By Wade Keller, PWTorch editor

PWTorch VIP member Efren sent this question for today's PWTorch Livecast. I'll address it here on PWTorch below and also, I'm sure, later on the PWTorch Livecast. He wrote:

"Laying the ground work for Jericho's heel run is fine, but what other route could they had gone last night? One word I can use for part of his segment was this: bored. That should never be an option on TV! Changing the channel after x number of minutes also occurred...am I in the minority?"

We'll see if you're in the minority, Efren, but I think so. I think everyone was waiting for something to happen. Who could turn out during that and not see how it ended?

I understand some people were frustrated because they felt for all of that build up there should be a payoff. But I think this is in part a reflection on a misnomer, forwarded by pro wrestling promoters in recent years, that their primary job is to entertain fans and give them what they want. It's not.

The job of pro wrestling promoters and wrestlers is to create compelling television that hooks them into watching again and wanting to see a babyface get revenge or show up a cocky heel. If pro wrestling promoters always gave fans everything they wanted, Dolph Ziggler wouldn't have won by countout last night and John Cena would always (I mean, never) have been WWE Champion.

What Jericho did last night was stage one of a character change for him. His goal was to frustrate his fans, leaving them scratching their heads going, "What was that?!" It's part of a voyage he plans to take WWE viewers on as he defines his new character and makes you want to pay money to see a babyface whom fans like and identify with beat him up (presumably C.M. Punk).

That's pro wrestling promoting. It's not about giving everyone ice cream cones and balloons. It's about creating a strong emotional reaction.

If you were bored during the ten minutes Jericho spoof love-fest, that's part of the frustration Jericho was trying to create. I couldn't take my eyes off of it, even if it was monotonous.

Remember, this is a bit of a throwback to Jericho's career-defining promo on Nitro where he monotonously listed the 1,004 holds he knew. They cut to a break, and when they came back he was still listing them. He was going for the same thing last night as he did back then. Drive people nuts so he could get heel heat and draw money against a babyface.

[Read my original WCW Nitro report on that very Jericho promo here: KELLER'S 3/30/98 REPORT (http://tinyurl.com/KellerNitro98)]

Back when wrestler's felt their pay was tied directly to the gate at the arena, wrestlers were much more into these fundamental basics of drawing heel heat. That's what draws money on a large scale. Not highspots. Not wink-wink pandering to the Internet fans. Not soap opera storylines about who has power in the front office. Not comedy routines like R-Truth last night that felt like an audition for him to host "Blue's Clues" for four year olds. Not plugs for Twitter or shout-outs to Facebook followers. Not even funny one-liners about Fruity Pebbles. That's all background noise to fill time, with various levels of merit, that should at best enhance and at the very least stay out of the way of what draws...

What draws is fans despising a heel and paying to see a hero they identify with beat the crap out of him. That's what Jericho was going for. If a few people got bored, that's a price worth paying, I'd argue.

Thanks for the question, Efren. If you have a question or topic you'd like me to address for a future Keller's Take here at PWTorch, send it kellerwade@gmail.com.

Now you can COMMENT BELOW (and read what others have to say) or READ MY PREVIOUS BLOGS BY CLICKING HERE. Thanks for supporting PWTorch.com.

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Wade Keller launched Pro Wrestling Torch as a print newsletter in 1987. The newsletter is still published every week. It's distributed to thousands of wrestling fans internationally via postal mail and digital PDF's online at the VIP website. He has interviewed some of pro wrestling's biggest power brokers over the years in their longest insider interviews ever done, including Steve Austin, The Rock, Hulk Hogan, Jesse Ventura, Eric Bischoff, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Goldberg, Paul Heyman, Jim Cornette, Mick Foley, Vince Russo, Lou Thesz, Verne Gagne, Jerry Lawler, and many many others. He writes every week for the PWTorch Newsletter and also blogs on PWTorch.com. He is also the supervising editor of MMATorch, records the Keller Hotline every day for VIP members reviewing and analyzing the news of the day, and hosts the PWTorch Livecast twice a week. Contact Keller: kellerwade@gmail.com.

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