Torch Today FIRST WORD - MONDAY: Raw preview, WWE business, AAA tours U.S., ROH in Japan
Jun 25, 2007 - 8:45:00 AM
PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO BOOKMARK US & VISIT US DAILY
By James Caldwell, Torch columnist
Send anything pro wrestling related (news, mainstream media mentions, newspaper article links, obscure wrestling references, oddball wrestling-related items, etc.) to the Torch News Link for inclusion in the Torch Today blog. When this page is updated, it will move to the top of the PWTorch Main Listing.
Updated Monday, June 25 at 8:45 a.m. - by James Caldwell
-- FIRST WORD: Last night at Vengeance, there were many moments where the 90/10 percentage split came into play. 90 percent being casual fans who bought a ticket for a family wrestling event to cap off the weekend. 10 percent being the hardcore audience. 90 percent were for Cena, while 10 percent created the loud boos during his backstage promo with Edge and during his ring entrance. 90 percent were very much behind Batista, while 10 percent of the fans - mainly concentrated in the front rows facing the hard camera - applauded every move Edge made during the Hvt. title match. 90 percent of fans were confused and disappointed when Johnny Nitro replaced Chris Benoit, while the very vocal minority of 10 percent expressed their displeasure when Benoit wasn't on the card. WWE has such a low opinion of Benoit's connection with the audience that they apparently believed fans wouldn't be that upset when Benoit wasn't on the card. So, they waited until two seconds before Nitro came out to announce the line-up change instead of telling the audience at the top of the show. No matter how much they believe Benoit is just another wrestler, they were shown the error of their ways on the PPV.
-- RAW PREVIEW: Another three hours of WWE TV tonight, featuring the Mr. McMahon Appreciation Night II. ... They're setting up a memorial inside the arena in Corpus Christi, Tex. tonight, where fans can cut their own eulogy promo. Believe me, there are plenty of fans who will play along to get on TV. They're the same fans who bought the "I DID IT" t-shirts at Vengeance last night ... No matches have been announced yet ...
-- The Broadcasting & Cable website has an in-depth piece on WWE's marketing and overall business. Quotes from Dick Ebersol, Bonnie Hammer, CW executives, and Vince and Linda McMahon. Vince McMahon, who isn't dead, said about the TV market they're trying to compete in, "I think we're holding our own in this fractionalized market that becomes more fractionalized every day. I'm not particularly satisfied with where we are, and I don't know that I ever would be." Article link.
-- Chris Benoit was not at the Vengeance PPV last night, as he had to fly home to Georgia before the show for personal reasons. No word on whether he'll be back for the McMahon Raw tonight or the Smackdown/ECW tapings on Tuesday.
-- AAA in Mexico will be touring the U.S. this summer, holding exhibition matches on the Vans Warped Tour. The first show is June 29 in Pomona, Calif. and it concludes on August 25 in Los Angeles. It's a good marketing opportunity to give wrestling fans a sample of Lucha wrestling, before possibly running larger standalone shows later this year or sometime next year in cities that had the biggest response to the exhibitions. Press release.
-- After this past weekend's big double-shot in Dayton in Chicago, ROH won't be in the U.S. again until July 27 and 28 in Long Island and Edison, respectively. Their next tour will be in Japan on July 16 and 17. They have not announced a card for Tokyo on July 16, but the July 17 card in Osaka has The Briscoes vs. Shingo & YAMATO, KENTA & CIMA vs. Davey Richards & Rocky Romero, Jack Evans vs. Roderick Strong, Bryan Danielson vs. Jimmy Rave, Nigel McGuinness vs. B.J. Whitmer, and an impressive Dragon Gate six-man tag match.
-- The Salt Lake Tribune has a story on a Lucha show in Utah on Sunday that drew 500 fans. Mascarita Sagrada was the headliner on the show. Article link.
THE TORCH REACHES MORE COMBAT ENTERTAINMENT FANS THAN ANY OTHER SOURCE
PWTorch editor Wade Keller has covered pro wrestling full time since 1987 starting with the Pro Wrestling Torch print newsletter. PWTorch.com launched in 1999 and the PWTorch Apps launched in 2008.
He has conducted "Torch Talk" insider interviews with Hulk Hogan, The Rock, Steve Austin, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Eric Bischoff, Jesse Ventura, Lou Thesz, Jerry Lawler, Mick Foley, Jim Ross, Paul Heyman, Bruno Sammartino, Goldberg, more.
He has interviewed big-name players in person incluiding Vince McMahon (at WWE Headquarters), Dana White (in Las Vegas), Eric Bischoff (at the first Nitro at Mall of America), Brock Lesnar (after his first UFC win).
He hosted the weekly Pro Wrestling Focus radio show on KFAN in the early 1990s and hosted the Ultimate Insiders DVD series distributed in retail stories internationally in the mid-2000s including interviews filmed in Los Angeles with Vince Russo & Ed Ferrara and Matt & Jeff Hardy. He currently hosts the most listened to pro wrestling audio show in the world, (the PWTorch Livecast, top ranked in iTunes)
REACHING 1 MILLION+ UNIQUE USERS PER MONTH
500 MILLION CLICKS & LISTENS PER YEAR
MILLIONS OF PWTORCH NEWSLETTERS SOLD
PWTorch offers a VIP membership for $10 a month (or less with an annual sub). It includes nearly 25 years worth of archives from our coverage of pro wrestling dating back to PWTorch Newsletters from the late-'80s filled with insider secrets from every era that are available to VIPers in digital PDF format and Keller's radio show from the early 1990s.
Also, new exclusive top-shelf content every day including a new VIP-exclusive weekly 16 page digital magazine-style (PC and iPad compatible) PDF newsletter packed with exclusive articles and news.
The following features come with a VIP membership which tens of thousands of fans worldwide have enjoyed for many years...
-New Digital PWTorch Newsletter every week
-3 New Digital PDF Back Issues from 5, 10, 20 years ago
-Over 60 new VIP Audio Shows each week
-Ad-free access to all PWTorch.com free articles
-VIP Forum access with daily interaction with PWTorch staff and well-informed fellow wrestling fans
-Tons of archived audio and text articles
-Decades of Torch Talk insider interviews in transcript and audio formats with big name stars. **SIGN UP FOR VIP ACCESS HERE**