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FRIDAY’S ASK PWTORCH STAFF: If Turner backed Heyman's ECW, would it have survived vs. WWF? Did Paige know she was going to win before Monday? Is there real heat between Corino and Whitmer? Why does Bryan carry around two belts?

Apr 11, 2014 - 4:58:45 PM
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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 Jeff from Michigan asks: If ECW and Paul Heyman had the backing of Ted Turner instead of WCW, would ECW still be around today?

PWTorch editor Wade Keller answers: ECW as it was promoted wasn’t a viable national company for TNT or TBS. There’s almost anything about what made ECW stand out and differentiate it from WCW and the WWF that would have been allowed on a mainstream cable channel, nor did it have an audience big enough with that kind of edgy content to draw ratings to compete with the WWF. However, if Heyman had the backing of Ted Turner, he wouldn’t have had to go to such “extremes” to make things work, so I suspect Heyman with a Time-Warner budget would have given WCW a very good chance to succeed. I think today’s Paul Heyman would be even better than the 1996 version in that regard.

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PWTorch reader Rob W. asks: I read your answers to the question about reinstating the Cruiserweight Division. While I agree that adding the cruiserweights to the established shows would quickly lead to them being used as jobbers, I do think that a Cruiserweight-specific show might be a draw on the WWE Network. I’m envisioning a weekly, one-hour show with largely its own cast, an emphasis on the high-flying cruiserweight style and its own championship belt. Perhaps the belt could be defended on PPVs from time-to-time, especially as a showcase for the Network-only show. They could probably tape a month’s worth of shows in one night to save costs and release the episodes once a week on the Network. This, to me, would be a far more interesting show than the current Main Event and Superstars shows, which are basically the same WWE product – only with B-level talent and no storylines. Any chance WWE could produce something like this for the Network?

PWTorch editor Wade Keller answers: I’m on board with that, and it’s something that has been rumored to have been considering (and maybe still is). In a way, it’s a best case scenario as long the Cruiserweight talent is never on the main show against heavyweights. They should be protected and kept as separate as GSP was from JDS in UFC. Then the Cruiserweights would have a real chance to sink or swim on their own, and I’m confident that style without interference from heavyweights and being defined down by their placement on the show would give them a chance to really thrive and capture a significant audience that make it worth the effort.

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PWTorch reader Joe M. asks: I have a question about when wrestlers find out they're going to win a match. My question actually stems from the Paige-A.J. Lee match on Raw this past Monday. Specifically, did Paige go out to the ring already knowing she was going to win the Diva's Title, or was she just told she was going to have a match but wasn't told the referee would do a three-count? She seemed genuinely shocked that she won, or maybe I just really underrate wrestlers' ability to mimic a genuine reaction.

PWTorch editor Wade Keller answers: I would be genuinely shocked if Paige wasn’t told ahead of time, and it’d be completely against the standard practice. WWE hides finishes to keep them from getting out, but there’s no positive to not telling the wrestlers involved in the match before the match so they can plan everything out. The last thing WWE would want is Paige not reacting like she won because she was under the impression it was an accident and she didn’t really get to keep the title. In this case, your question is a big compliment to Paige’s reaction. Paige also might have been genuinely ecstatic with the finish even if she knew it ahead of time!

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PWTorch reader Daniel Gray of Manchester, England asks: Hey guys, love the site and I really love the Ask PWTorch feature! My question is based on watching the ROH product over the past few years. I was wondering whether you thought there was actually any animosity between Steve Corino and B.J. Whitmer? Because Corino seems extremely convincing when he talks if his hate for Whitmer on television.

PWTorch columnist Sean Radican answers: I don't think Corino's commentary has anything to do with his personal feelings towards Whitmer, as they have gotten along in the past. I do know that several of Whitmer's friends were very upset with him for working them on the extent of his neck injury to set up his ROH return at "Final Battle 2013" when most fans believed he was retired. Several of Whitmer's friends believed his neck injuries truly were career ending after he took a piledriver on the ring apron from Mike Bennett last summer in Toronto, but the injury suffered to his neck was only a stinger, which is why he's back wrestling for ROH now. Corino is really good on commentary, but I don't believe anything he has said about Whitmer on ROH TV reflects his real feelings for Whitmer.

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PWTorch reader Brian M. asks: Why does WWE insist on having the champion carry two belts? Why won't they dump one? It looks ridiculous to see a champion walk around with two belts.

PWTorch editor Wade Keller answers: There have been plenty of boxing champions over the years who have carried more than one belt around. In this case, though, it was advertised as a merging or unifying of two belts into one, so it does confuse everyone why they haven’t come up with a new belt. I figured the only reason to have two belts was to present the WrestleMania 30 winner with a new unified belt. So at this point, either Vince McMahon and Triple H think it looks cool, or they are hedging on whether they’re going to keep the belts separate. Maybe they are holding out until the new TV deal is signed because perhaps the new TV deal will lead to another brand split for some reason and thus a splitting of the titles. I'm just totally grasping for some explanation when suggesting that theory.

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