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Updated daily from the corner cubicle, Torch columnist James Caldwell's weekday blog focuses on hot topic current events and other items of interest from around wrestling.

Updated Friday, April 11, 2008

On last night's edition of TNA Impact, TNA changed up the game on how they were selling Joe vs. Angle at Lockdown. There were tangible, effective changes to the sales pitch that erased last week's convoluted build-up, while also revealing TNA's maturity in selling a big PPV match.

Prior to last night, the sales pitch for Joe vs. Angle was focused on the match being "real", as if the previous four matches in the series were just b.s. wrestling and everything else currently on Impact is just that silly wrestling stuff that shouldn't be taken seriously.

That was the problem with the build-up, especially on last week's show when the entire TNA product was watered down based on TNA's tone in presenting Joe vs. Angle. Viewing audiences walked away from that show feeling indifferent about being sold a "real" match when they know it's worked, and being indirectly told the rest of the product isn't worth an emotional investment because it's "not real" like Joe vs. Angle.

Last night, though, TNA overhauled the entire build-up. It started with returning to the basics on how to promote a World Title match featuring two of the top wrestlers in the company.

First and foremost, Angle started his contract segment promo by establishing what they're fighting for: the TNA World Title. That's the name of the game whether you're Lance Hoyt with a cigarette in your mouth pretending to be a rocker, or Curry Man dancing with a backstage announcer. Angle bringing that belt front and center fixed several problems right away.

Second, Joe and Angle not touching - in the sense of not coming to blows - was amazing for TNA. We've seen so many of these contract signings break down into a fight, just like on ECW two nights prior to Impact. We walk into these segments pre-conditioned to believe that a pen will be used as a blunt instrument to inflict pain, not for signing on the dotted line. It was refreshing to see the fighting saved for pay TV.

TNA keeping Joe vs. Angle at a handshake with the stare down was a great moment. It was also a sign of progress and maturity with TNA delivering the right tone on how to present a serious match.

Another positive change in the tone was Angle talking about Joe training for four weeks to master what he's practiced in 30 years. It was a great line from Angle, and it moved the audience away from thinking about that counter-productive build-up from last week.

Instead, after hearing Angle's line, you're thinking Joe has the deck stacked against him; that his training and his commitment to bettering Angle will fall short on Sunday. And with the raised stakes of Joe's career being on the line - if you take this at face value - TNA struck the right note on their wrap-up sales pitch ahead of Lockdown.

TNA didn't try to muddy the waters on what Joe vs. Angle is all about. (They had plenty of other opportunities with Sting being scripted to call Brother Ray a "mark" for himself.) Rather, TNA sold Joe vs. Angle as a fight between two of the best in the world.

Angle said Joe is his top competition in the business. Every person watching at home can relate to eliminating top competition, such as battling a co-worker for that big promotion. People at home can't relate to a worked match being presented as more real than the other worked matches they were led to believe were real.

The change in tone should give Lockdown a boost in PPV buys on Sunday. If TNA adheres to this formula, they will benefit in the long-term, as fans will care more about the top matches that are supposed to be selling PPVs. The fifth installment of Joe vs. Angle could be the start of a new chapter in TNA's PPV business.

***

Updated Thursday, April 10, 2008

It's been nearly two weeks since the Ric Flair Farewell on the March 31 Raw, and if I were to put a finger on the pulse of the wrestling business, I would say everyone is still recovering.

Inevitably, there's a hang-over after WrestleMania. After all the hype, big shows, big names, memorable speeches, big matches, and the climax of WrestleMania weekend on Sunday night, there's a period of time to crash and take a breath.

But, the hang-over seems more pronounced this year. This felt like it was "it" for Ric Flair. No gimmicks or tricks with the stipulations. The carpet isn't being pulled out from under us. This was Flair's final curtain call.

The totality of the end of The Era hit like a ton of bricks on March 31, and WWE is clearing out the debris to see what's next. WWE wrestlers don't have much time to collect themselves, though, as WWE kicked off their now-annual post-WrestleMania European tour yesterday. They'll be in Europe for nearly two weeks with hardly enough time to recover from WrestleMania, much less take a breath.

In the post-game audio show following that March 31 Raw, I posed the question to Jamie Penick of where WWE goes from here. I was "in the moment" and I wasn't thinking weeks, months, and years down the line, but even 10 days later, I don't see the next big thing or big angle that can capture what Ric Flair's final three days in WWE meant to wrestling and to the millions of fans who watched Flair during his career. That might not be necessary, however.

"Business as usual" will eventually be sought in an effort to move beyond Flair to the next order of business. But, it won't be easy. Ric Flair walked into the sunset and disappeared beyond the horizon, but the Farewell and WrestleMania match against Shawn Michaels are still at the forefront of many people's minds. Flair left a lasting impression on the wrestling business that will be difficult to forget.

WWE is practically printing money these days with revenue coming from a wide variety of sources, so they have no reason to rush into the next era after Flair's ended. Through that diversification of revenue streams, WWE is well-insulated against any perceptions of weak TV programming.

A slow, steady approach to building casual fan interest in the product is ideal, even if that means something like the shaky re-start of a Raw tag division, which has been dead in the water for years.

Now is the time for a long-term plan to develop future stars and top storylines. The next big thing in WWE doesn't necessarily need to be one major star or one major angle. WWE has enough stars on the main rosters that the next big thing can be a collection of decent writing, good matches, and believable feuds coming together that will give fans something to be excited about for the next stage of the product.

***

Updated Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Last night's Raw was pretty much a one-segment show with Shawn Michaels and Batista in the Highlight Reel, so it's worth exploring the dynamic between Michaels and Batista leading to their PPV match.

The crowd response is the most interesting part of the program, as Shawn Michaels has managed to generate actual, legitimate sympathy from audiences the last two weeks. It's not an emotion usually reserved for jaded pro wrestling fans, but Michaels is such a pro with his facial reactions, body language, and speech that he has the audience right where he wants them.

What's also interesting is that Michaels's "Old Yeller" line from the Raw before WrestleMania didn't generate a negative reaction when Batista reminded Michaels of that line on last night's show. Michaels making peace with Flair and Flair being at peace with the situation on last week's Raw erased any of the negative comments made by Michaels prior to WrestleMania.

The slate was wiped clean at WrestleMania, and fans recognized Michaels was only playing that tweener role to inspire Flair for one more great match. Fans are looking at Batista as a jerk for trying to remind the remorseful Michaels of his old sins that Flair had approvingly wiped clean.

Chris Jericho, on the Highlight Reel playing devil's advocate, made some strong points against Michaels, but fans were having none of it. Michaels is the sympathetic figure because Flair gave him the stamp of approval for his work at WrestleMania.

It helps that Michaels brought a great level of passion to his promo on last night's Raw to show how serious he is about the matter. Batista smirking in his face after Michaels presented that emotional promo, which probably contained a good amount of truth with the volume turned up for storyline purposes, has given fans reason not to like Batista's character.

The key is making money off the program. WWE is capitalizing on the Flair Farewell for a mega-inter-brand match, but I don't see how fans will be convinced to spend money on this match right now.

There still isn't a reason why they need to have a match. So, if Batista scores a pinfall or submission, does that mean Michaels was wrong about Flair? A wrestling match couldn't possibly answer that question, but that's essentially what a match between the two would entail at this stage of the program.

Michaels and Batista have put in good work thus far in starting this program, but there isn't a hook for the PPV match. I'd rather not see a sneak attack or full heel turn by Batista leading to Backlash, but that might be the only way to take this program that's built on "being real" and making it personal enough for people to spend $40.

WrestleMania was about spending money on Flair's final match and Mayweather vs. Big Show, not to see Orton vs. Cena vs. Hunter because that match's build-up was hit or miss. With Mayweather out of the picture and WWE transferring all of that interest in Flair to the Michaels vs. Batista match, WWE has a tough task of convincing people to buy the match on the other side of the bridge.

Fans got their happy ending with Flair's final weekend and Monday night. Why would they want to spend money on something that could possibly taint those memories? That's a question that WWE needs to be focused on the next few weeks leading to Backlash.

***

Updated Monday, April 7, 2008

A week after we said good-bye to Ric Flair, for now, it's tough to see where WWE goes from here. How do you follow the raw emotion and perfect ending to last Monday's show? Tonight will be the start of a new era in WWE, and it will be important to see how the main players are positioned.

We can expect more of Orton vs. JBL, but where does Hunter go? And Cena? WWE officially started the Michaels vs. Batista program on Smackdown, but I don't see how they get a wrestling match out of this program. "I can't ride around from town to town with Flair anymore, so I want to beat you up and score a pinfall or submission on you!" Eh.

One of the greatest ironies of the Flair Farewell and related celebration the past two weeks has been Vince McMahon placing his stamp of approval on Ric Flair as the greatest wrestler of all-time. Bruce Mitchell talked about this in this week's Mitchell audio that I special hosted (yes, this is a cheap plug), and it relates to where Hulk Hogan stands with WWE in April 2008.

The relationship between Hogan and McMahon can change on a moment's notice, but here was Vince presenting Ric Flair as the greatest ever. Since WWE practically owns the history of the wrestling business, it's worth nothing that an NWA-WCW/territory-era wrestler has been given the official Babe Ruth status in WWE. And his name isn't Hulk Hogan.

How they got to the point of giving Flair "the Farewell" is interesting. A year ago, Flair gave his notice to WWE when he was fodder to the monsters of Smackdown. It's amazing how things can change in a year. You have to consider the backstage influence of Triple H and Shawn Michaels in how that occurred.

Hunter and Michaels wanted to do things right for Flair, which was Michaels honoring Flair in his final match at WrestleMania and Hunter honoring Flair at the Hall of Fame and emceeing the Farewell on Raw.

Not all of this from Vince, Hunter, and Michaels was out of the goodness of their hearts, though. Specifically related to Hunter, there's that unofficial 16-time World champion number that is part of Ric Flair's legacy. I think it's the most misleading statistic every conceived, but it's a great marketing tool when pro wrestling doesn't have an official "champion" each year such as the NCAA Tournament champ or Super Bowl winner.

Eventually, Hunter is going to pass Flair's number if he stays healthy. Now, would passing that number mean anything if the final memory of Flair in the ring was Khali squeezing his head in the vice? Of course not, this is why Hunter recognized that if Flair goes out as the greatest of all-time, then when he breaks the imaginary 16-time number, WWE's history books will call Hunter the greatest ever. And when it's time for Hunter to take his place in WWE's history books, WWE will bring back Flair to return the favor by giving Hunter the stamp of approval.

Flair was given the proper send-off, but we have to remember this is the wrestling business. Flair's Farewell will sell DVDs and help sell Hunter's future title chases when he draws closer to 16. And Flair, being a businessman who saw every wrestling angle ever conceived during his career, probably wouldn't have it any other way.

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