Pro Wrestling Torch was established in 1987 by Wade Keller. One of the primary traits PWTorch has been credited with over the years is assembling the best and most diverse staff of columnists with broad knowledge, but also areas of specialty where they have a particularly strong grasp of history. Every day PWTorch.com presents that team of writers answering your questions, some of which are fact-based and others of which are opinion-based. Either way, we've got you covered with Bruce Mitchell, Pat McNeill, Sean Radican, Greg Parks, James Caldwell, and Wade Keller. Collectively they have over 80 years working for the Torch, writing about wrestling and studying industry history and trends.

If you have a question you'd like us to respond to, send your question to askpwtorch@gmail.com. I, along with the Torch staff, will address your questions in this feature and also the “Ask PWTorch: All-Star Panel” edition which is also published most days here at PWTorch.

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PWTorch reader Will S. asks: Quick one...finally time to turn Cena heel?

PWTorch editor Wade Keller answers: No. Awful time. It's always an awful time until he stops drawing ratings, ticket sales, PPV buys, and tons and tons of mercy sales. It's also an awful time until there is a clear-cut established babyface nipping at his heels or taking over the no. 1 face spot. Bryan is hot right now, but there's a lot of skepticism that he can develop into a main event level merchandise seller and house show draw. Once WWE puts the machine fully behind him, he'll be tested, but they're not going to turn Cena until Bryan - or someone else - clearly is a stronger option for babyface. I think in 2-3 years Roman Reigns might be that guy, but basically if you have to ask, it's not time. It'll be obvious, just as it was with Hulk Hogan before he joined the Outsiders.

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PWTorch reader Tommy H. from South Philly asks: Was a fan of what WCW did in the mid-to-late '90s with the Cruiserweight Division. Looking at the roster in WWE now, I think it would be the perfect time to bring back a cruiserweight division. What do you guys think of just having the IC Title or the U.S. Title and making the other "secondary" title the Cruiserweight Title? Gabriel, Kidd, Epico, Primo, Zayn, Neville, Mysterio, Sin Cara, Rollins, etc. Am I the only one who sees a ton of cruiserweight talent on the roster? Thanks.

PWTorch columnist Greg Parks answers: Ah, it's been a while since I've heard a good "push the cruiserweights" argument. I thought we'd passed that phase, to be honest. Look, it doesn't matter how many "good" cruisers WWE has, WWE's attitude toward them will not change and thus the division will not get the push it deserves. Look at Daniel Bryan, a guy who could fit into a Cruiserweight Division, and how unwilling WWE has been to make him THE star of the show. What we'd end up with is a U.S. Title/IC Champion situation where the wrestler is just used as a jobber to get a bigger guy over, and people would be even more upset about that than how the US/IC Title champs are booked.

PWTorch editor Wade Keller answers: If you want to kill any chance of a Cruiserweight Division to work, put guys who have been TV jobbers such as Justin Gabriel and Tyson Kidd in it. There is a way to make it work using new exciting talent that has everything heavyweights have except height. Vince McMahon and Triple H are going to talk themselves into thinking it's not worth it because people don't want to pay to watch guys smaller than them fight. Of course it's a ridiculous argument, but they are stuck in their line of thinking. It's one of the hooks that Jeff Jarrett should be thinking about with a new promotion, but that said, WWE really might need to embrace cruiser weights as top level Superstars before a secondary national company could make it work to its full potential, unfortunately, because WWE on a large nation scale defines what major league pro wrestlers look like.

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PWTorch reader & VIP MEMBER Scott Passner of New Jersey asks: I want to thank the PWTorch staff for their great work. Look forward to the Bruce Mitchell Audio Show each week. My question relates to WrestleMania 13. What was the original plan before Shawn Micheals lost his smile. I remember thinking that it would be Shawn-Bret in a rematch with Bret regaining the strap. I remember being shocked when Shawn gave up the belt. Can you shed some more insight into this time period in WWE history.

PWTorch columnist Sean Radican answers: There's a lot to that. I would suggest since you've gone VIP that you go back into our archives and read about the situation as it unfolded in the PWTorch Newsletter. I also reviewed the "Shawn vs. Bret" DVD in the newsletter when it came out a couple of years back and Bruce Mitchell discussed the DVD as well on the Bruce Mitchell VIP Audio Show around the time it was released, so be sure to check those out as well to get insight on the situation. I'm sure between all of the things I mentioned above that you will get a lot more of what your looking for than I could in a paragraph here. Thanks for going VIP!

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PWTorch reader Randy Boone of Kunkletown, Pa. asks: As always, awesome job with the site and especially the Ask the Torch feature. I’m really enjoying the format changes to the print newsletter, too. I’m curious on your thoughts regarding how much technology (especially the Internet and the super plethora of cable channels) has affected wrestling booking over the past few decades. Like many of the Torch staff, I frequently pine for the simplicity of much of the booking in Ye Olden Days; however, I often wonder if the “simplicity” is deceptive in today’s day and age. Here’s an example. Back in the day, the WWF would push one top contender and stick with him for months at a time. You always knew who the top contender was, and if someone else got a title shot (like a Tony Garea type), it was seen as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Today, there always seems to be four or five guys “in the mix” for the top contendership, and it’s often hard to say who is Number One. That all being said, back in the day, there were many fewer hours of TV to fill, match results would be delayed by weeks and months, and a promotion could ride the top contender for months before fans felt saturated. The result was that the next new matchup always felt fresh. Everything today is so, so overexposed and instantaneous. Is it just less possible today for bookers and Creative to keep things so simple? Many thanks, and keep up the awesome work.

PWTorch columnist Sean Radican answers: I think you answered your own question that a big problem is fans now expect to see big matches on TV every week so fresh matches and feuds for the title are hard to pull off. I don't think technology has anything to so with it in terms of the Internet; it's just the state of TV where WWE has to do things to keep the ratings up every week. It also doesn't help that WWE hasn't developed new stars in recent years that fans perceive to be on the same level as John Cena.

I think it is still possible to build long-term feuds that feel fresh, but it takes a lot of discipline and planning. WWE changes things by the minute and the creative team is so taxed that they have a had time sustaining things.

When WWE is able to bring back big names during WM season, it really gives the product some fresh life, but it would be nice to have the top full time wrestlers feel like they were just as big of a deal as Lesnar and Batista. One possible solution would be giving top talent time off during the year in a rotation, so that creative could keep things fresh, but that's nearly impossible given the limitations of WWEs roster.

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PWTorch reader Aaron P. asks: Why are female wrestlers allowed to run around in high heels? I'm just waiting for someone to break an ankle.

PWTorch columnist Greg Parks answers: WWE's Divas are smart, sexy, and powerful. I assume this falls under the "sexy" heading.

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PWTorch reader Matthew S. asks: I’d like to ask whatever happened to WWE’s book publishing division? I don’t think they’ve released an autobiography since Dustin Rhodes back in 2010. Are they just leaving them all for ECW Press these days? You think this is a gap in the market TNA could branch into?

PWTorch columnist Greg Parks answers: I think the WWE autobiography well has run dry. All of the major stars have pretty much written their stories, unless someone is really angling for a John Cena autobiography. Vince McMahon is unlikely to write one. Plus, like anything else WWE does, it's all about the money, and I don't think the last few books that were written really made it a worthwhile venture for them anymore. They still do release WWE-centric books like the WWE Encyclopedia, but have scaled back on autobiographies.

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