Welcome to a new website-exclusive PWTorch feature! I am PWTorch founder and editor, Wade Keller. I've been covering pro wrestling since 1987 when I started the Pro Wrestling Torch Newsletter while still in high school. Over 25 years later, PWTorch reaches more wrestling fans every week than any other independent brand. When we launched PWTorch.com in 1999, one of the features I enjoyed doing the most was "Ask PWTorch." I haven't done it recently on the website, but did revive it in recent years in an audio format for PWTorch VIP members on my Keller Hotline. We reintroduced it to the website audience at the start of May 2013.

If you have a question you'd like me to respond to, send your question to askpwtorch@gmail.com. I, along with the Torch staff, will address you questions.

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PWTorch VIP member Marc from New York asks: I am happy to say that when the day finally came for it to happen, it turned out better than I could have ever imagined. WWE handled this the exact right way, so far. Darren handled it extremely well, and while it might be slightly fishy that TMZ just happened to ask Darren the magic question, at the exact right time, for me that doesn't matter.

While I am expecting a WWE.com interview with Darren about the subject within the next few days, I believe that is as far as WWE should take this. The only thing I am waiting for is a Vince McMahon statement. whether it be a quote on the official website, or on twitter like Hunter and Steph did. I feel like Vince needs to say something, just like David Stern when Jason Collins came out. The ultimate authority in wrestling needs to put the issue to bed and endorses Darren publicly. So if their is a question in any of this, do you feel that Vince needs to make a public statement, or does the websites general statement do enough?

It is days like this that make me proud to watch, endorse, and fund this business. The wrestling community got it right today, and with Jay Briscoe hopefully off twitter for a while, nobody will make any stupid comments to make themselves look completely foolish. I don't know what this does for Darren Young the wrestler? Honestly at this moment that really doesn't matter much at all. What matters is that for now, is tha I can say that wrestling got covered on CNN.com for something positive. A positive outside the ring wrestling story is hard to find, so enjoy them when you can. Thanks Wade, and keep up the great work.

PWTorch editor Wade Keller answers: My hunch is WWE was looking for a way for Darren to come out (I'm assuming it wasn't a surprise to upper management), and finding the right setting and situation was the key. Having TMZ ask him the way they did seems contrived, but whatever the situation was, it doesn't ultimately matter. WWE coming out shortly thereafter with an official statement that backed Young's going public was also well done. I agree, it would be nice to hear Vince McMahon on the subject, but I don't feel it's absolutely needed. Vince McMahon has leaned on longtime friend Pat Patterson, who is gay, for so long that it's pretty clear Vince isn't "scared of gay people" or whatever people might think about him. (Patterson was McMahon's booker in the early years after Vince took over for his father, and remains today a valuable part time consultant.)

I think Young appearing as an openly gay WWE Superstar at WWE speaking engagements in front of kids is the greatest potential benefit of this. It's not just that gay teens who will see him speak may be inspired by his message, but the fact that Young can coexist in a "macho sports environment" with his peer athletes after coming out publicly sends a real positive message.

As for the locker room reaction, I don't think there will be much. I think we're at a point where wrestlers who have any issue with Young publicly stating he is gay will know it's entirely inappropriate to voice them or haze him or harass him in any way if they hope to keep their jobs. I also doubt any active wrestlers will have a problem with Young at all, in or out of the ring or locker room environment. The only real concern I have is whether fans will engage in any taunting of Young during his matches, and how WWE handles that if it happens.

My hope is that WWE does not turn Young coming out as gay into an on-air storyline of any kind. That will be exploitative and ripe for disaster. Young should continue to be portrayed as he always has. His sexuality hasn't been an issue before today and it shouldn't after today. He plays a certain character on TV and can continue to do so regardless of his real life sexual orientation, just as Neil Patrick Harris has on his sitcom where he plays a straight guy. WWE, in other words, shouldn't see this as an opportunity for a ratings stunt nor should they try to make a big deal out of it through any storylines or character changes. Making a big deal out of Young being gay shouldn't be any more of a consideration than suddenly making a big deal out of, say, Tyson Kidd, Heath Slater, or Daniel Bryan being straight. The biggest statement they could make would be to let Young go about his career as he already has, play the character he has played, and speak at engagements out of character about life as an openly gay wrestler on the WWE roster.

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PWTorch reader Itay A. asks: Hey guys, I've been reading the interview of RVD talking about working with more talented guys in WWE. There is this sentence "you can only get as good as your opponent," and during the last months of his TNA run RVD was the worst in ring performer in the company. I don't know how dare he to blame the young, hungry wrestlers he's been working with in TNA for screwing up matches. The guy was botching machine! Do you think RVD is right or he's been disrespectful? Thanks, and keep up the great work.

PWTorch editor Wade Keller answers: RVD never ceases to drive my opinion of him even lower every time he opens his mouth for an interview in the media. Nobody has a higher opinion of RVD than himself. As much as I've endorsed that from a business standpoints RVD should have been shot to the top of WWE Smackdown as the no. 1 contender to the World Title, and as much as I've thought RVD has been underutilized over the years by WWE (and TNA), the more I hear him speak, the more I understand management not pushing him harder than they do just out of spite for his own arrogance. He's just not the personality that top management would want to reward since he's such a fan of himself to a gag-inducing degree. RVD taking a dig at the talent level in TNA is way out of line because the level of opponents he had in TNA was in the same category as the level of opponents in WWE today. Of the many differences between WWE and TNA, the quality of opponents RVD faced in each company is not one of them. It's a disrespectful unnecessary dig at his ex-colleagues in TNA, and also completely inaccurate because he was the weak link in most of his TNA matches.

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PWTorch reader Marty S. asks: I was a huge fan of the Apter mags growing up. Bill had a knack for being ringside for many major title changes. I'm curious, given his friendly relationship with the NWA back then, was he given prior notice of major title changes?

PWTorch senior columnist Bruce Mitchell answers: I'm guessing no, at least not explicitly, but it might depend on the promoter and the times. A fan or magazine writer of the day who was plugged into what was going on, as Bill Apter certainly was, could figure out on which shows the blow-off of big feuds were coming and when heroes were getting their championships back. Also, Apter was invited by promotions to come down and cover their big events, and he had to figure big stuff would happen on those shows.

(Editor's Note: VIP members can read a fascinating seven part interview I conducted in 2004 with Bill Apter about his career covering pro wrestling for the newsstand wrestling magazines here: TORCH TALK LIBRARY. Just scroll down to 2004 or search "Apter" on your browser to jump to the link.)

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PWTorch reader John from Long Beach, N.Y. asks: As hard as he may have been to understand, I seem to recall when Andre the Giant won the WWE Title from Hulk Hogan and turned it over to Ted DiBiase, he said "I now surrender the World Tag Team Title to Ted DiBiase." Was this maybe a joke on Andre's part so he could say he never really did surrender the WWE Title?

Another quick question. It was obvious to me as a "belt mark" that the belt the Miz came to the ring with for his main event match with John Cena at WM27 was not the "real" WWE Title belt, but rather a plastic replica, like the ones sold at live events and online. Was Miz handed a toy belt on his way to the ring as a rib? It's hard to believe the real belt wasn't available for the main event at Wrestlemania.

PWTorch columnist Pat McNeill replies: It happened. Andre maintained that he screwed up the original promo, and WWE went forward as if Andre had delivered his promo correctly. As for The Miz not coming out with the title belt at WrestleMania 27, I literally have no idea what you're talking about.

PWTorch editor Wade Keller adds: I have never heard the plastic belt theory. I think that would be a hilarious, but also mean, rib to pull on somebody in the biggest moment of their career. There are multiple belts. There's a house show belt and a TV/PPV belt. The TV/PPV belt is protected for high-def cameras from ever getting scratched and dented. I don't think, though, that at WM27 that WWE would have a toy belt used as a rib. That seems more like something they'd do at a smaller event, if at all.

=== VIP EXCLUSIVE ===

PWTorch VIP member Jeff 702 asks: I'm listening to your Livecast from Tuesday. How the heck can Randy Orton be the "corporate champion" when Orton has punt-kicked members of the McMahon family? Jason is acting like this never happened. I don't get it. No need to answer if you don't want, I just don't understand why Jason thinks Randy Orton could be siding with Mr. McMahon that is just like completely forgetting history, as if it never happened. I don't remember Orton apologizing.

PWTorch editor Wade Keller answers: This is part of the VIP-exclusive portion of Ask PWTorch. I am now adding a segment exclusively for VIP members to this article as a bonus for VIP members. I will select questions sent by VIP members to my VIP Ask the Editor email box that I usually answer on my VIP Keller Hotline during the week and writing a text answer. To go VIP and get all PWTorch VIP content on our app and our website and our Audio RSS feed, www.PWTorch.com/govip.

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EDITOR'S NOTE: This marks over 90 straight days of Ask PWTorch being featured as a daily website-exclusive (available on the PWTorch App for VIP members) at www.PWTorch.com. If you have missed any of the previous Ask PWTorch features, you can read them here:

-ASK PWTORCH - FREE WEBSITE.
-CLICKING HERE - ASK PWTORCH - VIP VERSION

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(Send your question for PWTorch editor Wade Keller and the PWTorch staff exclusively to pwtorch@gmail.com for consideration! You can hear expanded conversation on the above topics from Wade Keller by becoming a VIP member and gaining access to the daily Wade Keller Hotline, posted every day for VIP members for over 1,000 days straight. Sign up at www.PWTorch.com/govip)

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