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7/3 TNA Impact Hits & Misses: Beer Money, World X-Cup, Angle's Dates, Sting

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 14:19:03 PST

I am not sure how I feel about the name of Robert Roode and James Storm’s team. Part of me loves it, and part of me thinks it is very stupid. But, this Hit is for the team itself, while I try to reconcile how I feel about the name. After a bad promo from Hector Guerrero with LAX via satellite, Beer Money came out and Storm rightly pointed out that he couldn’t understand what Hector was talking about. Beer Money vs. Motor City Machine Guns was a fun, but too short match. I was surprised by the outcome, but I guess that Beer Money had to lose in order to set up them snapping on everyone in sight. I must admit that part of this Hit is for them whipping Don West, as he deserved it. I don’t understand where the rest of Team TNA was. If I’m Chris Sabin or Alex Shelley I am upset at my team. It was a memorable snap for Beer Money (I think I like the name a bit more every time I write it).

TORCH NEWS TICKER 7/4: Murdoch gone from WWE, ROH ticket sales for Toronto, Bell interview on documentary response, Morrison interview

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 12:00:34 PST

Prior to Nash's segment on Sports Sunday, they aired an intro spot from Triple H at the WrestleMania press conference, which prompted Nash to dryly ask why Hunter is so angry after marrying into the McMahon family. Nash said Houston is a historical stronghold for wrestling with strong crowds, so it made sense to bring PPV to a market where they appreciate wrestling.

Mitchell Audio Show, pt. 1: Punk as World Champ discussed in-depth, comparison to Joe's career, plus more (70 min.)

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 11:50:15 PST

PWTorch editor Wade Keller and Torch columnist Bruce Mitchell discuss the decision to make C.M. Punk the World Champion on Raw. The discussion spans many angles, including a comparison of the career paths and decisions of Punk and his good friend Samoa Joe, the World Champion of TNA. Is Punk ready? Will the reign last? Why is now a better time than ever for Punk? Does he have the overall charisma, size, and skills to be a perennial top-tier player? Plus discussion about other aspects of Raw including Jim Ross's farewell, Kofi Kingston's title defense, and more...

WWE News: MVP interview on heart condition and expanding into movie roles

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 11:37:26 PST

MVP also commented on how to be a good heel character. "To be a good heel, it's a task," he said. "Everybody wants to be cheered, most people can't handle being booed. I look at Edge, and he's one of the best heels of the modern era, and I enjoy watching him work and draw the ire of the fans."

7/3 Impact Review by Wilkenfeld: Roode & Storm rise to the top as Sting makes his surprise return

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 22:14:11 PST

Overall: Tonight's show started slow, but it picked up a lot by the end. The surprise return of Sting was a nice touch—even if it won't turn out to make any sense, which I'm guessing it won't, it still popped me out of my seat for the first time in weeks. The show gets massive points for Taylor and The Motor City Machine Guns getting their respective wins. B

CALDWELL'S TNA IMPACT REPORT 7/3: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of Spike TV show

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 22:00:40 PST

Video package: Kurt Angle was on location hyping his three blind dates scheduled for today. Borash was documenting the whole deal. Angle walked into a gym to find his first date. He said Tiffany was supposed to be at the rock climb. The first girl, who was on the rock climb, was not in fact Tiffany. On the other side was an out-of-shape woman named Tiffany. Angle wasn't pleased with the turn of events.

CORNER CUBE THURSDAY 7/3 - For one week, WWE challenges ideal image of World champion

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 17:57:30 PST

It is encouraging, though, for the industry leader to focus on an average-sized champion. Whether it's for one week, for corporate-enhancement purposes, or simply for a quick marketing fix to drum up interest in the product, WWE is at least working to re-educate the audience that a World Heavyweight champion's make-up doesn't have to be limited to size and muscles, but it can also be focused on skill and marketability.

Torch Indy Weekend Preview: Hero-Tornado in PWG, Sabin & Shelley in IWC, Shimmer taping

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:46:17 PST

Even with the holiday weekend, there are some big shows, with IWC running an outdoor show in Pennsylvania on Saturday, the Shimmer Women's Athletes taping Saturday near Chicago, and a huge lineup for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla in California on Sunday.

ROH News: Lance Storm interview on working with ROH wrestlers and injuries in pro wrestling

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:20:19 PST

"I would be very leery because they don't have a great track record pushing someone of his size and personality," Storm said. "It would be great if they did do something with him, because it would be a chance for him to make a decent living and a chance to make some serious money and gain some fame from it."

DEJ Audio Experience: WWE Shake-Up, Bret the Delusional Ass, Atlas Ortiz, Ashley's MySpace Note (90 min.)

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 21:19:06 PST

This week "The DEJ Experience" is posted and it is a real doozy. The guys talk about the sudden change in WWE's product. They start with Raw and it eventually leads into a total business discussion that is in-depth, honest, and poignant. There is a frank discussion of the good and bad and what the future may hold for attendance, ratings, and job opportunities. They then shift their attention to Ashley's MySpace post along with the debut of Atlas Ortiz in ECW. They finish off the show going over the events of Bret Hart's meltdown and just what makes him a delusional ass. Hell, there is so much we forgot what we talked about!...

Raw Storylines and Feuds - Cena-JBL, Y2J-HBK, and reader thoughts wanted

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 17:29:31 PST

Would you like to have your thoughts about a particular feud posted in this column? Do you have a strong opinion about a rivalry in WWE? In the coming weeks, I plan to stir a little more reader interaction in the Storylines and Feuds articles. Here's what I'm looking for: a brief opinion or comment about any ongoing WWE storyline. Mention your likes and dislikes, problems or strengths of the feud, etc. Just be sure to include your name. Also, please don't exceed 3-5 sentences. If you can make a really strong point in just one sentence, that's perfect. I just want concise, yet strong comments about a storyline. I will post multiple emails on each of my articles in the coming weeks and lend my own reaction to them. The goal is to broaden discussion on the storylines in WWE. My email address is newthtorch@hotmail.com, so send in your comments now!

VIP - PWTORCH NEWSLETTER #1032 PDF Download Now Available: Punk Title Win Coverage & Analysis, Mitchell on Bret, Powell's Page 2 Buzz

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:24:44 PST

This issue includes a cover story and Keller BBL editorial on the major changes on Raw this week with an attempt to put in perspective the motivations behind the moves and the pros and cons. Also, Bruce Mitchell's Memo on Bret Hart's disgraceful and controversial stand at a wrestling convention last weekend that disrespected a 20 year wrestling journalist unfairly, Pat McNeill's review of two recent ROH DVDs, detailed coverage of the WWE Night of the Champions PPV, detailed coverage of Raw, Smackdown, and Impact, Jason Powell's "Page 2 Buzz" with more on C.M. Punk and several more insider scoops from the week, plus the Torch Newswire...

2003 Torch Newsletter Series: Hogan and WWE part ways with reactions by McNell, Keller, Powell; Foley Torch Talk

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 14:56:57 PST

This issue begins with a cover story on Hulk Hogan and WWE parting ways over '"creative differences" with the inside story on the way it played out... Jason Powell's feature column is the June Hitlist including Hogan's departure from WWE... Pat McNeill's "McNeill Factor" column reacts to the Hogan-WWE fallout and more... A DVD review of the Shawn Michaels "From the Vault" release... Part three of the Torch Talk with Mick Foley with his thoughts on becoming a booker some day and more... Bruce Mitchell's Memo presents: "Ten Questions with Vince McMahon"... Plus TNA PPV Report and Roundtable, Torch Newswire, Live Event Results, 1993 Backtracks, Raw & Smackdown Reports, Keller's End Notes, and more...

2003 Torch Newsletter Series: Foley Torch Talk, Konnan Torch Talk, Keller Reviews Foley's Novel, HBO-Drug Deaths

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 13:48:11 PST

This issue includes part two of a major Torch Talk series with Mick Foley where he talks about how his experience being part of wrestlers being cast in roles helped him define characters in his novel... Wade Keller's "This Week" column reviews Foley's book... Pat McNeill's "McNeill Factor" looks at a theme of Foley's in-ring career... In part three of the Torch Talk with Konnan, he talks about how Vince McMahon should not be compared to Osama Bin Laden... Jason Powell's "On Topic" looks at TNA surviving a year and the Carter family's involvement... The Cover Story reviews HBO's feature on drug-related deaths in pro wrestling... Plus TNA PPV Report and Roundtable, Torch Newswire, Live Event Results, 1993 Backtracks, Raw & Smackdown Reports, Keller's End Notes, and more...

Torch Trivia: How much do you know about short title reigns?

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 12:00:00 PST

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Ian Hunter here, walking on out with my Cobra and Pepsi logo tattooed body with the double-X on my fists and a brand new hunk of gold around my waist. I’ll admit it, after the draft I really saw no hope for the WWE because I was truly expecting it to be a flash-in-the-pan moment to garner ratings and whatever momentum they may have built from it would have crashed and burned. But hey, I’ve been wrong before. This past week was interesting. I’m actually curious about what may happen on Smackdown… but still not ECW. Though I was worried about the paper-champion comment from JBL, images in my head of JBL being champ and drawing a line down through the X’s on Punk’s hand in the form of an asterisk. So in tribute to the idea of Punk almost being a short-lived champion, this week's trivia will be about short title reigns. But first, we need to answer last week’s questions.

CORNER CUBE WEDNESDAY 7/2 - Raw was everything ECW is not

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:44:18 PST

Raw, on the other hand, was inspiring TV. The youth movement officially began, and WWE really gave the likes of Punk, Kofi, and DiBiase & Cody an opportunity to be significant players in WWE going forward.

TNA News: TNA signs exclusive VOD and pay-TV agreements in the U.K.

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 07:39:13 PST

BT Vision will air TNA programming on a Video-on-demand basis 14 days after original airing on Bravo. BT's offerings will include the TNA Xplosion syndicated TV show and TNA's monthly PPVs. Both of the agreements run from July 2008 to December 2009.

WWE News: BBC News reports on Kofi Kingston's heritage from Africa

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 07:11:40 PST

Kofi's mother, who is the head of a Ghanaian-American organization in the U.S., has told Kofi, "Your cousins watch you on TV in Ghana and want to know why you don't say you're from Ghana." Kofi's reply is that it's simply business, as WWE decided fans would connect with a wrestler billed from Jamaica more than Ghana.

CALDWELL'S ECW TV REPORT 7/1: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of WWE's Sci-Fi show

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 23:58:27 PST

The show started with a recap of the ECW Title match at the Night of Champions PPV where Mark Henry captured the ECW Title. It was officially the first time TMZ paid attention to ECW.

1998 Torch Back Issue Series: Foley's Incredible Bumps of Cage - Initial Reaction, Raw Crushes Nitro Again

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 20:41:53 PST

This issue headlines with a cover story on Mick Foley's historical bumps against The Undertaker in the Hell in a Cell match at King of the Ring, plus a cover sidebar on Kane beating Steve Austin for the WWF Title for 24 hours... In-depth coverage of the King of the Ring including Keller's match report with star ratings, Roundtable Reviews, Reader Reax, and Poll Results... ECW Arena report in-depth including Onita turning on Tommy Dreamer and Sandman, plus Sabu, RVD< Lance Storm, The Dudleys, Jerry Lynn, and Tommy Rich... Plus reports on Raw, Nitro, Thunder, and ECW, ECW Newswire, ETC. Newswire, WWF Newswire, WCW Newswire, Wade Keller's End Notes on Nitro and Raw, and more...