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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 Joe from Hartsville, S.C. asks: Thanks for taking the time to read my question and answer it. I throughly enjoy the site and the app and have been a fan for a long time. My question is why do they talk so much about Brock Lesnar's Mixed Martial Arts career like he was an unstoppable force? He only defended the title four times and lost it in his fourth defense and had the second worst win/loss record of any UFC Heavyweight Champion before or after him. He also had the fewest fights out of everybody who has ever been UFC Heavyweight Champion and his first fight was against a 42 year old man who was on the downside of his career. When he started fighting legitimate beasts, he got eaten alive quickly. Don't they realize that fans can do their research and see that his time in UFC wasn't really that impressive?

PWTorch senior columnist Bruce Mitchell answers: In the cold light of day, that's all true. However, under the octagon lights, until his last fight, which had its similarities with Undertaker's last match, Brock Lesnar was an incredibly charismatic force of nature, win or lose, that drew a ton of WWE fans to UFC. WWE should have promoted him like Paul Heyman did last Monday night from the time returned.

PWTorch columnist Pat McNeill answers: (1) Brock Lesnar is the only former UFC Heavyweight Champion on the WWE roster, which is why the promotion hypes his MMA career the way it does. (2) Over the years, Vince McMahon has made many claims that can be shot down with a little research. Promoters from McMahon's era often made ridiculous claims, and aren't used to being called on those claims.

PWTorch editor Wade Keller answers: What Brock Lesnar did was impressive, even with various qualifiers, and his decline as an MMA juggernaut came after his diverticulitis weakened him. Without that medical crisis, he might have continued to improve and grow at a pace that matched the growth of the division. But all of that analysis aside, WWE gives fans stories to believe in by telling the most favorable version of reality possible with a little (or a lot) embellishment thrown in to help their cause. They're not journalists, they're promoters, and they tell the story that will project the best image possible for the stars of their show.

MMATorch editor Jamie Penick adds: There are several inaccuracies which need to be addressed in the question here before we can even move to the heart of the concern. For starters, Lesnar's first ever fight was against a then 32-year-old Min Soo-Kim; his first UFC fight was against Frank Mir who was 28 at the time and on the up-swing of his MMA career. Lesnar also didn't defend the title four times, but that's hardly a remarkable statistics since no UFC Heavyweight Champion has defended the belt more than twice; he won the title from Randy Couture and defended it in the rematch with Mir and then against Shane Carwin. I'm not sure where you're getting your figures from, but many of your details were incorrect to begin with here.

With that said, to downplay what Lesnar did in the UFC given how late he entered the game is disingenuous at best and/or intentionally disrespectful. He fought a former UFC Champion on his way back into the mix in Mir in his second ever MMA fight. He then beat a veteran of nearly 50 fights in just his third fight, and dominated him doing so. When you say he "got eaten alive" when he fought the "legitimate beasts" of the division, you're conveniently ignoring the very serious issues with diverticulitis that took him out for a year, and the fact that the loss to Cain Velasquez was against clearly the best fighter in that division. Add in another year-long diverticulitis-induced layoff prior to the Alistair Overeem fight, and there are mitigating circumstances to those defeats.

Put quite simply, of course Brock Lesnar isn't the greatest heavyweight fighter in UFC history, but his shortened run - against the level of competition he faced from the outset in the UFC - is absolutely impressive and deserving of respect.

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PWTorch reader Kofi P of New Jersey asks: What was the reasoning behind bringing in a former UFC Champion and having him lose his first match back? Do you believe that the WWE would go back and change that result if they could? How long will Brock Lesnar continue wrestling before calling it quits?

PWTorch columnist Sean Radican answers: The idea was to use the UFC version of Brock Lesnar to promote the WWE brand. I don't think WWE would change anything they've done with Lesnar since they want to use them to establish the wrestlers on their roster. I could see Lesnar doing part-time dates for another five years if the money is good. He's doing so few dates that his body should hold up just fine and he should be able to perform at the level he is now for the foreseeable future.

PWTorch columnist Greg Parks answers: Even though Lesnar lost to John Cena in his first match back, the memory most fans have of that match is Lesnar destroying and bloodying Cena. I don't think they'd go back and change that result. Lesnar will continue wrestling as long as he can make a lot of money for doing only a few matches a year.

PWTorch senior columnist Bruce Mitchell answers: The reasoning was WWE wanted to immediately put to rest who was better between their top star and UFC's Baddest Man on the Planet (or as close as WWE could get to hiring that man.) No, they don't regret the money that decision may have cost them in the long run. Brock Lesnar has been paid big money to make that point over and over again.

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PWTorch reader Jason Myers asks: By leading Brock Lesner to beat the Streak and leading C.M. Punk to the longest WWE Championship in 25 years, has Paul Heyman officially passed Bobby Heenan as the greatest manager in WWE history?

PWTorch senior columnist Bruce Mitchell answers: No, because Captain Lou Albano was the best drawing, and therefore the best manager in the company's history.

PWTorch columnist Pat McNeill answers: From a kayfabe standpoint, sure, Heyman has passed Bobby Heeenan. However, Brock Lesnar's advocate has a long way to go before catching the late Arnold Skaaland, who managed Bob Backlund and Bruno Sammartino during their lengthy WWWF Title reigns.

PWTorch editor Wade Keller answers: It all depends on the criteria. Bobby Heenan was the best manager in history at doing the most to enhance the people he managed and, subjectively but nearly unanimously, is perceived as the most entertaining on the mic and at ringside at doing what managers are supposed to do. Heyman's promo work has been great from his rookie year, and phenomenal lately, but his style is very different than Heenan's. I think what we can say is that Heyman is in the conversation with Heenan now as the greatest manager in the sense of enhancing the wrestlers he manages and putting on a great show for fans. As far as the kayfabe aspect goes, that's a total separate discussion where even the least talented manager or most bland or over pushed manager can have the "best record" or "the most success." That's another discussion entirely because the talent of the manager doesn't always correlate to the push they received, because other factors are at play including simply being reliable and favored by the promoter in charge of who gets to manage the top heels.

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PWTorch reader Mike from Detroit asks: During a recent Twitter Q&A TNA President of Talent Relations and Head of Creative "Big" John Gaburick recently took a bunch of fan questions. The following is a question that I had asked. If you were in John Gaburick's position, how would you answer this question:

From both a TV and PPV production standpoint, as it pertains to the finishing sequences and events within in-ring production, do feel that TNA Entertainment has been too reliant upon certain concepts in the past? Are there any production concepts related to finishing sequences that you feel could be downplayed?

Additionally, should the fact that show may be a "free-view" like Impact Wrestling versus a "paid-for" PPV production effect the use of certain concepts related to in-ring production finishes? Do paying PPV customers deserve to see a full match, unencumbered by outside interactions or events more-so than those viewing Impact Wrestling?

PWTorch senior columnist Bruce Mitchell answers: If I were in.John Gaburick's position I would not have answered this question because I don't understand it,

PWTorch editor Wade Keller answers: That's a needlessly complex and headache-inducing way of asking whether PPV main events should have clean finishes because viewers have ostensibly paid for the event and therefore should be given the courtesy of a conclusive finish to a feud rather than another angle. TNA, of course, should be offering clean finishes in PPV main events instead of the convoluted messes they have offered more often than not over their existence, if for no other obviously logic reason than the fact that what they've tried for so long has failed so badly.

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