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ASK PWTORCH STAFF for 7/30: Could Poffo be to blame for Sandow’s character change? Will fans cheer Lesnar against Cena? Could Bryan return and ascend to be co-top-face with Reigns next year? Why don’t heel teams cheat in corner anymore?

Jul 30, 2014 - 10:11:56 PM
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The PWTorch All-Star Panel features an array of contributors answering your questions who have worked in various facets of the pro wrestling industry, plus PWTorch contributors join in. You get an unmatched mix of perspectives including first-hand insights from people who have worked in the ring and behind the curtain.

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PWTorch reader Aaron P. asks: What happened to David Otunga?

PWTorch columnist Pat McNeill answers: David Otunga is still employed by WWE. He hasn't wrestled often over the last year. Certain people in WWE decided Otunga should be used for media opportunities, public appearances, small roles in WWE movies and being seen in public with Jennifer Hudson. I think we'll see Otunga on Raw every so often, but he won't be a major character.

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PWTorch reader David Q. asks: Do you think it's plausible that Roman Reigns ascends to the top while Daniel Bryan is gone, but Bryan comes back and picks up where he left off, giving us a potential two-star system like we had with Steve Austin and The Rock during the Attitude Era?

PWTorch columnist Pat McNeill answers: It is a reasonable possibility. But, for that to happen, Roman's big push would have to come off, and Bryan would have to recover fully from his neck injury.

PWTorch assistant editor James Caldwell replies: One person is missing from this discussion - John Cena. It's still Cena's world as the #1 star. As we often discussed on the Livecast during D-Bryan's short-lived run as WWE champion, Bryan could have been the true, true 1B to Cena's 1A that WWE has been seeking for about five years. It was set up nicely to have Cena headline one set of house shows and Bryan to headline the others as WWE World champion.

Now, could Roman Reigns be the 1B that Bryan was slated to be? Yes, but not right now. And, WWE would be making a mistake putting him in that slot this soon after breaking out on his own post-Shield. If he's going to achieve that status, he's going to be held to a higher standard, which he's not at yet. Reigns does not have the body of work of good-to-great singles matches like Bryan and Cena - in his own WWE style - and is still growing as a solo talker. WWE would risk stunting his growth doing too much too soon with Reigns, even if it's tempting to put him in a main event slot.

PWTorch columnist Sean Radican answers: I think it's too early to say whether or not that's a possibility. Daniel Bryan by the sound of things has a long road ahead of him and by the time he gets back, it's tough to say what the landscape of the WWE will be.

Daniel Bryan for all his popularity and fan response at live events was never ever to push the ratings even close to what Rock and Austin did in their prime when WWE was hot. A lot of that had to do with how he was pushed, but I'm not sure I see him reaching that level of popularity.

As for Reigns, I think it's too soon to tell. I know WWE desperately wants to get someone ready to fill Cena's role. Cena only has so many years left as a full-time act and someone is going to have to step up and run with the ball at some point.

I don't see anything right now that makes me think a two star system is possible with Bryan and Reigns, but that's not to say it can't happen because I wouldn't have thought Austin and Rock would become as popular as they did.

PWTorch columnist Greg Parks answers: I would equate it to, more recently, John Cena and C.M. Punk at the top of WWE a few years ago. However, what you are leaving out in your scenario is Cena - where does he fit in? As long as he's around, he's going to be, at the very least, 1A as a star. If you're talking AFTER Cena is gone...well, I don't know what shape Bryan will be in by that point, since I don't see Cena stepping aside for a while yet.

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PWTorch reader Laurence Landau of London, England asks: The Damien Sandow de-push and weekly humiliation has never been explained in the dirt sheets or on any wrestling podcast. My theory is that while discussing Macho Man’s possible Hall of Fame induction, there may have been some negativity by Lanny Poffo towards Sandow using his Genius gimmick. Do you think I am onto something? It just seemed weird to strip Sandow of a gimmick that works in the PG environment and that is the only reasoning I can think of.

PWTorch senior columnist Bruce Mitchell answers: I strongly doubt Lanny Poffo's opinions influence WWE Creative in any way. I think Damien Sandow's mid-card gimmick is a function of the fact that Raw is three hours plus every week, there is a lot of pressure to fill that time, and its an easy formula to write. Add that Sandow is good at performing the skits and it's easy to see why he's out there in a clown suit every Monday.

PWTorch assistant editor James Caldwell answers: No, it's about WWE having pre-determined slots on their rosters. It's like a baseball line-up - lead-off hitter, run-scorer, run-producer, clean-up hitter, DH/Pitcher, etc. It just so happens that WWE's line-up is centerpiece star, top heel, supporting faces/heels, good hands, and on down the list to the goofball/butt-of-the-joke heel. Right now, that's Damien Sandow. And, he's really good at entertaining the Audience of One (Vince McMahon). When the time comes for him to move up to a supporting heel, or heck even turn babyface one day a la Jack Swagger, the time will come. But, he's better off than a lot of other people who don't have set roles and are more expendable when it comes time to trim the roster again.

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PWTorch reader Sach C. asks: Hey guys, love this feature. Brock Lesnar should be the most hated monster-heel in WWE after beating the Undertaker at WrestleMania, but instead he'll be the most popular guy in the room when he fights John Cena. Is it a waste of Lesnar's Streak-heat to put him up against Cena? Can Paul Heyman possibly do anything that would get the crowd to boo Lesnar?

PWTorch senior columnist Bruce Mitchell answers: A ton of the crowd still cheers John Cena. We actually don't know how much Streak-heat, as you called it, is there either. As Wade Keller noted on the Money in the Bank PPV VIP Roundtable in the PWTorch Newsletter, it sets up Roman Reigns to cement his status as the next face of the company when he beats Brock Lesnar, the monster who not only ended the Undertakers's Streak but beat the Greatest Champion in WWE History for the WWE World Title at WrestleMania.

PWTorch editor Wade Keller answers: Yes, because of what Bruce just said, the crowd response is nearly immaterial, or certain secondary, to setting up Lesnar as an unstoppable force who plowed through everyone leading to Reigns uncrowning him at WM31. So far so good for Heyman on the mic. It seems rather than trying to get all fans to boo Cena, they’re trying to rally Cena fans to get seriously behind him by building Lesnar as a beast.

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PWTorch reader Emilio asks: I've noticed that when a babyface ends up in the heel’s corner during a tag match, the heels never seem to take advantage with cheap shots while the face is in arms reach. Are teams directed not to cheat by agents, or is it just that the art of heeling is eroding?

PWTorch assistant editor James Caldwell answers: I believe the art is lacking, especially when the matches are so tightly scripted and directed that it takes away some of those spontaneous, in-character reactions from wrestlers. If I'm Curtis Axel looking down at an opponent while Ryback has the referee isolated, I'm sticking a boot in the guy's back or putting an elbow to his head. But, the wrestlers have to be so focused on time cues and ring positioning, etc. that wrestlers become more reactive and passive than pro-active and fully engaged. Plus, when you're wrestling the same match over and over and over again, the brain is naturally going to shift into autopilot.

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