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October 13, 2025 • 153 mins
Today we jump back 15 years to two back-to-back episodes of the PWTorch Livecast from Oct. 11 and 12, 2010.

On the Oct. 11, 2010 episode, PWTorch assistant editor James Caldwell and PWTorch columnist Bruce Mitchell includes discussion with live callers on the TNA Bound for Glory PPV, a Lively Argument on how to rate a PPV with horrible booking vs. decent-to-good wrestling, people in TNA conning Dixie into thinking re-creating WCW in the 1990s is the way to go, Raw vs. ESPN's Monday Night Football that night, whether the Raw ratings would hold up from last week's rebound, the audience caring about John Cena Week 1, but will they care Week 2 in Nexus, and much more.

On the Oct. 12, 2010 episode, PWTorch editor Wade Keller and ProWrestling.net's Jason Powell discussed in-depth last night's Raw, in particular the John Cena-Nexus follow-up. Also they take live calls on a variety of subjects including the PG rating hurting fan interest, Hell in a Cell being overused, and more.

Then, in the previously VIP-exclusive Aftershow, they discussed Matt Hardy in TNA, Kevin Nash, and more.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/wade-keller-pro-wrestling-podcast--3076978/support.
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Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Give yourself a reason to look forward to. Go into
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(00:21):
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(00:43):
you can get a full year of home delivery for
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week trial subscription. PW torch dot com Slash Paper Copy. Now,

(01:06):
PW Torch and Speaker bring you the Wade Keller Pro
Wrestling Podcast. Today, Han the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Podcast.
We jumped back fifteen years to a doubleheader of two shows.
First up an hour with James Caldol and Bruce Mitchell,
and then second to an hour and a half of
Jason Paul from Prossing dot Net joining me on what

(01:27):
would become eventually to be known as the weekly Tuesday flagship.
The first show from October eleventh, twenty ten, with James
and Bruce includes live callers reacting to the previous night's
Bound for Glory payperview, a lively argument on how to
rate a pay perview with horrible booking and decent too
good wrestling people in TNA, conning Dixie into thinking recreating
WW in the nineteen nineties was a way to go

(01:49):
Raw versus ESPNS Monday Night Football. That night, whether the
Raw ratings would hold up from last week's rebound, the
audience caring about John Cena week one, but will they
care in week two against Nexus? And much more, And
then the next afternoon, the October twelfth, twenty ten episode
featured follow up on the John Cena Nexus angle on Raw.
We took live calls on a variety of subjects including

(02:09):
the PG rating, potentially hurting fan interest, Helen is Cell
being overused, and more so, Let's get to it again.
These originally aired on October eleventh and twelfth, twenty ten,
and it is today's Way Keller Progressing Podcast fifteen years
ago flashback for Monday, October thirteenth, twenty twenty five.

Speaker 2 (02:25):
You're listening to the PW Torch Live, gust. This is
PW Torch Assistant editor James Caldwell hosting today on the
day after ten ten ten. That would make it October eleven,
twenty ten, joined by Towards Calms, Bruce Mitchell and Bruce,
how are you doing today?

Speaker 3 (02:41):
I'm doing fine. I'm tired of here. I'm tired of
hearing ten ten to boot tars.

Speaker 2 (02:50):
Every day.

Speaker 3 (02:50):
Only comes around once in a thousand years or whatever
it is, once in ten thousand years. What's the difference.

Speaker 2 (02:56):
Because numbers can be marketed. That's that was my friends
in accounting when I was an accounting major. It was
numbers can be marketable. Numbers can be marketed, and so
that's that's why.

Speaker 3 (03:07):
Bruce, but I know what you yeah, you know, if
you don't have good wrestling or or mackable stars or
any idea what you're doing, or you're a pathetic old
man trying to latch on to the one guy you
think in the promotion in school, then yeah, maybe you
can try some tenons in or do I sound better here?

Speaker 2 (03:23):
Well that's uh leaves us right into your opening thoughts.
Bruise on last night's bout for Glory of pay per view, which.

Speaker 3 (03:32):
You know, I had it right in the middle.

Speaker 2 (03:33):
I mean I thought the wrestling carried at the booking
was slow, it was t and a uh, what's your
where to come your your talking points? Other obviously day
and Hogan and I get the Whogan and.

Speaker 3 (03:45):
Bishop show with Hardy.

Speaker 2 (03:46):
Uh, what's you're taking the whole situation in last night's
pay per view?

Speaker 3 (03:50):
Oh, you're another one of those guys they had to
listening to those other two McNeil and call aer go
for an hour and a half explained why everything wasn't
any good and then circle back around because they didn'mit
that they were wrong and say that well, you know
it was, well it was kind of a good show,
and that it kind of a thing and it was
important and blah blah blah, and he's just like, really,

(04:14):
so anyway, so you're another one of those that party
is not a heel. He's not going to be a heel.
He doesn't know how to Russell is a heel. His
whole wounded fond at is about painting himself up like
he's damaged goods. He's not gonna his whole style is
flying through the air, which is not a heel style.
And I don't care who's stamp at the whole cog
and he's gonna be an orange old relic from the

(04:37):
nineteen eighties. And Eric Bischoff isn't cool anymore either, So
I mean, it's just pathetic, and it was the whole thing.
And again it's the same let's get the nWo back
together again. We've seen in this promotion for the last
eight years, I don't know, dozens of times. Yeah, the
name of that Mafia was a better version than this was,
and they just threw up their hands after a few
months of that and quit on that too. So no,

(05:00):
I thought that. I thought the wrestling was either mediocre
or overrated except for the first match, and you know
what a bunch of enough. But you know, if you
didn't see that coming, great Charles saw that coming. As
the old line goes.

Speaker 2 (05:19):
My position on the pay per view is that Hena
was in a desperate spot trying to make sense of
a storyline that it was for all intents and purposes
originally designed for Paul Amen. And so they went, you
know what, no, no, you think I really I mean,
I'm just gonna yell at you.

Speaker 3 (05:36):
I really disagree with that it was Hokogan went back,
Eric Bischoff went back. Didn't mean the saying was complete failure.
Hokked needs money now. Eric Bischoff likes money still, and
they thought, you know, they thought the perfect thing to
tell Dicksie was well, but real money came in when
we all turned heel and became cool heels, and we're

(05:59):
gonna turn heal and that's where the real money is
gonna go. And we're gonna do that right before we
get our you know, right right after we get our
new contract for the next year. That's what this is about. Yeah,
may have strong off with we're gonna bring back euc W.
We're gonna do that. And yeah, Tommy Dreamer exploited that
and got, you know, got his friends and himself pretty
good payday. But he got you know, he got big

(06:20):
footed by as many have it before, pault Cogan. But
you know, I don't even know which one of the
two Tommy Dreamer Hult Cogan is the bigger star in
the year twenty ten. So you know, I mean it's
a scam and it's it's a scam director Visa Carter.
But the problem is it's not directed to the rest
of us, and we're victims too, and the wrestling does

(06:40):
is the victim of it because there's only so many opportunities.
There's so many resources go around now, and these guys
are sucking them up as fast as they can because
they feel like they've got some god given right what
passed past their cell date to to to suck money?
Have specional rustling does? Then they done? But anyway, ef
they're gonna do it for another year or until from

(07:02):
one pulls the block.

Speaker 2 (07:02):
So right, because all it is at the end of
the day, it's the latest storyline twists with you know,
no chance of longevity, no chance of turning around ten
A's business, or any of those sort of phrases. It's
the one thing that stood out to me for the
last night's pay per view that captured how uh how

(07:23):
little TNA storylines connect to the audience is that in
the middle of the RVD versus abyssmatch, the so called
grudge match, where the top baby face in the company,
RBD by virtue of Horde that titles throughout this year
went through a barbed wire table by the most vicious
heel by virtue of him trying to kill RBD throughout

(07:44):
this year, and the crowd is chanting, this is awesome
as the d face is taking a dive.

Speaker 3 (07:51):
Through the barbed wire board.

Speaker 2 (07:54):
That to me just epitomized Tena's booking in twenty ten.
Just the audience, I mean, Bruce us before, the audience
just tikes their favorites years for the spot and.

Speaker 3 (08:03):
They don't care about the stories. Well, they did that
emotionally involved, and you know Robbie Dan didn't do a
good enough job, and that they would way over the
top with the blood and have an abyss walk around
all that time, and then you know whatever that pseudo
halfway rape allegory things he did with Disey Carter last

(08:23):
Thursday night, And if nobody's gonna believe, nobody's gonna suspend
their disbelief to get into a storyline like that, and
it's the same, you know, and you know it was
an okay match with the same garbage and the guy
gets you know, the Philody's about to get popped. Fire
gets to pick his match, right, you know, just hold

(08:45):
this way, holds that way. Yeah, I agree with you
that yeah. Yeah. And it's years and years though, it's
years and years that this doesn't count.

Speaker 2 (08:55):
Yeah, and it's always changing the next twist, you know,
the next twist in the storyline. That's what TNA has
been chasing and trying to just to keep the thing going.
The short term pops.

Speaker 3 (09:08):
So this was the storyline. But's this thing about with
some morphus, we're gonna take over the promotion stuff and
we're gonna come in and say stuff and winning you
losing doesn't matter, and yep, we're gonna be the next
cool thing and nobody's cool enough enough.

Speaker 2 (09:25):
Yeah, And that's that's the problem, winning and losing that
there's no consequences for victories or the feats. Uh, it
just it just goes on and on, you know, the
beat goes on, the same chasing of that short term
storylinew So obviously we'll take a lot of phone calls
on TNA in the pay per view. Last night was
the they reveal uh kind of lost in the shuffle

(09:46):
a little bit w raw tonight with week two of
John Cena as part of Nexus. What we'll be next
for that, I'm sure.

Speaker 3 (09:55):
I don't know if that's lost, and I don't know
if that's lost and might be Walsket on our shows.
But as far as set up a lot more right, No,
On a grander scale, yeah, you're right.

Speaker 2 (10:05):
I mean Raw draws, you know, four to five million viewers.
TNA is lucky to draw one point five, So yeah,
I know exactly what you're saying.

Speaker 4 (10:11):
Uh.

Speaker 3 (10:12):
On a scale, yeah, Raw's office.

Speaker 2 (10:14):
Is a bigger deal in terms of what people are
talking about right now. It's It's day and that's classic
TENA where they'll get, you know, one or two weeks
worth of interest like the EV two angle, and then
no one will care again, and that's you know, it's
just kind of where it is. So it's peak phone
calls on Raw tonight, Lastan's pay per view, other topics
in the news, including Batista and whatever he's doing with

(10:36):
Strike Force and whatever he wants that seems so unrealistic.
The number to call, I'm going to jump on the
pone lines and give us a call number is six four,
six seven, one nine eight two eight. Let's go to
our first.

Speaker 3 (10:47):
Phone call today. But this is Ian out of Tennessee.

Speaker 5 (10:50):
Ian.

Speaker 2 (10:50):
How are you doing today?

Speaker 3 (10:52):
Get how you guys doing?

Speaker 1 (10:53):
Don't good?

Speaker 2 (10:54):
What do you have for us?

Speaker 6 (10:55):
Well?

Speaker 7 (10:56):
I had a quick comment and a quish.

Speaker 2 (11:01):
I didn't.

Speaker 3 (11:01):
I didn't watch the Pace of View last night.

Speaker 8 (11:03):
I don't really see any point in spending any money
on a bad product. But it just seems like they
are their biggest fans, and I don't. I don't think
it's really gonna matter. I think they'll end up going under.

Speaker 7 (11:18):
But my my question is how does WWE distinguish some
type of difference between what they might have going on
at Bragging Rights and Survivor series that they've already done
a Team Nexus versus Team WWE Nash SummerSlam.

Speaker 2 (11:38):
Good question, Ris, what's your take?

Speaker 3 (11:42):
Well, team that's what's gonna be a supper team. No,
I've never liked this. SmackDown is not a team. Raw
is not a team. They're individuals and tag teams and
maybe they have alliance with the nuts, all spend together,
but they're not teams. They don't and they don't play
for anything. And then one see you, they'll pretend like
they're together and they and they go for you know,

(12:03):
go for some trophy, I forget sce some half more thing,
and they never talk about it again. And so I
just think this was like as phony as it can be.
I mean, you could sort of buy for you know,
for ten years the w c W and or twenty
years Avalie it was in w c W and w
W A. What would happen if they ever got stars
one invaded the other and you got that in the

(12:23):
NW sort But that this is just I don't know,
It's not only that after you've seen all the matchups
between the SmackDown guys and the raw guys, there are
no new matchups in it. So it's just another one
of that, you know, it's another one that it's that
sailed thing they did this year with the gimmick with
let's since since stars don't sell except for John Cena,
let's just go with the gimmick pay per views, and

(12:46):
since we can't you know, we don't dare say, well,
John Cena and Ring the Orton they're gonna fight in
three months and we're gonna build to it because the
internet will know ahead of time. Then you know, that's
that's where you get. I mean, that's what that's the story.

Speaker 2 (13:00):
Yeah, Bridge, I mean that that that point was hit home.
On Friday, wwe had a house show in Anaheim at
the Pond. I mean it's the twelve thirteen, fifteen hundred,
fifteen thousand Seed Arena, and they drew about thirty five
hundred for a show. Without seeing it. It was just,
you know, Orton, Chamis and Barrett and Nexas. I mean,

(13:20):
what do you make of that in the state of
w to be being able just to draw people at
house shows in typically large markets like to the La
Orange count Harriet.

Speaker 3 (13:31):
Yeah, I mean it's just you know, they've got the
it's not a good I mean, they trended down. They
got some good news last Monday night. They really did.
I mean they found out and I wasn't sure about
this because they found out that Johnson and people that
people who were watching and quit watching or people kind
of cared about what happened to him. Tonight's really important
just to find out do they still care? You know,

(13:53):
are they gonna care another week? Are they gonna are
they intrigued by this? Are they willing the way? You know?
Are they willing the way?

Speaker 9 (13:59):
You know?

Speaker 3 (14:00):
Several weeks, a few months to see John Cena punch
wait there, and that's you know that, at least that's
something that's better than and they still got a lot
of other questions. They've got a lot of the de
limits to solve, but at least steps one that they've
gotten done.

Speaker 10 (14:15):
In the short term.

Speaker 1 (14:18):
You can support us on Patreon and get these shows
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(14:40):
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Speaker 2 (14:49):
Let's go to another phone going of ten people at home,
but if you want to jump on the phone lines,
I recommend getting on as soon as possible I can
get to you.

Speaker 3 (14:57):
During the show.

Speaker 2 (14:58):
Six four six seven two one. He appreciate the call.
Let's go to the five O five erie code five
out five. Welcome to the show. Please stay tuning where
you're from.

Speaker 11 (15:09):
Hey, guys, how you doing this up? Vinie from New Mexico?

Speaker 2 (15:12):
Hey, what's going on today? If anybody have for us?

Speaker 4 (15:14):
Uh?

Speaker 3 (15:15):
Well, a couple of things.

Speaker 11 (15:16):
First of the pomos, I wanted to tell Bruce and if
he can pass it to Wade and and uh and
Pat well when Taz says let the pigeons lose and
and I think what he's referring to is a derogatory
not really a derogatory word, but a slang term for
a woman which is a pigeon. So I don't know
when it comes from.

Speaker 12 (15:36):
Happy days.

Speaker 11 (15:36):
It was funny how you guys are talking about that
in the in the round tables.

Speaker 3 (15:40):
Now, I'll not make more than what we were talking about,
So it's so good. I'll I'll pass that on harpefully
kind wounded.

Speaker 2 (15:48):
Yeah, I think that thread and it has been going
on to the VP for him for about three months now,
maybe two months, but it's been going on for a
long time. I would assume that's probably what the references too,
but it would have fit Tna. I'm in that promo,
one of the Madison Range promo on a pay per
view last night. It just was it was just it
was derogatory, low rent, was cheap. It's just it just

(16:12):
it just it just turns you away. And it's because
it's been because this on TV for so long and
it's just it's just not pleasant TV. But I, Vinny,
what do you have for a question or another comment?

Speaker 11 (16:25):
Yeah, you know, did this the two comments and then
a question? I mean, you know the order the pay
per view last night.

Speaker 3 (16:31):
I enjoyed most of it there. I thought the swerve
at the end was just a kind.

Speaker 11 (16:36):
Of predictable given the booking of of teen with Russo
I'm kind of interested to see what they do with
Hardy as a heel. I know, you know, and I
agree with Bruce to an extenting you know, Jeff Hardy
is just not a heel. I wonder what they can
do or maybe have them a manager of some sort.
But uh, and then my second comment is I don't

(16:56):
want to go into spoilers there, but they're.

Speaker 2 (16:58):
Taping right now, and is jesus.

Speaker 11 (17:00):
I mean, can we get away from the bash at
the beach from from w CW. I mean, when you
guys see it, you'll know what I'm talking about.

Speaker 13 (17:07):
But my question is, Bruce and Jason, how would you
guys book this now? And now that we know who
they is, how would you guys book it? And I've
heard some rumors that it's supposed to be given the youth,
the old t and A guys, the originals of boost
with his angle.

Speaker 11 (17:25):
Uh So, how would you guys book it? And would
you guys bring the younger talent up to the forefront,
the pre TNA guys as far as AJ's pas, because are.

Speaker 2 (17:34):
And all all those guys. Yeah, I imagine we'll get
a lot of lip service to the younger stars or that,
you know, the discussion of whether it's their time and
all that nonsense, and they will mean nothing because they'll
be on TV for half an hour and the extradition
will get two minutes in the ring. Bruce, what's your
your your take on on how they booked this and
what if anything they can do to salvage what they

(17:56):
delivered the last night's Pate review.

Speaker 3 (18:00):
You know, I wrote two long columns because James Caldbell
demanded for several years that I tell them how to
fix DNA.

Speaker 9 (18:08):
So I did write this the summer, and.

Speaker 3 (18:10):
I stick with what I wrote that what do you
do with this you you know, you bring one of
the things in the column. One of the things you
do is you bring Hulk Cogan in, you bring this
off in and you shake their hands and thank them
for all the services they have provided not provided you,
and you send them on their way. And then that's
one of the big things. There's no say in this,
there's no nothing to this, and no one's gonna notice that.

(18:31):
Jeff Hardy turns right back. And you know, Jeff Hardy
is going to trial sooner rather than later. I'm fellow
the drug charts, which you don't even know any pays
attention to anymore, which I didn't even mention. We didn't
even mentioned last time. So I mean to me, it's
just you send them to the house shows, you put
them on TV, and you go and you have them say,
buy my T shirt. Here's my T shirt that I designed.

(18:53):
Here's my CD of my crappy music that I that
I did I take, did I play? Here's here, there's
some makeup or here's some face paint that you can
buy that I use. And now I'm gonna go to
wrestle and hopefully, you know, hopefully nothing to the path
can happen. In the time that we that I'm employed here,
including going to jail. Yeah, you know, I mean that's

(19:16):
not very nice, but I mean it's just there's no
you know, what would you do to pass this? I'm sorry,
there's not an answer to work.

Speaker 2 (19:24):
Yeah, I mean, the growing sentiment is that, you know,
Hogan and bitch Shocks came in, it didn't work. You know,
this is from talking to people in TNA.

Speaker 3 (19:33):
It didn't work.

Speaker 2 (19:34):
Send them on their way, like you said, like you said, Bruce,
and it's just it's time. I mean, it just they
didn't come on the vision. They didn't come on a
plan to turn anything around, to increase any marketability or
awareness or whatever magical formula. I just wasn't there. And
they didn't have any unique idea for twenty ten and
hud to present wrestling. And we're left of the xerox

(19:55):
of the xerox of the copy of what happened fourteen
and ten years ago.

Speaker 3 (19:59):
So well, anybody you know it's in last twenty five
to thirty years, hul Cogan knows how to put Hull
Cogan in the spotlight. When there's money in that, you're
gonna make a lot of money. There's no money in
that now, there's no there's no you know, there's no
money in him except for maybe he's coming in once
a year. And you know, remember remember the great Hall
cooking from the eighties and even that. I don't know

(20:21):
that he can pull that off, but yeah, I do
that he's a heel that people want to see you now,
that's Jeff Party. The heel is gonna make him cool.

Speaker 14 (20:30):
But that.

Speaker 2 (20:32):
Yeah, well see, I haven't write any spoilers on tonight's impact.
I'm not even aware of what's going on today at
TV tape and just had a lot of other stuff
going on today, but I imagine, yeah, exactly what then
he said, will probably get a lot of what we expected,
which was w W talk And that's been every promo
related to this, whether it's from Sting or Jared or

(20:54):
even Vince Russo of the cameo in Reaction two weeks ago,
which made no sense at all, solve ab out WCW
and so I don't know, Hey, we'll get the wswing
pay per view that everyone's been clamoring for, and then
seven game its EV two. But anyways, let's move on
another phone call to six seven area code to six seven.
Welcome to the show. Please stay to him where you're from.

Speaker 12 (21:17):
Hey, it's Brian from Philadelphia.

Speaker 2 (21:19):
Hey Brian, what's going on today? How much?

Speaker 12 (21:23):
Got two quick questions here? Do you think the DNA
is overdoing the faith? And heel turns, Oh.

Speaker 2 (21:30):
Yeah, I mean that's that's been consistent throughout company history,
is how I want to say throughout company.

Speaker 3 (21:36):
I'd say more than recently in.

Speaker 2 (21:38):
The last three to four years, which is just rapid
fire back and forth. We'll get Eric Young's character, for example,
I mean the the short sided changes to his character
throughout I mean the last probably the last three years
with him and this year alone, just in nine to
ten months. I mean, just how many times they've started

(21:59):
and restart it and scrapped and changed and and just
got back and forth his character I don't even know
what it is anymore. They're they're back to them being
scared of as higher. But yeah, you can't invest in
the characters, you know, It's just impossible to invest the
characters when they're constant and they don't have a constitution
of what makes what makes their character. I mean, we
don't know anything about what they stand for.

Speaker 3 (22:19):
And well then you.

Speaker 2 (22:20):
Change all the variables all the time.

Speaker 3 (22:24):
It's just you can't invest in it.

Speaker 2 (22:25):
So first, anything to add on to.

Speaker 3 (22:28):
That to Eric Young, Eric, yeah, I mean then he
has no credibility. Nothing he does is gonna count. He's
not even at this point, he's not even a good
mid part comedy. He needs to cut and that partner
needs to go twice.

Speaker 10 (22:42):
Now.

Speaker 2 (22:44):
Yeah, it's just it's low brown. It's not even sophisticated.

Speaker 3 (22:47):
It's just it just.

Speaker 2 (22:48):
Makes you embarrassed to watch the wrestling show. So Brandon
and you, did you have a second question or comment?

Speaker 15 (22:55):
Yeah, just one more.

Speaker 12 (22:57):
Well, I don't say w W County the US title
as a way to become a triple Crown champion.

Speaker 3 (23:06):
Bris was triple Crown champ.

Speaker 2 (23:08):
And what do you think of that?

Speaker 3 (23:10):
Those are in Japan.

Speaker 2 (23:13):
Yeah, it doesn't matter if.

Speaker 3 (23:15):
It's a mid park title, it's not you know, they
can put it together, they can take it apart. I
think that I think that, you know, if you kind
of need a secondary title on both brands, to me,
I wouldn't. I wouldn't do it. Also, just as a fan,
that US title actually goes back farther than anything else
in the wrestling besides the WWE title. You know, you

(23:36):
can trace it all the way back to like nineteen
seventy four, nineteen seventy five at Horley Race and Johnny Valentine.
So I don't know only one I think that matters
to anymore. I mean, it might be three or four
other people out of the millions of wrestling fans, but
so that that's a little threat for me. But I
think there's a use in having an up and coming

(23:57):
title that's that's de sended on television. But there's been
talking putting these two titles together and not having as
many titles. So I don't know, I don't know, it's
not that big a deal with any other.

Speaker 2 (24:09):
It's kind of one of those things that this is
a state of wrestling where titles don't really matter as
much as they could as a as a marketing tool,
as a way to establish chases in west and conquests and.

Speaker 3 (24:21):
That sort of thing.

Speaker 2 (24:21):
It's just, you know, the belt is just a belt.
I mean, Daniel Bryan, you're US champion. They try to
use that that belt is a way to establish him
as a star and just squashed him. And the shame
that's und wrong. That's suphonic about it so exactly the
other way.

Speaker 3 (24:38):
And you know, it's some I just think when you
have guys that go, you know, like the edge of
the top of the mid card guy very good when
over of course in his career, and this stands up
there and says, we'll have one twenty seven titles, it's
just stupid. After that point, you're just must not be
so hard. They pass it around and and you know
that that just kinds that's one of the things one

(25:00):
smaller things that could do to help themselves, which is
which is cheat the you know, make it seem important,
and they cheat the title of somebody so when they
get beat it seems like and make it a big dude,
talk about it beforehand, talk about it afterwards, and celebrate it,
and or or be mad that some he'll cheating somebody
out of cheating some long term champion that was admirable

(25:23):
out of the championship. And you know, but I mean,
those are the kinds of things that I think they
looked at it, and I think they get they get
swept up in oh my god, the ready used down.
We got to do something, and all the short terms,
all the short term stuff really cost them in the
long term.

Speaker 2 (25:38):
It's like, you know, Team three D is staying their
twenty three time tag champ.

Speaker 3 (25:42):
It just it means nothing.

Speaker 2 (25:43):
It has absolutely no meaning at all. Uh And to
say that's sort of, you know, solidified them as a
great tag dam It. It doesn't mean anything at all.
It's just a artificial marketing label for that for that team.
So uh good Caaul Brian, we appreciate that. Let's go
to the four to one five area code four one five.
Welcome to the show. Please seat you jam where you're from.

Speaker 3 (26:05):
What's going on?

Speaker 2 (26:06):
Guys?

Speaker 16 (26:06):
Is Jonathan from San Francisco.

Speaker 2 (26:08):
Hey Jonathan, what's going on today?

Speaker 17 (26:11):
Uh?

Speaker 16 (26:11):
You know, I don't usually call on Mondays, but TNA,
Oh Jesus Christ is just like I don't like they
started off with a good match in the beginning with
the tag team went really good for this out of
thirteen minutes, and then next thing, you know, like the
next three matches was horrible, and then they get to
they get to the whole EV two point zero nonsense

(26:33):
where they went over the over the young guys who's
gonna be in the in TNA for the foreseeable future.

Speaker 18 (26:41):
That made no sense. I'm like, why couldn't Why couldn't
Fortune go over like on the on the biggest pay
per view of the year for TNA. Didn't make any
any form of sense, Like I literally read that and
just like literally I couldn't.

Speaker 3 (26:54):
Like my head like literally still hurting right now. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (26:59):
No, it's good point because that was one of the
question marks coming out of that show, which is why
I understand why you're want to have the baby Faces
go over in the blowoff match. But Bruce, why do
you think they booked it with evt go to a
Fortune and at least a lockdown match, because everything.

Speaker 3 (27:16):
That was are related to the big shocky field term
that was going to infuriate fans and make them all upset.
We're going to be the baby Faces going over because
you have happy Happy Happy Happy and then you would
pull the rug ran from Ogama.

Speaker 9 (27:32):
Yeah, and you know it's I and I get it.

Speaker 2 (27:36):
You know, I understand if you're having a ball off match,
but it's the baby Faces aren't sticking around, which my
understanding is that most of them are not sticking around
after this unlet's you know, Tommy Dreamer, uh found ways
to ensure everyone's job security. Then it did not make
sense to have the main guys in your roster, your
main young stars, your main weren't on TV ten years

(27:58):
ago stars. Uh, they have them lose. I just you know,
it is one of the things where DNA booked themselves
into a corner as usual and they had to have
that finished.

Speaker 3 (28:11):
Just like they didn't care about that. They didn't care
about that part making sense because of all about getting
whole cog and over.

Speaker 2 (28:16):
It is a cool heel, right, that's true. That's true.

Speaker 3 (28:22):
I mean they see it as serving the larger purpose.
I see it as you know, I see it as
delusional but fun. Yeah. No, igree if you're talking about it,
you're talking about a promotion. And they're not the only
one where wins and losses they don't think matter. But
because they don't think it matters, it doesn't it doesn't matter, right, Yeah,

(28:44):
And that's unfortunate.

Speaker 2 (28:45):
And there's so many there's so many issues in wrestling
that are exposed from the way the wide books the
way TNA books on a much smaller scale. It's just
one of those one of those things that's so frustrating
when the decision makes you know, and TNA are stuck
in the nineties and in w they just don't care,

(29:05):
or they give off the impression they don't care, and
they have a formula they're gonna stick to it. It's
it's by the numbers. It's predictable. Uh, it's just frustrating.
You know, it's frustrating when you like to get wrapped
up in a match and you like to get wrapped
up in the consequences of the match and it is
not mattering. It doesn't count, it doesn't affect anything, doesn't
lead to anything.

Speaker 3 (29:25):
It just it just happens.

Speaker 2 (29:26):
And that's what's so frustrating about a lot of wrestling
today is that it just happens, and you know, no
one really emotionally invests, and they'll care for a short
period of time and then it's just back to Yeah,
it's just wrestling, and it's just a frustrating It could
be so much more, and that's just kind of where
we are right now.

Speaker 19 (29:45):
So need an extra dose of positivity in your wrestling podcasts.
Will come join me Alan fourrel Over in the Progress
Paradise at Pine Torch VIP as we mask on the
bright side of wrestling, focus on some of the great
matches and shows from around the world. Be it the US, Japan,
Europe or Mexico. There's always a place for restlings past

(30:09):
in the Paradise too, and we've done fun historical shows
such as the We Love Liger series celebrating the glorious
career of Jusian Thunderliger and our eye was there when
shows where our guests will join me to talk about
a classic bout that they were in attendance for. We
love variety and you can expect lots of it at
the Progress Paradise. Detailed pw Torch VIP subscription information and

(30:32):
a list of all the VIP benefits is available at
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Speaker 2 (30:49):
See You in the Paradise, Jonsan any any other quick
follow up for question?

Speaker 18 (30:57):
Yeah, do you guys think that RBD is highly overrate it?

Speaker 10 (31:00):
Because I do.

Speaker 3 (31:01):
And when he doesn't have.

Speaker 18 (31:02):
A weapon in his hand, you can see you can
see that he's not really a good wrestler.

Speaker 2 (31:09):
Bruce rv D, how do you evaluate him?

Speaker 3 (31:13):
He wrestles RVD style, and he's over with a lot
of people. And there's a lot of people in wrestlings
that don't like that style, think he's awkward, think that
he's you know, he does he's gotta set that, he's
got to set things that he does. But he's gotten
him over, So I don't. I don't look him as
as the upper etchelon of ruffling workers, but I don't

(31:36):
look him as a bad wrestler either, as far as
it's in the ring stuff goes. So it's a matter
of a lot of it's a matter of tasted, but
I think it's the fact that though it doesn't, I
don't put him as a bad as a bad rustle.

Speaker 2 (31:51):
You are listening to here The PW TOWRTS Live cast
is PW Torch assistant editor Jane Caldwell's post since day
alongside towards call him as Bruce Mitchell coming up on
the last half hour of the show before Raw tonight,
also a little bit on Mondaynight Football with Vikings and
the Jets competing against Rod tonight, bris what is your

(32:11):
prediction for tonight's Raw rating? Do you think it'll go
down by little a lot?

Speaker 3 (32:17):
Say go up?

Speaker 2 (32:18):
Well, what's your prediction for how Raw does today.

Speaker 3 (32:21):
Well, I think there's that people will get into that,
into that angle that it's gonna stay about the saying
football or no football. So I'm I don't know, I'm
reallyshed If it was a soft angle and it goes down,
then that's not so good. I mean, it's a very
volatile football game with some really you know, the lack
of a better term, sexty storylines going on in it.

(32:43):
And you know you've got you've got the Jets, who
are you know, led by a crazy coach. You've got
Brett Farve and Lord have mercy. I think God has
had enough of Brett fav Eve except the livening bolt
fashion the night, I mean, the drama that goes on
with that clown.

Speaker 10 (32:57):
And so.

Speaker 3 (33:01):
You know, we'll see, you know, we'll see. It's the
thing is when wrestling is it's foot people and it's
you know, it's good storyliner's good characters, there's good action.
Then what goes on around it doesn't matter. But we've
seen that it's a softer It's definitely a softer appeal
even with those hard even with those fans that watch
all the time. So I'm interested in Nex. This is

(33:23):
the one you know, Nexus and Johnson, and John's seen
to be in the flight and seen at least in
the league to do this. So this is a real
past we'll see. Yeah.

Speaker 9 (33:31):
I think a lot of you know, we saw the.

Speaker 2 (33:33):
Lowest ratings of the year.

Speaker 3 (33:34):
Uh you know three weeks ago and two weeks ago.

Speaker 2 (33:38):
I think a lot of people kind of broke out
of their habitual rods. You ain't have it, whether it's
for football or other. Stuff comes up and they say,
you know what, why why do I watch every week?
You know, the show isn't what it used to be.
And then they reminded viewers of that a couple of
episodes this year, like the nine hundred episode with all
the the classic wrestling clips. I think a lot of
people broke their habits, like you said, bris Did they

(34:01):
get them back as amitual viewers or was it just
a well I want to see how this is gonna look.
We seeing as part of Nexus. Got my first look
week one. Not sure if I'm gonna stick arount week two, three,
and four unless they give me something good or I
hear about something good. Yeah, So tonight's the big test
and we shall see that'll be probably the biggest story

(34:22):
coming out to that show unless there's some major newsworthy
angle on on Raw tonight. But let's go ahead and
continue on to our next caller from the eight six
five area code.

Speaker 3 (34:34):
Eight six five.

Speaker 2 (34:35):
Welcome to the show, Please staaten where you're from.

Speaker 15 (34:38):
Hey guys, this is Richard from Tennessee.

Speaker 2 (34:41):
Hey Richard, what do you have for us?

Speaker 3 (34:42):
Say?

Speaker 15 (34:43):
I just had two quick comments that I wanted your
all's reaction to. I thought Samoa Joe was excellent during
his match last night. And I thought when when Jared
did indeed turn on him.

Speaker 20 (34:53):
I thought he had a great reaction to it.

Speaker 5 (34:57):
And my second comment is the only thing I saw
when Hogan come out was I just felt sad for him.
I mean, he I know he had back surgery, but
he's old and why don't why doesn't team see that?

Speaker 15 (35:11):
I mean his eyes were puffy, he just looked like
he was gonna cry in the middle of the ring
because he was in so much pain. And thanks for
taking the call.

Speaker 2 (35:19):
Sure, good, Paul, Richard, I appreciate that.

Speaker 3 (35:21):
Verus.

Speaker 2 (35:22):
What your action to.

Speaker 3 (35:23):
Joe and and Hogan?

Speaker 2 (35:25):
Uh doing h you know, doing a big comeback with
the wires singing out of his back.

Speaker 3 (35:30):
Well, there's a lot of I'm gonna say this, it's
not a lot of the reports about Hogan and his by.
He has a he has a very bad back. Becaues
he have the kind of back that GMCs are reporting
on lately. Probably not, uh So, it's kind of hard
to tell. But he didn't look that great. Joe. I
thought Joe did the minimum. Was joking to Sylvie Joe,

(35:53):
and that's probably what he should have done for that
nice that's didn't exactly call for. So the thing with
Joe is he has incredible style. All that works, and
he's you know, he's joke. So so if he just
does basic stuff, he's gonna look pretty good. And he
and the Pope, we're gonna have to give it, you
know what, five out of seven minutes, five out of

(36:15):
seven minutes out there. So I didn't think anything special.
I didn't think of anything you need to see and
I I just kind of cracked up. I don't know
what is going on with Kevin Nash, and I wouldn't
be surprised if he hasn't finished. And I just thought
they gave him the Validatetward things go ahead and done him.
You know, we love you for all everything you've done
for the business, all the people you screwed over and
all the bad you know, all the money you've taken

(36:37):
and not put out, you know, good performances or all
the trouble you've cast, and you know all this, all
the things he's given to the rustling businesses he's reminded
us of over and over again in the last three years.
So you know which is fine.

Speaker 2 (36:49):
Yeah, you gotta let the rock star go out on top, right, Brews.

Speaker 3 (36:53):
I guess. So, yeah, I don't see you went out
on top of You didn't go out, but you know,
it wouldn't shock me to see you walk out with
you know, with the NWL against Yeah, I did the
whole reunion and and all that, but.

Speaker 2 (37:09):
Uh, nineteen ninety nine lives again or ninety six in
this case, with the match of the beach uh attempt
there by teenage doing the zero to the Xerork. So
Joe last night, I mean, Joe was you know pretty
much he did it, like E said, version did the
minimum for that match, which was more of a TV
storyline match. I mean it did not really matter. I mean,

(37:32):
this is the thing about it too, is that you
put off pay per view two matches where the outcome
did not matter. You know, if if Joe pen Nash
that would have it would have meant nothing. It meant
nothing for a title chase or a number one contender
opportunity or anything having anything to do with anything remotely
related to a a wrestling angle. You know, this is

(37:55):
a TV storyline match and Eric Young and Orlando Jeordane
Snanigan's I mean, it did not matter who won that
match had nothing to do with anything. And that's what's
hurting TNA as well as w W when they do this.
Uh they don't do it as much on pay per
view as they used to, but when they do it,
you know as often as they have at times where

(38:15):
they have a match and the outcome has nothing to
do with anything. You know, if there's some guy pin
some guy, it doesn't matter, it doesn't mean anything. It
doesn't advance any feud, it doesn't advance the title chase,
or you know, oh, this guy's won four matches in
a row now, you know he's on a momentum streak,
and uh he should be a line for a title shot.
It's just that's what's hurting wrestling is just these types

(38:36):
of matches where it doesn't even matter who wins. It's
gonna have no it's gonna have no impact on nothing.

Speaker 3 (38:42):
You know, I'm thinking about that crown, but thinking about
that was it was terrible. They shouldn't have it on.
I mean, what purpose saw that serve people? The people
in that company, like like Eric Young and they're trying
to paint a place for him. They tried to Hans
it will never get one. And then and then what

(39:07):
was the other thing I was gonna say? And then
over the gard is that controversial stuff? That's not controversial,
it's it's the turn off. Yeah, you're trying to make
They don't. They're just they're just they see that they
can do what task was kind of doing, which says,
oh it's funny, Oh look it's great and say that,
and people were accepted and some people do and not

(39:28):
you talk for some people watching that done it at all.
So there you are.

Speaker 2 (39:32):
Yeah, let's go ahead and move on to your next
phone calls. It's from the nine to one oh area
code nine to one OH. Welcome to show, Please stay.
You don't know where you're from.

Speaker 4 (39:41):
He ain't as handlible form p North Carolina.

Speaker 2 (39:44):
Hey, and what do you have for said?

Speaker 21 (39:46):
Okay, yes, I'm kind of very confused about this Russo,
you know, due to the fact that you know, I
remember he's like, you know, about about a decade ago.
You know, this man was more all about you know,
pushing you know.

Speaker 4 (40:01):
The younger guys and ah, but now the feel like
the days you know, most of his booking is now
protecting and I'm putting over them most of the old
guys in Nicking, you know, the young guys. We I mean,
what is it is he kissing Eric and bishof and
holding his bomb behind or what you.

Speaker 3 (40:18):
Know, like he's I think it was a little big Jerry.

Speaker 4 (40:20):
In them back in the day too, you know, back
in O seven.

Speaker 3 (40:24):
Well, I'll think all of this is you do what
you gotta do to keep your job. Your job isn't
to like get people over in the rest, you know,
not how to do it anymore. You're not doing a job.
Your job is to well hol Coogan and ed Bschall
have Dixie's eye, so you're right for them, and that's
what he's there for. That's what they're not there to
serve the towns They're not there to serve, you know,

(40:47):
the money, or to try to make money. They're there
to hove up to make sure that whoever, you know,
whoever's got power, will will team up with them. And
and this Susi serves a good purpose for forsh Off
and hold Cogan. He's one of those guys who is
capable of riding a shut. This Russo is capable of
riding a terrible shut. So they're not you know, Arry

(41:09):
Bischoff isn't exactly gonna put a whole lot of time
in the pot into what he's doing here, except for
maybe walking ountains, you know, maybe walking out and saying
his speech and trying to get himself over.

Speaker 10 (41:22):
But that's it.

Speaker 2 (41:24):
Yeah, yeah, I mean it's Russo's job is to serve uh,
you know the group you just mentioned Bruce, as well
as when Dixie gets the hair and she wants you know,
Eric Young or jayal Etho or Generation Me or whoever
you know, whichever young wrestlings you know, whichever young wrestler

(41:44):
flavor of the month or he's on the roster, or
whenever Dixie comes up and says, okay, let's go ahead
and push this person.

Speaker 3 (41:51):
Not knowing, you know, with no sort of knowledge of well,
you need.

Speaker 2 (41:54):
To put the you need to put the effort in
ahead of time, else it's gonna mean nothing. Jay Letho
had a baker View match of Player what was that
three months ago?

Speaker 3 (42:03):
And there was no follow up, there.

Speaker 2 (42:04):
Was no uh, no opportunity to make that thing mean anything.
And now he's in a match with Doug Williams which
was probably the most forgettable match of the entire pay
per view last night, and they followed two bad matches,
maybe not even that, but just overbooked and in low risk.

Speaker 3 (42:21):
Still trying to figure out how you figure out how
you guys gave that a pumb b because all right,
here is this match was bad. This made no sense.
This is not good, you know, doing the stuff with Palkoto.
It was terrible. Let's spend two hours with this. So
it's like it was a little a man shot. Uh no,
I'm point I finger directly at you. Dreams problem. No,

(42:42):
I'll tell you why. I'll tell you why.

Speaker 2 (42:44):
That's what I sat on my roundtable.

Speaker 3 (42:45):
Guns.

Speaker 2 (42:46):
Generation of Me was a great match. That was a
great match of what TNA would be. Yeah, hold on,
hold on it.

Speaker 15 (42:52):
That makes.

Speaker 3 (42:55):
All the rest of the all the rest of what
you've been talking about for forty minutes.

Speaker 2 (42:58):
But I thought, are in the NBA duke dude all
right here?

Speaker 14 (43:05):
Uh No?

Speaker 2 (43:06):
And also I thought O RVD abyss was was above expectations.
I thought that was better than I thought it was
going to be. And that's what I put in my
round table, which I thought the wrestling on the show,
I mean, even Doug versus Lethal, it was a decent match.
It was just overshadowed by crappy booking. And that's that's
kind of I mean, every single TNA pay per view
is how do you balance the decent even lethal lockdown?

(43:27):
I thought there were some really good individual performances. I mean,
I thought Robert rud has a great standout performance in
that match. I thought that he stood out more than
he probably ever has and left perhaps ever during his
career was he He really stood out during that match.

Speaker 1 (43:40):
So there was I mean, there was that.

Speaker 2 (43:41):
Leathal Lockdown matches above my expectations too. I thought Rude
at a standout performance. I could have doubled out Brian Kendrick,
you know, sit on top of the cage, but you
know yourself.

Speaker 3 (43:52):
Then about that you can't even help yourself. It was like,
and you know, exhooting expectations that the expectations love and
you're exceeding them does not make it a good mask.
I don't know if it does.

Speaker 21 (44:06):
You know, it doesn't have.

Speaker 3 (44:07):
Low exacation so that you're grading them on a curve.
That's not right.

Speaker 2 (44:11):
You have to because you have to balance, get the
balance of round from the book in every single month.

Speaker 3 (44:18):
You know, it's so disagreeable. You go to the movie
and something's that stuff like the movie you don't go, well,
you know, it's not the actor's fault and the script
was terrible, or you don't go, oh, it's not the
writer's fault that the actress think. You just go that
was a bad movie. You can't grade stuff on a car.

Speaker 2 (44:35):
I mean, that's not right.

Speaker 3 (44:36):
That's not right. That's not right. I mean I'm a teacher.

Speaker 18 (44:38):
That's that's not help.

Speaker 3 (44:39):
Don't play stuff on the turp curve.

Speaker 17 (44:42):
Fore.

Speaker 2 (44:46):
I mean, okay, look at studios movies. You know you
have legendary then they got a finally our budget. I mean,
to go in that movie and expecting an oscar performance
from the actors, I mean, you can't expect that. Otherwise
you're just and.

Speaker 9 (45:00):
You really want to have a.

Speaker 3 (45:00):
Movie you ever enjoy it. You can expect twelve dollars
worth of a movie, whatever news you paid for it.
You can expect that, and you can expect that, and
you can expect to get your value. Not it's you
shouldn't be doing. I can't believe you're saying this.

Speaker 2 (45:15):
You shouldn't be doing.

Speaker 3 (45:16):
Oh well, you know John Cena's John Cena is a
wooden manneka. He's not an actor, So how can this
movie be any good? So I'm gonna give it a break.
I get John dinner break, I get John Cena break.

Speaker 2 (45:29):
I know he's not the best act in the world.

Speaker 3 (45:31):
You shouldn't And then, and we've all gone to the movies.
Would that have been in trouble movies? Was the actor?
Wasn't exactly the greatest actor of the world? Sevprisalon. I mean,
it's just that it's worked.

Speaker 4 (45:46):
So that's you know.

Speaker 3 (45:47):
But some term though, he says every event he has
he has, he has Oscar nominated actors around him to
make him look good. Who gets that? You can't do that,
jays ions, I may run a memo to you at once.

Speaker 2 (46:04):
Otherwise you go into every pay per view, Bruce and
read it a zero because the booking his trash and
garbage and crafting the same stuff repeat over and over.

Speaker 3 (46:11):
And you know you should and I'm not saying it is,
but if the show is a zero, you should rate
it a zero. You shouldn't give them, you should give it.
And if the show was ruined by one aspect in
the show, if the show is great, but to aim
the cameras at the floor and you can't see any
of it, the show was a disaster.

Speaker 2 (46:32):
We actual whatever, sell the show if you can't evaluate.

Speaker 9 (46:34):
Anything on the and they and they and the commentary
was in German, and they aimed and.

Speaker 3 (46:39):
They aimed the cameras up at the ceiling. You couldn't
see anything. Then the show was the show? It to
the oscut, Yeah exactly, you know, but I'm just I'm
upset with you.

Speaker 1 (46:49):
We're about to go to a commercial break. Why list
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(47:11):
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Speaker 2 (47:22):
Well, first, I mean, if you have good wrestling, that
can almost him the booking wards.

Speaker 3 (47:29):
And I think of way choller it better pack me up.
In fact, I think you will, except for the fact
that he's gonding to sea if he's listened to this,
which you might say, since the vikings have been struck
down by a divine president's probably sin that's going on there.

Speaker 22 (47:44):
Uh.

Speaker 3 (47:45):
You know, you grade the shows based on based on
the same level of for all the shows, whether it's
Dragon Gay, whether it's New Japan, whether it's whether it's
Ring of Honor, whether it's w w A. I mean,
you can you know, you don't have to have to
count off for the lodding's not as good as w
w A. But you still need to be able to
see the show. And you don't you don't simply go

(48:07):
to the rustling time. I mean, that's terrible. You'll simply go, well,
it's always bad. Someone give a break to the to
the to the clean cut rufflers in the ring is
not who It's not their fault. No, you great to
show out and what the what the show great powder.

Speaker 1 (48:21):
So for me, you have to you have to count
that if you.

Speaker 3 (48:24):
Agree with me. The two agreed with me last night too.
They just couldn't indebt it because whatever character flaws they have.
So gosh, I think you would agree with me except
for the fact that you're you know you're but think, seriously,
you should not be greating all the curve. You should
not be giving them a break because.

Speaker 2 (48:42):
You're going to a curve.

Speaker 3 (48:43):
You're calling a curve.

Speaker 2 (48:44):
Is I don't I don't consider a curve. I consider
that this is what he has to play with.

Speaker 3 (48:47):
If writers who should not be in that company, who
should have.

Speaker 2 (48:50):
Been fired five years ago, incompetent put that management.

Speaker 3 (48:56):
Think, I mean, otherwise you're in that company. It doesn't
matter would they be in the company. It's they are there.
They are they are producing a product that's that exists
on your TV. Your job is to objectively grade that
and not give them a break or show favorite pism
to the show favorite scism to them because they creative
as awful thanks.

Speaker 2 (49:16):
For Jasons And how are they gonna get that if
you if you're.

Speaker 3 (49:19):
Giving them two us the points, because no one's ever
gonna give get rid of them. TRUTHA, I mean that's that.
I mean, I am seriously telling you that's wrong.

Speaker 2 (49:28):
No, I know what I'm saying.

Speaker 1 (49:30):
I'm not saying.

Speaker 2 (49:32):
I called Thursday Show the worst Usson show of the year.

Speaker 3 (49:35):
You know, it was the same crap that we saw
in the paper d on Sunday, But there was actually
a rustling. There was actually rush.

Speaker 10 (49:44):
That you graded.

Speaker 3 (49:45):
You graded out to ten, ten better than you would
have because the booking was terrible. But it's not the
Rustler's fault. Can't do that if you thought that, If
you thought that, and I don't agree with that, but
if you thought that Thursday Night Show. I thought Thursday
Show was an so I could see someone would say
that I think is worth using.

Speaker 15 (50:02):
In the year.

Speaker 3 (50:04):
But if someone says that, I mean, it's not so
far off that I'm gonna tell you you're crazy. But
that's what you objectively think that's fine, So why would
you be objective of my thirty night show? And then
got the paper you and go, well, you know, someone,
the wrestling was better I thought it would be, and
the rest of it didn't make any sense and blah blah.
But I give it a thumbs up because because the
creative is always going to be bad. So let's just

(50:26):
judge the part that's pretty good.

Speaker 2 (50:28):
No, no, no, no, I'm not saying that at all.
Bright No, That's not what I'm saying is there was
actually a rusting on this show that was decent, that
was above expectations. The wrestling is above expectations. Next gotta
be a weigh against the usual factors of TNA, which.

Speaker 3 (50:42):
Is at the booking.

Speaker 2 (50:43):
It's a it's a struggle back and forth every single
month is the booking versus the wrestling.

Speaker 3 (50:47):
But you have low expectations for those match and even
like Mann.

Speaker 2 (50:51):
Based on the worst wrestling the entire year on thoavers
the worst wrestling show of the entire year, it's gonna
set little expectations that the show three days later.

Speaker 3 (51:01):
You know, It's just that if you have low expectations,
and if beat low expectations, if you have you think
it's gonna be a three.

Speaker 15 (51:08):
That's the four.

Speaker 3 (51:09):
You judge it as the four. You don't judge it
as a seven because well, you know, I'm feeling a
little better about this anyway, I really have, I said
my face, so we can move on. Let some people
will Actually.

Speaker 2 (51:24):
We've said our side. The brig twisted my words. But
we'll go ahead and grat awards.

Speaker 3 (51:29):
Go ahead.

Speaker 2 (51:30):
Well, we'll go ahead and let's grab just on our
phone calls.

Speaker 3 (51:33):
Let's go where are we?

Speaker 2 (51:34):
I'm so lost? Now, Uh, let's go to Let's try
a seven one nine area code seven one nine.

Speaker 3 (51:39):
Bring in some bring in some sense to the show.
What do you have?

Speaker 2 (51:41):
First day?

Speaker 14 (51:43):
Thanks Daniel from Colorado.

Speaker 2 (51:44):
Oh my god. To Daniel. Hey, Uh, I was gonna
talk about.

Speaker 14 (51:51):
They, but I think they have been talked to death.

Speaker 2 (51:54):
So I have talked about ross.

Speaker 3 (51:58):
Thing about Yeah.

Speaker 14 (51:59):
The thing about Ray is I remember there being an
old John Candy movie where he was a soap opera writer,
and they talked about how every time, you know, the
writers were stumped, they just gave someone to bring in humor.

Speaker 3 (52:16):
And I'm thinking, is this what's going on on wrestling
right now?

Speaker 23 (52:22):
Because I think we've seen this the whole John Cena
thing with Nexus with Shawn Michaels and JBL and I
noticed this.

Speaker 14 (52:32):
I usually keep seeing the same storylines.

Speaker 2 (52:35):
Just executed differently. What do you guys think? Yeah, first,
what's your take on that?

Speaker 3 (52:41):
Well, they're archetypes in all an all drama, and one
of them is the mean rich Scott. I mean, miss
Amnon wasn't the first mean Richcott? And Ruffley wasn't the
first being rich Scott. That's the buildin and you, mister man,
so I really don't have I don't think that. I
don't think that that Arcide's going to come back up
as long as you change the details if someone else

(53:04):
was doing it and you don't have you know, you
don't follow the JVL immediately what he leaves with the
next month with a new rich guy, you can do that.
And I think Jbil suffered from being compared to mister McMahon,
and mister Mann was still around, so.

Speaker 6 (53:20):
You know that.

Speaker 3 (53:21):
That's kind of what I would say. It depends sends
about who's doing it, how it's executed, and there's always
you know, it's it's fine if it's done well, it speaks.
If it's not done well, and that's kind of I mean,
that's not the greatest me going out, you know, going
out another guy going on a room to say that.

Speaker 2 (53:38):
Yeah, yeah, I agree with you on that point.

Speaker 3 (53:42):
Yeah yeah.

Speaker 2 (53:43):
I mean, I don't know how much else out of that.
It just seems like they get to a point where,
you know, I don't know if it's a desperate point
with the storyline. So they got to do something different,
and they want to keep Nexus around, and they've they
had to lose at Summer Slam and that knocked him
down a couple of bags, and they're trying to find
a way to keep them all events on the show
and everybody's I was where they.

Speaker 3 (54:02):
Gonna go to? Which is your top?

Speaker 2 (54:04):
Davy Face is kind of stuck in that position. So uh,
it was inevitable as part of the storyline.

Speaker 3 (54:09):
So good, good question, Daniel. I appreciate that.

Speaker 2 (54:13):
Let's go to where we're going to next. Let's go
to nine one two Area code ninety one two. We'll
come to the show. Please say sham where you're from.

Speaker 24 (54:22):
Yes, this is Marcus from Savannah.

Speaker 2 (54:24):
Hey Marcus, what do you have first said?

Speaker 3 (54:27):
Is I was just one in what you thought about the.

Speaker 24 (54:29):
Very last sigment was bound for glory.

Speaker 21 (54:32):
It is in New York?

Speaker 25 (54:33):
Did they pretty much.

Speaker 24 (54:36):
Watch Dance to the Beach nineteen ninety six just before
they've done the final.

Speaker 3 (54:39):
Sigment, because all the way from the woe poles.

Speaker 24 (54:45):
Like Jeff Hardy's done this one time was the exact
same inning and Hogans doing the nick dropping ninety six
and the Hall of Names doing the same little poles
that he always do, all the way down to the
trains being phoned.

Speaker 2 (54:59):
That's what wanted.

Speaker 3 (55:00):
They wanted to, you know, they do in the same
building the Ocean Center in Daytona, all the you know.

Speaker 2 (55:07):
Who's the who's the mystery third man? Who's they they
wanted they wanted to recreate that entire thing because that's
what they.

Speaker 3 (55:14):
Know, you know, and you know, I mean, Bruce, what well,
what can you say?

Speaker 15 (55:20):
We want?

Speaker 3 (55:21):
Really got him over? And think you when we do
it again, it's gonna be got over like a champion.
We're gonna be off to the races. They interested in
that building that night. No one will ever talk that,
but we're gonna top it to night because you know what,
Jeff Hardy's a bigger star than anybody we had right then,
and the people are gonna be shocked and they're gonna
be infuriated because the third things in the rain. So yeah,

(55:42):
that's I mean, that's what that's what it is. I mean,
it's just if you look at it like in nineteen,
in nineteen ninety six, nineteen, when they do this fourteen, fourteen,
nineteen ninety six, if they brought in Bob Backland and
Bruto San Martina and made them to numb one baby
places in nineteen ninety six, people would have thought they

(56:02):
were out of their minds and recreated and recreated what
WWF was in nineteen eighty two, they would have thought
they were out of their minds. And so now that
so here's the company that's recreating to the t what
happened fourteen years ago. It's just ridicious. Yeah, and you know,

(56:23):
holding on to the end of an era.

Speaker 2 (56:25):
You know, it's an era that that went away. It's God,
it's one.

Speaker 3 (56:30):
Halt Cogan knows to do. He's an out of that
old guy who was over for years, had who had
everything catered to them, and every bishop was a guy
who hung around Halt Cogan and made a lot of
money doing that, but didn't you know. The key was
when the time came, when time came, provistent, man, he
found a number horse to ride and it will hard

(56:51):
for him to do this, but he but he did
do it. Eric has not done that.

Speaker 2 (56:56):
Yep, maybe he's got I can't remember somebody's name. I
was just gonna make a joke. Yeah, well miss the moment.
Gosh that it's gonna drive me crazy. But let's go
on to Let's try to squeeze in a couple more
phone calls the last six minutes of the show, and
let's go to the UH nine here.

Speaker 3 (57:19):
Code nine one four.

Speaker 2 (57:20):
Welcome to the show. Please stay your name where you're from?

Speaker 3 (57:23):
Steve from Florida? Hey Steve, what do you have for
I said, Well, if it's okay, I'd like to talk
about raw from sure, let's talk wrong with.

Speaker 4 (57:32):
And based on some of the clues that the WW
is laid out for this mystery, general manager, who would
you say?

Speaker 3 (57:42):
Who would you say that you think it is? And
to answer your question as to what clues, I guess
interacting with John Steena having something with edge that sort
of thing.

Speaker 2 (57:57):
First, who who's your pick for the day?

Speaker 3 (57:59):
Part two?

Speaker 2 (57:59):
Being him?

Speaker 3 (58:01):
I said this before I don't think they have anybody
in mind. I think they think when that when they
comes time, that they'll have magical inspiration and someone will
and they'll they'll just do it. So no, I don't
they don't have those clues. I mean, they hin ended
it up with Steve Austen, they hinded up Roddy Piper
with hit them with some catphrases. I think they're hit

(58:23):
with Shawn Michaels. There's not gonna be eat of those people.
I don't think they have anybody. You know, Waye Teller
I think had a long shot with since Kevin Nash
either is or is out of DNA, if he was
leaving CNA that because of this kind of snarky ability
to to do little promos, that maybe he could be
the guy that it turns out to be. But I

(58:44):
sincerely doubt that too. I think they're just riding it
out and then when the time comes, they'll they'll do something.

Speaker 2 (58:52):
It makes more sense for Triple H to come back,
and it seem a shameless but what what what credits
do you give the idea that could be hunted.

Speaker 3 (59:02):
Ryn Well, I mean it could be hunter if they
want to, if they want to reveal that Huney's gonna
behind it all along. They turn him deal and he's
helping out, you know, he's helping out way there. So
I mean that that could be I doubt it real seriously, Yeah,
because I don't think he's gonna want to be associated

(59:23):
with that so called comedy with the laptop and that
kind of thing. I see it. So, I mean in
the beginning I kind of thought that was there, but
the way it kind of twisted around, I honestly, I
just don't think. I don't think they've I don't think
they've left any threats to be pulled. I mean, I
don't think there's anything there. And then I think one,
you know, I think they just they'll just come along
in one week and they'll either decide to drop it

(59:43):
all together and get somebody new, or they'll reveal so
and so and it won't make all that much sense
and we'll move off from there. We'll see, I don't know.

Speaker 2 (59:51):
Yeah, and who knows when, you know, it could be
this year, it could be next year. They could just
be dropped all together, you know, let me go.

Speaker 3 (59:59):
I think it'll be in the a few months, but.

Speaker 2 (01:00:01):
Uh, well, hope. So that's about.

Speaker 3 (01:00:03):
I mean, we're you're one of those.

Speaker 2 (01:00:05):
You know, there's some point where I think the audience
is starting if they haven't already.

Speaker 3 (01:00:09):
To lose interest completely.

Speaker 2 (01:00:11):
Uh, you know, they're not in the sweet spot of
the audience just being on the edge.

Speaker 3 (01:00:15):
Of their seat waiting to find out who it is.

Speaker 2 (01:00:18):
I think they're just kind of on the back of
their seat waiting back, just saying, Okay, well, when you
tell me, you tell me, and until then I won't care.

Speaker 3 (01:00:25):
That's where where we are right now.

Speaker 2 (01:00:27):
With that, so let's go to the eighth four seven
area code eight four to seven. Welcome to the show.
Please say name where you're from.

Speaker 20 (01:00:33):
It's Mark from Chicago.

Speaker 2 (01:00:35):
Hey, Mark, what ye first said?

Speaker 20 (01:00:37):
I just want to thank you guys for being so
analytic Kola and helping me in PW Torch because I
always just looked at rustling from one way, and you've
given me a way to look at it a whole
different way by being analyzing a little bit more and
get a little more out of it. I'm from the
days of the Awa, Dick, the Bruiserver and Ganya Bob Loose.
I grew up with all that, and it takes very
little entertainment. So I have to go along with James.

(01:01:00):
Isn't the fact that if it was good rustling Bruce
and it entertained me, it was good.

Speaker 2 (01:01:04):
Now I analyze it a little bit.

Speaker 20 (01:01:05):
More because of you guys now with storylines and everything.
But I can't apologize for watching something and saying, you
know what, that really was entertaining. Yeah, maybe the guys
who are seventy eighty years old in that ring, but
they entertaining if it entertains me. I can't apologize for that.
But I do agree with you, And it's just so
frustrating that both of these leagues. I don't know what
happens with guys from Independence when they come into the

(01:01:28):
WWE or the TNA. Why they don't just give them
a chance to show what they had in the Independence.
How they destroy so many characters by taking them giving
them stupid gimmicks. Let them show what made them famous
in the Independence.

Speaker 9 (01:01:41):
Give it a try.

Speaker 2 (01:01:41):
Can it really hurt.

Speaker 3 (01:01:44):
Frisk?

Speaker 2 (01:01:45):
Go ahead?

Speaker 9 (01:01:45):
Well, I mean they're getting over a brand, and so
they really see I mean, talking about WWA a nice
all of the time, but they're getting over a brand
in WWA, and so they have an idea, what they
want their man.

Speaker 3 (01:01:56):
Event how they want their manaventors to work. And yes,
there's sometimes there's sometimes you know, in particular, I think
of two and I'm sure you know what I'm thinking of,
where they throw out the baby with the bathwater, and
the old cliche goes, by the way, you have every
right to be entertained by what entertain I would never
say that you shouldn't think that, you know. They So

(01:02:17):
they think that they're they think that they're getting everybody
on the same page, and they're teaching the right way,
the way that the way it's going to attract the
most people and make them the most body. That's what
they see, and certainly there are people that can definitely
disagree with it. I think at this point there's not
a lot of guys in the indie scene, in the
Ring of Honor or anywhere else that that really brings

(01:02:38):
something to the table where you go, why don't they
let them be themselves? So it's who they are and
is forgiven for that.

Speaker 2 (01:02:47):
Down to the last forty five seconds in the show,
Mark thinks for that call. Apologies to the callers we
did not get to tonight. We'll have plug pb towards
dot com live coverage of Raw tonight p tob Towars
dot Com slash go vi IP if you're not a
Towards v IP member, if you want to hear more
of Bruce and last night's Torch audio roundtable discussing the
Valfred Roy pay per view with Wayde Keller and Pat

(01:03:09):
McNeal now as available for Torch v i P members
right now. You can ask us it right now. Bruce
final talks before I wrap up tonight.

Speaker 3 (01:03:19):
This is gonna be interested tonight. We'll see how the
next thing, how the next slavery single angle holds up
in the writing.

Speaker 1 (01:03:27):
Here you go.

Speaker 2 (01:03:27):
Thanks Bruce for joining me today.

Speaker 26 (01:03:49):
I'm Kelly Wells, host of p W t Talks NXT,
the longest running NXT podcast anywhere. Join me along with
Nate Lindberg, Bruce, Lee Hazelwood and special guests live every
Tuesday night, just minutes after NXT, where we cover the good,
the bad, and the ugly on the way to becoming
a star in WWE. Check us out live on YouTube
or stream later wherever you get your podcasts, lots Radio.

Speaker 1 (01:04:26):
Welcome to the PW Torch Live Cast. I am host
Wade Keller, editor and publisher of Pro Wrestling Torch Newsletter
and pw Torch dot Com, joined today Tuesday, October twelve,
twenty ten by Jason Powell of Pro Wrestling dot Net. Jason,
how's it going today?

Speaker 10 (01:04:43):
Trying to recover from a very late night with football
and raw all rolled into one. One of them was
really fun. One of them was one of the second
half for a while at least.

Speaker 1 (01:04:53):
Hey, I'll honestly, that was one of the most fun
losses I've watched. The Vikings play. I wanted to win.
I'm not saying I wasn't disappointed as a Viking fan,
but that was that was damn exciting. It's against maybe
the leading, you know, maybe the best team in the league,
maybe the best in the AFC, in their home stadium,
and that was a really good second half. First half

(01:05:14):
not not quite as not quite as exhilarating.

Speaker 3 (01:05:17):
Now, you know.

Speaker 10 (01:05:18):
But the defenses. Everyone's talking about far for you know,
several reasons. But the defense has been outstanding. Adrian Peterson's
having his best season. I mean, he just looks phenomenal.
Who is I'm sorry, Adrian Peterson. Oh yeah, he's holding
out at the ball and everyone's talking about Farv and Moss,
but Peterson's quietly having a great year. I just think
that if as long as far I say, elbow's okay,

(01:05:39):
I'm just not not panicking. It's I wrote on my
Twitter pages the most excited I've ever been about a
one to three football.

Speaker 1 (01:05:45):
Team, exactly. And I was watching the ESPN post game
show last night, had that on in the background, and
you know, not noth to get two in the football
here of Vikings because we're angering people listening right now.
But yeah, this is this is a team that could
lose the rest of their games looking at the schedule
and be the best one in fifteen team ever. But
they could also win the rest and go thirteen and three.
It'll probably be something in between. But you know, there's

(01:06:06):
no easy matches with this division this year and our
Auditivision games. But yeah, it's sad, though, what a week
New York has had over Minnesota. And I don't even
want to talk about that, man, I mean it's sad.
When the timber was in the wild, our best hope
to get some revenge on New York.

Speaker 10 (01:06:22):
Yeah, I was a painful moment on Sunday morning when
I grabbed my mail from Saturday and got to open
my ALCS playoff tickets to the Twins game.

Speaker 1 (01:06:31):
That was great. Yeah, yeah, well he saved some money.
That's always the brace, that's Trew.

Speaker 10 (01:06:36):
Yeah, I'm sure I'll apply that to a Vikings tickets
at some point throughout the season.

Speaker 1 (01:06:40):
Yeah, definitely. I was happy with what we saw with
Farv and Mos. You know Farvan Moss. I can't believe
the five hundredth touchdown of Far's career was to Randy Moss,
a guy he's been dreaming to throw in a pass
two for ten fifteen years.

Speaker 10 (01:06:51):
Yeah, you can't make that up. That was It was
something else.

Speaker 1 (01:06:53):
Yeah, I was the real I texted you, I said,
I can't believe this. I mean, who if you would
have said three years ago, far Of, we'll be passing
a Randy mouson a Viking jersey in twenty ten, I
seriously could't imagine a scenario that would lead to that.

Speaker 10 (01:07:04):
So yeah, I would have asked you if you were playing,
imagine football or something.

Speaker 1 (01:07:07):
Yeah, yep, all right. Well, a fun, fun couple of
days here in pro wrestling to kind of occupy our
mind a little bit, as our Minnesota sport. The Minnesota
sports fan part of us recovers and copes and goes
through the seven stages of whatever. Bound for Glory definitely
we want to take some calls and talk about that.
I think impacts the next couple weeks is going to

(01:07:27):
be really interesting to see how they work with a
whole new setup. One thing, Jason, that I like about
Bound for Glory is that TNA is putting their money
where their mouth is, so to speak. On making Bound
for Glory kind of what WrestleMania was for a long
time for WWE before what's read after WrestleMania, what paper

(01:07:51):
it's the backlash show, Backlash, thank you? Yeah, before Backlash
kind of became WrestleMania the sequel where they would just
kind of, you know, three weeks later throw a bunch
of rematches out. Bounce for Glory really is becoming the
end of one season in the beginning of a new
season for TNA. We saw a couple of years ago
with the main event Mafia. We saw last year with
I think the end of the main event Mafia, and

(01:08:13):
now I mean, we really do have a new situation.
And I'm not saying I like every move they made
or that I have faith in every move they made.
But I think when we look backwards, I don't know
if they planned it all out. But you know, all
the criticism that I had, and I'm mad enough to
say this, all the criticism that I had of the
Rob van dam decision to strip him of the title
under those circumstances, you can kind of look at this

(01:08:35):
now and say, well, Bishoff was covertly working against RVD.
He tricked Dixie into thinking the sensible thing to do
was to strip him of the title. As unfair and
stupid as it appeared, kind of in retrospect, some of
the things we'd be critical of TNA for doing, you
can kind of explain them away, whether it's part of
a master plan or just good twenty twenty hindsight, kind
of explain them away as being part of this master

(01:08:56):
plan from Bishoff and Hogan and maybe Jarrett to rest
control away from Dixie and and screw over RVD.

Speaker 10 (01:09:03):
You know, it's an interesting point you made about them
kind of resetting to some degree at Mound for Gloria.
I guess I didn't look at it that way. My
concern with Bound for Glory is that last year they
really did a great job of making it feel like
their biggest event, and this year they did that in
the first ten minutes of the pay per view. I
didn't feel like anything leading up to it really made

(01:09:23):
it seem special. You know, it was all about they
is going to be revealed and you know, the the
vacancy for the TNA title and all that, but it
just didn't feel like, this is the one pay per
view you have to see. This is our WrestleMania. You know,
they're never going to say it's our WrestleMania, but I think, yeah, really,
but I think they dropped the ball there a little bit.

(01:09:44):
I just wanted it to feel like a bigger event
than it was. There are some things that you can
look back on with Jeff Hardy turning, and it does
and just day in general, and it does make sense.
But I think there's also some pretty big gaps there
that I'm used to see if they try to address them.
You know, why was Jeff Hardy fighting Abyss constantly on

(01:10:06):
how Shows? And you know, not that how shows are
the most important thing or anything, though, but yeah, you know,
and it's not like they didn't have their moments on
television as well, and so I kind of feel like
they made this up as they went along one area,
or you know, I'll give them credit to is. I
was convinced that the reason Bishop wanted a three way
is because two of those guys were going to turn.

(01:10:28):
And I never even thought for a second that it
was because he wanted to guarantee that Jeff Hardy would
at least be in the match.

Speaker 1 (01:10:35):
Yeah, yeah, good point. I think it'd be interesting. And
I don't know if anybody's done this yet. I haven't
seen it. But if somebody listening to us wanted to
write a guest editorial, and this is for somebody who's
got kind of a mind for this and wants to
go through and list things that are consistent over the
last seven eight weeks with what we saw on Sunday,
you know, things that happened that, oh, in retrospect makes sense,

(01:10:57):
and then also create a counterless things that contradict what
happened on Sunday and the revelation of day with things
that happened over the past eight weeks. It'd be kind
of interesting, you know. And again you kind of have
to a mindset for details or really good memory or
willing to go through all the TV reports and really
pull out a lot of these details. But and even
house shows too. It'd be interesting to have on each

(01:11:18):
side of the scale kind of balance it out and
give them a grade. You know, how much are they
rewarding the viewer who pays really really close attention to detail?

Speaker 4 (01:11:28):
You know?

Speaker 1 (01:11:28):
Do they get a good pad on the back for
that or were they kind of sloppy? And do you
look at it like they were making it up as
they went along. I think it's a mixed bag, but
I think there's some things in retrospect that that do
make some sense. Of course, this is all not taking
into account what Bruce was critical of in the pay
per view roundtable on Sunday on the VIP site and
also what James Caldwell on the live cast yesterday, which

(01:11:50):
is our fans really gonna boo Jeff Hardy number one
if that's even the master plan? And number two, is
this really just Hulkogan and Eric Bishoff devising a major
store in line that keeps them relevant and involved and
they're really just kind of gloming off at Jeff Hardy
a little bit. And it too, And the big downside
to this is does it continue to send the message

(01:12:10):
to TNA fans perspective, TNA fans, on fringe TNA fans,
and even hardcore staunch loyal TNA fans. But they're still
living in nineteen ninety seven, nineteen ninety eight. Is this
still too much?

Speaker 10 (01:12:22):
Like?

Speaker 1 (01:12:22):
Well, let's use two thirds of the same players and
basically the same storyline in the same city and continue
to live in the past. And they're always That's always
a valid criticism of TNA is that they recycle too
many ideas. There's so many good ideas out there. It
seems like they continue to recycle the ones that they
remember and aren't familiar with.

Speaker 10 (01:12:43):
Yeah, boy, I think they are. I mean, I think
they just keep strolling down WCW memory lane. I to
think it. In this day and Agehulkgan and Eric Fischhoff
are leading a faction that's very similar to the nWo.
I just shake my head at it, and I keep
asking myself, don't they have any original ideas? The idea
to turn Hardy. I'm trying to keep an open mind

(01:13:05):
to it. But he was the most popular guy. He's
never worked a heel style. I'm not convinced he's going
to be the guy that goes out there and works
as a good heel. He's never been a good promo.
Maybe they can do the talking for him, but it
just brings back all the memories of when they turned
aj styles and when they tried to turn sting. Just
because Russo looks at these guys as characters, he doesn't

(01:13:27):
take the wrestling end of things into account. It's all about, oh,
the fans will never see this coming, so I'm going
to do this. And I don't think that swerves just
for the sake of swerves are beneficial, and he's never
learned that lesson.

Speaker 1 (01:13:41):
Yeah, yeah, I agree. I think I think Rob Vandam
and Jeff Hardy got two top baby faces, and so
the dilemma not a dilemma's not the right word. But
if you want to have a match between Hardy and
Rob van Dam where there is a protagonist and an antagonist,
at least this accomplishes that. I'm not sure if I
mean Jeff Hardy might have been a better baby face
then Rob, and maybe Rob Van Dam would have been

(01:14:02):
a better heel. But RVD is a little bit newer
and fresher in TNA, and and to a degree, I
think RVD can can cut his own baby. Neither Hardy
nor RVD are winning any interview with the Year Awards.
But I think Rob Van Dam might be a little
bit better reacting to this than Hardy would have on
the microphone, and Hardy might be better off having people
be his spokesman. But there's we've got some some not

(01:14:24):
necessarily fresh matchups, but when wrestlers now face each other,
there's a fresh backstory, and so we've got a number
of those situations. Even Jeff Jared turning heel, I can't
remember the last time he was heel in TNA. You
have to go way back. But so so there's that's
an interesting twist. Two in the mix. Kevin Nash probably
written out of things at this week's TV tapings, but

(01:14:46):
but we've got the intrigue with staying and how he
kind of reconciles everything that happened and if he gets repositioned.
But it's still I just hate when it seems like
TNA is doing everything. Everything that TNA does is just
a thinly veiled attempt to make sure that Dixie Carter's
engaged and getting her ego stroke by being on TV.
She would deny it and not understand what's happening. But

(01:15:08):
it's a game that's been played over and over and
over again on money Marks and the same game is
being played on her. And it doesn't mean it doesn't
make for Oka TV. It could, you know, I'm not
I'm not even judging the specifics. I'm just saying so
much of this seems to be how do we, as
old people with power who still can't wrestle and have
overstayed our welcome, possibly write a storyline that makes us

(01:15:29):
central And I would have liked to have seen at
some point abound for glory, shift the balance to younger
stars and really really make that statement that we are
moving towards a new direction of making a new statement.
And they can justify all they want. They don't have
the young talent with enough experience to do that. Morgan's
not ready, Bruce Magnuts isn't ready. But really, everybody they're

(01:15:51):
pushing now have to wear T shirts or walk to
the ring on crutches, or can't take bumps anymore, or
are you know, brittle and injury prone. I mean, you
can make the same case against Sting and Kevin Nash
and hul Kogan and a lot of the veterans that
they're pushing in a different way that you make to
justify not pushing the young guys because they're not ready.
So it's kind of the same story in that way. Unfortunately,

(01:16:14):
coming out of Bound for Glory.

Speaker 10 (01:16:15):
The thing that scares me about Dixie is that they
are obviously trying to cater to her ego by making
her such a prominent part of television, but also that
they're making her look like a moron. And I don't
know that she picks up on that.

Speaker 1 (01:16:27):
No, I don't think she does. But that's the irony.
Quick thoughts on Raw last night? Do you like what
they're doing to set up Breaking Rights and the team
rock concepts cempunk? Moving over, what's your headline coming out
of Brawl last night?

Speaker 10 (01:16:41):
Well, you know, it's kind of a selfish headline. I mean,
I guess the obvious one is, you know, seeing in
Nexus Part two in the great way Barrett John Cena
confrontation at the end of the show. But the selfish
one for me a few weeks ago, I was talking
about the one thing I'd like to see them carry
over from MMA is create the feeling that a finish
can happen even in the first minute of a big match,

(01:17:03):
and I think they I don't know if it's by
design or not, but I kind of got the feeling
that that's what they were going for. Last night with
Evan barn and Seamus, we saw I'm sorry, not Evan Borne,
but Seamus and Daniel Bryan because last week it was
very Mma like when Seamus just hit him with those
knees repeatedly, and then last night you saw Brian go
right after him with those elbows. You notice that live

(01:17:24):
crowd went crazy. Part of it's you know, they were
in Daniel Bryant country, but they're chanting this is awesome
within the first minute of a match. And this isn't
a TNA crowd that's just going to go nuts for anything.
This was a WWE crowd and they really bought into that.
And it just backs up what I said. I really
think you can condition fans to believe, maybe not you wrestle,
meaning a main event or every pay per view main event,

(01:17:46):
but TV matches, especially that that finish can come at
any time. So don't just settle in as they do
the color and elbow hookup. It just be on the
edge of your seat, because you never know when that
finish is going to come.

Speaker 1 (01:18:00):
Anytime you're watching WWE Raw or SmackDown or AEW Dynamite
in particular, send us an email if you've got thoughts
on the show or a topic you want us to
address or a question for us. Wadekeller Podcast at pwtorch
dot com. Wadkeller Podcast at pewtorch dot com. If there's
anything else going on in pro wrestling that you want
us to address on our main podcast during our Mailbank segments,

(01:18:22):
that same email applies Wade Keller Podcast at pwtorch dot com.
We invite that interaction. Let us know what you think
of what we're saying, and let us know what you
want us to talk about and ask us specific questions.
Wadekeller Podcast at pw torch dot com. Yes, good point,
and I think they rebuild Brian a little bit last

(01:18:43):
night too. I was I liked the concept and I
endorse the concept of the MMA at finishing comp anytime.
I don't like Daniel Bryan looking as somebody who's emerging
but not proven yet, and you got Michael Cold diminishing
him into meeting him at every turn. I've got it
hurt Daniel Brian last week, but I think what they
did last night helped bring Brian back as somebody who Okay,

(01:19:04):
he wasn't ready for that match, but he hung with Shamus,
who's an established made of matteror now. As strange as
that sounds to someone who has been away for a year,
it did rebuild Brian a little bit. So yeah, I mean,
it's just you have to pick it. You have to
do it with the right people. If you're going to
do that dominating mma, finish the quick, the quick win,
you have to pick the right people and make sure
it doesn't just it just doesn't just affirm a weakness

(01:19:27):
a week, a perception of weakness that a certain wrestler
like maybe Brian or Born have. You've got to do
it with somebody else and actually go all the way
with it.

Speaker 10 (01:19:34):
Yeah, yeah, that's fair statement. I just you can you
can just create that illusion across the board and it's
not even illusion because you can do it enough on
television where it comes out of nowhere. I mean, we
saw two very quick finishes on Raw last week, and
I think that's primarily because they were focused so much
on John Cena and Nexus. But it does go to
show that it can be accomplished.

Speaker 1 (01:19:55):
I'm like in Wade Barrett more and more as time
goes on. I think Wwe has a good find in him.
I think in the Ring he's shown some good stuff
in the last couple in ring performances, and I think
his interaction with Sina he is rising to the occasion.
I think they've breathed some new life into the Nexus
by having Otongua kind of step up as the number
two personality, kind of pulling some strings. I liked, you know,

(01:20:17):
he's kind of slick and how he said, yeah, I'll
take on Orton, but I bet Gabriel's four to fifty
would be really effective against him, and Gabriel was like, sure,
I'll do it. You know, it just kind of innocent,
you know, kind of blissfully unaware that Otongo is really
trying to avoid a beating. So a tongue is coming
across as kind of a heel compared to even Barrett.
But Barrett's a strong enough heel against Sena that it's

(01:20:38):
not like Barrett's turning babyface. So just some good stuff.
I mean, I'm more interested in Raw now than I
have been in a while. Because I think they've got
some intriguing new personality mixes going and I think Seeampunk
being in there too add something new. I think he
adds more than Edge does at this point.

Speaker 10 (01:20:57):
I did too, And I noticed there was no straight
Edge here on Sampunk last night. And maybe maybe, for
all I know, the next promo he does will be
all about straight Edge. But uh, maybe they're gonna shake
things up with him going to raw.

Speaker 3 (01:21:07):
I tore them all for them.

Speaker 10 (01:21:09):
Yeah, I do too, And and I just think that, uh,
Wade Barrett, I keep saying it, but he's gonna be
high on my MVP voting list. I mean, he's not
the big money draw that you want an MVP, but
this is he's the glue that's keeping WWE's big summer
angle relevant as we get into the fall, and I
think it's going to be even more relevant come winter time.

(01:21:30):
It's he's done a hell of a job from them.
It's it's been a great find. He's so good on
the MIC. He still has a lot to prove in
the ring, but he's just doing a great job.

Speaker 1 (01:21:38):
I agree, We'll got a lot of people on hold,
and we haven't give him phonenumbers out yet. Let's do
that the number six four six seven eight two eight
at six four six eight. We've got seven people on
hold who want to talk on today's show. Thanks to
everybody for your patients. As Jason and I work through
some major issues here on our pre phone call discussion,
we will get phone calls in and just a moment here,

(01:22:01):
I do want to make note that we the chat
room is open and has been since the start of
the show, So if you're listening to us live, go
for we invite you to join the chat room. Somebody
in the chatroom just said raw ratings are in and
it's a two point nine. I haven't haven't seen that
yet on my end, but that that sounds about right, Jason,

(01:22:21):
two point nine. I mean I, if I had to predict,
I would guess the probably would droop a low three
point zero based on the Jets Vikings game. So it
sounds about right. I don't know that that should be
a huge It's a little bit of a doubt or
for WWE, but not a huge crushing blow considering that
they were at you know, two eight and two seven
a couple of weeks ago with less stringent or less

(01:22:43):
a little bit less competition a Mouday Night football.

Speaker 10 (01:22:45):
You know, I'm going to say it's a little bit
lower than I expected because WWE caught a big break
last night with that game being postponed until fifteen minutes
in the raw, and then the first half was so dull.
I thought, definitely they may have hooked some people and
got him in, you know, if nothing else flipping channels,
But it is hard to compete with the New York
team the Brett Favre scandal. Randy Mosses first, that was

(01:23:07):
a pretty loaded Monday night lineup.

Speaker 1 (01:23:09):
Yeah, yeah, it definitely was. All Right, Well, let's go
to the phone lines and see what colors want to
talk about today, and we'll begin with Eric code two
eight one. Thanks for calling. Please state your name and
where you're from.

Speaker 25 (01:23:21):
Hey, way, Hey Jason, it's Jay out of Houston.

Speaker 3 (01:23:23):
How are y'all doing doing great? Jay?

Speaker 1 (01:23:24):
Thanks for colling. What's on your mind today?

Speaker 27 (01:23:27):
Well?

Speaker 25 (01:23:28):
I haven't called in a week because that VIP section
is kept me very busy.

Speaker 28 (01:23:33):
We say, look, you know I love Ruth Ribbing in.

Speaker 25 (01:23:37):
The valfeld Wood.

Speaker 21 (01:23:38):
You know I love that.

Speaker 25 (01:23:40):
Oh, and I have all in opinions as well. Let's
see Samoa Joe once your nates to look like fool
with the whole Jeff jaerre think, why would Jared even
turn on him? If Joe with the one brought into
this mess, he had nothing to do with it?

Speaker 1 (01:23:56):
I think j j hold on that, well, hold on
one second, because I meant that Jason about that too.
Because when I was kind of writing my cover story
last night for this week's newsletter, and I was kind
of matching up different people who kind of match up
in feud here, Joe's kind of the Joe's not the
odd man out, But I'm not quite sure where Joe
fits in. Is he gonna feud with Jeff Jarrett now?
And if so, do you get what the full backstory

(01:24:17):
is like Jay brought up? Does Joe seem like a
is it obvious where he fits into this?

Speaker 10 (01:24:23):
No, I'm really going to reach for him here and
say that Jarrett needed an ally that wasn't someone that
would be associated with Bischoff and Hogan. Joe was that
guy that got what they could out of him. They
used him, didn't think he'd be part of he'd want
to be part of this, and so they got rid
of him. I'm hoping that the idea is that they
didn't want him and he wasn't willing to hook up

(01:24:46):
with staying those guys, and so now he's back to
being kind of a lone wolf like he should be.
But that's really reaching for him. I definitely don't want
to see a Simoa Joe and Jeff Jarrett feud.

Speaker 1 (01:24:57):
Yeah, I mean, I'm intrigued to see where Jared what
what Jared does. I'm not I'm not as down on
a Jared Joe feud as you are, Jason, but because
any anything that gets Joe consistently into the mix, as
with with the guys that TNA is gonna push, and
you know, this is a very creative way to make
Jared relevant again after being irrelevant for the past few years.
So maybe it would work as a short term feud,

(01:25:19):
and especially if then he can move up and take
on some of the higher heels than Jared and and
eventually get back into that title picture. If if he
and management can get on the same page. I don't
think that's a bad thing. But anyway, Jay, go ahead
and continue with your thoughts.

Speaker 25 (01:25:33):
Let me say this the only way I'd I'd be
even remoentsted and a Joe jaff you is if you
are doing with groups, said a couple of years ago.
Joe just steamrolls. Yeah, I mean absolutely steamrolls. Lock him
in a cage, spam, tap out UFC staff.

Speaker 27 (01:25:50):
That's it.

Speaker 25 (01:25:51):
Shared is not a main adventure. I am so sick
of him.

Speaker 1 (01:25:55):
Uh, Jay, don't don't don't, don't hold your breath on
that happening.

Speaker 27 (01:26:00):
Oh yeah, I know.

Speaker 25 (01:26:03):
But RVD has all the heel charisma. I mean, if
you just look at his tweets and he really comes
across so so smarmy and if I wow, how did
I not pick up on this?

Speaker 1 (01:26:15):
I know, Yeah, I mean, I know, I think I
think Rob van Dam could be a great heel. I
just think he I mean, Jason, if you were presented
with a vote right now and you could rewind the clock,
would you rewind it and switch those roles?

Speaker 10 (01:26:31):
You know, I'd even I wouldn't go with either one
of them. I'd go with mister Anderson.

Speaker 1 (01:26:36):
Okay, Well, if you had I'm going to cornerate tho.
If you had to cho between RVD and and Hardy
as as the if you if you flip their roles
in the last eight weeks. Would you have Hardy the
one who got beat up by a bits and lost
the world title, and have RBD in the three way
and and turn heel at the end, or would you
do what they did if it was if it was
a choice between those two.

Speaker 10 (01:26:53):
Oh, if it's choice between those two of Rob van
dam is the heels, that'd be okay. Every time. I mean,
I just I can't even wrap my mind around them
making Jeff party the heal.

Speaker 1 (01:27:02):
And I wonder if they just thought, well, it's so unexpected,
you know, it's just it's.

Speaker 10 (01:27:05):
So exterucial washic. I mean, that's that's every turn that
it seems like they've ever made. Is no one's going
to see it coming, So let's do it. And he
doesn't think about anything other than surprising people.

Speaker 1 (01:27:14):
Yeah yeah, go ahead, Jay, Uh yeah Yeah.

Speaker 25 (01:27:18):
And I think RVB is the kind of cool that
Holden and Bishop should have been looking for, you know,
the kind of cool was like pay you know, I mean,
his promos too cool for school, I'm better.

Speaker 27 (01:27:30):
Than everybody else, Ye came back.

Speaker 25 (01:27:33):
His promo would have been phenomenal, Like, hey.

Speaker 6 (01:27:35):
Are you really surprised?

Speaker 25 (01:27:37):
Yeah, Jeff didn't have to say anything, because I mean,
Jeff Hardy had just come out of the WWE being
a top star, RVB had come out of nowhere that match.
Hardy could have beat RVD. Instead, RVD could have had
sour grace about that, Hey hey, why did he beat me?
I'm the big star. Then they could have set everything
in motion and it would have made some semblance of

(01:28:00):
sense and credibility that this as TNA was.

Speaker 27 (01:28:02):
Talking about here.

Speaker 25 (01:28:03):
Yeah, so, oh, Jared, you know, you know I read
the spoilers and turd Angle cutting a frum on Jared
and Men's eating again and bringing up his xlife just
like give me a break.

Speaker 1 (01:28:16):
Yeah, yeah, I know. I mean you saw this play
out and you kind of thought, we're going to see
we're going to a lot of stuff that's happened in
the past couple years that really nobody cares about is
going to be brought up under the philosophy that the
more the more you can incorporate real life into angles,
the better. And I just I don't buy that philosophy anymore.
Maybe in nineteen eighty three it made some sort of difference,

(01:28:38):
but I mean today, I just think tell a good
story and if the good story happens to happens to
match any similar to reality, great, But if it doesn't,
no big deal at all. I don't think you get
any bonus points for a storyline having some connection to
something that happened in real life because the people who
are going to know about that real life situation enough
for it to you know, make sense to them, they're

(01:29:00):
also the ones who knows know so firmly that everything
is scripted and orchestrated that they're not going to think
anything about it is actually any more real. You know,
nobody's gona think Jeffchaire is gonna shoot on Curta Angle.
No one's gonna think that who's aware of the fact
that there's a real life issue. The only people who
might think it could become a real fighter the people
who are aren't plugged in enough to know the insider stuff.

(01:29:21):
So I just think it's a bankrupt philosophy to take
that approach. J Any, quit closing words before you can
move on to other callers.

Speaker 3 (01:29:29):
Yeah, yeah, just one more day.

Speaker 1 (01:29:30):
Sure.

Speaker 25 (01:29:30):
You know, there's one thing that I really respect about
PW toy consistency. I was listening to you talking five
years ago. You were talking about them. Banny Kristin wants
diving head, but what are we gonna do find them?

Speaker 28 (01:29:42):
Yet?

Speaker 25 (01:29:43):
I love how you are always stick to your guns,
and it's like you even back then you said, hey,
then lot going to end up in a wheelchair something
even worse. And a lot of things, unfortunately, a lot
of things that who are telegraphed have come to pass
a lot of things as tna WW.

Speaker 27 (01:29:58):
So everybody, PW sort. That's all I got for you today.

Speaker 1 (01:30:03):
Thanks Jay, I appreciate that very much. If you're intersted
in a VIP membership that Jay's talking about, go to
PW Torch dot com slash go vip. That's PW Torch
dot com slash go vip, find out all the details
and sign it up. Getting access to those back issues
that Jay has been reading from five years ago, and
we've also got back issues from twenty years ago. Hundreds
and hundreds of back issues are posted already in PDF
format and text format, tons of audio every week. Add

(01:30:25):
free access to the site, access to a PDF of
the new Progressing Torch newsletter, which we just posted today,
nineteen pages with tons of coverage from a wide variety
of perspectives and angles, on Sunday's Bound for Glory. So anyway,
hope you'll check that out and help support PW Torch.
If you love this live cast, I think you'll really
enjoy a VIP membership.

Speaker 29 (01:30:48):
Do you remember when Hulk Hogan shot the world and
formed the New World Order? Or when Stone Cold Steve
Austin passed down on the sharpshooter to breadth the hit
man heard. I'm Torch contributor Frank Petty Any and I've
reviewed these shows and many more for my exclusive VIP podcast,
Pro Wrestling Than and Now. Together with a rotating chair
of co hosts, we go back ten, twenty, even thirty years,

(01:31:11):
review pay per views from top to bottom, talk about
where the wrestlers were at the time, and compare what
took place then to what is taking place now. You
get exclusive access to these and other podcasts as part
of your PW Torch VIP membership, which is compatible with
the Apple Podcasts app. Visit pwtorch dot com slash go
vip for details and sign.

Speaker 2 (01:31:33):
Up for.

Speaker 1 (01:31:39):
All Right, let's go back to the phone lines and
go to our second caller, Airy Coode six one four.
Please stay your name and where you're from.

Speaker 3 (01:31:47):
Hey, how you doing? This is Jamal Bill.

Speaker 27 (01:31:49):
I'm out of Columbus, Ohio.

Speaker 1 (01:31:51):
Hey, Jamal, thanks for calling. What's on your mind?

Speaker 27 (01:31:54):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (01:31:55):
My first time calling, so I'm pretty fun.

Speaker 1 (01:31:57):
So I just want to how do you hear about it?

Speaker 9 (01:32:00):
You know?

Speaker 3 (01:32:01):
Well, actually I heard.

Speaker 27 (01:32:03):
I've been listening for about a couple of months now,
and now I really like the way you uh, you know,
respect the callers and I love you guys' opinion, and
you know, I may not agree with it all the time,
but I like hearing it because sometimes you say things
that I didn't think about, you know, and I've been alone.

Speaker 1 (01:32:21):
I'm sorry, but I've.

Speaker 27 (01:32:23):
Been a long time wrestling fan for a while, dating
back all the way to UWS, W, CW and a
little bit of WW.

Speaker 6 (01:32:32):
But one of the.

Speaker 27 (01:32:33):
Questions that I had, I was quite actually quite impressed
with Raw last night. I've it's been a I mean,
I've never really bought into the Shamus. I just haven't
bought into his character, but for some reason, him and
Daniel Bryan that match really impressed me. I really like
how Seamus was selling Daniel Brian when I didn't think

(01:32:55):
he would, especially based on last week and I just wonder,
have you guys bought into Shames yet, especially since that
is talking about how good Wade Barrett is doing. Have
you bought into the same this yet.

Speaker 1 (01:33:07):
That's a that's a great question, Jason. I can't remember
in your draft if you had Seamouth or Wade Bear
at higher when you did the picks for the PW
Torch draft this year. Based on today, October twelfth, Who's
who's higher in your list right now?

Speaker 10 (01:33:21):
Still Seamous? I just think that he's proven more at
this point. Maybe you know, maybe wayde Barre. It will
change my mind over time. But you know, when other
people were complaining that, oh, he's just Hunter's weightlifting buddy,
I'm like, this guy's got something, you know. And I
have been very impressed by Seamus. I thought he did
a great job as a WWE champion and hack. As

(01:33:42):
far as I'm concerned, they never should have taken the
title off him the first time. It would have meant
so much more they kept it on him and had
a long term title ran with him.

Speaker 1 (01:33:49):
Bruce was talking about that yesterday in the live cast,
how it'd be good for WWE, especially with you know,
brother Ray talking about holding the tag team titles for
twenty two times and Edge talking about being a one
hundred and eighty time I'm world champion or you know
whatever I mean at some and I wrote a cover
story in this about a month ago. It'd be great
to see Randy Orton hold this world title for eighteen months,
you know, and really make that. It would take about

(01:34:10):
ten months for it to become an issue, like a
selling point, you know, where you could just sell pay
per views on the idea of who's going to take
the title for more. No one's had a hotter streak
since since you know, Hulk Hogan back in ninety two
or you know, whatever the dates are. I had that
all in my cover story, all the stats on how
long champions have held the title and when the last
time was someone held it more than a year. But
you can play that up and sort of like Brett

(01:34:31):
Farb last Night of Monday Night Football, you know, breaking
a record and you know break breaking a record.

Speaker 6 (01:34:38):
And then you know.

Speaker 1 (01:34:40):
Moving up on the charts and all that kind of
things that can be something that's a selling point. And yeah,
it could have worked for Seamus and it still works
for Randy. I like the idea of statistics and long
streaks of being a champion and all that being something
that they use as a selling point, and it's a
tool they don't use because they've overdone the rapid fire
rapid fire title changes. To your point, though, Jamal, I

(01:35:03):
like way Barrett a lot and I like Seamus a lot,
and I think Seamus is a little bit more proven
in big matches. But Wade Barrett, I mean again, I
like them both, but personality wise, Way Barrett showing me
a little more versatility as far as having that leadership
quality and probably being able to play multiple characters. I
think Barrett and Seamus are are two top tier players

(01:35:25):
in WWA for a long time. And I think Barrett's
the real surprise of the last three months, a real
pleasant surprise of the last three months. But Seamus and Brian,
I mean, see, this is the thing that it's kind
of like what Chris Benwan did for MVP. Everyone looked
at MVP as he might be a you know, he
might be a guy who can move into main events,
and and and then he had a series of matches
with ben Wan, people said, oh, MVP is for real,

(01:35:48):
but he didn't follow up on that and have the
same types of matches with others. Daniel Brian's going to
be somebody who elevates, makes other people look better than
they are, brings out the best in other people. He's
that good and that realistic, and so Seamus is maybe
gonna look a little better than he is against Brian.
But the fact that Seamus looked as good the last
couple of weeks, with that viciousness and that believability is

(01:36:10):
something that I think they should look at and continue
to build on. I just think Daniel Bride's a great acquisition,
and I'm again another unexpected surprise in WW this year
is the fact that Daniel Brian's got a regular role
on WWETV. I mean I was watching Evan Born and
Daniel Brian at r O H shows, you know, a
couple years ago. I remember when Evan Borne made his
URWAH debut. He drove drove into Saint Paul, Minnesota from

(01:36:30):
Saint Louis and UH and worked with us. I think
it was hilarious in an early match on an r
H show, and I was backstage when Evan Borne walked
back after the match and Gabe Sapalski said, you're hired.
I mean, and Bourne was just like it was a
dream come true. He's like, can you He actually said,
can you travel to Chicago with us for tomorrow night show?
And Bourne's like, I'm there to see him now and

(01:36:52):
Daniel Bryan both getting some substantial TV time. Even though
it's not a perfect push, they're that it's great to see.
It's a place the prize and there are two guys
who showed us the last couple of weeks and really
in recent weeks how much better they can make other
people look because of their athleticism and their bump taking
ability and how realistic they do everything. And I think
people like Seamus and Barrett benefit from that and seeing

(01:37:13):
it even benefits from that, you know.

Speaker 10 (01:37:16):
Guys that have to be frustrated right now anytime. It
seems like there's been a couple of major ROSH defections
that were simultaneous, and obviously both Nigel McGinnis and Daniel
Brian tried to go to w w E. Nigel didn't
get in because of his pre screening medical issue, but
Samoa Joe cm punk. I think if anyone a Ring

(01:37:36):
of Honor has that option of going to one or
the other boy, they really have to look at the
guys where they ended up and how they've done. And
I think they're going to choose WWE every time, not
just for the money, but there was a time when
it was, you know, they were concerned that now they're smaller,
guys are just not going to be pushed properly. That
has to be erased right now with what they're doing
with Daniel Bryan and you know just how much they've

(01:37:59):
ACCOMPLI so far as.

Speaker 1 (01:38:00):
Shampunk Yep, yep, good point. Jamal Any closing comments, Oh.

Speaker 27 (01:38:06):
Yeah, I just wanted to say I tried so hard
to like TNA and and if they've really been ever
since Hogan and Bischoff got in there, it's just really
been bad. I mean, I really missed Cornette when he
was doing the booking. I never thought I would say
that either, but I kind of missed Cornett's booking and
I'm not really feeling everything that's going on, and they're

(01:38:28):
just it's just not believable. And it seems like that
show moves too fast.

Speaker 3 (01:38:32):
It's like if you.

Speaker 27 (01:38:32):
Miss one week, someone else just.

Speaker 10 (01:38:34):
Turned heel and it's like, wait a minute, wasn't he
just the face.

Speaker 27 (01:38:37):
Of what happened, and I just wonder, do you think
that TNA is moving too fast with their storylines?

Speaker 1 (01:38:43):
And then I'll go, uh cool, hey, hey Jamal. Before that,
I asked you where you hear about us? And you
told us you've been listening for a while. But where
did you first hear about our live cast here?

Speaker 27 (01:38:51):
I think? Well, I actually I was searching for a
wrestling podcast and I had a few listens and and
when I when I found you over to AUS, I
just really liked the fact that you know, it wasn't
a bunch of foul language, and you guys get to
the point and you connect wrestling with like politics, and
I just like that because that's how I look at it.

Speaker 1 (01:39:11):
So cool. I just like that you have varied opinions
and everything excellent. I appreciate you call on and I
hope you call again. Jason, any comment all right, thanks
a lot, Yeah, appreciate it. Any follow up on his
final comments too?

Speaker 2 (01:39:22):
There?

Speaker 10 (01:39:23):
Well, he was so kind that I hate to correct him.
Chudem Cornett never really truly booked TNA. He was kind
of responsible for trying to filter out some of the
Evince Russo insanity and keep him in check. A little bit,
but he never really booked the actual product. I mean,
TNA moving too fast has been a problem for a
long long time, and I don't know that it's necessarily

(01:39:43):
become harder to keep up with since Hogan Bischoff arrived.
I think it's as long as Vinnie Ruse had the book,
it's been pretty hard to keep up. If you miss
a week, you're just baffled, going what did I miss?
What happened?

Speaker 1 (01:39:57):
It's better than it used to be. I mean, when
I went sixty minutes on Thursday night, they would open
the show. Mike Today would say, welcome to pro wrestling.
Sixty minute adrenaline rush, you know, that was their catchphrase.
And and and Vince Russell thinks everybody has add like
he does, you know. And I don't mean that clinically.
I just mean from from us a attention span standpoint.
And maybe I shouldn't use that term flippantly like that,
but it is that there's this non clinical attention deficit

(01:40:21):
disorder that Vince Ruzoe's booking has. And I think he
thinks everybody feels the same way he doesn't. I don't
think he understands that people don't mind just settling into
their settling in their into their comfortable chair and enjoying
wrestling without being bombarded like a fireworks show. You know,
his idea of a good fireworks show was the last
minute of a firework show in July fourth, or they
just set it all off and really people like the

(01:40:42):
first half hour leading up to that. You know, it's
and he doesn't really get that. He don't. I don't
know if it's a matter being self centered and thinking
everybody's like him or what. But they've had a problem
with that their entire existence. And I think they're better
now than they've been in a while. Yet it's still
a problem. And I agree with you, Jason. You miss
a week and you're just like what happened? And I
mean they're already breaking up acts that they just put together.

(01:41:03):
It's one of Russo's bad habits is he'll form a
team and then break them up on week two before
it means nothing. And again it's because he's envisions in
his mind these two would be good if they feuded,
so to mean more if they're together and break up.
So let's pull them together and then next week break
them up. And there's so many frustrating things about it.
But yeah, you're right about Cornett. He was more kind

(01:41:24):
of a voice of reason, which is a weird phrase
to use with Cornett, but a voice of reason or
a counterpoint. But he never really had the book, and
it is worth pointing that out. But Cornett's been a
booking team member a lot of places, and he's been
a very frustrated man much of his life because of it.

Speaker 10 (01:41:43):
So let me add there's a profig example of vent
Russo and that add style book and booking that you're
referring to is that Gauntlet Battle Royal, which I refer
to as the Royal Rumbelan meth. I mean, that was
just insanity. Every forty five seconds someone's coming out. It
focused on nothing other than you know, a bish. They

(01:42:05):
had all these feuds going into bound for glory. And
that's the great thing about a Royal Rumble style match
is that you can tell different stories. They didn't tell
any A guy would make it to the ring and
then the next entrance music is playing behind him. That
was all out chaos.

Speaker 3 (01:42:21):
I agree.

Speaker 1 (01:42:22):
Just just got confirmation on the raw numbers, by the way,
so I'll jump in with that before I go to
another call a two point eighty nine rating, so that
averages up to a two point nine, and I have
no idea what that was, so yeah, just confirming that number.
Not a lot else to add. It looks like, well,
let me look at the demographics real quick, live on

(01:42:44):
the air here. Yeah, men eighteen forty nine they lost.
They went from a two point five to a two
point zero, so a big loss there. They actually gained
among male teams compared to last week, believe it or not,
The male twelve to seventeen audience went up from a
two point seven to a three point two. The other
just all adults men and women eighteen to forty nine
was down three tenths of a point. So yeah, you know,

(01:43:08):
it looks like they held. They actually gained among teams,
But the real chunk came out of the demo you
would expect, which is men eighteen to forty nine they
went from a two five to a two, and then
eighteen to thirty four they went from a two point
three to a one point six. So if you're eighteen
and older, you're a big NFL fan and your loyalty
lives with the NFL over raw. If you're a teenage teenager.

(01:43:28):
Then your loyalty lives with Rock.

Speaker 10 (01:43:30):
So yeah, and I also forgot there was a pretty
big baseball game on last night too. I've been so
focused on Monday Night Football that there was a decider
and I think it ended up being the decided game.
Bobby Cox's last game as a manager with the Giants
and the Braves last night.

Speaker 1 (01:43:44):
Yep, good point. Yeah, It's not quite at the level of,
you know, a game seven Red Sox Yankees game marquee wise,
but a couple of decent size markets and you know,
deciding game and I'm sure that took a chip out
of it too. Haven't seen Monday Night on Monday Night
Football ratings yet. I'm going to look that up after
the show. Here assume they did some pretty good some
pretty good numbers. Uh, Jason, somebody asked this in the

(01:44:05):
uh uh in the chat room, and it's a valid,
a valid, pertinent question. Is there anything about Hogan's hospitalization
and back issues that you think was embellished with a
lot of embellished, a little bit embellist. What's your take
on that and what are you hearing?

Speaker 10 (01:44:18):
Yeah? I do think some of it. You know, he
has legit back issues. This was not an, you know,
an all out work, but I think the timing aspect
of it was. I think they decided to take some
liberties with the timing of it. There were a couple shot.
There was the one that ended up online the day
of impact that looked really bizarre like that. That's just

(01:44:39):
so phony it it probably is real, because it's just
I can't imagine somebody trying to like create a hospital
scene and use that as the photo. It just puts
over the top, especially for a back problem. He's got
all these you know, wires stuck to his chest and
everything like what. But you know, I do think that
he legitimately had that. That procedure that they talked about,

(01:45:02):
I don't know. The timing of it very similar to
something that someone I know went through with that device
where all the lead wires go in so they can
test it and then if it if it works, then
they go back and do another surgery to insert the
device permanently. Person I know had it done. It was
a bladder issue. Hogan obviously is final, but I if

(01:45:25):
that device is inserted in him as it is the
person that I know, he's not gonna be able to
take a bump over again. I mean it's it's over
for Hogan's wrestling career. I mean up beyond punch kick
and you know, cover somebody quick. As far as Hogan
really wrestling in a true match again, if that device
is an inside him, it's done.

Speaker 3 (01:45:42):
Wow.

Speaker 1 (01:45:43):
Good good insight. If if you want to join us
on the phone lines, we lost a couple of callers
because they've been on hold for a long time, probably
out things to do. But we've got three people on hold.
If you want to be fourth in line, the number
is six four six seven nine two weight Jason. Before
we take the next call, I want to be sure
we fit this in. Please give a plugs for your
website and also the membership option in your website.

Speaker 10 (01:46:05):
Absolutely. If you didn't get enough audio and gapping for
me today, I did post an all access audio that's
available to everybody who goes over to Pro Wrestling Dot
neto pop up on iTunes a little bit later as well,
reviewing the raw show on the membership side of things. Yesterday,
before the TNA Impact taping, I was telling you what
was going to open the show and also giving you
a major storyline development regarding the new faction. I guess

(01:46:27):
we'll just call them Day and another group of wrestlers
in TNA that was I don't want to spoil it
for anybody that's out there now, but I had it
up there or of the members exclusively before the Impact
taping started yesterday, and tons of audio. On the membership
side the ad free version, you get access to the
dot net. Members form a lot of fun people to
correspond with in there, and you can do so for

(01:46:49):
just five dollars and fifty cents a month. By heading
over to Pro Wrestling dot Net find that sign up area,
you can't miss it, and you can get almost instantaneous
access to all those perks I just talked about.

Speaker 1 (01:47:00):
Sounds great. You don't have to wait for the way
Keller Pro Wrestling post show to find out what I
thought of Monday Night Raw and SmackDown. Each week, you
can check out my reports that are updated live throughout
Raw and SmackDown at pwtorch dot com. My written report
will tell you what's happening in detail in case you

(01:47:22):
missed the show, and it will also analyze key segments
and give my random thoughts quips on what I'm watching
as it airs. So check it out every Monday night
and Tuesday night at pwtorch dot com. That also applies
to wwepayperviews. I cover those live at pw torch dot
com with a detailed written report with star ratings, and
of course you can find other TV reports from other

(01:47:43):
contributors to PW torch such as nxt roh, Impact Wrestling,
and more. Check it out pwtorch dot com your first
stop for TV and pay per view written reports. Let's
go back to the phone lines and go to Eric

(01:48:05):
code sixty three one. Thanks for holding patiently. Please stay
you name and where you're from.

Speaker 3 (01:48:09):
Hey, what's going on?

Speaker 6 (01:48:10):
Sollas?

Speaker 3 (01:48:10):
My name is Will. I'm calling from New York.

Speaker 1 (01:48:12):
Hey, Will, i'd welcome you to the show with more enthusiasm,
But you're from the state that's destroyed our hopes and dreams.
That's Twins and Viking fan. So I'm a little bitter.

Speaker 6 (01:48:21):
But you know what, it's all good because I'm not
really a Yankee fan, nor am I really a Jet fan.
So yeah, I'm really indifferent either way.

Speaker 1 (01:48:28):
All right, cool, well, then, welcome to the show.

Speaker 6 (01:48:33):
I just have really one quick thing I've been listening
to you guys for a while now, and then my
first time calling in and I heard kind of like
the whole argument about taking time off from professional wrestling,
and I came up with kind of this idea based
on a lot of what you guys were talking about,
you know, a lot of the the panels we're talking about,
and it kind of starts like this, say we have
like a wrestling season starting around July, starting right before

(01:48:57):
say SummerSlam. Bet that'd be the start of a wrestling season,
and work your way with a real good, sturdy idea
of what's going to do.

Speaker 3 (01:49:05):
And happen in WrestleMania.

Speaker 6 (01:49:07):
And in doing this, I was thinking more of us
combining both the raw and the SmackDown rosters into one big,
massive roster, and you can have kind of general storylines
weaving in and out going through once you get to WrestleMania,
having the big blowoff being kind of like the super
Bowl at the end of the season type deal you
have around I guess the end of April through about

(01:49:28):
July again kind of like a dead space time with
all this nostalgia, crappy storylines, with all this foolishness that's
going around with rehashing old bashed the beach, old nitros
and all the craft. I think they'll be beneficial for
the WWE to use a lot of that stuff they
have in their library and kind of bring some of

(01:49:49):
that old stuff that we really really enjoyed seeing and
maybe bringing that reasserting that back in kind of taking
it kind of SmackDown would be and putting that is
kind of like you're throw back to a nitro or
throwback to a thunder, throw back to a real hot
storyline of like the years gone by, and allowing RAW
to be more of like the old WWE Confidential and

(01:50:11):
in tying that in with like an NXT program and
really getting a build up for some younger, newer guys
to kind of lead back into a brand new season.
And in doing that, you give some guys some time
off to really heal their bodies, really get rejuvenated, allows
them to do some outside projects possibly, and when you

(01:50:31):
have the NXT kind of thing going.

Speaker 28 (01:50:33):
On, you have a few good strong veterans who are
helping these guys out. You can see more of the
day to day ins and out of training of maybe
the diet maybe of really getting in and honing their
craft in there, and then what you can do is
then that that that that kind of time period is
to have house shows and kind of mix the bax
and tinker with a lot of different matchups to get

(01:50:55):
that new season developed, and when Summer Slam that time
comes around, boom you have a kickoff. We have have
an idea of some guys who can work well together
that may not ever worked together before because they're working
on these new households and it's kind of downtime and
not live television.

Speaker 1 (01:51:09):
Well, let me tell yeah, let me jump in, because
I mean, if WWE was guaranteed, if they were guaranteed
that they would pick up right where they left off
ratings wise, and if USA Network could, if they could
guarantee USA Network their ratings would stay steady for that
two three month period where they were, you know, doing
different concepts, showing some more clips and that type of thing,
you know, do executing your plan or tweaking it a

(01:51:30):
little bit. I think that it makes a lot of
sense for the sake of the long term health of
the wrestlers and building up anticipation for the new season.
You could do some things with you know, if you
kept the brand separate, you could combine the rosters after
Resumania and have two gms and play up storylines for
a couple of months about a draft and how will
everyone be redistributed. There's there's some good ideas in there,
but it really is not going to happen. And because

(01:51:53):
there's no confidence and I don't know that they're not
right that if they if they shifted away from the
it being the John Zena Show, or you know, or
the top guys who are part of this part of
the reason that wrestling draws right now, if you took
them off TV for two to three months or or
basically announced everybody, well everything's kind of come into a halt.
Come back in a few months or stick with us hopefully,

(01:52:14):
but in a few months things start up again. There's
a fear that people won't come back, and it might
be somewhat legit. There isn't that thirty you know, that
decades long tradition where there's sports off seasons and people
understand that's the way it is and they always come back.
They're just not going to do it. I think you
would have to. In the fact that NXT hasn't drawn ratings,

(01:52:37):
I mean it's bombed in the ratings the fact that
Confidential didn't do well in the ratings, the fact that
twenty four to seven hasn't been exactly taken off. I
think you're playing. I think there's a niche audience and
you're part of it that would love that.

Speaker 3 (01:52:48):
It'd be a breather.

Speaker 1 (01:52:49):
You've totally some new things, but I just I don't
it's not going to happen. And the only way guys
are going to get off time is if they do
a year round wrestling promotion like they do now and
sneak people away for six weeks at a time, either
through storyline or just not even talking about it. They
disappear and they come back. That's the only realistic way
it's going to happen, the way wrestling set up. Will,
before you jump back in, remember your thought. I just
want to get a quick thought on Jason on this well.

Speaker 10 (01:53:11):
I think the thing to remember, Will is that one
of the things that's so appealing about wrestling to the
networks is that it's generally fifty two weeks of programming
a year, and you know, they don't have to worry
about plugging that hole ever. I mean, it's just consistent,
and I think they'd have a hard time selling the
networks on it. Maybe you know, Spike might be willing
to think outside the box a little bit, but for WWE,

(01:53:32):
I think it would be a tough sell with USA.

Speaker 1 (01:53:35):
Go ahead.

Speaker 6 (01:53:35):
Well all right, well I understand that. I mean, it's
not something I figured for the fail safe, you know,
showfire thing that even if they will even think about
the cinema. But the only thing I was thinking was that, well,
the main thing I was thinking was we have all
these different we have all these different I guess TEENA
is mostly to blame for it, but we have all
these different kind of throwbacks to old things that just

(01:53:57):
don't work, And we have all these kind of idea
is and and storylines that being taken back and rehashed
from some older stuff. And the thing that I remember
from you know, I mean, I'm I'm a longtime wrestling fan,
you know, just like everybody else who comes on and
talks about it. But the thing I remember is seeing
them in their element. And that's why, you know, even
when you look at some of the DVD sales that

(01:54:18):
that that they have, you know, the numbers might not
be good, but it's because a lot of the great
matches that they that that people love already availed with
other DVDs, and you're trying to find older stuff that
nobody's ever seen before. But it's really in this in
this kind of technological day and time, hardcore wrestling fans
have already seen it, so making money on it is
really not an easy thing for them to do. But

(01:54:40):
what I was thinking was more or less like kind
of like for me thinking back to what Johnson is now,
thinking back to where he was when you was the
rapping superstar, just just you know, throwing people under the
bus for just freestyles and stuff like that. You know,
it might be fun to see that just every once
in a while we see in their video packages kind
of like what kind of great stuff they had and
what kind of great stuff they seam, And this will

(01:55:01):
be more or less kind of just expanding that, you know,
it's a little bit more sure even bring us some
people back. Oh I remember that storyline, man, that was great.

Speaker 1 (01:55:08):
The way it will well, you're you're making you're making
a fun case in a commntic case. And it's the
first time Colin, we want you to call again. Other day.
We've got so many people on hold. I don't want
to disappoint too many people by going too long with
this idea. But I definitely appreciate you calling. I hope
you'll call again. We absolutely love when we get first
time callers. We love our loyal callers, but we'd like
to get some new voices, and I hope you'll be
a regular caller from going forward.

Speaker 6 (01:55:28):
No problem, you don't have a good one.

Speaker 1 (01:55:29):
Hey, Well, real quick, where'd you hear about its? Originally?

Speaker 6 (01:55:33):
I saw you guys on iTunes. I was looking through
restling podcasts. I have a couple of it I listened to,
but I was just one spot some neew some different
from fresh, and so I heard you guys. I think
the first time I heard was the Bruce on it,
and I was like, no, that dude, this is crazy.
I just love insight and how he just kind of
tells like it is. So that was the reason I
kind of got into it, and I just wanted to ship.
This is just a little piece right there.

Speaker 1 (01:55:52):
Excellent, Thanks a lot, appreciate it. We'll talk to you again. Well,
all right, let's go back to the phone lines and
Erico nine three one things for holding. Please state to
your name and where you're from.

Speaker 6 (01:56:00):
Hey, it's Dean from Tennessee.

Speaker 1 (01:56:02):
Hey, Ian, how you doing? Got a regular caller?

Speaker 21 (01:56:05):
I know, I know.

Speaker 3 (01:56:07):
Oh.

Speaker 9 (01:56:08):
I just wanted to.

Speaker 30 (01:56:11):
Command raw on the athleticism they had on last night
in several different matches. I personally thought that that Shamus
match with Daniel Brian was one of his better matches
that he's had, and how Justin Gabriel made Randy Orton's
offense need to be a little bit more quick than

(01:56:33):
what it usually is. Yeah, I just wanted to get
your thoughts on that.

Speaker 1 (01:56:37):
I think. I think Gabriel is a good person to
add to the mix of what we've been talking about.
Jason Evan Born, Daniel Brian, Justin Gabriel, they pick up
in John Morrison. They're picking up the pace a little bit,
you know. I maybe this show was an answer to
one of our complaints, which has been the show. Actually
John Morrison and Tyson Kidd both they only wrestled for
about four minutes. I'd watched fifteen minutes of those two

(01:56:59):
go out of it. There was a good chemistry there.
I think we're sensing a trend. We've seen it in
comments we've gotten by email on the message board. People
like last week's show, in part because it felt more athletic.
It's felt more contemporary, and I think there's a real
there's something. I think there's something to be said for that,
and I've been pushing for it and I've been talking
about it. When Rod doesn't have a lot of athleticism.

(01:57:21):
Sometimes I don't think people put their finger on it
when they're watching, but there's something empty at the end
of the show that they don't get that you should
get out of wrestling, and they may not even know why.
Some do, some don't. I think last night show is
going to lead people more satisfied than usual, whether they
can pinpoint why or not. And if they do that
every week, I think they can build ratings and bring
some people in and keep them who right now watch

(01:57:42):
the show and are kind of iffy on it.

Speaker 10 (01:57:44):
I think we get the best of both worlds over
the last two weeks. I think for people who really
like the soap opera style drama part of wrestling and
don't care as much about the end ring action, they're
going to like that scene and joins next to show.
And then last night I thought it was a nice mix.
We got a would follow up to Sina and Nexus,
and then, like you said, we got a ton of
good in ring action. You mentioned John Morrison. I've been

(01:58:06):
very critical of him just because his character is just
so quirky. Last night he showed me something. He carried
himself like a star. Last night. They've slowly been making,
you know, minor changes to his look by with the
beard and everything like that. He still has to show
that he can do something on the mic that that's
going to connect with the fans. But he really carried
himself like a.

Speaker 1 (01:58:25):
Star, agreed I. In any closing comments, we're down to
the final few minutes and we got five people on hold,
so I'm gonna go a little quicker through callers.

Speaker 30 (01:58:33):
Oh yeah, if you could kind of touch on this
on the after show, what's up with Matt already thinking
that he's going to be the savior of DNA.

Speaker 3 (01:58:40):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:58:40):
I did have that up jotted down to something Jason
and I are going to talk about on the VIP
after show, So check back on the VIP site later
for that. Thanks. Thanks, Ian, we'll talk to again soon.
All right, let's go to Eric code seven oh four.
Thanks for calling. Please state your name and where you're from.
Seven o four are you still there? All right? I

(01:59:02):
apologize if he stepped away for a second. We'll check
back in a minute. If we have time, Let's go
to aeric code seven one seven. Thanks for calling. Please
stay to your name and where you're from.

Speaker 31 (01:59:11):
Hello, This is Tyler from manks to Pennsylvania.

Speaker 1 (01:59:13):
Hey Tyler, good year from you. What's on your mind today?

Speaker 31 (01:59:17):
I don't know if you guys discussed his yet, but
I was listening to yesterday's podcast, and uh, usually I
do like Bruce Missus's commentary, but yesterday he just came
off to such a preak during his talk with James Carl.
I wanted I wanted to know what you thought about.

Speaker 1 (01:59:32):
That and what was going on there, what you thought
it was mean to James himself, or his opinions were
just too negative.

Speaker 31 (01:59:39):
It wasn't that his opinions were too negative. He was
just really rude and unnecessarily rude. I thought I loved
Bruce Mons, I loved his commentary, but yesterday he just
seems so rude and unnecessarily poignant what he was saying.

Speaker 27 (01:59:52):
Huh.

Speaker 1 (01:59:52):
You know, I didn't catch the whole show because I
was trying to get ready for Monday night. Football. I
had it on, but I kind of doing some other
things and rushing through dinner, so I didn't pick up
enough on it to catch that. But you know, so
I can't answer to it. I don't know. If you
heard show, Jason, you're probably doing the same thing I was.

Speaker 10 (02:00:09):
Yeah, all I can say is that if you think
he was rooting on the show, I've got a bunch
of text messages he sent me about the vikings during
last night's game that would blow your mind.

Speaker 1 (02:00:18):
Well, I'll pass that along to Bruce and I'll listen
to the show and i'll have a talk with him
if if need be. All right, thank you, Yep, you're welcome.
That's it, all right, let's go to our next caller.
We got our first complaint about Bruce. I love that
you can get more of that, all right, Airy code
four oh one. Please stay to your name and where
you're from.

Speaker 32 (02:00:37):
Hi, Joe, come Connecticut.

Speaker 1 (02:00:39):
Hey Joe. Good to hear from you. What's in your
mind real.

Speaker 32 (02:00:43):
Quick and you can take it into the after show.
I really like Michael cole commentary lately, but I understand
the downsides that you guys bring up. So what would
you think about bringing Josh Matthews.

Speaker 12 (02:00:56):
As like the straight baby shas.

Speaker 32 (02:01:00):
Announced that sure, yeah, we can cover Cole more play
by plate.

Speaker 1 (02:01:03):
Call the commentator, Sure yeah, no, we can cover that here,
Joe Jason, what the announcing situation Cole moving the SmackDown
last week?

Speaker 3 (02:01:10):
Is that?

Speaker 1 (02:01:11):
Do you think that's going to be permanent? I've gotten
mixed signals on that.

Speaker 10 (02:01:15):
Everything I've got on that is that Vince McMahon doesn't
think highly of Todd Grisham. I don't think he's crazy
about Matt Striker's work, but Strikers certainly knows how to,
you know, suck up to Vince McMahon. But Todd Grisham
just his work does leave a lot to be desired.
But Vince isn't a good teacher. He's a yeller and
he he obviously has had a lot to do with

(02:01:37):
shaping the current version of Michael Cole that we're getting
with some of these heel comments. And so I think
Vince is happy with Michael Cole's work and feels like
adding him to SmackDown is going to make the Friday
Night show feel like more of an event. I don't.
I think having Cole there is going to maybe make
the announcing better but at the which I never thought
i'd say even six months ago. But I think it

(02:02:00):
over exposes Michael Cole, and I do fear that it's
just you know, I mean, really what a three man
booth is supposed to make it feel like more of
an event. I just don't know that I agree with that.

Speaker 1 (02:02:14):
Do you think Josh Matthews really could be an announcer? I,
you know.

Speaker 10 (02:02:20):
I guess too soon to say. I just haven't heard
him call a meaningful match. You know, he's been stuck
on the NXT show. I want to hear him call
even a good TV match that matters before I can
really give an honest assessment on whether or not I
think he could be the voice of RAW or even
the voice of pay per view matches.

Speaker 1 (02:02:38):
I think Cole is entertaining enough as a heel commentator
that I would vote for them rolling the dice and
given Josh Matthews a chance on RAW. I put Josh
Matthews ahead of Joey's styles, but Joey isn't a terrible option,
and I just don't think Joey was great at WWE.
I think he was the right person for the right
time at ECW, but I don't think he's got great pipes.
I don't think he's a personnel wise that Joey would

(02:03:01):
end up probably going to want to do the same
thing Michael Cole is doing, which is to be a smart,
smarmy heel commentator, which is kind of where Joey would
would or Joey's strength would be. Obviously, the number one
vote would be just bring Jim Ross back. They got
the guy in payroll, and you know, I mean, I
don't want to do anything would jeopardize Jim's health if
being off the road is helping and not eating on
the road all the time and the stress of that.
But let's not kid ourselves. He's the guy, I mean,

(02:03:23):
Jim is. It would be a great, great voice to
hear on Raw again.

Speaker 33 (02:03:32):
Longing for some nostalgia or maybe you want to learn
some wrestling history, don't miss the nineties pass cast Every
Friday on the PW Torch Daily Cast feed. Alex and
Patrick will transport you thirty years into the past by
taking you through the Torch issue from that very weak.
Follow news from the WWF and WCW and all the

(02:03:52):
happenings from across the wrestling industry in real time, as
The Torch reported it thirty years ago. That's the nineties past.
Ask every Friday on the PW Towards Daily.

Speaker 1 (02:04:02):
Cast feed, All right, back to the home lines, Eric
code seven eight six, Thanks for calling, Please state your
name and where you're from. Seven eight six.

Speaker 3 (02:04:21):
You're on the air.

Speaker 1 (02:04:24):
All right, nothing nothing there, So let's go to Eric
code nine oh eight. Thanks for calling, Please state your
name and where you're from. Nine o eight by wait, wait,
all right, I don't know what's going on Today's this
almost never happens. And we've got people falling asleep on
us or something.

Speaker 10 (02:04:43):
Maybe really Bruce is gonna yell with them, yeah.

Speaker 1 (02:04:46):
Or maybe they were all calling to complain about Bruce
being a prick, as are as jose as uh Tyler said,
and now they feel like they don't need to voice
their displeasure at seven o four, giving you another chance.

Speaker 3 (02:04:58):
Here.

Speaker 1 (02:04:58):
A few minutes ago, we tried you are you are
you back available? Seven zero four. Well, suddenly the phone
lines got thin because we've got three people who didn't
have anything to say when we went to them. So
if you want to call us right now, you can
get in. Uh you cannot get in with a phone call.
If you thought you would have a chance, here is

(02:05:19):
your chance. Jason Santino Morella on Team Raw. Santino's been
kind of phased out recently, but now he's kind of
you know, getting him on Team Rockets and back in
the mix is it does it to me? It kind
of undercuts how serious the match seems. When Santino's putting
in a qualifying match with Zach Ryder, either of them
kind of demeans the whole idea that this is Ra's
best foot being. You know, this is the best foot

(02:05:40):
forward for Raw.

Speaker 10 (02:05:40):
You know, I thought they kind of blew that last night.
I don't think that way they could have known they
were going to get that reaction for Santino. That live
crowd adored him, and I thought they ruined it by
having that chilly thing with Tamina afterwards. That kind of
cheapened it. It was unnecessary. Really would have been a
great moment for Santino to get that meeting for win
and the crowd was loving it, and then they just

(02:06:02):
watered down with comedy. I mean, that's what got him over.
I'd I don't understand the appeal right now because it's
been a long time since he really made me laugh.
But yeah, as long as it made it serious, I'm
okay with it. But I also can't rule out the
possibility that somebody destroys Santino and takes a spot on
Team Raw before the pay per view.

Speaker 1 (02:06:23):
Good point, good point. All right, we got one more
caller called up by Erico sixty five one. Thanks a calling.
Please state your name and where you're from. Hey, guys,
it's Mike from Woodbury, Minnesota.

Speaker 10 (02:06:31):
How you doing today?

Speaker 1 (02:06:32):
Doing good? We got about thirty seconds total, so give
us a quick question or comment. Mike, it is quick.

Speaker 22 (02:06:38):
Do you have any update on Evan Boorden's shoulder injury?

Speaker 1 (02:06:41):
Jason, anything on that now?

Speaker 10 (02:06:43):
I know the observers reporting that he's going to be
out four months with surgery, and so it looks like
last night what you saw was an injury angle with Evan.

Speaker 3 (02:06:52):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (02:06:52):
Well, I mean that's a good way to get punk over,
I guess. But yeah, that's a bummer. I guessed they
should scour the indy scene and and somebody who can
take his spot because he's been playing a valuable role. Mike,
Thank you, thank you, up. Thanks to everybody for listening,
including the first time callers and our regulars until tomorrow
on behalf of Jason Paul of Pro Wrestling dot Net,
Wade Keller signing off.

Speaker 22 (02:07:20):
Thank you for using blog talk radio.

Speaker 1 (02:07:23):
Goodbye all right, Jason. We had a caller call up
and ask about the Matt Hardy situation. Is Matt Hardy
trying to position himself and market himself for a job
in TENA or do you think he's got one waiting
for him? And part two, do you think DNA would
be wise to hire him from the assumption that he's
got his head on straight and can contribute.

Speaker 10 (02:07:45):
It would require a face to face meeting if I'm
Dixie Carter and sit down really discuss this with them,
find out where his heads at, talk to people around
him who you trust to get real answers about what
his state of mind is. Maybe you know, it's no
secret that there are people in WWE and TNA who
talk to one another, and so I think Terry Taylor's

(02:08:06):
probably one of those people. I'm sure he could reach
out and find out what's going on with Matt. As
far as is he positioning himself or does he have
a job. My guess is he has a job. Neither
you know TNA nor Matt Hardy will ever say that,
oh yeah, it was a done deal before he went
in there. But I just can't imagine that he would
be going this aggressively to get out of his deal
if he didn't feel like he had a safety net

(02:08:27):
in TNA.

Speaker 1 (02:08:29):
Do you buy at all Matt Hardy's been trying to
get fired. I mean, to me, it seems like a
pretty damn convenient excuse to say, oh, yeah, I just
have been acting up to try to get fired, and
I don't really have any problems. I just don't think
if that's what you're doing, you go on YouTube and
declare that you're fine and there's nothing going on. But
maybe he's been acting up on social media, trying to

(02:08:51):
become a pest so that he can leave. I sense
this has been an evolving attitude by Matt Hardy, and
once he realized that WWE wasn't happy with him and
wasn't going to push him, and was unhappy with his
conditioning and wasn't going to give Hi a big push,
that his mind started shifting away. But I think he's
in his mind. I mean, I think it's been a
reconciliation to accept that he's not a lifer in WWEIGHT.

Speaker 10 (02:09:14):
I think the UK video, I don't think he was
trying to get himself fired there. I think that was
Matt at a really weird point in match life and
he's going to try to spin it otherwise. But that
UK glassy eyed video that he posted after the story
came out that he was sent home from a house show,
the one where I do think things changed, and if

(02:09:35):
nothing else he was trying to create the impression that
he was trying to get released. Was the gun video,
the Matthew video, or he gets out of the shower
and he's like pointing guns around his bedroom. I told
the story I think probably even that week. We know
how obsessed Matt is with our sites and other sites,
and I remember telling the story right before he did
that about how people in WWE during the edge and

(02:09:59):
lead US situation were really thrown off when he posted
a video at that time of himself in the woods
with the gun and just kind of wondering if he
was playing with a full deck. And then all of
a sudden, you know, days later, there he is with
this new video of himself with the gun. And so
I think at that point. Either he was trying to
angle to for release or he wanted to make people

(02:10:21):
think that that's what he was going for.

Speaker 1 (02:10:24):
Yeah, I think this evolved. I think you're right, and
I think your timeline is right. I think this evolved
in the similar way that the whole Edgelita triangle evolved
where Matt morphed and he did this once before. He
moreh from thanks fans for being there for me. I'm
so hurt by what Adam did to me and what
Amy and Adam did to me, and i don't know
what I'm gonna do, and without your support, it's so
great and shooting straight with them and leaning on him,

(02:10:46):
And then when it became opportunistic for him to take
the exact same tone in the exact same context but
start working them, he did. And I was bummed out
about that because I think, you know, those fans deserved
the truth and not to be used the way that
Matt used him. But I think he has experience in
doing that and taking a real life situation using social
media to morph his way into into controlling the situation

(02:11:10):
the way he wants to, and I think that's where
he is now. Obviously, the idea, oh I learned something
alarming that made me want to get out of WWE. Well,
he's playing into the storyline, which is he knew ahead
of time that that Hogan and Bischoff, you know, had
gotten to Jeff, and that Jeff was going to turn
heel and that and he wants to come in there
and rescue Jeff. Let's let's see that happens. Let's say
it happens. Can TNA make money with Matt Hardy coming

(02:11:33):
in and playing a role in this Jeff Hardy situation.

Speaker 10 (02:11:36):
I don't know that they're gonna lose money with Matt
Hardy coming in, And I mean, I just don't know
that TNA is really good to any one person is
going to truly make or break TNA at this point,
which is kind of why. You know, when people say
that they don't have a problem with Jeff Hardy trying
Jeff Hardy as a heel, I can listen to that
because it's yeah, he might, he might be their number
one merchandise seller. But if Jeff Hardy went to prison tomorrow,

(02:11:59):
I don't think it would be any worse off. I
just don't think any one person matters that much. So
Matt coming in I think could be interesting. WWE was
kind of concerned. I know that they'd have both Hardy Boys.
I mean, to me, Jeff's been the money of the
Hardy Boys, and there's some money in the Hardy Boys together.
But I think I think that money is in WWE.

(02:12:20):
Not that they can't have great tag team matches, but
I just don't know that TNA really knows how to
truly make meaningful money. They'll claim right now that they're
making money in twenty ten, I still don't know how
that could be when they've signed some of the deals
they have. They made that big move to Mondays and
it failed consderably. I don't know how this company could

(02:12:41):
make money. But that's their claim. But what about you
wait a minute. If you're in Dixie Carter's shoes, You've
already got Jeff and we all know about his legal issues,
and then you have Matt Hardy and he's glassy eyed
and doing all these weird videos. And do you take
a chance on Matt Hardy. I mean, she's kind of
rolled the dice on Trudan angle it at one point

(02:13:01):
and it kind of worked out for yeah.

Speaker 1 (02:13:04):
I mean, you know it, if it depends on how
much you can truly talk yourself into believing that what
was going on with Matt had to do with with
the grind of the schedule and and and maybe even
a sense of a little bit of hopelessness that he
was going to move up the card. And if you
give Matt Hardy a lighter schedule, a better social group.

(02:13:25):
I'm not saying he's going to get one in DNA,
but if you can talk yourself into thinking that you can,
or or you can try to create one and orchestrate one,
is Matt has some leadership qualities in him. And I
think Matt could be a guy who you could even
do a double turn with Jeff where you know Matt
as a heel, I think there's a lot of money there,
and I don't think that they've quite I don't think

(02:13:46):
WWE ever tapped into that. Matt Hardy as a heel.
I think a lot of people, I mean, you talk
about go away heat, well not not not go not
go aheat in the classical sense where it's like, no,
we don't even want to watch a TV show with
you on it. Matt can get some genuine heel he
kind of like what I think Generation me get in
a different way. But that old school thing where even
if you're you're kind of hip to everything going on

(02:14:09):
in pro wrestling, you'd still want to go to an
arena and just bow the crap out of him. And
I think Matt has that in him. I think he
can draw that. I don't know if that's what he's
looking to do, but I think that's where his where
the most money is with him. But I've I've been
I'm not a fan of certain aspects of what Matt does.
In terms of overdoing the social networking. I think he's
a world's oldest, most overgrown teenage girl in some ways.

(02:14:30):
But uh, but in terms of as a performer, I'd
like to see what he can do in the ring
when he's in shape. And I think I think with
the public humiliation, which is what it's been the last year,
with how he's falling out of shape and jobbed out
and all this, all these you know, all these comments
that even Amy's saying, what happened to that guy Leita,
I think he's got something to prove. I think there's
a chip on his shoulder and I think he could

(02:14:51):
come in and and and probably be motivated enough to
do something. So I'm not totally down on the idea.

Speaker 3 (02:14:56):
I don't know.

Speaker 1 (02:14:57):
I mean, if if they're going to take a chance
on Jeff Hardy and you know, even Rob van Dam
with his reputation, they might not have been aware of it.
She took a chance on Hulkogan and Eric Bischoff, she
took a chance obviously at Kurt Angle, even Desmond Wolf.
Whether she was aware of it or not, I think,
you know, I mean, I think it's definitely worth considering,
and I think there's some money there, you know. I
I you know, Chris, would you is it just the

(02:15:18):
gimme that you would take Chris Jericho over Matt Hardy
right now?

Speaker 10 (02:15:20):
Jason, Oh, yeah, I would for sure.

Speaker 1 (02:15:23):
Yeah, And I think so too. What I think is,
and I asked that question is kind of a set
up to the idea that I don't think Matt Hardy's
a really bad consolation price. Now if they come in
at the same price, Because if Dixie Carter turned down
Chris Jericho but brings in Matt Hardy, I hope Matt
Hardy comes cheaper, you know, because yeah, Jericho's a bigger
star and and a better wrestler. And better on the mic,

(02:15:43):
all those things. But Matt fits in storyline wise, if
you take out the real life controversies, he fits in
storyline wise pretty well. And he's one of those guys
who could come into TNA and look like TNA brought
more out of him than WWE was willing to give him,
you know, give him opportunities than WWE was, and sometimes
that can make you look like a better promotion, even

(02:16:04):
if he comes in and does better than he did
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(02:16:26):
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Speaker 10 (02:16:47):
You know, the only time I've ever really truly enjoyed
Matt as a singles act with during the version one Days.
I'm not saying it's been all bad, but that seemed
like that was more of his natural personality coming out.
Matt Hardy tries to cot to wrestling promo, he generally fails.
When he's himself, he does come across as very arrogant.
It's easy to dislike Matt Hardy, but he's got to

(02:17:09):
find a way to make that come across in his
actual wrestling promos. And I so when you know, can
he do that in TNA? I don't know way it's
I just I'm not convinced the guys playing with a
full deck. I'll just be drunk that he really. I mean,

(02:17:30):
going back to when you did that Ultimate Insiders DVD
with him, I mean, he came across very arrogant there,
but he seemed like he was also with it. He
was just, you know, proud of wanting to accomplished whatever,
and you could pick things apart, but he seemed like
he was with it. This Matt Hardy, even when he's
trying to be the good Matt Hardy. There's still just
something that seems amiss. And I'm not going to sit

(02:17:51):
here and speculate as to, you know, if he has
issues or not, but.

Speaker 1 (02:17:56):
I got a little LOOPI I think we'd all agree.

Speaker 10 (02:17:58):
Yeah, and you know someone from WWE, they used to
work for WWE. They didn't know, but they they're just
throwing it out there. Is there some kind of concussion
issue that you know who knows? It's just there's something
amiss with him. I worry that because he was a
guy when all those WCW guys came in, he was

(02:18:19):
upset that they were being pushed ahead of guys like him,
and been with the winning team WWE for a while.
I just wonder, is he in a place where he's
going to start ruffling feathers in the locker room? Is
if he's not playing the full deck, then is that
a guy you want in that TNA locker room. There's
a lot of questions I would have to ask myself
if I were in Dixie Carter's shoes. But the sad

(02:18:41):
thing is, I think she's just going to look at
it as ah. He's an Internet phenomenon. He's a former
WWE guy, he's got no leverage, but let's pay him
a fortune and bring him in and make him a star.

Speaker 1 (02:18:50):
Yeah yeah, Well, let me shift here to the final topic,
t and a related still and it's a talent issue
and the money is you Kevin Nash? Are you up
on the spoilers regarding Nash right now?

Speaker 3 (02:19:01):
I'm not? No?

Speaker 1 (02:19:02):
Okay, neither am I. So I can't talk super intelligently
in that regard because I try to avoid him. I
was willing to do it for the sake of discussion
if you were up on it. But what's your take
on if everything is as if everything is on the
up and up, and that's just had a contract dispute,
couldn't come to terms on money, He held his ground,
he's walking away. Is losing Nash a loss for TNA?
Or do you think it makes sense for them, you know,

(02:19:23):
to free up some budget given what he brought to
the table and probably what it takes financially to make
it worth his while to show up at the tapings
and stay in the type of shape he needs to
stay in.

Speaker 10 (02:19:33):
He goes back to what I said, there's not you know,
they could lose their tops or whoever they think their
top star is. And I don't think their ratings would change.
And I certainly don't think losing Kevin Nash is going
to make ratings go down. He barely works house shows.
I don't think people are ordering pay per views to
see Kevin Nash. I'm not saying he can't contribute, but
for the money that he was rumored to be getting
in the two fifty to three hundred range, that's insane.

(02:19:55):
And again, he can contribute. But A and A just
has this track record, hopefully with Nash's situation, and it's
coming to an end where Dixie overpays these guys. Sting
has no leverage, but she decides that she wants Sting
and doesn't want him to retire, So even though everyone
in her ear is saying, don't do it, she'll strike

(02:20:16):
this ridiculous deal that even Sting is probably rolling his eyesack.
And I can't believe she's giving me this money. Now,
that's something TNA needs to improve upon. So if this
is a sign that that's finally happening, that she's finally
tightening the purse strings a little bit, good, It's long overdue.
How about you way do you think Kevin Nash really
his work and what he brings to the company justifies

(02:20:38):
that type of money, assuming it's legit the two fifty
to three hundred.

Speaker 3 (02:20:42):
No, No, I don't.

Speaker 1 (02:20:44):
I think if if TINA was a bunch of young
guys and they all and they needed some kind of
Uncle keV to walk in and be a presence, and
there was a really good fit for him, it makes sense.
But I think any top guy's contract, whether it's Sting
or Jarrett, if he weren't you tightened like he is
in I did the top older guys, I just think

(02:21:04):
there's too many of them, you know, Mick Foley, I
think TNA would be best to be a promotion that
was a lot of young guys and then a couple
veterans star a couple veterans with star power, and Nash
has some of that. He's got a presence.

Speaker 6 (02:21:15):
You know.

Speaker 1 (02:21:15):
As much as people criticize, and rightfully so, his booking
stints and ww and the political political games that he
played when he was in his late thirties, you know,
a very different place in a different wrestling world and
a different different motivations and of different culture. But as
much as they criticize him for all those things there was.
He has a presence about him, and there's a wit
about him, in a sense of leadership about him. This

(02:21:37):
isn't this isn't Adam Baum we're talking about. I mean,
you know, there's he brings something to the table, but
it's you have to have a really good fit. It's
got to be a really good fit. And I don't
know that they found that. And having him talk in
these code words about ninety eight and you can't be
trusted and this and that, it just got old. And
so I'm four. I'm not wishing it will on any

(02:21:58):
of the millionaire Club from the w W. But they
cleared them all out and cleared the budget and then
pooled that money and used it to scout great young
talent and higher them before ww WE could get them.
I think they'd be way better off in two years
than if they kept the Stings and folies and Nashes
and Jared's and that type of thing around. So you know, no,
it's not it's not a huge loss. And frankly was

(02:22:19):
what Kevin Nash probably has saved up with the bank.
And you know he's mister you know, he's like JBL.
He's into the stump market and and and property and
investments and stuff. Star market's rebounded enough. He's probably looking
at his portfolio just thinking, I don't need this headache
anymore unless they're gonna pay me two fifty. If they're not,
I love it, but I'm not going to just be
one of those guys who just overstays as welcome or

(02:22:40):
well someone argue he's well past that, but who works
for nothing just because he can't walk away? And so
I think it's a pride issue. Have we seen the
last of Kevin Nash? Probably not? Maybe who knows, But
I don't blame him for walking away if the offer
was really low, because frankly, he doesn't need the money. Probably,
but I know it's not a huge loss to TNA.
You could. You could throw everybody's name and a hat

(02:23:01):
on the roster and pull out half of the names
and fire them all, and you would still be fine,
because there's not one single person who's really responsible for
anything right now that can't be replaced by somebody else
who's being underutilized.

Speaker 10 (02:23:12):
Yeah, I'm gonna try to find out more about Nash
to night, but I still don't rule out he goes
away for a while. He incurred Angle both because you know,
if Angle commits to his retirement, the stipulation whatever. And
then as the Heel group starts to dominate Dixie, Dixie's
character begs them to come back, right. I think it's

(02:23:33):
convenient timing there. You know, you're talking about the Millionaires
Club that's left over in TNA. Take a look at
last night's raw lineup. Just go through it, you know,
after the show whatever. How many of those guys that
were on that show in meaningful roles were around even
three to five years ago in WWE. I think people
would really be surprised at that count.

Speaker 1 (02:23:55):
Don Te DEBIASI Our Truth has been in and out.
John Morrison's been around a while, kind of hanging out.
Tyson Kidd is new. Santina Morales relatively. I don't hung
he's been around, not that that's super relevant. Zach Ryder
is new, Randon's been around. He's kind of the veteran
now of the group, which is arranged to say Justin
Gabriel is new, Seamus is new, Daniel Bryan is new,

(02:24:15):
Evan Bourne is new, Saam Punk is new. John Cena
has been around. He and Orton are kind of the
old the old timer anchors the miss is new and
then Wade Barrett, David O'tanga, he's slater. Some of the
supporting cast who weren't in matches last night all new,
you know, and think and I think their position now,
especially with the mix we saw last night and some
of the booking that's happening, I think it's a pretty

(02:24:36):
good core group to be going forward with. I'd be
more confident, you know, Kurt Angle and Rick Flair in
those types like to say, oh, we got a better
roster here in TNA than WWE has now. And you
know why they think that, And I think they genuinely
think that because they don't watch wrestling and they don't
know what Wade Barrett and Seamus and Evan Bourne Daniel
Brian can do. They look at that and they're so
out of touch and so stuck in five, ten, fifteen

(02:24:57):
years ago mentality that they those are nobodies. And what
they don't realize is if Justin Gabriel walks through an
airport right now, more people are going to recognize him
now than some of the people who are superstars and
TNA because they're the ones who are being seen by
three times the audience every week as those who watch Raw.
You know, way, Bart's going to be recognized by as
many people as Kurt Angle right now in an airport

(02:25:18):
in Houston, Texas. I believe that, you know, I think
a lot of people. What's that absolutely shamous? I mean,
part of it's the distinct look, but I mean, Shamus.
Would you could put Sting in full makeup in an
airport and standing next to Seamus and I'll bet you
more people would approach Shamus. I think I think you're right.
It's certainly a real even battle. And I'll say this

(02:25:39):
for clarification. If somebody wants to argue, no, no way,
more people are going to recognize Angle. Look at the
ratings WWE he's doing when he was a star. Okay, fine,
even if you concede that point, say maybe more people
recognize Angle and Sting. The people who are recognizing Angle
and Sting are not TNA's or WWE's target market. They're
fans who get who walked away five ten years ago,

(02:26:00):
they moved on. There's a whole generation of people who
are in that prime Spike TV USA network demographic. Those
people far and away are going to look at Seamus
and Orton and Frankly Evan Bourne and Daniel Bryan and wait,
they're today's stars, and they're the ones who are gonna
who fans are going to walk towards more than they're
gonna walk towards the stinger wrangle. If they gotta choose
which direction to walk for an autograph, they're going to

(02:26:21):
go to the guys who are on the WWE lineup.
I don't think the angles and flares. Understand, you gotta
watch wrestling every week to keep up on it. If
you had if if you want to, and like if
I went for if I became a contestant on Survivor
and I and I was gone for what is the
thirty nine days plus travel? If I was gone for
six weeks, I'd come back. I'd be completely out of touch.

(02:26:43):
That's how much things have changed in six seven, eight weeks.
I mean, it's crazy, but you missed three four five
months of watching wrestling regularly. You really are behind your
own target market.

Speaker 10 (02:26:53):
Yeah, and there was a time when I would have
agreed the TNA's roster was at least close to what
WWE had. If you take the branch splitting into the
equation if you compare TNA's roster to just the Raw
or just the SmackDown. The problem is the guys at
everyone that they were banking on to be the big stars,
the Samoa, Joe's, the AJ styles. They dropped the ball
on those guys. Yea, they don't mean any They probably

(02:27:16):
mean less today than they did back when that claim
actually held true. And then yeah, you could take away
the Nashes, the Stings, all the old guys, Hogan and
Bishop for that matter, all of them, and that's when
I think you'd start to see some of these guys
actually become stars. Now, it might be too late for AJ.
I don't personally think it's too late for Joe, but

(02:27:36):
there are still some very talented people in TNA that
if given a real spotlight and not always playing second
fiddle to hul Cogan. You know the list, we know,
the usual list of suspect, Jeff Jarrett, I think you
would see it would take some time, just as it
has for WWE, but I think those guys would become stars,

(02:27:57):
and I think TNA would be in a much better place.

Speaker 1 (02:28:00):
I agree with you, Jason, Well, good discussion. As always,
it's it's been great. We got some a little a
little Viking and Twins therapy and at the beginning, and
I think a little bit more optimism towards towards at
least having some some interesting things to talk about going
forward here compared to where we where we were just
a few weeks ago. Absolutely awash going Wade great, Thanks Jason,
take care. Invite you to email the show with feedback

(02:28:40):
or questions or comments. That email address is Wade Keller
Podcast at pwtorch dot com. That's Wadekeller Podcast at PW
torch dot com. Also welcome your feedback on Twitter. Even
follow us on Twitter at PW torch and follow me
at the Wade Keller. That's at PW Torch and at
the Wade Keller.

Speaker 34 (02:29:01):
Searching for more great pro wrestling talk, then join me.
Jason Powell host them the free weekly Pro Wrestling Boom Podcast.
Each week, he'll hear the latest news and analysis from
me and my team at pro wrestling dot net along
with other pro wrestling media members. Plus the Pro Wrestling
Boom Podcast features long form interviews with notable names in
the pro wrestling industry. Subscribe and itunic Stitcher, downcast, and

(02:29:22):
all your favorite secondary apps, or visit us directly at
pw boom dot com. Once again, that's pw boom dot com.

Speaker 1 (02:29:32):
Thanks for listening to our podcast. Did you know we
also have a website pwtorch dot com daily news updates, editorials,
and my live TV coverage covering Raw, Dynamite and SmackDown
and my live pay per view coverage for WWE and AEW.
Create a tab or bookmark make it a daily stop.
Visit us throughout the day every day to keep up
on breaking news and more. That's pwtorch dot com.

Speaker 19 (02:29:55):
Meet an extra dose of positivity in your wrestling podcasts.
Will come join me Alan forel Over in the Progress
Paradise at pterbo Torch VIP as we mask on the
bright side of wrestling and focus on some of the
great matches and shows from around the world, be it
the US, Japan, Europe or Mexico. There's always a place

(02:30:16):
for wrestlings past in the Paradise too, and we've done
fun historical shows such as the We Love Liger series
celebrating the glorious career of Jusian thunder Lighter and our
Eye was there When shows where our guests will join
me to talk about a classic bout that they were
in attendance for. We love variety and you can expect
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(02:30:38):
VIP subscription information and a list of all the VIP
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Speaker 1 (02:30:59):
One way that you can help us sustain our schedule
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Speaker 35 (02:31:36):
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ultimately the brand you see today. On the Torch VIP
podcast NXT Eight Years Back, we'll be taking a weekly
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Speaker 17 (02:31:51):
Join Kelly Wells and me Tom Stout from PWT talks
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PW Torch VIP membership doesn't just give you add free
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