PWTorch.com - MONDAY’S ASK PWTORCH STAFF for 1/12: Could New Japan become no. 2 in U.S.? Would it have been better for Reigns to beat Taker this year at WM31 rather than Lesnar? Why isn’t Lashley in WWE? Is NXT Title most important?

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MONDAY’S ASK PWTORCH STAFF for 1/12: Could New Japan become no. 2 in U.S.? Would it have been better for Reigns to beat Taker this year at WM31 rather than Lesnar? Why isn’t Lashley in WWE? Is NXT Title most important?

Jan 12, 2015 - 3:49:52 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 Forrest M. asks: Could New Japan eventually become the number 2 wrestling promotion in the U.S.?

PWTorch assistant editor James Caldwell answers: It depends on how much New Japan wants to push forward in the U.S. market. They have the 13-episode tape library show debuting on AXS TV in January and they'll return to the U.S. to tour with Ring of Honor in May. These are small-scale ventures dipping their toe in the water to gauge interest. It certainly doesn't hurt to have familiar names such as Jim Ross and Jeff Jarrett attached to the product in the U.S. market, especially after the blow-away, stellar Tokyo Dome Show contrasting with WWE stinking up the joint right now. But, New Japan probably doesn't want to over-stretch to a new market and hurt their core product in Japan. So, if they get positive returns from the Tokyo Dome U.S. PPV broadcast and AXS TV debut, plus see a solid number of U.S. subscribers to New Japan World, they will probably accelerate the pace of their U.S. expansion and become #2 in the process.

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PWTorch reader Forrest M. asks: After watching another fun NXT big show, I realized that I think the NXT Title is currently the most important title in all of WWE, if not all of pro wrestling right now. The match felt important and the wrestlers seem like it really means something to them. None of the current WWE titles have any real meaning other than a prop or gimmick that someone wears. Am I alone in this feeling?

PWTorch senior columnist Bruce Mitchell answers: If you're not, you should be. Most, if not all, Raw viewers know who the WWE Champion is, and are excited when he appears. Most of the 14,000 WWE fans in Madison Square Garden Christmas weekend didn't know who the NXT Champion was when he came out, or that there even was a NXT Championship. NXT shows headlined by their championship draw, at most, a few hundred ticket-buying fans.

PWTorch columnist Greg Parks answers: I think it's just a phase right now for the WWE World Title to not feel important because, for whatever reason, Brock Lesnar has barely been mentioned when he hasn't been on TV. But we saw how important WWE thinks even a World Title shot is by putting that on the line in John Cena's match against Seth Rollins at TLC. They wouldn't even bother with that stip if they didn't think it was important, thereby making the title itself important. But yeah, the booking in NXT certainly makes the NXT Title seem more prestigious on a more consistent basis.

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PWTorch reader Forrest M. asks: Why isn't Bobby Lashley in the WWE? To me it would be a big money to book a match between him and Brock Lesnar. Both guys were once expected to be the face of the company. I think a match between the two at WrestleMania would make a lot of money. Is Lashley "black listed" from WWE?

PWTorch columnist Greg Parks answers: I don't think he's "blacklisted," but I also don't see him as the big star you do. The first time WWE tried to push him as a monster star, he came up pretty short in that department (being Donald Trump's surrogate for a match against Vince McMahon's hand-picked wrestler, Umaga). Plus he still has a desire to do MMA, which wouldn't be possible while in WWE. In the end, I think Lashley has too many shortcomings to really be on the level of a Brock Lesnar.

PWTorch editor Wade Keller answers: Lashley was once a favorite pick by Vince McMahon to be elevated to a main event star, especially on display when he was included in the WrestleMania storyline with Donald Trump. Ashley, though, didn’t deliver on the mic, in the ring with WWE Main Event Style matches, and he ultimately didn’t connect with the fans. His limitations in terms of expressing emotions, especially on his face, limited what WWE could do with him. In pro wrestling you have to be larger than life in terms of personality even more than your muscles, and Lashley didn’t click when given that opportunity. WWE isn’t going to reinvest in him at a top level, and it’s not like he’s been a big ratings draw in TNA or MMA where he’s raised his value in McMahon’s eyes.

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PWTorch reader Jeff from Michigan asks: Wouldn't it have been better for Roman Reigns to defeat Undertaker this year instead of beating Lesnar and getting the "heat transfer"?

PWTorch columnist Greg Parks answers: I assume you're talking about the 2014 WrestleMania. Reigns simply wasn't ready to beat Undertaker at that point, which is why building him up and then beating Lesnar at WrestleMania 2015 seemed like such a good idea at the time. If you mean beating Undertaker at Mania 2015, that would seem to make Reigns a heel against the legendary Taker, which is not the role you'd want him to be in. If you want to continue to get him over as the next John Cena, he needs a strong heel to work against, which is where Lesnar comes in again.

PWTorch assistant editor James Caldwell answers: I'll take (c) Other - Roman Reigns is not ready for his position. He's a product of WWE trying to manufacture TV stars through their Performance Center instead of allowing wrestlers time to naturally improve and grow and learn and experience. If WWE took the time 5-10 years ago to plan for the future knowing the talent pool was drying up and the Attitude Era stars were to set to retire or fade out, they wouldn't be in a position to need Reigns as a featured star right now. Instead, they rushed him into a stand-alone singles role in 2014 after protecting him in the three-man Shield group. Reigns's all-around skills have simply not matured to be in the position WWE wants him this early in his career. It's almost like putting a heralded high school quarterback on an NFL roster because the team failed to develop a QB over the previous few seasons. It's not possible for someone to be ready for that role without going through the proper developmental stage.

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