TAKE PWTORCH
WITH YOU! Get our iPhone App (FREE!): Click Here Or enter "PWTorch.com" on your Blackberry or other Smart Phone browser for mobile-version of PWTorch.
RADICAN'S TAKE
Tales From The Pulpit: TNA's expiring contracts could create excitement for ROH HDNet tapings this weekend Feb 25, 2009 - 12:04:32 PM
This article has been edited because of a misunderstanding about when the contracts of the performers I discussed were actually expiring.
With TNA allowing several wrestlers to walk away by not renewing their contracts in recent weeks, it could be an opportune time for ROH to add some talented workers to their roster and create some excitement surrounding their HDNet television tapings.
So, what three names would I bank on showing up at on HDNet for ROH at some point in the near future?
Let me backtrack here and say that I haven't been thrilled with the additions to the ROH talent roster for the tapings this weekend. Cheech & Cloudy? Huh? Sterling James Keenan? I'll take a pass.
The first name that would make a good impression on first and long-time ROH viewers would be Petey Williams. He has appeared in ROH in the past, but never got an extended run with the company. Longtime TNA fans might not know that Williams is fantastic in the ring given his gimmick for the last two years, but he can go. It doesn't hurt that he has a personality as well. He is also likely motivated to show TNA what a mistake they made by releasing him after his long tenure in the company where he was known for his dedication and professionalism.
What about Sonjay Dutt? He's another guy I would sign to pop up as a surprise on one of the tapings this weekend. I thought he did a great job while saddled with a terrible gimmick in TNA. He proved he has charisma and is also really an exciting talent to watch in the ring. He's also bound to be motivated to go out there and work without the restrictions put on him by TNA.
And then there's Jimmy Rave. He's been a forgotten figure in wrestling since leaving ROH to join TNA. He was saddled with a terrible gimmick much like Dutt and Williams, but ROH booker Gabe Sapolsky showed that when Rave is put in the right program, he can be a heat magnet as a heel.
The only way I would add Rave to the ROH roster would be to pair him with Prince Nana once again in a reformed version of the Embassy. I think the Embassy would make a great heel act on television and Nana's promo skills would make the group unique in that no other wrestling program on television could offer what Nana and Rave would bring to the table.
ROH has been announcing a number of intriguing main events for their television tapings, but some surprise names showing up this weekend and in the future could also generate some interest from wrestling fans as the company takes the next step in their evolution.
Contact Sean at PWTorchSean@gmail.com
Send feedback on this article to pwtorch@gmail.com and we'll regularly publish reader feedback in the "Torch Feedback" category on the Main Listing.
INCREDIBLE BENEFITS! Over 50 full-length audio updates per month (iPod compatible)... New weekly award-winning Pro Wrestling Torch Newsletter (text and printable pdf versions) with latest exclusive insider news, new Torch Talks, great columns, Keller's cover story, much more... Hundreds of full-length back issues of PWTorch Newsletter from late-'80s to today... Ad-free access to PWTorch.com's Main Listing... VIP Forum with interaction with other subscribers and Torch staff... Torch Talk Library with text and audio of hundreds of interview installments from last 20 years... Great layout... Deepest archives on pro wrestling history anywhere... Keller's PWTorch Today PDF Bulletins with email alerts... VIP Email reports on major PPVs and TV shows... Staff Roundtable Reviews (text and audio) followiing major events... The best staff of writers and world class reporting since 1987... We'd love for you to join us and experience the most entertaining, authoritative, experienced staff of professional reporters and commentators in the business...
Compare the value of four or five months of PWTorch VIP content to the price of just one PPV. Can you cut 25 cents a day from your budget to make room for PWTorch VIP?
AND NEW FOR 2009! Monthly "Vintage Audio Torch Talks." We are releasing for the first time ever audio versions of our text Torch Talk updates, the historical first series of insider interviews ever. Wade Keller's newsmaking in-depth interviews with wrestling's biggest names are now being made available exclusively to VIP members. But you must be a member each month, as these are not archived, so they are replaced with a new one each month! This debuted in January 2009 with a 68 minute interview with the late "British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith. Who's next? Hulk Hogan? Eric Bischoff? The Rock? Goldberg? Jeff Hardy?
