Ask PWTorch ASK PWTORCH STAFF for 10/02: Did Vince McMahon ever want to hire Nikita Koloff? Why are they seemingly giving up on Bo Dallas so quickly? Why did WWE bother having Lesnar squash Cena at SummerSlam? Could Spike oust Dixie?
Oct 2, 2014 - 11:58:03 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 you 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 Aaron P. asks: Why did they seem to give up on Bo Dallas so quickly? I love the Honky Tonk Man/Kurt Angle type gimmick where the fans hate them, but he seems to think they love him.
PWTorch columnist Greg Parks answers: Dallas is too small for WWE to get behind in any meaningful way. His act, while entertaining, just screams "mid-card" to me, so I'm not surprised he's at the level he's at. In fact, he's had more success than I expected to this point.
PWTorch columnist Sean Radican answers: I wish I had an answer for you, but gimmicks like Dallas's are ones that might seem interesting at first, but once Vince McMahon gets sick of the act, they quickly get pushed to the side. I thought Dallas continuing his winning streak had some potential to be an entertaining undercard gimmick, but his act never caught on. What really hurt Dallas was the way the announcers didn't question his intentions, so when the casual viewer was watching at home, JBL was on commentary putting him over, but Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler never seriously questioned his intentions. For a gimmick like Dallas's to work, you need to have the lead babyface announcers be very skeptical of him. In the end, not a lot of creative energy was spent on his gimmick and the result is what you see now with his character.
PWTorch editor Wade Keller answers: Sean is right. The announcing really messed this up out of the gate. It’s unfortunate. I think Vince McMahon is enough of a body snob that he soured on him in part because he has loose skin like his dad and isn’t cut like Randy Orton or husky like Bray Wyatt, but something in between that offends McMahon’s odd sensibilities. If Bo were to adopt a lackey, that could rejuvenate his gimmick. Maybe Mark Henry will see the only way to fix his losing streak is to become Bo’s follower, and when he started to Bo-lieve, he starts to win, unaware and then in denial that Bo is actually interfering on his behalf and it’s cheating, not believing in himself, that is helping him succeed. There’s a lot they could do with this gimmick. That said, it’s a mid-card gimmick, not a top tier act.
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PWTorch reader asks Why did they bother doing the squash match where Brock Lesnar took the title from John Cena? By making Cena more competitive the second time around, it seems to have defeated the point they were trying to accomplish by just doing a rematch at all.
PWTorch columnist Pat McNeill answers: I'm going to go with the obvious explanation. WWE didn't plan to do the rematch between Lesnar and Cena this quickly, but somebody (probably Vince McMahon) changed his mind and decided to do the immediate rematch at Night of Champions.
PWTorch columnist Greg Parks answers: The point was to make Lesnar look like the dominating force that finally ended the Undertaker's streak at WrestleMania. Even if they don't do that same match again (which they won't), that memory of squashing Cena will stay in the memory of the fans in the presumed build-up to WrestleMania if he faces Roman Reigns. I do think it would've been better had they not booked an immediate rematch (and of course, had Cena not done limited selling of the beating), but Cena did have a rematch clause after losing the title.
PWTorch editor Wade Keller answers: The Summerslam match was brilliant. The follow-up was among the worst I’ve seen. It’s as if McMahon and Cena didn’t even understand what the upside of the way the Summerslam match was booked in the first place. More likely, McMahon panicked when his prized top babyface was made to look so week and practically wiped it from history the next day. It’s a shame. So much money and drama has been lost because of Cena’s reaction to Summerslam and the way the second match was booked, not to mention the unexplained disappearance of the World Champion the last two weeks.
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PWTorch reader Adam A. asks: Since Spike TV ousted Bjorn Rebney, is it possible they can do the same with Dixie Carter? If so, should they?
PWTorch columnist Greg Parks answers: The difference is that Spike TV owns a large percentage of Bellator, enough to be able to get rid of Rebney. They have no such stake in TNA, which is still owned by the Carter Family/Panda Energy.
PWTorch columnist Pat McNeill answers: Spike TV cannot oust Dixie Carter unless they buy TNA. The Carter family won’t sell TNA unless Dixie is guaranteed an on-air role and a job behind the scenes. So, that’s not going to happen. Should Spike TV oust Dixie Carter? They’re about to oust her from their entire network. What more do you want from them?
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PWTorch reader Joey B. of New Jersey asks: In looking at Nikita Koloff in the ‘80s, he is totally Vince's type. I would think he would've been salivating to get him into the WWF. Did he ever make a play for Nikita?
PWTorch Columnist Pat McNeill replies: According to Nikita Koloff, Barry Darsow tried to bring him over to the World Wrestling Federation with him when Darsow changed promotions in 1987. Koloff was making good money, and he said his loyalty to Jim Crockett prevented him from making the jump.
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