#8220;what will WWE come up with to surprise me?&#8221; is propping up WrestleMania two years in a row.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Meanwhile, there&#8217;s &#8220;UR Fight&#8221; on Internet PPV tonight featuring <strong>Kurt Angle<\/strong> vs. <strong>Rey Mysterio<\/strong> in a 2\/3 Falls match. <strong>Jim Ross<\/strong> has commentary on a show featuring wrestling, MMA, and boxing that has a chance to exceed low expectations or be a trainwreck stunt show. It&#8217;s $11.99 on the Fite TV App. (Ross&#8217;s latest blog can be read <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jrsbarbq.com\/node\/49312\" target=\"_blank\">HERE<\/a> at jrsbarbq.com)<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; <a href=\"http:\/\/mmatorch.com\/2016\/02\/07\/cm-punks-ufc-debut-opponent-set-as-mickey-gall-scores-first-round-win-at-ufc-fight-night-82\/\" target=\"_blank\">At MMATorch.com<\/a>: Full Coverage of UFC Fight Night 85 featuring Brock Lesnar&#8217;s old nemesis, <strong>Frank Mir<\/strong>, in action.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; <a href=\"http:\/\/pwtorchlivecast.com\" target=\"_blank\">At PWTorchLivecast.com<\/a>: On-demand access to three interviews this week, including ROH top prospect <strong>Lio Rush<\/strong>, former WWE writer <strong>Matt McCarthy<\/strong>, and retiring newspaper columnist <strong>Mike Mooneyham<\/strong> on &#8220;Saturday Morning Wrestling.&#8221; (Mooneyham&#8217;s latest weekly column on Charlie Fulton can be read <a href=\"http:\/\/www.postandcourier.com\/article\/20160320\/PC20\/160329958#.Vu4sdFqNQfs.twitter\" target=\"_blank\">HERE<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; <a href=\"http:\/\/pwpodcasts.com\" target=\"_blank\">At PWPodcasts.com<\/a>: Full recaps of the latest <strong>&#8220;Stone Cold&#8221; Steve Austin<\/strong> podcast with Wade Keller, &#8220;Cheap Heat&#8221; on Grantland Sports, Lio Rush&#8217;s interview with Pat McNeill on the Livecast, and <strong>Colt Cabana&#8217;s<\/strong> &#8220;Art of Wrestling.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; <strong>Sami Zayn<\/strong> was given a big send-off at Saturday&#8217;s NXT event in Florida. Zayn, who wraps up his NXT run against <strong>Shinsuke Nakamura<\/strong> at the &#8220;Takeover&#8221; special on April 1, is now officially part of the main WWE roster.<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/waynemason\/status\/711420271266242560<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-3460324707\" class=\"pwtor-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>&#8211; <strong>Mick Foley<\/strong> is the latest wrestler to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.the42.ie\/wrestling-legend-mick-foley-donating-brain-research-2669141-Mar2016\/\" target=\"_blank\">announce he is donating his brain to CTE research following his death<\/a>. Foley has a long history of concussions from his hardcore wrestling style and repeated chair shots to the head.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; <strong>Stephanie McMahon&#8217;s<\/strong> hyped appearance on <strong>Rachael Ray&#8217;s<\/strong> cooking show this past Friday focused on WrestleMania 32, playing a villain on WWE TV, and her family with Triple H. In Stephanie&#8217;s way of telling people to &#8220;get with the program,&#8221; she relayed a story about a business associate not believing she was the same person on Raw who was hugging children at the hospital earlier in the day. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.wwe.com\/article\/stephanie-mcmahon-rachael-ray\" target=\"_blank\">Footage of the interview ran on WWE&#8217;s website<\/a>, where they continue to expose their product as a put-on in the name of wooing sponsors by\u00a0acknowledging it is a live performance and making it seem like WWE is run by\u00a0&#8220;nice, friendly people.&#8221; (VIP&#8217;er Kylin contributed)<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; WWE announced Friday a collaboration with a gaming outlet called &#8220;SMOSH Games&#8221; tied in with WrestleMania. A video featuring <strong>Xavier Woods, Sasha Banks, Big E., The Miz, <\/strong>and<strong> Neville<\/strong>\u00a0introducing the collaboration can\u00a0be found <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=oAfrcnAN8CQ&amp;feature=youtu.be\" target=\"_blank\">HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; <strong>Princess Kimber Lee<\/strong> retained the CHIKARA Grand Title over <strong>Heidi Lovelace<\/strong> as part of a CHIKARA doubleheader Saturday in North Carolina. (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.pwponderings.com\/2016\/03\/19\/chikara-the-new-batch-3192016-results\/\" target=\"_blank\">Full Results<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Lucha Underground is starting the big promotional push for <strong>Rey Mysterio&#8217;s<\/strong> in-ring debut on the next LU episode airing this Wednesday (March 23) on El Rey Network. We&#8217;ll have\u00a0a detailed preview on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Lucha Libre was featured on Friday&#8217;s episode of &#8220;Grimm&#8221; on NBC. The episode titled &#8220;Silence of the Slams&#8221; took the show into a mystical world of lucha libre, complete with an appearance by <strong>Chavo Guerrero<\/strong>. (Thanks to James in Dallas)<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; <strong>The Hornet<\/strong>, an independent wrestler working at <strong>Santino&#8217;s<\/strong> Battle Arts Academy in Canada, was hand-picked to travel to India to work with <strong>Ricardo Rodriguez<\/strong> at <strong>Great Khali&#8217;s<\/strong>\u00a0upstart wrestling school. (<a href=\"http:\/\/superluchas.com\/2016\/03\/16\/cwe-el-xtranger-hornet-en-la-india\/\" target=\"_blank\">SuperLuchas<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Former WWE star <strong>Yoshi Tatsu<\/strong> is now taking wrestling bookings through Bill Behrens at <a href=\"http:\/\/sbibookings.com\" target=\"_blank\">SBIBookings<\/a>. Tatsu, who recovered from a major neck injury in 2015, is traveling back-and-forth from Japan and the U.S., where he is based in the Los Angeles area.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-3975718497\" class=\"pwtor-content-1 pwtor-entity-placement\"><!-- Tag ID: pwtorchcom_test_300x600 -->\r\n<div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __300x600\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>Former WWE star <strong>Ken Doane (Kenny Dykstra)<\/strong> is also available for bookings through Bill Behrens. Doane is based on Boston.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; How&#8217;s your bracket? Texas school Stephen F. Austin shredded many brackets on Friday, then invited <strong>&#8220;Stone Cold&#8221; Steve Austin<\/strong> to their next NCAA tournament game Sunday in New York. Austin acknowledged the invite, but had to turn down because he&#8217;s in Los Angeles right now. (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.cbssports.com\/collegebasketball\/eye-on-college-basketball\/25522995\/stephen-f-austin-invites-stone-cold-steve-austin-to-second-round-game\" target=\"_blank\">CBS Sports<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; <a href=\"http:\/\/bigeasybeliever.com\/2016\/03\/17\/saints-lb-james-laurinaitis-has-always-been-an-animal\/\" target=\"_blank\">Big Story\u00a0on James Laurinaitis, the son of &#8220;Road Warrior&#8221; Animal, signing with the New Orleans Saints<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; <strong>Donald Trump&#8217;s<\/strong> polarizing U.S. presidential campaign drew the latest WWE-related comment from fellow Republican candidate <strong>John Kasich<\/strong>, the governor of Ohio. Kasich was <a href=\"http:\/\/www.dispatch.com\/content\/stories\/local\/2016\/03\/18\/ohio-politics-now-kasich-trump-president-of-wwe.html\" target=\"_blank\">quoted by ABC News<\/a>: &#8220;You know, he\u2019s not running for the presidency of WWE, he\u2019s running for president of the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Wrestling artist Rob Schamberger&#8217;s latest paintings feature <strong>Kevin Owens<\/strong> and former\u00a0Divas champion <strong>Paige<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"KO-Mania hits the canvas: WWE Canvas 2 Canvas\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/uxeNWrM_Tp8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Diva of Tomorrow hits the canvas: WWE Canvas 2 Canvas\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/EsOiye5UgMg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-589146598\"><div id=\"pwtor-3617081952\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nTHANK YOU FOR VISITING<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>TORCH TODAY &#8211; Sunday, March 20, 2016 &#8211; WrestleMania is now two weeks ago. This line-up is something else. But, barring a major angle before WrestleMania, it looks like WWE will simply push through with <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2016\/03\/20\/sundaymarch20torchtoday\/\" title=\"Sunday 3\/20 Torch Today &#8211; WM32 Countdown, UR Fight tonight, UFC coverage, Zayn gets NXT send-off, Foley\/CTE, Stephanie on Rachael Ray&#8217;s show, WWE\/SMOSH, big push for Rey&#8217;s Lucha debut, Kimber Lee vs. Lovelace, SFA &#038; SCSA, Yoshi &#038; Kenny taking bookings, The Hornet, Laurinaitis, Trump, Videos &#8211; Schamberger&#8217;s latest\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5484,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[601],"class_list":["post-13727","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-quicknews","tag-torch-today"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2015\/12\/MysterioLucha_3x2.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13727","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13727"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13727\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13728,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13727\/revisions\/13728"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5484"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13727"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13727"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13727"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}