Ask the Editor ASK THE EDITOR: Indy standouts who fail to catch fire nationally, protecting moves, Raw Anniversary invites Dec 17, 2007 - 7:51:18 PM

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By Wade Keller, Torch editor

Denis Pajtak asks: Here's my question for you which hasn't been much discussed: It's been brought up in the past that a lot of moves are taken away from wrestlers when they enter WWE of TNA. Obviously, the knee-jerk reaction is "let them use as many great moves as they can." However, when watching some great matches of the past, especially Japanese, it is clear that signature moves help (a) the average fan to follow the action easier and (b) gives the wrestles more room to tell a great story. Also, if a wrestler in the future uses another new move, it's more significant. What do you think?

WK: I'm a big proponent of "protecting moves," meaning that once a wrestler establishes a special move as one of his signature moves, other guys should have to get permission to use it. There is obviously a limit of three or four signature moves that you can protect. Any more than that and you're getting greedy and hoarding moves, and it's more than the average fan can keep track of. When one wrestler uses another wrestler's signature move when facing them, it adds some drama to a special match-up. Also, by protecting certain moves, you prevent one wrestler from using someone else's finisher as a transition move. For example, John Cena's FU works because it's protected and leads to finishes. It's the worst finishing move, when it comes to actually looking like it hurts, since the Lionsault. If everyone else used the move as a transition and if the victim didn't sell it, it would damage the likelihood of fans popping for it when Cena uses it. On the indy scene, I'm not for protecting moves, though, except in a promotion that has an established routine of wrestlers making repeated, frequent appearances in the same town. The goal for a stand-out indy match is different than a WWE or TNA match on TV or PPV or at a house show. An indy show is a chance for fans to be dazzled with up-close crazy stunts. It's most often not about fitting into a larger ongoing storyline or trying to set-up a future match, but getting a pop from a few rows of fans who want their socks knocked off. An indy show can be about other things, of course, but standout athletic highspot fests is definitely one of the main reasons hardcore fans go to local shows where the stars aren't typically anywhere close to the level of those on the major league shows.

Alex Christopher Meyer asks: I'm a big fan of both independent and "corporate" wrestling. I've seen a lot of wrestlers who were big in the indys and put amazing matches on while they were on the circuit sign with big name companies and fail to get push. The end result: a great performer does nothing with their talent for however long they are in their contract. A great example being Paul London. I wanted your thoughts on moving up from the indys and whether you think it's a good idea in a wrestler's career. Also, do you think popularity in the independent circuit carries over into corporate wrestling?

WK: The second part is easy. No. There are a few exceptions, such as a C.M. Punk getting a hero's welcome by hardcore fans who are rooting for him to get an honest shot at stardom in WWE, but for the most part, what you do on the indy scene isn't known by more than 99 percent of fans who watch TNA or WWE. Not only that, it's not known by Vince McMahon or TNA's top personnel other than testimonials. There are also aspects of being a standout indy performer that don't necessarily translate to the major league level. You can have star power on the indy scene because of how you relate to five rows of fans and because of your balls-out athleticism that don't translate to larger arenas and the big stage where you're competing with the top tier established stars. Also, neither TNA nor WWE promote a strong division of smaller, more athletic wrestlers. TNA has all but abandoned making the X Division one of their hallmarks, and WWE has dropped references to what was a terribly mismanaged Cruiserweight Division. Should a standout indy wrestler forego an opportunity to work for WWE or TNA because of all of the above? No way. The goal of most indy wrestlers is to be seen by more people and make a full-time living. Other than a handful of top tier indy workers with good deals with a Japan promotion, it's just not possible to have a long sustained career outside of WWE and TNA. And even if you're misused in a national promotion, the star power that results from just being on TV can extend your marketability on the indy scene or in Japan.

Thomas Russell asks; Do you see any of the former wrestlers who appeared on the 15th anniversary show such as Sunny, RVD, etc. coming back full time?

WK: Rob Van Dam is obviously in decent standing with WWE by virtue of him appearing on the Raw Anniversary Show. Sunny looked good, and getting a good response from the crowd and behaving backstage can cause management to look for a spot for you, but WWE traditionally reserves spots for the very young or very old in the female division. Marty Jannetty looked okay, but didn't get much of a response and has such a spotty record, it's not like WWE would feel compelled to hire him based on what they saw last week. Nobody else stood out as anything other than a one-time nostalgia act.

Have you got a question for Ask the Editor? I'm aiming to make this a regular feature at PWTorch, so help out by sending in questions or topics you'd like me to write about. I also answer questions in audio format for VIP members about once a week as part of the VIP Keller Hotline. click here.

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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