PWTorch.com - SATURDAY’S ASK PWTORCH STAFF for 3/14: What’s the story with The Ascension? Could WM31 have headlined with Elimination Chamber this year? Might Seth cash in on Reigns if he beats Lesnar? Could Lawler be a heel manager?

Ask PWTorch
SATURDAY’S ASK PWTORCH STAFF for 3/14: What’s the story with The Ascension? Could WM31 have headlined with Elimination Chamber this year? Might Seth cash in on Reigns if he beats Lesnar? Could Lawler be a heel manager?

Mar 14, 2015 - 6:43:40 PM

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If you have a question you'd like us to respond to, send your question to askpwtorch@gmail.com. Wade Keller, 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.

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PWTorch reader Jeff from Michigan asks: Could WWE really ruin Roman Reigns's WrestleMania moment by having Seth Rollins cash in and win the title at the end of the show?

PWTorch columnist Greg Parks answers: They could, but I think that would defeat the entire purpose of this Reigns push we're currently witnessing.

PWTorch editor Wade Keller answers: If there’s any chance of that happening, one clue will be that Brock Lesnar vs. Reigns goes on before the last match slot at the show. WWE is not going to end the show with a heel taking the title from a babyface on a fluke MITB situation playing out. There’s also a big risk that if Seth did cash in, the crowd would pop huge and it’d just embarrass WWE if they are still committed to Reigns being a top babyface. I think WWE needs a little drama after WrestleMania, and the status of the MITB briefcase can be an ongoing story that helps keep things moving after WrestleMania.

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PWTorch reader Brock C. asks: Could WWE have gone with an Elimination Chamber main event for WrestleMania? Both Daniel Bryan and John Cena lost the World Title without ever losing a rematch, so it could have been Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns, Bryan, and Cena as a lock for that match. Maybe they could have also added Triple H and Sting since Sting seems to be limited in what he can do in the ring.

PWTorch columnist Greg Parks answers: I don't like the gimmick matches for Wrestlemania. Leave that for the secondary PPVs that need them to drum up interest. Bryan is out because he lost at Fastlane and Cena is fine feuding with Rusev. Sting doesn't belong in a World Title match at WrestleMania. Reigns isn't going to get the intended rub from beating Lesnar (whatever rub is left, anyway) unless he beats him one-on-one.

PWTorch editor Wade Keller answers: If WWE ever headlines WrestleMania with a gimmick match like that, it’s a sign of utter failure the previous year to set up a marketable one-on-one match to be the centerpiece of the event. Pro wrestling works best when it’s one big heel against one big babyface attraction. Adding a third guy, like last year, is a sign of failure. Having a gimmick match is a shortcut or trying to dress up a pig because you don’t have enough top stars who fans want to pay to see. I can’t imagine a WrestleMania where that many top stars would be shoved into one match. Yes, Cena and Bryan deserve fair rematches for the title, but it should be one-on-one. Sting has no business getting a World Title shot, nor does Triple H.

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PWTorch reader Mark from Long Island, N.Y. asks: I'm sorry. I know wrestling is a show after all, but how are the Ascension getting any attention? They sound like buffoons. What would they need to do to not be painful to watch? Besides trading histories with… well, anyone else?

PWTorch columnist Sean Radican answers: They are big and have muscles. I just can't put my finger on who would find this entertaining in creative.

PWTorch columnist Greg Parks answers: They could really use a manager. But that wouldn't solve their in-ring woes.

PWTorch assistant editor James Caldwell answers: This one is fascinating to me. I was surprised by how much attention The Ascension's heel promo on Road Warriors got on the Jan. 5 Raw, especially since it sounded like your basic heel promo claiming superiority over legendary tag teams when Konnor & Viktor have done nothing inside a WWE ring. Then, I re-watched the promo. I believe the issue is not the content of the heel promo or "crossing any lines" mocking Hawk's classic line, but people feeling like they don't deserve the spot of cutting this heel promo. As in, they're not good enough to be in this position getting the easy heel heat running down the Road Warriors, Demolition, etc. So, I think it's more about people feeling like they're not worthy of WWE protecting them with squash matches and getting to run down classic tag teams, which seems to be coming through in the commentary from a heel announcer, JBL, running down a heel tag team.

PWTorch editor Wade Keller answers: It seems everyone has realized The Ascension wasn’t working. When your gimmick is that you’re so bad you become a parody of what you were initially intending to be, that’s bad news. Had they had more muscles, McMahon probably would have stuck with them as a straight up second coming of The Road Warriors, but out of the gate they were such a pale imitation of the gimmick they were emulating, they were rejected as a joke out of the gate and they never recovered.

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PWTorch reader Matt from Brisbane, Australia asks: I was wondering what your thoughts would be on something that's been bothering me for years - Jerry Lawler. I'm a big fan but for years and years now he's been so stale on commentary. If you had to have a heel commentator I would get rid of JBL and turn Lawler, one last good run in that role (if he could be bothered pulling it off) could be awesome. An even better utilization of him would be partnering him with a young heel like Cesaro or Kidd. He’d be able to almost rival Heyman if he really put in the effort. Anyway, what are you thoughts on what you would do with Lawler or do you feel he's good in his current role?

PWTorch columnist Greg Parks answers: I've said this before, but Lawler is the least of WWE's commentary problems at this moment. I don't think fans would buy him in a heel role. He's a beloved legend at this point, sort of like trying to turn Ric Flair back heel. I don't think it would take.

PWTorch editor Wade Keller answers: Lawler is vastly underutilized. I agree with Greg. I’m not sure fans would boo him at this stage. He could be an effective babyface manager to counter Lana or Paul Heyman or Zeb Coulter, assembling some young babyface to battle a faction of rising heels. Lawler is phenomenal on the mic when given a chance to go beyond his color commentary role, so it’s a shame he’s been so underutilized not only on camera, but in coaching wrestlers on ring psychology and interviews. Lawler is good enough maybe he could pull off being a heel manager, but it’d take a real special situation to make it work.

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