TAKE PWTORCH
WITH YOU! Get our iPhone App (FREE!): Click Here Or enter "PWTorch.com" on your Blackberry or other Smart Phone browser for mobile-version of PWTorch.
TV Reports
WWE SUPERSTARS ROUNDTABLE REVIEWS 11/5: Caldwell, Donofrio, Parks rate and review Nov 7, 2009 - 11:21:50 AM
Not a particularly memorable episode of Superstars, notably due to the involvement of Paul Burchill and Tyler Reks, but Chris Jericho and Finlay had an excellent match for Superstars to boost this to a thumbs up one-hour offering. Their hard-hitting style was memorable and refreshing to watch. Finlay is under-utilized, in my estimation, and he could be marketed as a second tier-level babyface working with some top heels if given more preferential treatment on the Friday show. Finlay has a solid track record in WWE elevating Bobby Lashley and Jack Swagger that he could really help elevate someone like C.M. Punk in a feud. It appears they'll pair him up with Drew McIntyre, which is fine as well.
Also just fine was Santino providing his usual comedy in the opening match. Chavo Guerrero is just that guy right now. You know that guy. He's a heel who just can't catch a break. He's always one step off or slow. It is what it is. ... Jack Swagger vs. Primo was just another match between these two, but Swagger brought his "A game" to the D show, which shows he listened to Jim Ross's evaluation last week. Swagger is a future main-eventer even though he's not being booked like one right now.
Tony Donofrio, PWTorch.com Contributor (6.0)
It would be hard to say that there was a terrible match on this show unless you dock major points for the actual time put into the matches. I know it's only a one-hour show, but is it necessary to cram four matches and two videos into that hour? Superstars would be best served doing three matches (tops) and maybe one video. With all that said, the show wasn't bad. It was really brought up by the Finlay and Chris Jericho match though. Those two put on a hell of a match for WWE's D-show main event. Jericho also added some much needed star power to a show that was lacking it on this particular episode.
I don't understand how Primo and Jack Swagger, all of the sudden, have a rivalry. I'm a huge fan of Swagger's but have seen no type of real push since he was traded to Raw roughly six months ago. The other two matches were mostly throw away matches. I think Paul Burchill could be a good addition to Smackdown if/when he loses to The Hurricane. Fortunately, if you missed this show, you didn't miss anything important to WWE's ongoing storylines.
Greg Parks, PWTorch.com Contributor (6.5)
Two more-than-solid matches gets this an easy thumbs-up for me. The show started slowly with a Chavo vs. Santino match. I can't help but to think the results they'd get if they made Santino a serious wrestler. That said, this was one of his longer matches in some time. A Paul Burchill win was a nice touch heading into his big match with Hurricane on ECW this week, even if it was against Tyler Reks.
Swagger vs. Primo was another good match between the two men. Primo is underutilized right now, and one has to wonder how much that has to do with his brother's situation. The main event of Jericho vs. Finlay bested my expectations for the two and they put on a match you don't often see on TV this day in age. But both men successfully pulled it off.
Send feedback on this article to pwtorch@gmail.com and we'll regularly publish reader feedback in the "Torch Feedback" category on the Main Listing.
INCREDIBLE BENEFITS! Over 50 full-length audio updates per month (iPod compatible)... New weekly award-winning Pro Wrestling Torch Newsletter (text and printable pdf versions) with latest exclusive insider news, new Torch Talks, great columns, Keller's cover story, much more... Hundreds of full-length back issues of PWTorch Newsletter from late-'80s to today... Ad-free access to PWTorch.com's Main Listing... VIP Forum with interaction with other subscribers and Torch staff... Torch Talk Library with text and audio of hundreds of interview installments from last 20 years... Great layout... Deepest archives on pro wrestling history anywhere... Keller's PWTorch Today PDF Bulletins with email alerts... VIP Email reports on major PPVs and TV shows... Staff Roundtable Reviews (text and audio) followiing major events... The best staff of writers and world class reporting since 1987... We'd love for you to join us and experience the most entertaining, authoritative, experienced staff of professional reporters and commentators in the business...
Compare the value of four or five months of PWTorch VIP content to the price of just one PPV. Can you cut 25 cents a day from your budget to make room for PWTorch VIP?
AND NEW FOR 2009! Monthly "Vintage Audio Torch Talks." We are releasing for the first time ever audio versions of our text Torch Talk updates, the historical first series of insider interviews ever. Wade Keller's newsmaking in-depth interviews with wrestling's biggest names are now being made available exclusively to VIP members. But you must be a member each month, as these are not archived, so they are replaced with a new one each month! This debuted in January 2009 with a 68 minute interview with the late "British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith. Who's next? Hulk Hogan? Eric Bischoff? The Rock? Goldberg? Jeff Hardy?
