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In the PWTorch VIP Forum, VIP members are reviewing the first hour of the four hour Torch Talk interview exclusive with former WWE creative team member John Piermarini.

"This is what got me to try out the VIP membership, and it did not disappoint. I can't wait for the next three hours." (soonago)

"This is excellent, Wade. Great job in getting him for this edition of the Torch Talk. Getting recent insight on the backstage happenings of WWE television is something all PWTorch readers/VIP members crave for. Cannot wait for the next installments." (Bryan_Burke)

"Great Torch Talk so far, Wade! Can't wait for the next installments." (Master's Apprentice)

"A totally fascinating listen so far. I am overall very excited about (this)!" (nicolas.barbati)

"Wade, this Torch Talk is excellent. Just listened to the audio, and it's probably the most interesting Torch Talk in many years. Can't wait for the other parts. Great job in getting him before the other sites did. A really good scoop by you." (ClassicsGuy)

"Best Torch Talk since the Nash edition, I think, Wade. Great job. You are an outstanding interviewer. What I've always enjoyed is that you maintain the sense of curiosity most ordinary TV-watching fans would have while also interweaving the pointed and relevant questions that a quality journalist would and should ask. Great mixing of two separate worlds throughout the interviews." (BrianM)

"Really enjoyed this so far especially the day to day aspects of the job." (soup23)

"Damn this was outstanding! Really looking forward to the future parts." (gutter)

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EXCERPT OF THE TRANSCRIPT - SIGN UP NOW AND LISTEN TO THE AUDIO

Keller: And draw me a picture of what that first week was like – I mean, it’s not that you clock in at eight, and you work till 5:30, and you’ve got a desk and there’s a To-Do list by your computer, and you tackle it. [Tell us] what the actual structure of your workweek is like.

Piermarini: I could probably go over the structure of the week better than tell you about the first week there, but --

Keller: Oh sure, that’s fine.

Piermarini: Obviously Monday and Tuesday, you’re wherever Raw and Smackdown is. You fly home Wednesday morning, after four hours of sleep -- and nine times out of ten, that’s a work-from-home day, but there are times that we do go into the office, depending on the situation. And then Wednesday is where all the writers come up with their segment ideas for – I was considered on the Raw writing team, so it was up to the Raw team to come up with stories, character development and segments for Raw, and same for Smackdown, but once you’re on the road, you’re writing promos and producing pretapes for both shows. But Wednesday, you kinda put your show together; Thursday is where we sit together as a team – which actually did happen a lot – and you all pitch your ideas, and then Brian gets his feedback on what he likes and what he doesn’t like. Friday is sitting down and presenting a show to Vince. And that’s presenting Raw, Smackdown, ECW or NXT, and having him give his initial feedback. Then we go back, we put the show together, write the rough draft Friday and sometimes Saturday; Sunday, jump on a plane, and then sort of do it all over again.

Keller: Wow – and when you’re presenting to Vince, is it by conference call, is it by tower, on a dining room table?

Piermarini: Yeah, he’s got a conference room in his office that we all sit down in and pitch the show to him.

Keller: And how long – does each writing team go to him separately from each show?

Piermarini: No. Raw would probably bring in two or three people. There were times that I wasn’t in a meeting; there were times that I [was]. Smackdown would bring in two or three people, and ECW or NXT would bring in the two people that were on the team. So it’s not the entire creative writing team – it’s certain people that go in.

Keller: And is it all at once, or separately?

Piermarini: Yes, all at once.

Keller: Okay.

Piermarini: We start with Raw, because that’s first, then we get to Smackdown, then we get to whatever the third show is, ECW or NXT.

Keller: And before you meet with Vince, each of the writers – let’s talk specifically about Raw – your role was, there would be certain wrestlers, certain segments assigned to you, or would you take a look at the whole show?

Piermarini: Well, when it came to pitching ideas for the show, it was more so, come up with an entire show. Segment one to segment eleven, which is, I guess from nine o’clock to eleven o’clock, from top to bottom, pitch a show to Brian, and then he would take what ideas he liked and incorporate it into, ultimately, the show he wanted to put together. There wasn’t really necessarily...Brian wouldn’t sit there and say, “I’m gonna handle Cena, Orton, Seamus, Wade Barrett; John, you handle DiBiase and guys like that, and Dave, you handle these guys.” It was more so...unfortunately, it was a lot of concentrating on the main story, and we really didn’t give too much thought to the undercard, which I usually would push for. It just seemed that there wasn’t too much interest in spending a lot of time on anything that wasn’t the main story.

Keller: And so you would present essentially a whole show of the major items, with someone else also? Would Dave present a separate show also, and Brian would merge the three ideas with his?

Piermarini: Yes, start to finish, we all pitched our show start to finish. Majority of the time, Brian writes the show he wants to write. And if it means he uses zero of your ideas, then it means he uses zero of your ideas.

Keller: But he’s getting alternate ideas that are completely, in a sense, completely fresh and separate from his that he can incorporate into the show if he wants.

Piermarini: Yes.

Keller: Yeah, interesting. And in what percentage of the time did Brian – did you see a show, or I should say a final draft, that really resembled much of anything that you contributed, and how many times did you see your fingerprints all over it?

Piermarini: I would say 90 percent of the time it was Brian’s show. There would be weeks when Brian would be on the road, so me and Dave Kapoor would write the show. Obviously Brian would be able to look it over, and give his feedback, but usually the times I could see -- again, like you say, my fingerprints on the show, would be when Brian wasn’t there.

Keller: Okay. And is Brian not there because he has vacation?

Piermarini: It’s not vacation; you know, Brian runs that whole department. So there’s other obligations that Brian has, that would prevent him from going to TV on certain weeks, or whatever the case may be. He’s stretched [in] a lot of different directions.

Keller: Let’s move to the meeting with Vince McMahon. You took part in what percentage of those? You said it was sometimes different writers?

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