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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 Thursday, July 17, 2008

"Bigger, Stronger, Faster" is easily one of the most important movies of the year. It won't be nominated for the Academy Awards or set box-office records, but it's exactly what the American public needs to be aware of, especially when wrestling and sports fans continue to "vote" with their money that big bodies in wrestling and big home runs in sports are acceptable.

The movie's greatest asset may also be the reason why it will only be considered a "limited-release documentary flick." Director Chris Bell's narrative poses too many tough questions that the money-holders and government-types in America don't want you to ask.

I watched the movie last night in downtown Houston expecting a story completely about steroids. The movie isn't only about steroids. It's about American culture, with steroids simply being the eye-catching vehicle for promoting director Chris Bell's central theme on American abuse.

The movie is about steroid abuse, national pride abuse, competition abuse, ethical abuse, relationship abuse, moral abuse, responsibility abuse, prescription drug abuse, and on and on. Bell sets out to identify throughout the movie the dangers of abusing good things - such as competition - to turn them into destructive things.

There are poignant scenes throughout the movie ranging from the comedic absurd to heart-wrenching. I heard about Rep. Henry Waxman's interview beforehand, but nothing could prepare the viewer for the absurdity of his indecision in a sit-down interview with Chris Bell.

Contrast that with one of the final scenes where Chris's brother, Mike, breaks down in tears at the thought of how much crap he's put his family through to pursue a WWE career so he could officially proclaim to the world that he's not-average.

I was reminded of the Jamie Noble and Layla scene from Raw where Noble said he's at the average height for an American male. Everyone was supposed to laugh because he looks tiny compared to the big bodies in WWE and what's expected for the size of a pro wrestler in WWE's make-believe world.

That mentality isn't just limited to pro wrestling, as Americans aren't expected to simply be average. It often leads to destructive abuse of competition and drugs for vanity purposes to match the images thrown at the general public.

Vince McMahon is right that pro wrestling is a slice of Americana. It's just not how he envisions it. Men watching wrestling on TV are led to believe they're supposed to look jacked-to-the-gills and larger than life, just like muscle magazines and supplement ads. Women watching wrestling on TV are led to believe they need to look model-beautiful 24/7 with heavy accentuation of T&A, just like every supermarket magazine at the checkout aisle.

The dangerous pursuit of perfection (or being non-average) has driven many people to emotional and physical damage that Bell's documentary effectively captures. Bell identifies stories in sports, music, school, military, and wrestling. Steroid abuse is simply a side-effect of pursuing a dangerous dream that being bigger, stronger, and faster will lead to more happiness or success.

For someone like Mike Bell, who has put his entire life into becoming the next Arnold or Hulk Hogan, there isn't much left to life if he fails at his dream. This is the real danger to trying to be a badass American. Steroid use is simply a way to bend the rules in pursuit of a self-glorification that has more risks than reward for the average American who simply doesn't want to be average.

I'll have a full review of Chris Bell's important documentary in next week's Torch Newsletter.

***

Updated Wednesday, July 16, 2008

On the day Rampage Jackson went wild in the OC and Dan Uggla committed more errors than in a little league game, at least there was ECW. Well, even that had its ugly moments. Namely, Mark Henry and Tony Atlas taking wrestling back to its carnival roots with the test-of-strength-challenge-of-doom that created a segment seemingly longer than the All-Star game.

Also completely scratched from the broadcast was the new Talent Initiative with Chris Harris and don't-call-me-DaBone completely off the show. Teddy Long had better things to worry about, such as whatever was in Tommy Dreamer's briefcase. Did he have some files on Henry or something?

Fortunately, there was Evan Bourne and the Hardys. Considering Matt Hardy doesn't seem like he's even part of the ECW brand despite being ECW's only draft pick on the June 23 Draft, maybe it's time for Hardy to fully incorporate himself on the show.

Hardy taking Bourne under his wing to give Bourne an added credibility boost could give WWE a second strong babyface to build the brand around and draw interest in the show. (Dreamer, your #1 contender, would be a distant third based on the silly booking of his character.)

Bourne has caught on quicker than Kofi Kingston did when he first debuted on ECW. He might look more like everyone's little brother, rather than a wrestler, but his flashy acrobatics have already won over audiences.

We know the real test comes when Bourne's name is on the run sheet for a 10-minute match. Can he take a beating from Mike Knox for five minutes and still keep the match interesting? For that matter, can Knox be involved in a 10-minute match that doesn't lose the crowd?

ECW isn't going to gain or lose a significant number of viewers from its current level of 1.3-1.6 million viewers on Tuesday night. The show has settled into a range, similar to Impact, and it's simply up to the writers to deliver something compelling that doesn't turn away the dedicated audience.

A strong stable of babyfaces such as Hardy, Bourne, and Dreamer would be a nice addition to counter Henry and the constantly-improving Miz & Morrison as the lead heels on the show. At least involving Hardy in an actual role on the show would make the Tuesday night broadcasts just a little more important. Nothing major here. Just shoring up the basics and avoiding anything like Uggla's night last night.

***

Updated Monday, July 14, 2008

After ring announcer Dave Penzer officially ended last night's TNA Victory Road PPV by telling the fans (with a chuckle) to tune into Impact to see what comes next, there was a hush in the arena. Fans filed out completely dejected. People remained standing waiting for an explanation to an unexplainable finish to a PPV main event.

It felt like leaving a sports stadium after a dejecting loss for the home team. It's that feeling when the team blows a ninth-inning lead or misses a field goal as time expires. Only difference is that there was no finish. It would be like the water sprinklers coming on during the bottom of the ninth inning and the stadium officials simply telling everyone to go home and watch the finish four days later on TV.

People were clearly frustrated as they left the building. Fans huddled in groups trying to wrap their heads around one of the worst finishes to a PPV main event since the Jeff Jarrett era. As I pulled out of the parking lot, a scene unfolded like the poignant moment in a movie.

Directly in front of me across the parking lot was the 75,000-seat Reliant Stadium, where WWE's WrestleMania 25 will be held next April. Behind me was Reliant Arena, where TNA drew about 3,500 for last night's PPV. The booking of the main event exemplified why TNA won't be running large arena shows anytime soon.

TNA's booking simply has not caught up with the times or the company's overall production. My seats were front row right behind Mike Tenay and Don West, which afforded several opportunities to get a hard copy of the Torch Newsletter on camera. But, I also had a chance to watch TNA's production crew working throughout the show. This was a professional group of people who had things organized.

I came away impressed with TNA's overall presentation. It was a significant improvement over the Lockdown PPV in St. Louis that I traveled to last year when TNA offered up the ridiculous electric cage match with Team 3D vs. LAX. About 14 months later, TNA presented a much cleaner show with the crew taking a professional, business-like approach to coordinating talent, announcers, camera operators, and spotters.

If only TNA's crew of writers can catch up to the rest of the company. Right now, the only thing holding this company back is the writing. TNA promoted the event well with Kevin Nash and Booker T leading the charge locally. They took up the "hometown hero" angle with Booker and sold a significant number of more tickets as a result.

With this being TNA's first show in Houston, TNA had an opportunity to make a good first impression. They were well on their way to a satisfying show for the live crowd. Instead, TNA dropped the ball when they couldn't produce a finish to the main event, which people bought tickets to see.

Something certainly didn't seem right when the timekeeper left the ringside position and took off to the back a few minutes before things went out of control in the main event. And he never came back to ringside. The same could be said on whether the fans will come back next time TNA has a show in Houston. Only time will tell. Simply put, TNA failed with the finish of last night's PPV. The writing has to catch up to the rest of the company.

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