PWTorch.com - SATURDAY’S ASK PWTORCH ALL-STARS 3/14: Should Reigns have ended Streak instead of Lesnar? Should WWE be more like NXT? How do you get into wrestling writing? Is WWE getting as bad as WCW in its dying days?

Ask PWTorch
SATURDAY’S ASK PWTORCH ALL-STARS 3/14: Should Reigns have ended Streak instead of Lesnar? Should WWE be more like NXT? How do you get into wrestling writing? Is WWE getting as bad as WCW in its dying days?

Mar 14, 2015 - 12:23:28 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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Hey, I love reading the Ask PWTorch articles and love professional wrestling with a passion and want to ask: (1) How do you get into the industry as a creative writer or manager? (2) How do you become a journalist in this field like you guys have become? Thank you for answering and thanks for the astonishing insight.

PROFESSIONAL BROADCASTER Jim Valley (Long time wrestling fan, Torch subscriber, and currently PWTorch Livecast guest host. He won a National Edward R. Murrow Award and several regional awards during his 20 year broadcast career. He has done TV announcing for several independent wrestling promotions, hosted his own wrestling radio show, interviewed many top stars, and was flown out to Stamford to audition for WWE. He took second to Todd Grisham.) Take lots of writing classes. Read The Torch and other reputable wrestling sources. If a wrestling headline says "could" or "might" or "expected,” it's probably just a cut and paste site. Skip it. Work on your writing and submit articles of yours to websites. Not everything is going to get published. Build a relationship over time and things might work out.

As far as being in the wrestling business, go back and listen to all of the Keller Livecast interviews with various ex-WWE writers, particularly John Piermarini. I would not get into wrestling. The hours are long and even Michael Hayes calls it "playing tackle football on concrete." Life is too short for that.

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PWTorch reader Barjinder Par asks: Disaster. Absolutely, 100 percent disaster. What can be done to save a company resembling the very embarrassment that Nitro was in its dying days? Their Monday Night Wars documentaries love to talk about how Nitro failed. It's funny, because WWE is making the same mistakes that they love pointing out WCW made. What can be done? A massive "renovation”? The removal of the stretched out CEO/chairman/writer leading the company into a pit that has angered many? What would you do?

PROFESSIONAL BROADCASTER Jim Valley (Long time wrestling fan, Torch subscriber, and currently PWTorch Livecast guest host. He won a National Edward R. Murrow Award and several regional awards during his 20 year broadcast career. He has done TV announcing for several independent wrestling promotions, hosted his own wrestling radio show, interviewed many top stars, and was flown out to Stamford to audition for WWE. He took second to Todd Grisham.) The dying days of WCW were much worse. That ’70s Guy the Fat Chick Thriller? Positively Kanyon? C'mon. WWE is not that bad.

Vince can't be removed. One: He owns the company. Two: WWE is a publicly traded company. Wall Street has concerns that nobody else but Vince can run WWE. Since Triple H doesn't have an MBA and has never run a company before, investors may have no confidence in him. It's not as simple as getting rid of Vince.

EX-ECW CHAMPION AND LONGTIME WWE WRESTLER Justin Credible (also current IWE Champion, visit www.TheJustinCredible.com and on YouTube here including his ongoing Wrestling 101 Series) answers: Nothing can be done. The WWE and pro wrestling in general are dying a very slow death. What a shame.

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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 Brock Lesnar and getting the "heat transfer"?

INDY PROMOTER & ANNOUNCER Brad Stutts (Follow @cwfmidatlantic and @stuttsy and listen to his podcast at www.WrestlingWithOptimism) answers: Only if you want Reigns to be a heel.

EX-ECW CHAMPION AND LONGTIME WWE WRESTLER Justin Credible (also current IWE Champion, visit www.TheJustinCredible.com and on YouTube here including his ongoing Wrestling 101 Series) answers: Yes, but the fans would rebel against it. Can you imagine worse heat than Cena?

PROFESSIONAL BROADCASTER Jim Valley (Long time wrestling fan, Torch subscriber, and currently PWTorch Livecast guest host. He won a National Edward R. Murrow Award and several regional awards during his 20 year broadcast career. He has done TV announcing for several independent wrestling promotions, hosted his own wrestling radio show, interviewed many top stars, and was flown out to Stamford to audition for WWE. He took second to Todd Grisham.) Hindsight is 20/20. I'm not sure Reigns was ready in 2014. There are questions whether he is ready now. The Undertaker is a legend. He needed to lose to a major star like Brock Lesnar. With a relatively young talent, you never know if they have what it takes or if they will quit in frustration. Ted DiBiase, Brisco, Joe Hennig. Even though Reigns comes from a legendary wrestling family, that's not a guarantee for success. Even though Brock is probably leaving WWE, he's still a major star. It would be worse to give The Streak ending victory to a wash out.

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PWTorch reader Forrest M. asks: Comparing WWE to NXT and after Triple H's conversation about Finn Balor being overwhelmed, I'm wondering if WWE has become too "Hollywood" and if they became more like NXT where it's wrestling and not exactly TV entertainment, would they be doing better in the ratings?

PROFESSIONAL BROADCASTER Jim Valley (Long time wrestling fan, Torch subscriber, and currently PWTorch Livecast guest host. He won a National Edward R. Murrow Award and several regional awards during his 20 year broadcast career. He has done TV announcing for several independent wrestling promotions, hosted his own wrestling radio show, interviewed many top stars, and was flown out to Stamford to audition for WWE. He took second to Todd Grisham.) When complimented during an interview for NXT's popularity versus Raw, Triple H said, "Raw has a lot of masters to serve." A wise and truthful statement. Raw is the flagship. NXT is fairly under the radar. With Raw you have to satisfy Vince McMahon, Viacom, USA Network, sponsors, and shareholders. NXT has fewer chefs adding to the soup. As far as ratings, I think WWE is in a tough spot. I think WWE would be served well to cut back on the terrible comedy and ridiculous situations. But that's hard when you sell toys, kids apparel, and have to deal with the reactionary times we are living in.

EX-ECW CHAMPION AND LONGTIME WWE WRESTLER Justin Credible (also current IWE Champion, visit www.TheJustinCredible.com and on YouTube here including his ongoing Wrestling 101 Series) answers: Yes Yes Yes!!!!!!

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(Send questions for a future Ask PWTorch to: askpwtorch@gmail.com. If you have a particular person on the All-Star Panel you'd in particular like to direct your question to, include that in the subject line, but multiple panelists may also answer.)

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In case you are new to this feature, let me introduce you to our All-Star Panel…

EDITOR'S INTRODUCTION: By Wade Keller, PWTorch editor

We have assembled a wide range of contributors, which may expand or change over time, with the goal being to give PWTorch readers new perspectives from people who have particular areas of expertise.

Let me introduce you to our panel…

Justin Credible: Current pro wrestler and former ECW Champion and longtime WWE wrestler in the 1990s and 2000s, Justin Credible (P.J. Polaco) currently is the IWE Champion. He travels as indy champion from Maine to Mexico with the title. He posts new Wrestling 101 YouTube videos at www.TheJustinCredible.com or on YouTube at his YouTube Channel.

John Piermarini: Ex-WWE Creative Team member who will provide a behind-the-scenes perspective from his years working for WWE including alongside Vince McMahon, Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, and John Cena. He has been a frequent PWTorch Livecast guest and was the subject of a comprehensive five-hour Torch Talk interview several years ago about his experience with WWE for most of 2009-2010.

Greg Oliver: SLAM! Wrestling reporter and wrestling book author (and hockey book author), Greg will provide a Canadian perspective on many wrestling topics. If you are a fan from Canada or have Canadian-related wrestling questions, Greg can help you. He is a wrestling historian who published a wrestling newsletter during the boom period of insider wrestling newsletters starting in the late 1980s. We were pen pals in the early 1990s and first met at a 1989 wrestling convention in Chicago run by Jon Gallagher of the Wrestling Forum (the first insider wrestling newsletter I ever received in the mail in early 1987).

George Schire: Author of "Minnesota's Golden Age of Wrestling," former Pro Wrestling Focus radio cohost with me in the early 1990s on KFAN, former contributor of history pieces to the PWTorch Newsletter, and multi-time guest on PWTorch Livecast "Interview Friday," he will be providing a historical perspective to Ask PWTorch.

Johnny Fairplay: Reality Star and Wrestling Manager, perhaps best known as Pat McNeill's Regis Philbin. He was an old neighbor of PWTorch senior columnist Bruce Mitchell who watched PPVs at his house long before he became a contestant on Survivor twice. He has been on many reality TV shows, the PWTorch Livecast numerous times, and follows wrestling very closely. You can read more about him on Wikipedia.

Brian Fritz: Host of the long-running "Between the Ropes" podcast, and now working for Yahoo! Sports radio, he also has been a guest on the PWTorch Livecast (and I've been a guest on his podcast), he brings years of reporting on wrestling including on-site interviews with wrestlers at major press events over the years. He follows today's wrestling and will provide his perspective and take on your questions.

Mick Karch: An early PWTorch Newsletter columnist over 20 years ago, Mick has been an announcer for virtually every national wrestling promotion other than the WWF, WCW, and TNA in the last 25 years. He currently works as an announcer on Minnesota indy wrestling shows. He got his start in wrestling running the Nick Bockwinkel Fan Club in the 1970s and is known for his sense of humor, strong opinions, and tremendous insight into wrestling's past dating back many decades, but he also watches today's wrestling regularly and can provide valuable perspective as a result of that span of time following and participating in the industry.

Brad Stutts: He has worked behind the scenes in wrestling in many roles, including taking jackets to the back, setting up and tearing down rings, running websites for indy promoters, running lights and music at live events, and performing as a manager, announcer, wrestler, and promoter. He currently is the lead announcer for CWF Mid-Atlantic Wrestling in North Carolina.

Jim Valley: Long time wrestling fan and Torch subscriber. He won a National Edward R. Murrow Award and several regional awards during his 20 year broadcast career. He has done TV announcing for several independent wrestling promotions, hosted his own wrestling radio show, interviewed many top stars and was flown our to Stamford to audition for WWE. He took second to Todd Grisham.

Current PWTorch Contributors: A mix of current PWTorch contributors will provide their opinion on today's wrestling scene and modern wrestling history questions, including Shawn Valentino, Michael Moore, Ben Tucker, Jon Mezzera, Brian Leahy, Jimmy Eaton, and Mike Roe.

You can send your questions for the All-Star Panel to the same address as always: askpwtorch@gmail.com. We will make sure they are directed to the appropriate panelist for potential inclusion in a published Ask PWTorch feature here on the PWTorch App or VIP Website. You may see your question asked in both versions of Ask PWTorch (the Afternoon original website-exclusive version and app-exclusive All-Stars version) so check both versions. Different groups of panelists may tackle your question on different days, so keep checking back. Because they all come from different backgrounds and have different experiences as both fans and working in some capacity in the business or covering it for the Torch, you're going to get some strong specific points of view from them.