Justin Parker, Torch Specialist

Wednesday, July 16th

This blog does contain spoilers, so if you are looking to avoid, read no further

Last night’s taping was fairly newsworthy in the sense that we got the next chapter in the Edge-Vickie saga, some decent wrestling throughout the three plus hour taping, and a Ric Flair “farewell” address to the folks of Charlotte exclusive to those in the arena.

A few general observations were that fans simply were not totally in sync with the product these days. I got the sense that the building was filled with a mix of people who follow wrestling closely, people who casually still watch when there is nothing else on, and people who have watched wrestling in the past 10 years and are going to the show because it is a circus-like attraction that comes around a few times a year. A lot of the people around me were familiar with some of the Attitude-era guys and not any of the newer stars and among the questions I heard were, “Where are all the jacked-up guys,” and “who is the white guy in the black trunks?” That being Mr. Kennedy.

I think that this goes back to something Bruce Mitchell said in his latest audio, in that fans have no real emotional investment in WWE storylines anymore because it is now, maybe worse than ever, gotten so far away from the typical structure that pro wrestling was built on. Not saying this is necessarily bad, as the people in the arena were treated to a good show overall.

One major thing I noticed, is the lack of a brand split definitely takes away heat from wrestlers who have already appeared earlier in the night on ECW. The tag match between the Hardys and Miz and Morrison was the standout match of the night with a good amount of heat behind it that made Jeff Hardy, other than Ric Flair, the biggest star of the night. By the time all four men came out for the Smackdown taping, fans really didn’t care too much as they already got to pop for their entrance and had seen all the signature spots. This day in age, where fans are most likely to pop more for the entrance than the actual match, wrestlers come out looking like less of a star because of the apathetic reaction later on in the night. This is another reason to adhere to firm brand separation.

The actual show was pretty solid all around with a memorable show closing angle involving HHH, Edge and Vickie where hidden camera footage (brought by HHH) showed Edge making fun of Vickie’s granny panties and hooking up with the wedding planner. It may be a little long for people’s tastes unless they edit it down, but I think that the length provided the optimal amount of tension and drama and sucked the crowd into suspending their disbelief and reacting to each twist and turn. As always, Edge and Vickie were both tremendous in their roles and the facial expressions from all involved parties were great. A very memorable segment that is worth checking out.

Other highlights included Ric Flair’s farewell address to the city of Charlotte which occurred after the cameras stopped rolling and was a very heartfelt speech about his history in the city and how much it means to him. He closed by saying that he still is a limousine, ridin’, jet-flyin’ son of a gun and that while the rest of the country wants to be like Mike, Charlotte wants to be like Ric.

Overall, a great show that sent the 8-10,000 people (in line with usual attendance) home happy and with all the complains that a lot of us have with WWE, this is the type of show that will turn tonight’s attendees into repeat customers the next time WWE comes into town.

Be sure to check out the audio Sean Radican, myself and James Caldwell did on the ROH 6th Anniversary show, available exclusively for Torch VIP members. If you have questions or comments, please send to torchparker@gmail.com

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