By Wade Keller, Torch editor

PWTorch.com reader Stephen Benin asks: What did Randy Orton do that was ''unprofessional'' in character, and is there truth to reports he may not be brought back?

WK: What he did has not been reported officially by WWE. I have been told by numerous people that he violated WWE policy backstage on WrestleMania weekend flagrantly and arrogantly, and it wasn't the first time. However, the final straw was just that - a final straw in a series of many actions that upset not just WWE management, but also his fellow wrestlers. Triple H is said to have been in favor of suspending Orton. I have been told Undertaker has despised Orton for a long time, thinking he has no appreciation for his position or respect for the industry. There are numerous stories of Orton being verbally abusive toward women. It sounds to me that Orton has issues that extend beyond what he was suspended for. WWE management suspended him for 60 days officially, but there is no guarantee he'll be brought back right away. I know there is some talk that he might need counselling to deal with his issues and behavior.

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PWTorch.com reader Mark Freedman asks: I was struck by Bruce's comment on the stream of Styles killing off TNA (5/1 Mojo Mitchell's Raw). Leave it to the WWE to blast themselves on their flagship show in order to reestablish ECW as a distinctive brand and to directly appeal to a neglected & embittered fan base that wants to see more wrestling and less ''entertainment.'' It seems that TNA has squandered it's opportunity to emphasize themselves as that type of promotion in favor of being a vacillating hodgepodge that failed to draw the line in the sand. Do you think WWE has the corporate flexibility to make ECW succeed long term or is Vince just going to put this product out long enough to break TNA's bank?

WK: TNA has chosen to take a "high road" and let their product speak for itself rather than "go to war" with WWE verbally. Torch columnist Bruce Mitchell has been outspoken against that policy for a long time. I agree with him. I think if you are no. 2 - distant no. 2 - you need not only to tell your audience what your strengths are in direct comparison to the established brand, but you need to say it to remind yourself. Brand loyalty is build, especially among the pro wrestling demographic, by being strong, not passive; by being in-your-face, not live and let live; by being brash and bold, not timid and tiptoeing. As for whether WWE can make ECW succeed, I absolutely think it can - in an ideal situation. But as Bruce Mitchell and I talked about in a recent VIP Mitchell Audio Update, the odds of that "ideal scenario" being reality are slim. I think there will always be a market for a "counter-culture" (one of Paul Heyman's favorite adjectives for ECW in the early days) wrestling product as long as WWE is promoting the "sports entertainment" style it promotes. From a business standpoint, ECW can make money at smaller venues if they draw well and overhead is kept reasonable, they can draw ad dollars with a late night cable TV show, and they can draw on PPV with quarterly events. It is PPV where the ECW division has a chance to really take a bite out of TNA's momentum.

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Mark Morrison: How can TNA bring one of the best all-around workers and put him in the cesspool that drags everyone way down? Not only is LAX a totally horrible angle, 187 should be solidly in the X Division!

WK: I agree that Homicide should be in the X Division. Homicide doesn't fit the cookie-cutter mold of most X Division wrestlers, which is exactly why he's an obvious choice to be in it. The X Division would benefit greatly from someone who isn't easily interchangeable with others. For all of their differences, Chris Sabin and Frankie Kazarian and Michael Bentley and Petey Williams and A.J. Styles and Christopher Daniels all come from a similar mold. Homicide would inject some personality into the division and a sense of violence rather than a "can-you-top-this-highspot contest" feeling. The reason TNA isn't utilizing him well is that he isn't on the booking committee and nobody on the booking committee is friends with him and most members of the booking committee haven't seen much of his work. It's ridiculous, but that's how TNA works.

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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. He is also host of the nationally distributed Ultimate Insiders DVD series.

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