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 Wednesday, July 30
This is quite odd that one of the top stories of the week involves the likes of Mike Adamle and Todd Grisham. Other than Chris Jericho's brilliant performance two nights ago on Raw, there really isn't another major story worth discussing unless you count Brooke Hogan's latest Yahoo-front page-inducing comments.
Raw and ECW both held steady this week. TNA isn't making noise. ROH has a PPV debuting on Friday, but there isn't major buzz considering there isn't a marquee match-up or a great story like Tyler Black challenging for the ROH Title. Judging by Sean Radican's advanced report, the PPV sounds like a very strong card from top-to-bottom, but star match-ups sell PPVs. We'll see if an "overall good" PPV can draw a similar level of interest as previous PPVs.
As for the WWE announcing situation, Todd Grisham was perfectly fine on ECW last night. He stayed within himself, didn't try to be a hero, and attacked the ball when it reached the hitting zone. (Yes, I'm trying to psyche myself up for a softball league game tomorrow night.)
Grisham went full-tilt on the cliché-o-meter, but it didn't take away from the broadcast. The clichés came across like something Grisham would actually say, as opposed to Adamle, who sounded like he was regurgitating whatever foreign wrestling lingo was being shouted to him in his headset.
From Grisham, we're going to the "He's....Air Bourne!" or "He was Bourne to Fly!" lines each week. But last night wasn't nearly as painful as listening to Adamle on commentary.
As for Adamle, well, the reaction backstage at Raw was a pretty clear "thumbs down" when the announcement was made official on TV. Jim Ross wrote that the reaction was quite vocal, with the implication that wrestlers weren't particularly pleased with WWE's latest attempt to fit the square peg in a round hole.
Raw is Adamle should be given a chance, though. It will be a change of pace from the cut-and-dry GM characters we're used to. Teddy Long is clearly a babyface GM. Vickie Guerrero is clearly a heel GM. On and on down the timeline, there have been clear-cut heel and face authority figures.
Adamle is a different cat, though. He comes across like a nice guy just trying to do his job, but because the audience perceives him as a waste of space, he'll be booed for simply opening his mouth. It's an interesting dynamic that should give Raw a different feel. Will the experiment work? Who knows. But, until we see a few weeks of WWE's presentation of Adamle to the general public, I don't think we can write it off as a dumb idea just yet.
Granted, this was one of those cases where WWE way over-hyped something and way under-delivered. That was part of the problem with how GM Adamle was officially introduced, causing the immediate backlash, even apparently by the wrestlers backstage.
But, that over-hyping and under-delivering works in the context of the storyline to add more heat to Adamle, whose mere presence will disappoint fans on a weekly basis, drawing their ire and boos. The experiment could last a week, two weeks, a month, or until Adamle's heavy contract expires. Time will tell on this one.
***
Updated Tuesday, July 29
Superlative after superlative has been heaped upon Chris Jericho for his work the last few months on Raw. It's as if he's been on a separate TV show because the writing, symbolism, and character presentation has been too sophisticated and rich for the standard fare from WWE on Monday nights.
Triple H once said on a DVD release that a wrestler is telling a story the moment he walks through the curtain on camera. Jericho's attention to detail with his dress has cemented the fact that there is serious attention to detail going on here. Last night, the villainous charcoal-gray suit with the heelish beard was the perfect way to say "I'm not Mr. Fun anymore" prior to him even opening his mouth.
Jericho's command of the audience is what also sets him apart. It certainly sounded like there were some "boring" chants during his promo, which is exactly what he was going for. The audience had nothing on him because his scripted lines have a hint of truth wrapped in a complex story. Yet, Jericho kept going through the catcalls and boos, delivering a memorable line.
He whispered to Shawn Michaels over the boos: "Shawn, stay home. Move on with your life. Hold onto your wife. Raise your precious children. Enjoy your new life away from the wrestling business because you deserve it. Be thankful for what you have. Move on, Shawn, because I have."
It was based on a truth, but with Jericho presenting it as a convincing truth to keep his arch-enemy away from the ring. Playing that villain character, Jericho's entire mission with his feud against Michaels was to get rid of him. Eliminate the competition. Instead of trying to kill him in a match, he started off with a simple injury with the smash through the Jeritron, then continued to play the mind games that caused Michaels to return too soon, causing further injury.
The physical and the verbal have been in constant lockstep. One hasn't been ahead of the other. When it has been time to be physical, such as Michaels attacking Jericho to start Raw a few weeks ago, the program has advanced. When it has been time to be verbal, Jericho has taken over while Michaels has been off TV.
It all starts with Jericho's non-verbal clues to set up his verbal tirades against Michaels. You want to hate him because he speaks some painful truths with a twist on the end. He's a classic psychological villain with attention paid to every detail. It's as if Jericho's character is on a completely different level and a completely different TV show.
If there's one reason to watch Raw each week, it's to see how Jericho adds a new layer of detail to the program with or without Michaels event present. The lesson is simple. A story can be told without any physicality in the ring. All it takes is attention to detail and a passion for the character being presented on camera.
LATEST PRO WRESTLING TORCH NEWSLETTER #1039 (17 PAGES)
This issue begins with a cover story by Wade Keller who attended Brock Lesnar's first UFC victory on Saturday night in the semi-main event in front of a record-setting crowd in his hometown. Keller's BBL looks at Lesnar's place in MMA and in what ways he seems more comfortable than ever... Bruce Mitchell's Memo examines the dilemma of Chris Benoit and the Hall of Fame... Sean Radican reviews the two latest TNA DVD releases... In-depth coverage of the TNA Hard Justice PPV including Keller's match report with star ratings and the newsletter-exclusive Roundtable Reviews... Jason Powell's "Page 2 Buzz" with scoops and insider analysis... WWE Newswire, TNA Newswire, and ROH Newswire with insider news, big story analysis, and notebook tidbits... Plus Keller's reports on Raw, Smackdown, and Impact, the Top 5 Stories of the Week, and more....
