By Wade Keller, Torch editor

PWTorch.com reader Adam Aviles asks: I would like to know if there's anyone that knows how the ECW pay-per-view is going down? I mean, are there going to be any ECW Titles? Are wrestlers like Tommy Dreamer, Lance Storm, or Tazz going to wrestle or is it going to be all the wrestlers who work for WWE right now? And will non WWE wrestlers be a part of it? Also are the ring and stage going to be like the way ECW did it or the way WWE does it? I'm just hoping it's going to be an ECW style PPV and not a WWE style PPV?

WK: Paul Heyman is working hard behind the scenes to be sure it looks and feels as much like a late-'90s ECW PPV as possible all the way from the referees, security t-shirts, ring colors, ring apron, and even perhaps the front row fans. As far as who is wrestling on it, Storm has said he will be wrestling on it. Everyone assumes Dreamer is; it's not as if to wrestle his style he needs to be in traditional ring shape since his style was based on taking a beating and using objects as a weapon. I haven't heard if Tazz is going to wrestle. His retirement was prompted by neck injuries, so he may not be in a position to wrestle. It still remains to be seen how detailed WWE gets in advertising actual wrestlers and matches. There are some fans who will buy it based on the brand name alone, but there will be skepticism that since it's a WWE-branded project also, that it will not truly feel like ECW. It would help in the next few weeks to begin advertising at least a dozen or so core names for the PPV.

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Dan Cartwright: Thanks for answering my question about Triple H remaining a heel or turning babyface. I wanted to follow up because what I really wanted to know is your general opinion on centering a show on a heel for a very long period of time. It doesn't matter who that heel is. Does it make sense to think viewers will watch weekly or pay for PPVs that are consistently based on a heel character? (Not a "cool heel," by the way..) If so, all of Hollywood is doing things wrong!

WK: Pro wrestling is different than Hollywood. Pro wrestling attracts fans based on an ensemble cast, not just one or two stars. Even a Triple H-dominated Raw is only 10 or 15 percent Triple H at most, hardly comparable to any TV series of major motion picture where the centerpiece is a hero. If there are a number of top babyfaces who can be rotated into the challenger slot chasing the top heel champion, that is a formula that has been proven to work in many territories across the country for decades. There are some promoters who believe building around one top babyface is the way to go, others who change it up regularly, and others who believe in building around a top heel because the babyface chasing the heel is easier to book than a dominant babyface always retaining his title. I think both approaches can and have worked over the years, so a promotion should book according to what they believe will draw best based on the current talent available. It would be too predictable if every top heel was only a transitional champion. Fans would lose that sense that a top babyface was ever in jeopardy if heels never had dominant runs with titles.

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Keith Livesay of Johnson City, Tenn.: About a month ago, Molly Holly (Nora Greenwald) requested, and was granted, her release from the WWE. The reason given was that she had asked for a character change, but was later turned down. The reason given: They (the WWE) felt that she couldn't pull it off. Go from a heel to a hero. It was also reported that she had been unhappy with the way things were going with her character, constantly having to do the job for both Stacy Keibler & Christy Hemme. However, according to a brief statement released by Miss Greenwald, she stated that stories of her being unhappy were false and that only she and Vince McMahon know the truth as to why she left the company. According to one story, she had approached Mr. McMahon and asked for a year off to attend to a member of her family - a niece who needed her attention as well as church affairs. Mr McMahon said that the door was open if she wanted to return and admired her for her strong religious beliefs. As far as you know, what is the true story as to why Molly Holly (Nora Greenwald) left the WWE? Why would she leave a company if she wasn't unhappy? Is there a possibility of her returning?

WK: She may have asked for her release for the reasons she stated, but if she was happy with everything in terms of her character, the tone of the program she was part of, her pay, and her schedule, she may not have asked for her release even given her personal situation. There are often two versions of many "release" stories: the official public version that's meant to avoid bridge-burning, and private reasons that are expressed behind the scenes in the weeks leading up to someone's departure. I strongly suspect she'd still be around despite her personal situation if everything else in WWE were to her liking. There are elements of truth to all of it. Within WWE, there was no question that she wasn't thrilled with some of the expectations placed on her over the years to "look more sexy" and play a heel. With the decrease in the stature of the women's division in recent months, it had to be clear to her that the next two years didn't look promising in terms of her pay.

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Jeff Van Solkema of Grandville, Mich.: Is Tito Ortiz training to become a wrestler for TNA? An A.J. Styles-Ortiz matchup would draw well, but why hasn't WWE signed Tito? Is Ortiz not a big enough name, or WWE just doesn't have a spot open?

WK: Tito Ortiz is not training to become a pro wrestler and headed into the PPV, there were no solid plans to use him in the future. Tito is in the process of trying to work out a contract extension with UFC. He was looking for a payday. TNA was looking to add something special to their PPV. There are some people in TNA who are UFC fans. If TNA ends up on Spike TV, which also features UFC programming, this move may have been a way to show Spike TV executives and fans that they could run storylines that utilize UFC's stars. TNA officials would love Ortiz to be a featured regular wrestler for them. It's not a matter of how big of a name he is, it's a case of TNA not being able to afford him at this point. Ortiz can make a lot more money doing his first love, which is MMA fighting, then working for TNA.

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Background on Torch editor Wade Keller: Torch editor Wade Keller founded Pro Wrestling Torch in September 1987. He has been interviewed as a wrestling expert by dozens of TV and radio stations across the country; he has also been quoted in dozens of major newspapers and magazines across the world. Media entities that have featured Keller in stories covering wrestling include National Public Radio, Fox News Channel, ESPN Magazine, the New York Post, Entertainment Weekly, the All-News Channel, the Associated Press, and the Washington Post. He also hosted his own weekly two hour wrestling talk show on KFAN sport radio in the '90s. Over the past 17 years Keller has also interviewed, one-on-one, wrestling's top names for in-depth "Torch Talks" and feature articles including powerbrokers such as Vince McMahon, Eric Bischoff, Jerry Jarrett, Bill Watts, Jim Cornette, Jim Crockett, Jim Herd, Paul Heyman, Ed Ferrara, Terry Taylor, Kevin Sullivan, Jim Ross, and Vince Russo; top wrestling stars such as The Rock, Steve Austin, Kevin Nash, Mick Foley, Matt & Jeff Hardy, Rick Steamboat, Jerry Lawler, Bill Goldberg, British Bulldog, Road Warrior Hawk, Jesse Ventura, and Hulk Hogan; and legends such as Lou Thesz, Gordon Solie, Bruno Sammartino, Roy Shires, Terry Funk, and Verne Gagne.

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