By James Caldwell, PWTorch columnist

- Welcome to a brand new feature on the Torch that I'm starting with the goal to update on a daily basis. It's part Ticker, part Cube, part commentary on the happenings in pro wrestling for the day. When you stop by the Torch every day for the latest news, be sure to check out the Daily Word for relevant analysis and live features on what's happening in wrestling.

Updated Thursday, October 23 - evening update

- TNA takes its next step in the company's progression with a live HD broadcast from Las Vegas tonight. At least, the company is positioning this as a "milestone" moment two years after the move to Thursday nights and one year after the move to two hours. "High definition broadcasting is just another sign that TNA continues to defy expectations and grow as a worldwide entertainment company," a senior TNA official told the Torch today.

TNA's main pitch for tonight is the Mick Foley & Jeff Jarrett joint announcement that will either overwhelm or be a classic TNA over-hype job. Main event is Samoa Joe & A.J. Styles vs. Kevin Nash & Sting. We'll have extensive live coverage of the show and post-show reaction tonight starting at 9:00 p.m. EST.

- We have over 20 new articles on the main listing for today, with plenty of news we've been following and analyzing throughout the day. Kevin Nash explained why he stayed put in TNA, WWE appears to be heading for a tough financial report, and Jesse Ventura compared to the U.S. government to Nazi Germany. And we haven't even had the live Impact from Vegas tonight. I'll look at the top articles to get caught up on today if you're just checking in for the latest news this evening.

Kevin Nash said he was 99.9 percent committed to a WWE return. We've seen Michael Jordan and Roger Clemens pull the 99.9 percent line in past years before doing a complete about-face to follow-through on the 0.01 percent option. Nash decided to stay put in TNA after his wife convinced him of TNA's merits, but he didn't exactly make it known he's enthralled with what TNA has to offer in terms of talent, feuds, and creative right now. Nash story on the main listing. In light of Nash saying he was talking to Shawn Michaels about a WWE return, here's a clip of Michaels vs. Diesel from April 1996. Ah, to be young again.



WWE toy sales taking a hit. We'll find out in a few weeks when WWE reports third quarter earnings whether each of WWE's business segments was adversely affected by tough economic circumstances, but JAKKS Pacific's CEO said their tracking numbers show a significant drop in sales of WWE toys. Quotes from JAKKS CEO on the main listing

Sean Radican writes about Foley and Jarrett damaging the wrestling business. "TNA has a lot of problems to address, but as Jeff and Mick pull into Vegas and get ready for TNA's big Impact taping; they should think about easily correcting the problem and doing more to distance TNA away from sleazy promotional tactics and veteran wrestlers making irresponsible statements that only hurt the industry." Radican take on the main listing.

Chris Jericho's reality show debuts in one week. Although Chris Jericho isn't the main star of a music reality show airing on a channel that reaches about 60 million households, it will be interesting to see if there is any buzz in the music industry behind Jericho's show. We'll try to track some ratings information when the show debuts to see if Jericho can bring some ratings to a show featuring 11 never-heard-of musicians. Jericho story on the main listing.

- Brock Lesnar was the subject of an eye-opening ESPN interview on Tuesday. We covered the story from a variety of angles yesterday, and I suspected there would be some coverage of the "vodka and pain pills" line from Lesnar in the mainstream press. Turns out it's been widely ignored. Coverage has focused on Lesnar's UFC fight in November, as should be the case.

But, for the wrestling business, it's another case of the mainstream media not wanting to be bothered with the issues facing wrestling. Whether it's a tough economy, a presidential race, or just an overall lack of interest in wrestling right now, the issues to be dealt with are being ignored by the big players in the media.

Lance Cade suffered a seizure on an airplane from a reported near over-dose on pain pills. Lesnar says he can't even remember two years in the wrestling business after dining on pills and booze. We're back where we started in the pre-Guerrero/Benoit era where mainstream media isn't concerned about wrestling until someone dies again. Everything has been relatively quiet on the wrestling front, but we're seeing the same culture of turning a blind eye to the wrestling business because no one wants to talk about the real issues in pseudo sport.

- Danny Hodge will be honored in Japan this weekend when he appears at the Pro Wrestling Expo in Tokyo. Hodge's management team worked with Jim Ross and John Laurinaitis of WWE and Simon Inoki in Japan to arrange the appearance. "This is a great honor and absolute thrill for me to return to Tokyo and be a part of the WrestleMania of Japan,'' Hodge said. "I never dreamed that I would have the opportunity once again to see my dedicated friends and fans once again." Miami Herald article.

Below is a video clip of Danny Hodge winning an amateur wrestling tournament. Check out the good sportsmanship of Hodge helping up his opponent after humiliating him, but the opponent wanting nothing to do with Hodge's help.

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