PWTorch.com

TNA News: TNA Impact ratings break down - Inside the numbers on TNA's recent ratings trends

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:30:25 PST

By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

Last night's edition of Impact averaged a middle-of-the-road 1.12 rating, which was slightly above recent short-term averages, but slightly below the 2009 yearly average. The show was slightly below last week's 1.14 rating. These factors show TNA's ratings are essentially stagnant.

TNA was coming off the well-reviewed Turning Point PPV, but could not build momentum for the show following the PPV. We won't have quarter-hour ratings until Monday to look at the highs and lows of the show and whether TNA was able to build an audience over the course of the show.

Looking at last night's Impact compared to recent averages, Impact was up 2.0 percent compared to the previous five weeks of TV. The show was also up 3.9 percent compared to the previous ten weeks of TV. Compared to the 2009 yearly ratings, Impact was down 3.4 percent.

A look at Impact compared to the previous five weeks of shows captures the up-and-down trend with Impact hovering around the 1.10 rating mark.

11/19 Impact - 1.12
10/15 Impact - 0.94 (Super Imact)
10/22 Impact - 1.10
10/29 Impact - 1.24 (Hulk Hogan announcement)
11/5 Impact - 1.08
11/12 Impact - 1.14

SMACKDOWN POLL: Who was the MVP of the 11/20 Smackdown if you saw the show?

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:42:32 PST

11/19 WWE Superstars Hits & Misses: Rosa Mendes, Eric Escobar, Lackluster Show

By Jon Mezzera, Torch Specialist — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:14:29 PST

SUPERSTARS HITS

None: This was a rather lackluster episode of Superstars. The wrestling quality wasn't as good as it usually is. I appreciate the three match formula, but unlike last week when there were two good matches, there were none this week. Shelton Benjamin vs. Zack Ryder was ok until the end (more later). There was a squash match. The main event of Mark Henry vs. Cody Rhodes was just ok. It wasn't bad, but certainly not Hit worthy either. We got an extra video package this week with a recap of the Rey Mysterio vs. Batista feud, along with the replay of the MSG / Raw video that aired on ECW. There just wasn't anything to like about the show.

SUPERSTARS MISSES

Rosa's Distraction: Up until the end of the match, Benjamin vs. Ryder was ok. It wasn't particularly good, but not bad either. However, the lame cell phone angle with Rosa Mendes was bad. Her character is that she is an annoying woman who never shuts up. But, she can't be that stupid as to try to get Ryder's attention during his match because of a cell phone call, or to actually get in the ring during the match to get the phone that she dropped. It was stupid. They are trying to play it up as if she's going to be a distraction one way or another for either Ryder or his opponent in all of his matches. I don't like that as her gimmick as it means his matches will continue to end in similar ways.

Eric Escobar: I'm just not impressed with this guy. In fact, until Vickie Guerrero came out to say "excuse me!" I had forgotten about him. Vickie herself is very memorable, so that says that Escobar has done nothing on his own to make himself stand out with the fans. He strikes me as being very generic. He might be solid in the ring, but who cares? Hearing the announcers idly speculating as to whether their relationship is real, or if Escobar is using Vickie, or if Vickie is using Escobar, or both doesn't really count as story development or character development. He bores me.

Jon Mezzera is PWTorch.com's WWE Hits & Misses Specialist, providing his point of view for Raw, Smackdown, ECW, and Superstars each week. Email him at jmezz-torch@sbcglobal.net.

For another view from the original Hitlist author, compare Jason Powell's views to mine by visiting prowrestling.NET's "Hitlist" section here.

PARKS' WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT 11/20: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of the show, including Jericho & Show vs. Undertaker & Kane

by Greg Parks, PWTorch.com Contributor — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:00:59 PST

WWE Smackdown review
November 20, 2009
Taped 11/17/09 in Philadelphia, Pa.
Aired on MyNetwork TV

-WWE Open.

-Smackdown Open.

-After the requisite pyro and introduction from Todd Grisham, he and Matt Striker plugged the main event of Undertaker & Kane taking on Chris Jericho and Big Show. They also mentioned Dolph Ziggler vs. John Morrison in a two-out-of-three fall match for the Intercontinental Title.

1- BATISTA vs. MATT HARDY

I really didn’t need to see this re-match. Batista went to the outside right off the bat, where he pulled Matt. Hardy got the best of him there too, but Batista got him coming back into the ring. Batista threw Hardy face-first into the middle turnbuckle to take control, then slammed him to the mat for two. Batista worked the lower back of Hardy and worked a chin-lock about 1:20 into the match. Pretty early for that, leading me to believe this’ll be a relatively short match. Jaw-breaker got Hardy out of a bad situation. Elbow to the back of the head off the second rope by Hardy. Twist of Fate was shrugged off and Hardy got out of a Batista Bomb. DDT followed it up for two. Rake of the face by Batista, who elbowed out of a Side Effect. Chop block took Hardy to the mat. Hardy with a drop-toe hold into the second buckle, but Batista dropped him face-first in the corner. Spinebuster shook the ring. And another. One more for the road. He seemed to have a minor bloodied lip. Batista Bomb finally sent Hardy packing.

WINNER: Batista, at 4:25. They really protected Hardy here, more than I thought they would.

-Striker and Grisham explained on camera about the Hold Harmless agreement Rey Mysterio signed last week during the Survivor Series match contract signing with Batista. Then we saw video of what went down during the segment.

-Josh Mathews caught up with Batista backstage. He didn’t want to hear where Mathews was going with his question, so he interrupted and said Rey Mysterio made three mistakes: costing him the title, signing the Hold Harmless deal, and embarrassing Batista like he’s never been embarrassed before. What about the Punjabi Prison match? Batista said in turn, he’d embarrass Rey at Survivor Series with no regrets and no remorse.

[Commercial Break]

-They showed a video package of the history between Kane and The Undertaker. Afterward, Striker again plugged the tag match taking place tonight.

-Teddy Long was backstage when Vickie Guerrero and Eric Escobar walked in. She asked what Teddy was thinking by reuniting the Brothers of Destruction. Long passed the buck to McMahon on that one, and Vickie told him he needs to take control. “No wonder you’re still on probation,” she said. She also complained about how Long hasn’t been using Escobar lately. Long scoffed at the idea of taking Vickie’s advice, and suggested they leave his office. Big pop for that. But Vince McMahon walked in and shook Escobar’s hand. McMahon said teaming the Brothers of Destruction is “imbecilic” and asked where Long came up with the idea. McMahon told Teddy he said it could destroy the main event at Survivor Series. So he had an idea: Vickie would be named Smackdown consultant, to (somehow) help Teddy get off probation. Vickie jumped up and down and cheered with an inordinate amount of joy. Long….not so much. I love how they can pretty much write Vince to do and say anything to get where the writers want to go, no matter how little sense it makes, because they think fans can just write it off as “Vince’s character acting crazy as usual.”

-Drew McIntyre came to the ring for his match with Finlay, which is next.

[Commercial Break]

-A video package aired on the Finlay vs. Drew McIntyre feud. Back in the arena, McIntyre was on the mic and said Finlay loves to cry and whimper, not fight. He said Finlay reminds him of a little old lady, scared to death of him. He told Finlay to come out and fight.

2- DREW MCINTYRE vs. FINLAY

Double-leg takedown by Finlay started the match. McIntyre got away and fled to the outside, but did not find safety out there. Finlay chased him down and the two continued to brawl in the ring. Finlay kicked away at McIntyre in the corner as the ref struggled to separate them. Finlay had a handful of hair as the ref got him back. McIntyre went after Finlay’s eye with a right hand behind the ref’s back. As he tried to recover, McIntyre hit a swank version of his double-arm DDT for the win.

WINNER: McIntyre, at 1:39. McIntyre won in short order, but from bell-to-bell, they didn’t give him much.

-C.M. Punk was walking backstage. He has a message of survival for the WWE Universe, and we’ll hear it next.

[Commercial Break]

-Another mention of Taker & Kane vs. Big Show & Chris Jericho, slated for later tonight.

-C.M. Punk came to the ring. In the ring was a table with three white buckets spaced apart, each upside down on the table with a red “X” on each one, as well as a metal trash can. Punk said this was a Straight Edge intervention. The first step to recovery, of course, is a confession. Each person must admit they have a problem. I’m Greg Parks, and I’m a Punk-aholic. He told everyone to put their hand up (and if they’re watching on TV, put their hand on the television set). The fans booed and Punk pointed to people in the crowd and said they are in denial and are nothing without their substances that wither away their body. He said he’d teach everyone how to survive. Underneath the first bucket was a cigarette carton. Ah, generic “Cigarette” brand cigarettes. Punk said the Surgeon General knows more about cigarettes than anyone else. He said people might as well throw their lungs in the garbage. But Punk, took the cigs out and threw them in the trash can. Some clapping for that.

Under bucket number two was a bottle of prescription medication. Punk assured everyone that what’s in the bottle is not candy. He said every time someone takes a pill, they are failing at life. He said the warning label says “take as prescribed,” but it’s hard for the people to understand, since they’re all likely under the influence now. He took the top off the bottle and poured the contents into the trash can. The final bucket was a bottle of imported whiskey, which the crowd cheered. I gotta get that screenshot of Punk kneeling down near the bottle with a look of disappointment on his face. Punk asked how many people would like for him to take a big chug of that bottle right now- the crowd popped, as expected. Can you imagine if Punk was cutting this promo in the old ECW? He said alcohol is the worst of them all. When you drink it, you are poisoning yourself. He said like the bottle of whiskey, everyone’s life is going down the drain. He slowly poured the whiskey into the garbage can. When he finished, R-Truth and his music interrupted.

“What’s up?” The truth, according to the man with the word in his name. He said Punk thinks he’s better than everyone else and each person makes their own decisions in life. Truth said he doesn’t like Punk, then kicked the can into Punk and DDT’d him. Truth took the trash can and poured it all over Punk. Too bad he didn’t get closer to his face. Then a trash can shot to the lower abdomen. I say, there’s money in having Punk accidentally (or not) fall off the Straight Edge wagon, show up drunk one time (whether someone spiked a drink or whatever), but continue to be Straight Edge after he recovers, being even more angry about it. Segment was awesome, and the crowd stayed with Punk through the entire thing. It was the same message he’s been preaching, but this was scripted much better and had props!

-Morrison vs. Ziggler, two-out-of-three falls, for the I.C. Title, next!

[Commercial Break]

3- JOHN MORRISON vs. DOLPH ZIGGLER- TWO-OUT-OF-THREE FALLS FOR THE INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Ziggler went for a few quick covers, but got nothing out of it. Standing dropkick from Morrison in retaliation, then a flying heel kick. He got a two-count from that. Morrison dodged a boot and tripped Ziggler up. Starship Pain, but Dolph moved and Morrison landed on his feet. Morrison then did a springboard 450 over the top rope and onto Ziggler on the outside. He brought Ziggler back in, but Ziggler lifted his knees on the Starship Pain. Ziggler went to capitalize, but Morrison hooked him in an Inside Cradle for the first fall, at 2:13. Completely unbelievable that it would be that short. Anyway, they went to break before the second one could begin.

[Commercial Break]

Back to the match, Ziggler got a two count during the second fall. Striker noted that Morrison’s ribs and back were being worked on throughout the break. Roll up by Morrison for two, then a Zig Zag from Ziggler for the second fall at 7:04. Once they got started for the third one, Ziggler kicked Morrison in the mouth for two. High elbowdrop in the ribs for two. Ziggler continued on offense and took Morrison off his shoulders and onto his knees as he fell back for a gut-buster. Ziggler intensified the pain quotient by twisting Morrison’s torso around the ring post. High X-Factor face-plant for a two-count by Ziggler. Morrison countered a suplex with a DDT. He then set up Starship Pain, and this time hit, and retained the title.

WINNER: Morrison, two falls to one, at 10:46. Really disappointing. Not the match itself, but how it was booked. Most of their one-fall matches (including last week’s) went longer than this. Where does Ziggler go from here?

-The Brothers of Destruction face Chris Jericho and Big Show in the main event tonight.

[Commercial Break]

-Striker thanked Art of Dying for “Get Thru This,” the official Survivor Series theme.

4- MICKIE JAMES vs. LAYLA

Mickie sent some forearms into the kisser of Layla, then landed a Thesz Press. I hope Matt Striker brings out the chalkboard to explain the Survivor Series Elimination match possibilities. Dropkick by Layla while Mickie was on her knees. That got two, despite the pleas from Layla. Roll-up into a bridge by Mickie, nicely done, for the win.

WINNER: Mickie, at 1:10.

After the match, Layla got the mic. I’m glad they’ve given Layla some outfits to show off her body. She said that Mickie should look at the Titan-Tron before she starts partying. It was a rooster crowing. Michelle McCool, with a farm in the background, called Mickie “Piggie James.” She even sang “Old McDonald,” inserting Mickie as the pig. They even did the Looney Tunes ending with the “That’s all folks!” with Mickie’s face as a pig. You stay classy, WWE.

-Rey Mysterio was walking backstage- he faces Tyson Kidd next.

[Commercial Break]

-Batista joined Grisham and Striker on commentary, but didn’t seem to want to say anything.

5- REY MYSTERIO vs. TYSON KIDD

Kidd tripped up Mysterio on the top and put a knee into the throat. Hard whip into the buckle by Kidd. Hard kick in the back and a cover got two. Still nothing from Batista. Rey kicked away at the head of Kidd, but Kidd landed a dropkick to Rey’s face for two. He missed a springboard elbowdrop though. After Kidd rolled through a hurricanrana, Rey kicked him in the face and got two on a pin attempt. Rey set Kidd up in the 619 position, but Kidd slipped out of the ring. Rey went to the top, but Batista shoved Kidd out of the way so Rey would have to jump on him. The ref called for the bell, which Striker disagreed with.

WINNER: Kidd by DQ, at 2:36. Good, high-energy match between the two. I’d like to see an extended contest between these two.

After the match, Rey jumped onto the announce table and then onto Batista, sitting down on him as he fell backward onto the chair he was sitting in. Batista tried to chase Rey around ringside, to no avail. Batista was left angered in the ring.

-Jericho and Big Show were arguing backstage, and Show said Jericho was scared. Jericho denied it. Show said he knows what it takes to survive in there with Taker and Kane, but Jericho said he knows what it takes to survive too. Show said if it comes down to him or Jericho at Survivor Series, it’ll be him because he won’t hesitate to knock Show out. After Show walked out, the lights went out. Jericho panicked, but when they turned on, it was just Show messing with him, proving to him that he was scared.

[Commercial Break]

-Striker and Grisham talked about Philadelphia and its wrestling history.

-The Madison Square Garden-WWE video aired, with some video from this past week’s Raw spliced in as well.

-Chris Jericho and Big Show made their entrance for the main event. It’s next.

[Commercial Break]

6- CHRIS JERICHO & BIG SHOW vs. THE UNDERTAKER & KANE

Taker and Kane came out at the same time. Kane didn’t vacillate at all when the bell rang, attacking Jericho at the outset. Taker then came in and wailed away at Jericho himself. Finally, Jericho grabbed the ropes on a whip and tagged in his bigger half. The two giants went toe-to-toe in the middle of the ring. Show missed a punch and Taker hit him with rights of his own. Taker put his boot up on a Show charge, then nailed him with a flying clothesline. Double-team clotheslined Show over the top. Jericho checked on him as they went to break about 2:30 in.

[Commercial Break]

Taker clotheslined Jericho as he came out of the corner. The Dead Man planned to go Old School, and did so successfully. Double boot by the Brothers of Destruction and Kane’s pin got a two-count. Kane went for a chokeslam, but Big Show speared him. Show was the legal man at this point, and cornered Kane in the heel section of the ring. Jericho did some cheating behind the ref’s back to soften Kane up a little more for his tag partner. Kane fought back from his knees, but speaking of, Show kneed him right in the face. Jericho came in and applied the boots to Kane. Lionsault landed right on Kane’s knees. Both men went for tags- Jericho was successful, Kane not so much. Big Show struck Kane in the ribs with his massive fists, then set Kane on the top rope. He went to the middle rope, but Kane knocked him down. Kane, off the top, hit a not-so-good-looking clothesline. Show tagged Jericho and Taker tagged in as well. Snake Eyes in the corner on Jericho, followed by the running boot and legdrop. Only got two on the cover. Taker knocked Show off the apron, then he grabbed Jericho by the throat. Jericho turned it into a roll-up and tried a Walls of Jericho, but Taker caught him in the Hell’s Gate. Before he could tap, Show legdropped Taker. The match broke down at this point and all four men brawled on the outside. Show was thrown into the barricade and into the announce bay. We have a Lauren Mayhew sighting! I think it’s a count-out by now. They went to double-chokeslam him through the table, but Jericho broke it up. But he barely affected the faces, and they threw him into the ring. I guess we’re still going. Chokeslam by Kane, but Show pulled Kane out of the ring and decked him with a right. Taker grabbed him by the throat on the apron, then caught Jericho with a boot. Show came in the ring and chokeslammed Taker. Show stood tall in the ring, then got Jericho to his feet. Jericho gave him a Codebreaker and went to grab the World Heavyweight Title. He fled the ringside area as Grisham and Striker debated on whether or not Jericho knew he was giving the Codebreaker to Show. I still didn’t hear a bell, but I saw the ref counting Jericho out, so let’s say….

WINNERS: Taker & Kane, by count-out, at about 15:00. Interesting end of the match.

Jericho stood tall with the World Title on the top of the ramp as Show and Taker recovered in the ring. The show faded out at this point.

Greg Parks has been covering Smackdown for PWTorch.com since January of 2007. You can also read his frequently updated blog in the VIP forum. Check out his column each week in the PDF-exclusive version of the Torch Newsletter. Also, look for his Tuesday chats with James Caldwell each Tuesday afternoon on the Torch. Comments, questions and feedback are welcome, and can be sent to g_man9784@yahoo.com.

UNDER THE MICROSCOPE - TNA Impact 11/19: Forgotten history between A.J. and Angle, TNA's new cameras, Pope gets referee assist, Numbers - The Rock a horrible tag champ

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:25:59 PST

By Curtis Shanks, PWTorch Specialist

Welcome to the TNA Impact edition of Under the Microscope. This is not a detailed recap of the show, but a review for those of you that saw the show but didn't actually "watch" it. We're here to point out those little tidbits you may have missed, make some random observations, or use a little research to dig deeper into what was on the show. Cue the opening pyro.

Forgotten Street Posse

There are plenty of fan signs every week in the wrestling world. Some are generic, "Wrestler A Sucks, Wrestler B Rocks," while others are creative. But some are just plain confusing and obscure. The fan sign behind Foley and Abyss during the opening segment falls into this category. Of all the names from wrestling past, this fan decided to use his poster board and Sharpie to declare "We Want Pete Gas." The "We" part of the sign let's us know that there are many fans who demand Mr. Gas. Although if there were just one, an "I Want Pete Gas" sign could hold a very different meaning.

For those unfamiliar with Gas, he was a part of the Mean Street Posse stable on WWF television from 1999 to 2001. Pete Gas formed the group with Joey Abs and Rodney, and were most notable for their ring attire of sweater vests and khaki pants. The group was aligned with Shane McMahon when they first debuted, but were released within a couple of years. None of the three members have done much since their WWF run aside from a Pete Gas appearance during the battle royal on the Raw 15th Anniversary show.

Friends Forever

Even though Kurt Angle was lobbying for a shot at A.J. Styles's TNA title, the two were forced to team this week in the main event. It was mentioned on more than a couple of occasions that this was the first time those two would be tagging together. It wasn't until the ring entrances at the end of the show that Mike Tenay clarified that this was their first time as a "two-man team." The two have been on the same side before in other situations.

Looking back through Impacts and PPVs, I can find four instances when A.J. and Angle tagged together. June 2007 saw them form a three-man team with Samoa Joe on Impact. In November 2007, the two teamed for a four-on-four Impact match, while the next week saw a five-on-five match with A.J. and Angle once again on the same side. The final instance was the Destination X PPV in 2008, when Tomko joined the fold for another three-on-three match.

Styles and Angle were not just thrown together as a team, as there was a storyline associated with their pairing. For those that don't remember, A.J. was Christian Cage's idiotic lackey, but ended up in a tug of war between Cage and Angle to see who would get him on their side. The Angle Alliance was formed, only to see A.J. and Angle feud after the Karen Angle "marriage." TNA was wrong in saying that Kurt Angle and A.J. Styles have never teamed, but would have been correct in saying that this was the first time they have teamed when neither one portrayed an idiot on TV.

Shhhhh. I see a promo over there

TNA has a reputation for picking up wrestlers cast off by WWE, but that reputation might not be exclusive to people. It looked as though TNA picked up an old WWE camera for the Foley and Nash backstage promo this week. I've long applauded TNA for eliminating the invisible camera problem seen far to often in WWE. But there was a WWE feel during the promo between Foley and Nash because of the fact that the camera was never acknowledged. It wasn't exactly an invisible camera, but there was no JB, no Lauren, and no direct acknowledgement that their talk was being filmed. As long as we don't get an ECWesque Zack Ryder dream sequence on Impact, I'll keep the complaints to a minimum.

Hi there. Gotta run

After a failed WWE run, Tomko is back in TNA. Tomko was a big piece of TNA during his first run and is a big acquisition for them. But you would never know it by watching this week's Impact. For those that missed the quick promo, Tomko basically said, "Hey, I'm back. Should be cool. Gotta go."

Tomko has been rumored to be the individual who attacked A.J. Styles leading into the last PPV. But with the five-second promo introduction, TNA has eliminated any chance of a big mystery reveal. The who-done-it storyline may have been abandoned, as no mention of A.J.'s attacker was made during the last two Impacts. They may still reveal Tomko as the culprit, but it will lose much of the Impact since he's already been introduced for his return.

I'm sure he'll be fine

Speaking of unresolved storylines, what happened to Abyss this week? After a DQ finish in a tag match versus Raven and Stevie, the action continued as Abyss was hung up on the ropes via an electrical wire. We got a good view of a choking Abyss gasping for air before we went to commercial. When the commercial ended, Abyss, Raven, and Stevie were gone and it was time for a new storyline. So what exactly happened? There was no mention of Abyss's condition the rest of the show, as we were to just assume that he escaped and was okay. If past Impacts are any indication, the segment concluded with 146 guys in Security shirts running out to break up the attack.

A gift for you

The TNA referees have been given more authority lately, and have been laying down the law by kicking out valets and getting DQ-happy in matches. But that doesn't mean they aren't biased. During the six-man street fight this week, it looked as though ref Andrew Thomas was a fan of D'Angelo Dinero. As 3D set up for the diving headbutt, Thomas ran across the ring and grabbed a kendo stick. He ran back to his original position and literally dropped the weapon into the hands of Dinero. Dinero popped up and used the kendo stick to thwart the headbutt attempt. Shane Sewell may be gone, but the TNA refs are still clamoring to be part of the action.

A true first time pairing

The pairing of Kurt Angle and A.J. Styles was hyped as a first time team this week, but the same was said for their opponents - Daniels and Desmond Wolfe. While A.J. and Angle have actually been partners before, I could not find any instances of a Wolfe/Daniels team before. Wolfe is new to the TNA roster, but the two have wrestled at the same time in ROH. I can't find an instance of those two teaming together during that time, but they have been opponents before. Three times in 2006 a DVD release featured Daniels and Wolfe on opposite sides of the ring. Daniels is probably relieved the two paired up this week, as Nigel won all three of those bouts in ROH.

I'll see you out there

We've looked at the history of the four wrestlers in this week's main event, but there was one other noticeable tidbit for the two first-time teams - nobody used the same entrance as their partner. The first team saw Daniels enter through the face tunnel and Wolfe through the heel tunnel. Their opponents followed suit, as A.J. used the face tunnel, while Angle used his rising from the middle of the stage approach.

Numbers crunch - World champs and tag champs, the best and the worst

The past couple of weeks, we've looked at every single title run in the big four promotions since 1990. We looked at overall trends two weeks ago, and how certain individuals have fared overall last week. But what if we were to look at specific titles? There have been dozens of different titles during the last twenty years, but two things are consistent across each promotion - World Titles and Tag titles.

Looking specifically at World Titles, 82 individuals have enjoyed a run since 1990. To find top and bottom performers when it comes to average duration of a World Title run, we'll look at the individuals with three or more to their credit since 1990.

Best average duration:
Shane Douglas - 218.5 days
Hulk Hogan - 174.2 days
Raven - 155.7 days

Worst average duration:
DDP - 9.7 days
Jeff Hardy - 16.7 days
Mick Foley - 27.5 days

Interesting to note is that all six of those individuals have been a part of TNA at some point. If we were to look just at tag title runs, 254 different individuals have held a major tag title since 1990. The best and worst average reigns for individuals with three-plus runs give us a shocking result for worst tag champ in the past twenty years.

Best average duration:
Bret Hart - 163.0 days
Ted DiBiase, Sr. - 137.0 days
Mike Rotundo - 137.0 days

Worst average duration:
The Rock - 4.8 days
Ron & Don Harris - 12.7 days

The Rock is a five-time tag champ, but only had runs of eight, one, six, one, and eight days for a grand total of 24 days. Hard to believe that the most electrifying man in Sports Entertainment could also be called the worst Tag Team champion of this generation.

Curtis Shanks is a self-described wrestling nerd who, contrary to popular belief, does have a social life. Feedback is welcome as comments, suggestions and questions can be sent to Curtis at curtisshanks.torch@gmail.com.

11/20 Wade Keller Hotline - Guest Bruce Mitchell: Survivor Series Match by Match Preview & Predictions (20 min.)

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:23:13 PST

This installment of the Wade Keller Hotline features guest analyst Bruce Mitchell. They look at Sunday's Survivor Series line-up match-by-match (and WWE.com's annoying navigation to try to find the line-up) with predictions and keys to look for.

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11/20 Bruce Mitchell Audio Show: Listener Questions - How Vince McMahon was perceived before he took over, Outlaw Promotions stories, Sting Flips off Bruce, Albano Craziness (45 min.)

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:11:57 PST

Torch VIP Members, click on the red VIP Audio Updates button above to access this special edition of the Bruce Mitchell Audio Show (44 min.) hosted by Torch editor Wade Keller.

In this episode of the Bruce Mitchell Audio Show with host Wade Keller, they tackle listener questions on a great variety of subjects including: How Vince McMahon was perceived before he took over, Outlaw Promotions stories, Sting Flips off Bruce, Albano Craziness, and more.

DIRECT LINK: 11/20 BRUCE MITCHELL AUDIO SHOW

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PWTorch Newsletter #1117/1118 (31 pages!): Raw at MSG, TNA Victory Road PPV Roundtable, Mitchell on Russo-Hogan, Keller on Dixie Speech, more

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:35:55 PST

Pro Wrestling Torch, a weekly 12-16 page print newsletter delivered via traditional postal mail, has been published since 1987.

The new 31-page PWTorch Newsletter (#1117/1118) has just been published in PDF format, with online text coming soon.

This issue opens with Wade Keller's expanded "Cover Story" on the tradition of Raw at MSG and whether Monday's edition lived up to expectations... Keller's BBL looks at Dixie Carter's "all-roster speech" that aired on Impact... Bruce Mitchell's "Memo" presents a case for what Vince Russo's strategy should be to get in good graces with Hulk Hogan... "Page 2 Buzz with Jason Powell" focuses on behind the scene insight into TNA coming out of Dixie's address... TNA Victory Road PPV coverage including the newsletter-exclusive VIP Roundtable... Reports on Impact, Raw, and ECW, plus an expanded WWE Newswire, TNA Newswire, ROH Newswire, and ETC. Newswire... In online-exclusives, Greg Parks presents a fascinating look at how a WWE TV operates from observing more than just the ring at a recent taping, Brian Hoops looks at the week in nostalgia news plus a flashback to Survivor Series 1989, and Jon Mezzera presents the Week in WWE Hits & Misses...

CLICK HERE FOR PDF FORMAT OF TORCH #1117/1118 IN NATIVE FORMAT (now available)

#1117/1118 TEXT VERSION TABLE OF CONTENTS (coming soon). (All articles are posted on the PWTorch VIP Main Listing right now!)

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TNA News: Impact rating is in - how did post Turning Point episode fare?

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:46:36 PST

TNA Turning Point fallout, more Hulk Hogan talk, a main event of Kurt Angle & A.J. Styles vs. Desmond Wolfe & Daniels, and the return of Raven in the ring against Mick Foley in a tag match led to a slight drop in the rating compared to last week.

Last night's Impact drew a 1.12 rating, compared to last week's 1.14.

Check back for more details including five and ten week averages and the quarter hours.

[Abyss art credit Neal Obermeyer (c) PWTorch]

WWE News: What's on Smackdown tonight - Taker & Kane vs. Big Show & Jericho

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:15:34 PST

By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

Tonight's edition of WWE Smackdown on MyNetworkTV will feature Unified tag champions Chris Jericho & Big Show vs. World Hvt. champion The Undertaker & Kane in a featured, non-title tag match.

WWE has pulled out the hyperbole to promote the main event leading to Survivor Series on Sunday, calling the match the "biggest tag match in Smackdown history."

WWE will also have Batista vs. Matt Hardy and Rey Mysterio vs. Tyson Kidd in singles matches to promote Batista vs. Mysterio at Survivor Series.

Divas action will include Mickie James vs. Layla. At the taping on Tuesday, WWE included a controversial segment involving Mickie James's weight that seemed mean-spirited when it was presented to the live audience.

WWE News: Jim Ross comments on possible WrestleMania 26 return, current WWE contract status

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:50:53 PST

By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

WWE announcer Jim Ross says there is still no timetable for his return to WWE TV, but if he's ready for a return in early 2010, he would like to save his return for WrestleMania 26 in March.

Ross clarified his future as an announcer after Jerry Lawler was quoted by the U.K. Sun earlier this week on Ross possibly returning to WWE at WrestleMania.

"I mentioned that there was NO time table due to not knowing when the facial nerve on the right side of my face was going to kick start," Ross said, recalling his personal conversation with Lawler. "I mentioned that IF it was going to be close to Wrestlemania that it might be good just to wait and return at WM26. The facial nerve could ignite tomorrow...or next week...or 2-4 months from now. No one knows."

Ross also said his contract negotiations with WWE are progressing, but nothing is finalized. Ross's contract expires at the end of 2009.

"My contract negotiations with WWE are still to be finalized but, as I feel in all things regarding my life," Ross said. "I remain confident and positive that those contractual issues will work out to every one's satisfaction."

Link: Read Jim Ross's blog also talking Survivor Series hype.

PARKS'S WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT 1 YR. AGO (11-21-08): Final Survivor Series build-up to Undertaker vs. Big Show casket match, Jeff Hardy vs. Triple H, Morrison & Miz

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:21:10 PST

WWE SMACKDOWN TV REPORT - 1 year ago
NOVEMBER 21, 2008
REPORT BY GREG PARKS, TORCH CONTRIBUTOR

-WWE Open.

-They showed clips of the new, extreme Jeff Hardy, including his match last week with Undertaker.

-Smackdown Open.

-JR welcomed viewers to the show and noted that Triple H will face Jeff Hardy, plus Undertaker will give Big Show his Last Rites tonight.

1- R-TRUTH & MATT HARDY vs. SHELTON BENJAMIN & MARK HENRY

Benjamin and Truth traded right hands until Truth got the advantage, and then Hardy tagged in. Truth came back in and grounded Benjamin. This match looks like it’s going in slow-motion, especially Benjamin. Shelton elbowed Truth down, but the former K-Kwik got a one-count off a dropkick. Some double-teaming by the faces led to a clothesline of Shelton over the top rope and to the outside.

[Commercial Break]

Shelton Benjamin one-upped Hardy thanks to Mark Henry’s interference. The big man then tagged in to do some legal damage. Shelton and Henry continued to do harm to the ECW Champion. Henry missed an Earthquake-like butt splash in the corner, and Hardy was able to tag R-Truth. Shelton also tagged in, but R-Truth was cleaning house. Henry broke up a pin attempt and both men were down. Truth danced right into a Samoan drop. Hardy got involved, taking out Tony Atlas and Henry. Benjamin missed the Blinger splash and Truth connected with the flying forearm. Axe kick finished it.

WINNERS: Truth & Hardy, at 12:34. Fine TV match, but seemed to miss a second gear.

-This week’s John Cena hype video aired.

[Commercial Break]

-JR plugged Hardy vs. Triple H tonight. Eve Torres was backstage with Triple H. He couldn’t concentrate at first, as Eve seems to have had breast enhancement surgery. Hunter then asked her if they were real. He then asked to touch them. Eve said he could, and he touched the pearls on her necklace, so THAT’S what he was talking about. Triple H finally got around to cutting the promo on Kozlov and Hardy. Kozlov walked in and told Triple H that his days as champion were numbered. Hunter Eve that Kozlov couldn’t take his eyes off them either.

-Maria and Festus were backstage. She said she was disappointed in her match with Michelle McCool last week and that Festus is a good listener. John Morrison and The Miz walked in and wished Festus luck in his match later. Morrison said he saw some pictures of Maria on WWE.com this week and said it’s amazing what airbrushing can do. Miz kept patting Festus hard on the chest and shoulder as Festus stood there an took it.

[Commercial Break]

2- JOHN MORRISON & THE MIZ vs. JESSE & FESTUS

Miz provided the distraction for Festus at the bell while Morrison got some offense in. That didn’t last too long, as Festus cornered Morrison and made the tag to Jesse. Springboard spin-kick by Morrison, and a nice one at that. Festus tagged in and took it to Miz and Morrison. As he was about to hit a big splash, Morrison got the bell and rang it. Miz through Jesse out of the ring. He slapped Festus and hit his finisher for three. After that, Morrison hit the Moonlight Drive on Jesse.

WINNERS: Morrison & Miz, at 2:47. Not much of a match, seems to have been done solely for storyline purposes.

-Jeff Hardy vs. Triple H is next.

[Commercial Break]

-Smackdown’s overseas tour was shown in pictures.

3- JEFF HARDY vs. TRIPLE H

Jeff had the racoon look going this week. Jeff extended his hand in sportsmanship, but then opened up right hands right on Triple H. Head-scissors take-over by Hardy. Hardy hit Trips, who was on the outside, with a loose clothesline off the apron. Low dropkick got two for Hardy. He’s been all offense two minutes in. Hardy missed his corner dropkick and both men were down. Triple H got up and went for a Pedigree, but Hardy got out and turned it into a monkey-flip. Hunter dodged a Hardy cross-body attempt, and Jeff rolled all the way to the floor.

[Commercial Break]

Hunter was applying his knee directly to the forehead (and back of the head) of Jeff Hardy upon return from break. Trips whipped Jeff hard into the turnbuckle, and that got The Game a near fall. Jeff briefly fought back, only to be downed by a clothesline. Abdominal Stretch by Hunter. Triple H uses the knee, as per his usual, and got a two-count. Big-time spinebuster by Triple H. Another Pedigree attempt, but Hardy back-dropped out of it. Hardy hit Whisper in the Wind for two. I don’t think the crowd is mic’d well or something, as I can only hear them react to high-spots. The rest of the time there’s not even a buzz, it’s just silence. Hunter took his dumb whip into the turnbuckle and over to the outside. Front suplex slam by Hardy, who then went to the top. Hardy missed the Swanton and as both men were down, Vladimir Kozlov came out. Hunter knocked him off the apron. Hardy ran toward Hunter, who ducked, and Hardy jumped onto Kozlov on the outside. Hunter suplexed Hardy back in, but Jeff rolled him up for three.

WINNER: Hardy, at 15:42. Why am I not surprised Hardy didn’t win with one of his finishers, or at least a credible move? Especially after all his losses to The Game, it wouldn’t hurt to get a semi-decent win against him under his belt; instead, it’s a fluke roll-up.

After the match, Kozlov beat up both Hardy and HHH.

-Undertaker gives Big Show his Last Rites, tonight.

[Commercial Break]

-Ezekiel and The Brian Kendrick were walking down a hallway when they were stopped by a stage-hand. He told Kendrick he couldn’t go down that way, and that he had to back-track and go around. Kendrick knocked the drink out of his hand and laughed as they continued walking. Well that was a whole ‘lotta nothing.

4- PRIMO & CARLITO vs. THE BRIAN KENDRICK & EZEKIEL JACKSON

Hurricane made his first Hurrapop of the show, asking if Kendrick told Koko B. Ware he was doin’ the bird. The Colons now have matching tights. Primo trash-talked Zeke a bit, giving Kendrick the chance to take over. He even headbutted Primo in the chest. Tag in to Carlito, who pounded away on Kendrick in the corner. Kendrick did a back-crawl to his corner to tage Zeke. The muscle behind Kendrick’s success just ran right over Carlito with a shoulderblock. Running knee to the head by Kendrick after tagging in. Carlito tagged Primo in and he cleaned house on Kendrick, and even took it to Zeke on the outside. Primo with a big monkey-flip out of the corner on Kendrick. Primo went for a pin but it was broken up by Zeke. All four men in the ring as Jackson dumped Carlito to the outside on a press slam. He dragged Kendrick to their corner and tagged himself in. Uranage for three on Primo.

WINNERS: Jackson & Kendrick, at 3:48. Just a match to give Jackson more in-ring credibility and perhaps lead to them challenging for the titles down the road.

-Taker gives Show his Last Rites tonight.

[Commercial Break]

-Kizarny this week, with a man who swung a bowling ball with his ears. He IS Kizarny.

-A video package aired on the Undertaker-Big Show feud.

-JR and Tazz previewed the Survivor Series card.

-Hardy was backstage, yelling at the camera about Kozlov and HHH while the camera was moving back and forth, making me sea-sick.

[Commercial Break]

5- MVP vs. JAMES MASON

MVP offered Mason a chance to back out of the match, but he didn’t take it. Tazz commented on Mason’s ugly tights. He has a point. MVP toyed with Mason, including landing a running kick. As he was going for a cover, Khali’s music hit and he and Rajin Singh came out. MVP clotheslined Mason down in the ring. Mason got the roll-up and the victory! MASON WINS! MASON WINS!

WINNER: Mason, at 1:14. I expect MVP to lose in a woman’s match next week. Khali chopped MVP in the head after the match.

[Commercial Break]

-The Raw Rebound aired.

6- NIKKI & BRIE BELLA vs. VICTORIA & NATALYA

Victoria worked the arm of one of the twins. Somehow, Tazz figured out it was Nikki. Blind tag by Brie, and they did a rolling leg-lock. Nattie tagged in, but got slapped in the face by Brie. Roll-up for two. Quick tags by the faces, but as Nikki was running the ropes, Victoria kicked her in the back. Brie charged and attacked Victoria, only to be returned to her corner by referee Kevin Keenan. Victoria hit her spinning side slam for two. Hot tag to Brie as she took out Victoria and Natalya. Crowd didn’t seem to be into the girls. Widow’s Peak was hit on Brie, but Nikki dropkicked Victoria. Natalya tried to get involved, but the ref held her back. The twins switched and when Victoria’s back was turned, she was rolled up for three.

WINNERS: The Bella Twins, at 3:45. Not great, but could’ve been much worse. The twins don’t seem to bad in the ring thus far.

-Undertaker gives the Last Rites to Big Show next!

[Commercial Break]

-The arena was dark and the casket set up in the ring. Undertaker came out to his usual pomp and circumstance. Taker said at Survivor Series, he and Big Show will settle their differences in a Casket Match. Taker said that the casket would be Show’s final resting place on earth. Yikes. Undertaker said Show’s sins against mankind would be paid in full. Then Big Show himself came out. Show looked slightly intimidated as Chavo and Vickie (in her wheelchair) joined him out on the entranceway. Show said he has already beaten Taker plenty of times and has the power of the punch behind them. Taker opened the casket, distracting Big Show. The lights went out, and Taker had Vickie by the throat in the ring when they turned back on. He lifter her and put her in the coffin and shut the lid. Chavo was yelling at Show to get into the ring and help, but he was very hesitant. Show threw Chavo into the ring and Taker picked him up and pounded away at him. Show then got in the ring while Taker was distracted and released Vickie from the casket. Chavo got Tombstoned in the ring, then put in the casket. Show and Vickie looked on from the aisle, and Show looked none too enthused about having to fight Taker in a Casket Match this Sunday.

KELLER'S WWE SURVIVOR SERIES PPV REPORT 10 YRS. AGO (11-14-99): Big Show vs. Triple H vs. The Rock, Edge & Christian & Hardys team, Chris Jericho vs. Chyna

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:11:14 PST

WWE SURVIVOR SERIES PPV REPORT - 10 years ago
NOVEMBER 14, 1999
REPORT BY WADE KELLER, TORCH EDITOR

Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler introduced the program. Ross said it would be one of the most talked about WWF PPVs ever…

(1) Godfather & D-Lo Brown & The Head Bangers beat The Dudleys & The Acolytes. The Bangers dressed up as '70s pimps with huge afros. Godfather refused to offer the Dudleys 'hos before the match. To make his character seem like an even bigger idiot than usual, he yanked off Mosh's afro wig and inexplicably looked shocked that it was a wig. Bradshaw pinned Thrasher at 3:09 after a clothesline. Buh Buh pinned Mosh at 4:58 after a 3D. Bradshaw was DQ'd for hitting D-Lo and his own partner Buh Buh with a chair at 5:50. Buh Buh and Faarooq argued over who could pin D-Lo and brawled to the back to be counted out at 6:30. D-Lo pinned Buh Buh after a frog splash at 9:34. (*1/2)

(2) Kurt Angle pinned Sean Stasiak at 5:55. The crowd chanted "boring" very early in the match. Those chants quickly switched to "Let's Go Red Wings." After three minutes of amateur style action, Angle jumped out of the ring and said, "You do not boo an Olympic gold medalist." Angle scored the pin after Stasiak missed a top rope splash. (3/4*)

(3) Mark Henry & Val Venis & Gangrel & Steve Blackman beat British Bulldog & The Mean Street Posse at 9:06. By 6:00 all three Posse members had been eliminated leaving Bulldog at a 4-on-1 disadvantage. Bulldog pinned Gangrel at 6:33 after a top rope suplex. Bulldog pinned Steve Blackman at 7:20 with a fisherman's suplex. Val put Bulldog away with the Money Shot. Talk about a meaningless match. (1/2*)

(4) Fabulous Moolah & Mae Young & Tori & Ivory beat Debra & Jacqueline & Luna & Terri in a sudden death match. Lawler on Young: "She won her crown in a match with King Tut." Ross on Moolah: "When she was young she looked like Miss America." Lawler in response: "Now she looks like she's lost most of Canada and added a lot of Mexico." If not for Lawler's one-liners, Young and Moolah would have overstayed their welcome long ago. Moolah and Young double-clotheslined Ivory, then Moolah scored the pin. Debra never tagged in, but after the match she ripped Terri's top off. Smart to keep the match short. (DUD)

(5) Kane beat X-Pac via DQ at 4:12. At 3:30 Kane chokeslammed X-Pac, but Road Dogg dragged Kane out of the ring by the leg during the pin attempt. As Kane turned to Road Dogg, X-Pac gave him the X-factor for a near fall. Kane caught X-Pac coming off the top rope and set up the tombstone. Triple H interfered for the DQ. Tori came up from behind on X-Pac; he gave her a spin wheelkick and flattened her. Short, but good action. (*3/4)

Cole attempted to interview Rock, but Triple H attacked Rock. WWF officials separated them right away.

(6) Big Show beat Big Bossman & Viscera & Mideon & Prince Albert at 1:20. During Heat earlier in the night Big Show beat up his scheduled partners Kaientai and Blue Meanie. By himself he chokeslammed and pinned Mideon, Albert, and Viscera. Bossman chose to retreat and be counted out rather than face Big Show alone. Viscera took the chokeslam better than most. (1/4*)

Cole attempted to interview Steve Austin backstage, but Triple H attacked him. Austin chased after Triple H. A car then sped through a fence backstage and nailed Austin (actually a stunt double). The camera turned to show the car speeding away, then turned back to the fallen body of Austin (which was lying nowhere near where the body that was hit would have landed). Vince McMahon ran to the back to check on Austin as paramedics tended to him. Stephanie, Test, and Shane joined in yelling at the paramedics to hurry up. When Triple H, X-Pac, and Road Dogg showed up, the McMahon family yelled at them. Ross eventually came to check on Austin, too. They returned to ringside where Lawler, with the same camera angle and same hauntingly solemn tone that he had when updating Owen Hart's condition in May, ran down the situation with Austin. Despicable.

(7) Chyna pinned Chris Jericho at 13:44 to retain the WWF IC Title. Chyna and Kitty "stomped" away at Jericho at the start of the match, but Mae Young was more convincing with her offense. Outside the ring, Jericho quickly took over offense on Chyna. He choked her with a table. Jericho threw some punches early in the match that looked almost as weak as the early stomps by the women. Chyna took over at 2:00 and whipped Jericho into the corner. For no reason, he did the Flair flip into the corner and hung himself upside down. The Flair flip has never made sense unless the whip into the corner is really strong. This whip was less strong than average, so the flip looked excessively choreographed and, frankly, silly. At 4:00 Jericho threw Chyna on the announcing table and hit her with a plastic bottle of water. Jericho ripped apart the black ringside barrier and whipped her into the exposed framework. Jericho returned to the ring by dropkicking Chyna off the top rope. At 7:30 Jericho hit a horrible looking springboard splash on Chyna's back. Jericho forced a kiss on Kitty at ringside, then stomped away at Chyna. At 9:45 Chyna kicked out after a Jericho powerbomb. At 10:40 Chyna hit a springboard elbow into the corner and a DDT for a convincing near fall. When Chyna shoved the ref out of frustration, Jericho nailed her in the face with the belt. Chyna kicked out, but the kick out was so weak it lacked credibility. Chyna surprised Jericho with a Pedigree for another two count. The crowd popped for each wrestler's near falls, but this crowd was especially into Jericho. Jericho put Chyna in the Walls of Jericho. Chyna dramatically reached the ropes to break the hold. Jericho threw a tantrum. Jericho set up Chyna for a top rope suplex, but Chyna low-blowed him and then gave him a top rope Pedigree for the pin. The finisher was sloppy, but was ambitious nonetheless. The match was unnecessarily sloppy at times and showed too much light, but for the most part was well constructed. Lawler asked if they were going to air Jericho's sex change operation live. (**1/4)

Backstage Triple H, X-Pac, and Road Dogg told Shane they set up Austin, but they didn't do the hit and run. Triple H then asked Shane if the match was now one-on-one. Shane yelled for him to get out of the room. Triple H said, "Easy stress-boy."

(8) Too Cool & The Hollys beat Edge & Christian & The Hardys (w/Terri) at 14:25. Hardcore rolled-up Edge at 6:05 after some chaos in the ring. Scotty Too Hotty then pinned Matt Hardy at 6:20. At 10:09 Jeff Hardy pinned Scotty with a 450 splash. Lawler began giving Ross a really hard time for not being by Austin's side at the hospital. Ross was convincing in his anger toward Lawler's riding of him. At 11:32 Grand Master Sexy pinned Matt Hardy. Christian surprised Grand Master with a reverse DDT for the pin at 11:48. The Hollys doubled on Christian for a couple of minutes leading to the pin. Someone tell Larry King this proves the good guys don't always win. Nice spotfest. (***)

Shane McMahon said there would be a triple threat match, but it wouldn't involve Steve Austin.

(9) The New Age Outlaws beat Mankind & Al Snow to retain the WWF Tag Team Titles when Gunn pinned Mankind at 14:00. Ross almost lost it as Lawler continued giving him a hard time about not being with his friend Austin at the hospital (Lawler: "You have a funny way of showing your friendship." Ross: "I wish I had gone to the hospital now so I could be away from you.") At 13:00 Mankind put the Mandible Claw on Gunn. Snow then hit Gunn with Head. Mankind covered Gunn, but he kicked out. The Outlaws came back with a spike piledriver on Mankind for the win. Okay, but pretty flat match. (*3/4)

(10) Big Show beat Triple H and The Rock at 16:18 to capture the WWF Title. Rock and Triple H came to the ring first, not knowing who their other opponent would be. When Big Show came to the ring, they double-teamed him at the start. When Big Show was about to chokeslam Triple H, Rock intervened and hit Big Show from behind. At 3:30 Rock gave Big Show the People's Elbow (it didn't look strong), but Hunter stopped the ref's count. At 5:00 all three brawled down the aisle. Rock slammed Hunter through a table. At 10:00 Rock and Triple H teamed up to suplex Big Show onto the Spanish announcing table, completely flattening it. At 12:00 Rock and Triple H returned to the ring. Rock blocked a Pedigree and returned with a Rock Bottom. The ref was down, so Shane McMahon ran to the ring, but Hunter kicked out. Rock gave Triple H another Rock Bottom, but Big Show finally rose and interrupted the count. Triple H was going to use the belt, but Shane took it from him. Triple H gave Shane the Pedigree. Rock surprised Triple H with a DDT. Big Show flattened both Rock and Triple H. Gunn, Road Dogg, and X-Pac attacked Big Show. Vince sternly walked to the ring. He hit Triple H with the belt. Big Show chokeslammed him and Vince counted to three. (****)

PWG News: First round matches for tonight's Battle of Los Angeles tournament - Aries vs. Kendrick; Cabana, Shelley, Strong in action

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:54:19 PST

By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

Southern-California based Pro Wrestling Guerrilla will determine the promotion's new PWG champion during this weekend's Battle of Los Angeles tournament. The first round matches take place tonight with the quarters, semis, and final match at Saturday's show.

The headline match-ups for tonight's first round matches in Reseda, Calif. include ROH champion Austin Aries vs. former WWE wrestler Brian Kendrick, TNA wrestler Alex Shelley vs. El Generico, Colt Cabana vs. Joey Ryan, Kenny Omega vs. Kevin Steen, and Young Buck Matt Jackson vs. Human Tornado.

The bracket is as follows:

-- Kenny Omega vs. Kevin Steen
-- Scott Lost vs. Jerome "LTP" Robinson
-- Austin Aries vs. Brian Kendrick
-- Colt Cabana vs. Joey Ryan

-- Brandon Gatson vs. Nick Jackson
-- El Generico vs. Alex Shelley
-- Roderick Strong vs. Johnny Goodtime (replacing the injured Chris Sabin)
-- Matt Jackson vs. Human Tornado

Link: Details on PWG's weekend BOLA tournament

TORCH TALK DAILY with Eric Bischoff: In-depth look at why Vince McMahon is marketing the WWE product as PG family-friendly

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:00:23 PST

On Monday, September 14, PWTorch editor Wade Keller interviewed former WCW President Eric Bischoff an exclusive multi-hour "Torch Talk" interview covering a variety of controversial subjects from the Monday Night War period, his days on WWE TV, his 2006 autobiography, and the "Rise & Fall of WCW" DVD.

The following is the latest installment of part four of the exclusive five-hour "Torch Talk" with former WCW President Eric Bischoff. Part 4(b) of our daily Q&As will be published here at PWTorch.com, which is unprecedented with our VIP-exclusive "Torch Talk" series.

To both READ and LISTEN to the entire interview, you'll want to become a VIP member, which also includes instant access to our newsmaking multi-hour in-depth hard-hitting "Torch Talks" with other top WCW players such as Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, X-Pac, Vince Russo, Ed Ferrara, Hulk Hogan, Goldberg, Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, and others (ALL AVAILABLE AT THIS LINK FOR VIP MEMBERS). To subscribe right now and be the first to read the entire Bischoff "Torch Talk" and have VIP-only access to the audio, click here. The first audio segment and transcript installment is now available for VIP members.

We present today's latest question and answer from Part 4(b). Tune in tomorrow for the next series of Q&A's from part 4.

Wade Keller: I'm actually really curious to ask this, because this might be related, too. WWE went public. After they went public, how do you think that changed the way Vince McMahon approached the creative side of his company. Do you think he became more or less daring? Or do you think he's just exactly the same and it's just a different financial structure?

Eric Bischoff: I don't think it has anything to do with being public. He went public and then went into Attitude. Some of the most controversial things that he's ever done, he did shortly after he went public. So I don't think his sensitivity or any outside pressure of being a public company has ever had any effect on his creative or business decisions. I do think that the advertising environment and the network environment has forced him or motivated him to change the tone and the direction of his company into this PG family-friendly environment. Because wrestling is a tough sale in the ad sales market. I've said this before and I think most people who follow the business side of the wrestling business closely understand that in even the best of ad sales environments when the economy is moving along great and ad sales are strong and networks are strong, even in the best of environments, wrestling is a tough sell because it's not fish and it's not fowl. It's not really a sport, it's not really drama, it's not really reality. It doesn't call into a neat little box that advertisers can get behind that advertisers can get behind and feel comfortable selling to their clients. Meaning if I'm Omnicom or an Omnicom company and my job is to manage my clients who may be General Motors or whoever, pick a Fortune 500 advertiser, my job as an advertising executive is to bring great opportunities to my client. I am judged on a day-to-day basis based on my ability or my expertise in maximizing my client's advertising dollars. So when I go to my client and I'm an advertising executive and say, "Hey, I think you should dump a bunch of money into professional wrestling," more often than not that's met with a lot of resistance or quizzical looks. That's in a good environment.

Now you go into a very difficult ad sales environment like we've really been in now for two years, and all of a sudden you can't have any controversial elements to your recommendations to your clients if you're an ad sales exec. You can't go in and say, "Hey, I think we should dump ten million dollars a year into professional wrestling" and these guys are giving birth to hands and flipping people off and girls are making out and stripping in the middle of the ring. You will no longer have a client. Because of market conditions and the change in the television industry and network's reactions to it, I think Vince has been forced to really go into that PG kind of an area. I don't think he went as willingly as it probably appears. Maybe he did. I could be dead wrong. I have no idea from the inside, obviously. Just knowing what I know and knowing how challenging this PG environment is and how challenging it is creatively because you lose so many tools. Once you make that commitment to be family-friendly, PG, your creative toolbox goes from the size of a pick-up truck to the size of a shoe-box. You lose so many different elements and tools and things to do. I don't think anybody would willingly go there, personally.

MORE TO COME TOMORROW WITH THE NEXT PART OF THE SERIES...

CLICK HERE FOR THE MOST RECENT BISCHOFF Q&A SNIPPET

TNA News: Details on Chris Sabin re-injuring his neck at this week's Impact tapings

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:17:29 PST

By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

TNA wrestler Chris Sabin reportedly re-injured his neck at this week's TNA Impact TV tapings. The original injury appeared to occur at the Impact tapings on October 21 when Sabin was dropped on his neck taking a dangerous-looking uranage by Brother Ray.

Sabin was scheduled to compete in this weekend's "Battle of Los Angeles" tournament presented by the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla promotion. PWG informed fans of Sabin's cancellation and relayed a message by TNA.

TNA told PWG that doctors recommended Sabin "take a couple of weeks (and maybe longer) off." TNA acknowledged Sabin suffered the injury at the previous Impact tapings and aggravated the injury at this week's tapings.

At the October TV taping, Kevin Nash reportedly blew up on TNA management for allowing the match to continue with Sabin at risk for further injury when it was apparent Sabin could have suffered a legitimate injury. Nash was suspended as a result of his blow-up on management before returning at the Turning Point PPV. Details on Nash's blow-up.

TNA News: Detailed recap of Mick Foley's promo on Comedy Central's "Daily Show" last night (w/VIDEO)

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:51:17 PST

By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

TNA wrestler Mick Foley appeared on Comedy Central's "Daily Show with Jon Stewart" last night to cut a tongue-in-cheek promo on anyone going after a ten-year-old boy in Arkansas who is defending gay rights at his school.

The set-up was Stewart playing a clip of the boy being interviewed on CNN about being called a "gay wad" by his classmates for defending gay rights. Foley was then brought in to the studio to vow his protection for the boy. Stewart even joined in by channeling "Classy" Freddie Blassie as Foley's manager/mouthpiece.

Foley wore a "TNA" t-shirt and the graphic below his name read "Senior Asskicker," which generated some laughter from the studio audience. There was no direct mention of Foley being part of TNA, but the t-shirt probably enticed a few viewers to conduct a Google search.

Foley's promo began: "Like a lot of my professional wrestling brethren, I was touched by young Will's plight. I'll tell you what I'm going to do. If I find out that anyone has harassed this young man, teased him, or called him a wad of any sort, I, and perhaps a few of my friends, will come to his school and bring a world of pain."

Foley entered Promoland and continued in Cactus Jack mode as flames shot up on the green screen behind him: "Teachers...faculty...students beware. Because the eyes of Mick Foley are upon you. Misery will be your study buddy. Pain your only lab partner. The arms of one ripped off to beat another."

Stewart encouraged: "Tell 'em, Mick Foley, tell 'em." Foley continued: "This boy is a great American. Leave him be or you will feel my hands as they wrap into your small intestines and use you as a human tetherball."

A clip of Foley's appearance is in the video below. The full promo can be viewed at this link. Foley's promo begins at the 11:45 mark. Also, Stewart has a great take on the ridiculously-low amount the Silverdome sold for at the 2:05 mark of the full episode.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

11/19/09 in :60 Seconds

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor

Health Care Crisis

Hogan News: Hulkamania Tour secures TV deal in Australia, Notes on Hogan & Flair arriving at the airport to begin the tour

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:23:40 PST

By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

Eric Bischoff confirmed to Torch reader Antonio Pilone that the Hulkamania Tour has secured a TV deal in Australia to broadcast the Saturday, November 28 show from Sydney.

The show will be broadcast in December on the One HD channel, which is a free-to-air channel in Australia. Antonio reports it's the first time pro wrestling will be broadcast on free TV in the country since the early 1990s when WWE aired PPVs on a two-week delay.

Antonio also reports the following notes from the Hulkamania Tour entourage arriving in Melbourne on Friday morning. The first tour stop will be on Saturday night at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne.

-- Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, and Eric Bischoff arrived at Melbourne airport at 9:30 a.m. local time. Hulk’s new girlfriend and Flair’s new wife were with them.

-- The rest of the roster arrived an hour later including Ken Anderson and Lacey Von Erich, who were not at the press conference on Wednesday.

-- The whole group seemed to be in good spirits for the tour. Guys like the Nasty Boys and Ken Anderson said they were excited to perform the next night.

WWE News: WWE executive comments on Toronto hosting future WrestleMania

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:47:36 PST

By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

WWE's official stance on the rumor that WrestleMania 28 will be held in Toronto, Canada in 2012 is that a decision has not been made, but Toronto is a strong contender.

"We've requested and received several bids from cities in North America and I believe Toronto is definitely one of those," said WWE executive Robert Zimmerman to the Toronto Sun. "As far as a decision on Wrestlemania 2012, I don't believe there is any decision that's been made."

WWE would be hosting the event at the Rogers Centre (formerly the Skydome), which hosted WrestleManias 6 and 18. A representative for the building would not confirm to the Sun that they are the leading contender to host a future WrestleMania.

The other top contenders are Miami and Atlanta. WWE has also not announced a decision on WrestleMania 27 in 2011.

Link: Toronto Sun report.

MMA News: Update on Brock Lesnar's health - how long Lesnar had been dealing with health problems, expected return to UFC

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:49:24 PST

By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

Former WWE star and current UFC Hvt. champion Brock Lesnar has reportedly been dealing with his internal illness for a year that caused UFC president Dana White to question Lesnar's future as a fighter last weekend.

Lesnar is expected to make a full recovery from a bacterial infection in his intestinal tract and his trainer claimed to TMZ that Lesnar will be ready to fight again within six months.

UFC president Dana White said on Thursday that Lesnar had a "hole in in intestine" that was causing a leak into his stomach, which caused pain for Lesnar.

“The doctor told him he hasn’t been right for a year," White said. "His immune system has been trying to fight this thing and that's why he was susceptible to getting sick.”

Torch Reader Alert: Continue to follow this story and other MMA-related hot topics on our sister site, mmatorch.com.

TNA News: Impact video clip - Hulk Hogan video package to replace the Sting "no-show" (w/VIDEO)

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:02:05 PST

By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor'

During last night's TNA Impact, TNA aired a hype video for Hulk Hogan coming to TNA with Hogan addressing TNA fans in a pre-recorded interview from his book signing tour. Hogan talked in vague terms about TNA "being the place to be" and TNA "having momentum."

Spike TV's only advertising for Thursday's edition of Impact was Sting's scheduled appearance to talk about Hulk Hogan joining TNA. Instead, TNA ran an angle that Sting no-showed the interview. During the broadcast, TNA showed a staged set with technical staff standing around waiting for Sting to show up before "giving up" on his appearance.

The Hogan video package with Hogan talking about his jump to TNA is below.

CALDWELL'S WWE SUPERSTARS TV REPORT 11/19: Complete coverage of Henry vs. Rhodes on WGN

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:58:38 PST

WWE Superstars TV Report
November 19, 2009 - Week 32
Taped the Week of November 16
Report by James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

I'm covering the replay of WWE Superstars currently airing on WGN. So, follow along with the replay of the show, which started with ECW announcers Josh Mathews and Byron Saxton welcoming us to the show with a plug for Cody Rhodes vs. Mark Henry in the main event later tonight.

In-ring: Shelton Benjamin came out first for the ECW brand's contribution to the show. They cut to a clip of ECW on Tuesday when Shelton Benjamin suggested Ryder go in the corner so he can wrestle Rosa. "Whoa, bro, nobody puts baby in the corner." Back to Superstars, Ryder came out with Rosa to face Shelton.

1 -- SHELTON BENJAMIN vs. ZACK RYDER (w/Rosa Mendes)

The bell sounded and Ryder ducked to the outside for a quick chat with Rosa before returning to the ring to pick up a battle with Shelton. Ryder went for a suplex center ring, but Shelton countered in mid-air with a neckbreaker. Shelton followed with a Samoan drop before attacking the left shoulder and side of the neck with a mat hold. Shelton then knocked Ryder to the outside, but on the follow-up, Ryder smashed Shelton into the ring steps to take control. Rosa was shown appearing to be pleased with the turnaround. Ryder in control going to break.

[Commercial Break]

After a back-and-forth, they went to the finish with Rosa inexplicably entering the ring with a cell phone. Ryder yelled at her to get out of the ring, then she screamed when Shelton was coming after them, allowing Ryder to move out of the way and nail the Zack Attack for the pin and the win. Byron wanted to know what the heck just happened. "For reasons we'll never know, Rosa Mendes entered the ring with cell phone in hand," Mathews said. Rosa then celebrated with Ryder on the way out of the ring to put a wrap on this.

WINNER: Ryder in 10:00. Just not an interesting match. Shelton isn't interesting in this feud, Ryder lost his mojo when they paired him with Rosa, and Rosa doesn't add anything to this. (1/2*)

[Q2]

Backstage: They showed Cody Rhodes pretending to be talking to Ted DiBiase about politics or sports. Maybe even Thierry Henry's handball. Couldn't tell. Cody has Henry later in the show.

[Commercial Break]

Announcers: Smackdown's Todd Grisham and Matt Striker broke down the Survivor Series card, focusing on the Batista-Rey Mysterio feud. They rolled footage from Smackdown on their promo exchanges after Batista vowed to rip Rey's head off at Bragging Rights.

In-ring: After the lengthy Rey-Batista video aired, Vickie Guerrero came out on-stage trying to excuse herself. She then introduced her boyfriend about to shoot straight to the top, Eric Escobar. Eric then came to the ring sporting his sunglasses, slicked-back black hair, and Razor Ramon gold chain. Vickie clapped him up, then Jimmy Wang Yang came to the ring.

2 -- ERIC ESCOBAR (w/Vickie Guerrero) vs. JIMMY WANG YANG

Bell sounded and the new JBL went after Yang with power offense. Yang then came back with flying kicks. The audience wasn't buying Yang as a credible threat, though, and seemed disinterested in his offensive attack. Yang then went for a top rope moonsault, but Escobar bailed to the outside to avoid the finisher. Vickie distracted Yang and Escobar was able to cut his legs out from under him on the apron. Escobar then landed a running kick strike to the face back in the ring for the pin and the win. Post-match: Escobar and Vickie had an uncomfortable liplock - on a number of levels - in the ring to celebrate.

WINNER: Escobar in 3:00. I'm surprised Yang had that much offense. It wasn't exactly a ringing endorsement for Escobar that he was booked to be even-steven with Yang, who just doesn't win matches. (*)

Up later tonight: Cody Rhodes vs. Mark Henry.

[Q3]

[Commercial Break]

Superstars look: WWE gave us a look at Drew McIntyre being hand-picked by Vince McMahon as a future star. He's entitled to success. And he's a party crasher. But, he's not intense. Save it for Archer. McIntyre said folks like to be entertained, but he's here to make a statement.

Announcers: Cole and Lawler were shown on-camera. Lawler said he's doing better and he wants to move on. No mention of Sheamus taking him out on Raw, which was taped after Superstars on Monday.

Video package: The full-length video package on WWE's historic moments at Madison Square Garden was shown to Jay-Z and Alicia Keys's duet. Ironically, a "Superstar" Billy Graham clip is at the beginning of the video. Jim Ross providing the soundtrack, as he should. They included clips from Raw with Cena winning the mega-tag match before Taker gave Cena the Tombstone to send a message probably for WrestleMania 26.

Announcers: Back to Cole and Lawler plugging the Survivor Series PPV. A whole lot of filler content on the show this week. This week feels like a full-fledged weekend syndicated show.

In-ring: Cody Rhodes came to the ring for the main event. The ring entrance "exposed" the show as being taped with the completely different ring entrance from MSG compared to the regular WWE set from the Philadelphia taping on Tuesday for ECW and Smackdown's matches.

[Commercial Break]

[Q4]

In-ring: Mark Henry made his ring entrance after they showed a replay from last week when Henry and MVP beat Legacy. Henry slapped hands with folks on the way to the ring, which makes me think WWE needs a heel who carries hand sanitizer to "cleanse himself of germs" after touching hands with wrestling fans. The simple character enhancement would be quite relevant in the swine flu era. Perhaps C.M. Punk could utilize that Prince Nana element with his act.

3 -- CODY RHODES vs. MARK HENRY

The match started with Henry knocking Rhodes around the ring. Cody eventually found himself on the outside needing to regroup heading to the break.

[Commercial Break]

Back from break, Henry was still on control. Cody without an advantage before or after the break, but Cody gained control with a smash on the ring steps on the floor. Back in the ring, Cody took Henry's legs out from under him, but Henry fell on Cody on the way down. Cody sold feeling the effects of that close call, then he went back to work on Henry's knee and leg. Henry took some abuse for a few minutes, but then he regained his strength and powerlifted Cody into the World's Strongest Slam for the decisive pin and the win. Henry sold the leg pain post-match, but celebrated with a big clap for Team Kofi on Sunday. Henry stood tall in the ring to close the show.

WINNER: Henry in 12:00. Basic formula where the under-sized heel had to try to find a way to chop down the big babyface tree. Didn't work for Cody, who has lost momentum since being a focal point with DX during the Bragging Rights PPV build-up. (*)

We welcome your 0-10 score and comments on this show for a "WWE Superstars TV Reax" feature in the Torch Feedback section of PWTorch.com. To contribute your thoughts on Superstars, email to pwtorch@gmail.com using our Feedback form.

TNA IMPACT POLL: Who was the MVP of the 11/19 Impact if you saw the show?

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:57:44 PST

PARKS' TNA IMPACT REPORT 11/19: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of the post-Turning Point show

by Greg Parks, PWTorch.com Contributor — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:00:34 PST

November 19, 2009
Orlando, Fla.
Aired on SpikeTV

I had night class ‘til 9pm, so I’m here for the last hour-and-a-half or so of Impact. Some of the previous results, courtesy of prowrestling.net:

-The show started with Mick Foley and Abyss in the ring, and Foley booked him and Abyss against Dr. Stevie and Raven for later on.

-Kurt Angle and AJ Styles were interviewed backstage- they tag up later tonight. There was some tension between the two.

1- Amazing Red beat Scott Steiner by DQ when Steiner used a lead pipe.

[Commercial Break]

-I picked things up with Jeremy Borash backstage with Kevin Nash and Eric Young. He asked Nash about the answers Nash alluded to at Turning Point. Nash said the title isn’t the former Legends belt, but it’s Eric Young’s Global Championship belt. He said he wants to party with Young since EY out-thought him at Turning Point. He said he knew a guy like EY, and he tagged together with him at one point, making a lot of history (and money). Nash proposed teamwork between the two. Young wanted time to think about it. “TNA, welcome to our world” said Young. Nash promised Foley answers by the end of the night.

2- THE MOTOR CITY MACHINE GUNS & BEER MONEY vs. THE BRITISH INVASION & KIYOSHI & SHEIK ABDUL BASHIR

Earl Hebner warned Eric Young, who was on commentary joined by Kevin Nash, that if he got up out of the chair, the World Elite would be DQ’ed. The Machine Guns double-teamed Kiyoshi and Shelley got a quick cover. Kiyoshi took over and tagged Bashir. Sabin and Magnus both tagged in at the same time and Sabin was all offense. Flying forearm in the corner, then a springboard clothesline. All three heels interfered to break it up. The faces came in to stave them off. The Machine Guns did some teamwork to take Magnus out of the ring. Double-suplex by Beer Money on Kiyoshi on the ramp. They went after Young and Nash as Rob Terry got in the ring. Magnus held Sabin for him, but Sabin ducked and Terry clotheslined Magnus by accident. No DQ for that, even though the interference backfired? Shelley ended up pinning Magnus after the Machine Guns finished him off. “He can’t do anything right,” exclaimed Young about Terry.

WINNERS: The Guns and Beer Money, at 5:19. Fine match that planted the seeds for a Beer Money vs. EY and Nash feud.

[Commercial Break- mid-break, Tenay and Taz said Foley was backstage looking for Nash.]

-Foley caught up to Nash backstage. Foley had a patch over his left eye. He said everyone knows Nash is Hogan’s boy. Nash was offended that Foley called him someone’s “boy.” All he meant, Foley said, was that he knows what Hogan’s up to. Nash asked why Foley was so paranoid. Nash said he’s out some money, and if Foley gets him his money back, he’ll get the answers. And when Hulk comes back, he’s not coming alone. Foley wanted to know what that meant, but Nash just walked away.

-We got a video package on Hogan’s press conference with Dixie Carter. At a book signing, a fan told Hogan he wasn’t even going to watch wrestling on Monday nights again.

[Commercial Break]

-Abyss was in Foley’s office, begging to get his hands on Dr. Stevie and Raven. He noted Foley’s eye-patch and Foley said at least if he goes blind, it’ll be easier to apply for a TNA referee’s job. Foley showed off his latest Tweet ‘n Tweak Connection photo. Foley was laughing heartily about his eye damage possibly being permanent, but then he got angry and said that’s why he’s going to do what he’s got to do tonight. Abyss said he’s spent his life exacting revenge on those who have caused him pain and suffering, but he tried to convince Foley that Mick isn’t ready to go out there to compete tonight. Foley said the choice is his. Abyss said everyone has choices to make and Foley seemed bitter that Dixie Carter made the choice not to inform him of the Hogan signing. More schizophrenia from Foley.

3- HAMADA vs. TAYLOR WILDE

Crowd seemed to be into Hamada early on. Some chain wrestling by the ladies to start, and Hamada ended that by planting Wilde with a DDT for two. Wilde flipped out of a suplex and got a two after a kick to the head. Savate kick by Hamada and a beauty. Moonsault got two for the Japanese import. Powerbomb reversed into a sunset flip by Wilde for two. Hurricanrana into a pin for two as well. Enziguiri by Hamada. Lots of high impact moves, but hardly any selling. Perfect example, Wilde immediately reversed a Hamada driver. Spin kick by Hamada, then a Hamada Driver for the win.

WINNER: Hamada, at 2:49. Everything was hit solidly and nothing was missed, but the moves lose their impact when there is hardly any selling and they go right to a reversal.

-Outside Foley’s office, Abyss cleared off a desk and moved it in front of Foley’s office door to block it and keep Foley in.

[Commercial Break- Daffney gave Dr. Stevie and Raven some words of encouragement backstage before they came out to the Impact Zone.]

-A short Hogan interview talked about where he wanted his legacy to end up and pretty much said TNA would be number one in the shortest time ever. He can’t possibly believe this stuff, can he?

4- DR. STEVIE & RAVEN vs. ABYSS & MICK FOLEY

Foley didn’t come out when his music hit, but Abyss managed to blind-side the heels at ringside. Raven turned things around and gave Abyss a Russian leg-sweep into the guardrail. The bell finally rang when all three men were in the ring. The heels cornered Abyss, one choking him with a boot and the other kicking away at him. They seem to be alternating between taking tags and having it as a Triple-Threat rules. Abyss finally stacked the heels up in the corner and splashed them. Raven got clotheslined and Stevie was up for Shock Treatment, and it hit. But Raven attacked before Abyss could make the pin. Raven took something out of his pocket- a lighter. But Abyss kicked him in the face. Slick Johnson saw the lighter on the ground and apparently, that was grounds enough to give Abyss the DQ win.

WINNER: Abyss, via DQ, at 2:27.

Raven and Stevie continued the onslaught after the match, with Raven giving him the Evenflow DDT outside the ring. Daffney gave Stevie a cable and Raven choked Abyss with it. That continued as they cut to break.

[Commercial Break]

-“Trash Talk” with ODB aired. I guess this is a continuation of “ODB’s Angle.” Her first guest- Homicide. His gift for her was a bottle of Tequila. He sat in the backseat of a car, but it was on the set and not in a car. And ODB sat in a recliner. ODB asked him about Suicide, or, “that skull guy” as she put it. Homicide said he wanted a title shot from ODB tonight and wants to make things a step up from TV-PG. Then he spit out some Tequila and they started dancing. Just awful.

-Lauren interviewed Tomko backstage. He said it seems better than ever in TNA. He said he can’t wait to show the fans what he should’ve shown them during his first run. He seemed intent on giving Dixie Carter what she wanted- intensity. Then he walked off as the Beautiful People walked up. Velvet Sky took the mic from Lauren and talked to the camera, saying there was a blond whore backstage bothering wrestlers with stupid questions. She interviewed the rest of the Beautiful People about it, and they were pretending to cry over what they saw. What could the payoff to this “feud” between Lauren and the Beautiful People be?

-AJ Styles sucked up to Hulk Hogan, answering the question, “what does Hulk Hogan’s arrival in TNA mean to you?”

[Commercial Break]

5- ALISSA FLASH vs. SARITA

Shoulder tackle took down Sarita. She came back to bump Flash and there seemed to be a brief pause with neither woman knowing what to do, but Sarita went to the top and splashed Flash. She tried a springboard, but Flash kicked her in the stomach on the way down. Flash kicked away at Sarita and stayed on offense for some time. She kept zipping down a little, then up her leather jacket-thing she was wearing. Belly-to-belly overhead suplex by Sarita and both ladies were down. Springboard dropkick from Sarita for two. Back suplex by Flash though, after several reversals. Sarita rolled through a move by Flash, but only got two. Back heel kick seemed to knock Flash out and gave Sarita the win.

WINNER: Sarita, at 3:47. It’s always a treat to see Sarita out there. No complaints from me.

Traci Brooks attacked Flash on the ramp after the match.

-After a few seconds of that, they went backstage where Foley was looking for Dr. Stevie and Raven. They managed to blindside him and attack him. Raven sarcastically asked if Foley was having fun, as they choked him like they did Abyss. Speaking of which, some follow-up on Abyss would be nice. After all, the segment wasn’t over (he was still being choked) when they went to break- how did things end? Did Abyss leave the Impact Zone on his own power or what? But there’s no time for that, we’ve got to cram as much as we can onto the show!

[Commercial Break]

6- TEAM 3D & RHINO vs. D’ANGELO DINERO & MATT MORGAN & HERNANDEZ- STREET FIGHT RULES MATCH

This is a return match from Turning Point. The faces sprinted to the ring and went right after 3D and Rhino. Hernandez hit the ropes, but Brother Ray clotheslined him down. I’m still not sure if I fully buy this 3D heel turn. Hernandez did the Undertaker dive over the top and onto Devon and Rhino. A chair and some garbage cans were brought in the ring. Dinero used the tops of the cans to ring Brother Ray’s bell, and he subsequently did a Flair flop. I don’t know if there was a cut or what, but I thought Ray flopped on a garbage can in the ring (which he moved while he was “out on his feet”), but then in the next shot, he was outside the ring fighting with Dinero. Morgan did the back elbows in the corner on Devon, with the garbage can over Devon’s head. Pin only got two. There’s a Singapore Cane in the ring too, by the way. Now it was Rhino and Hernandez’s turn for a segment in the ring. Hernandez visibly called a spot on camera and Rhino went to the middle rope for a suplex, but Hernandez pushed him down then splashed onto him. That only got two. Ray slammed Hernandez in the ring and Devon went for the Whassup drop, but Pope nailed him with some Kendo Stick shots. Chokeslam by Morgan on Bubba. Morgan slammed Devon off the top. Pope put the stick right onto Devon’s….well…stick, then landed an elbow off the top onto the prone Dudley boy. The faces got the tables, but Morgan missed a legdrop on Bubba through one at ringside. Brother Ray walked into the ring at the perfect time and he and Devon did 3D on Dinero. But Hernandez propelled himself over the top onto 3D. Morgan speared Rhino but could only get two. Someone came out of the crowd, shirtless with jeans and a major Mohawk. It was Jesse Neal who, SWERVE, hit Morgan in the head with a chair and put Rhino on top for the win.

WINNERS: Team 3D and Rhino, at 7:25. The new look certainly fits Neal better.

[Commercial Break- Styles and Angle argued in the locker room. But they have a tag match later! Can they co-exist?]

-JB was backstage with Team 3D, Rhino and Jesse Neal. Neal did a comically bad “angry face” to the camera. Rhino yelled and said Neal finally gets it. Brother Ray said this is what happens when you train with Team 3D. Ray said Neal was the future of TNA, not Morgan, Dinero, or Hernandez. Neal said if you want to be hardcore or extreme, you’ve got to train with the most hardcore and extreme. Devon said they’d eliminate the likes of Morgan, Hernandez and Dinero from TNA. Lots of yelling, but not a bad promo from Neal.

-Tenay and Taz talked on camera and Tenay apologized for them not having an interview set up with Sting as was scheduled, as apparently he no-showed.

-Lauren was backstage with Desmond Wolfe and Daniels, as they face Styles and Angle next. Lauren asked if they were on the same page. Wolfe said usually he’s a loaner, but he has developed a lot of respect for Daniels. He said they’ve both got something to prove. Wolfe called Angle’s submission move that he used to beat him with at Turning Point, “illegal.” Daniels seemed to think TNA was against him, and he said he’d prove tonight that he deserves a one-on-one title shot.

[Commercial Break]

7- DANIELS & DESMOND WOLFE vs. KURT ANGLE & A.J. STYLES

I love how this has a 20-minute time limit, even with 11 minutes to go in the show. Daniels and Angle did some mat wrestling to a stalemate in the first minute. Heel kick by Daniels for only one. Angle invited Wolfe into the ring, but Wolfe wasn’t so quick to agree to that. Instead Styles tagged in, and Daniels quickly tagged out to Wolfe. Dropkick, then a back-breaker on Wolfe. Angle finally got a piece of Wolfe and had the upper-hand ‘til Daniels kicked him in the head behind the ref’s back. The heels worked the left arm of Angle, the one he was having trouble with at Turning Point. Tenay said they might have the four best wrestlers in the world today in this one match. Taz noted Wolfe’s European style, but didn’t really explain what that was. Angle made a comeback against Daniels and both men made tags. Styles cleaned house on Wolfe, and gave him a beautiful back-breaker out of a Samoan drop. Pele kick found the mark. Daniels tripped Styles up as he went to the top rope. Wolfe gave Styles the Tower of London for only two. Angle chased Wolfe from the ringside area and Daniels landed the BME for the win.

WINNERS: Daniels & Wolfe, at 6:43. Good main-event tag.

Daniels celebrated what the announcers called a statement win as the show went off the air.

Greg Parks has been covering Smackdown for PWTorch.com since January of 2007. You can also read his frequently updated blog in the VIP forum. Check out his column each week in the PDF-exclusive version of the Torch Newsletter. Also, look for his Tuesday chats with James Caldwell each Tuesday afternoon on the Torch. Comments, questions and feedback are welcome, and can be sent to g_man9784@yahoo.com.

11/19 Wade Keller Hotline - Guest Bruce Mitchell: Looking ahead to WrestleMania 26, Ventura's Back, PPV Price Raise Debated, More (37 min.)

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:35:36 PST

This installment of the Wade Keller Hotline features guest analyst Bruce Mitchell. They look ahead to what might be the top matches at WrestleMania 26 including the strong hint on Monday night of John Cena vs. Undertaker. Also, a debate about WWE's decision to raise PPV prices another five dollars, Jesse Ventura's return to WWE TV, and more.

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TNA News: What's on TNA Impact tonight - Sting talks Hogan, Styles & Angle tag team

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:27:40 PST

By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

Spike TV's advertising for tonight's edition of TNA Impact is focused on Sting reappearing on TV for the first time since the Bound for Glory PPV in October to talk about Hulk Hogan joining TNA.

The main event of the show will be TNA World Hvt. champion A.J. Styles teaming with Kurt Angle against Desmond Wolfe and Daniels.

Other action on the show is Beer Money & Motor City Machineguns vs. British Invasion & Sheik Abdul Bashir & Kiyoshi in an eight-man tag match.

TNA is also advertising Mick Foley returning to Impact after the fireball injury angle with Raven on last week's show. Foley will "update his status" after being off the Turning Point PPV on Sunday.

The featured Knockouts match will be Knockouts tag champion Taylor Wilde vs. Hamada.

WWE News: What's on WWE Superstars tonight - Cody Rhodes vs. Mark Henry

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:46:56 PST

By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

WWE taped the following matches at Monday and Tuesday's TV tapings to air tonight on WGN leading to the Survivor Series PPV.

-- Raw brand: Cody Rhodes vs. Mark Henry (main event)

-- Smackdown brand: Eric Escobar vs. Jimmy Wang Yang

-- ECW brand: Shelton Benjamin vs. Zack Ryder

KELLER'S WWF SURVIVOR SERIES PPV REPORT 15 YRS. AGO (11-23-94): Bret Hart vs. Bob Backlund, Undertaker vs. Yokozuna, Team Hall & Waltman vs. Team Michaels & Nash

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:42:28 PST

WWF SURVIVOR SERIES PPV REPORT - 15 YRS. AGO
NOVEMBER 23, 1994
REPORT BY WADE KELLER, TORCH EDITOR

The pay–per–view aired on a Wednesday night and opened with locker room pep talks among each of the teams. Gorilla Monsoon & Vince McMahon then opened the program with a full-fledged Southwestern theme.

(1) Razor Ramon & 1–2–3 Kid & British Bulldog & The Head Shrinkers (Fatu & Sionne) defeated Diesel & Shawn Michaels & Owen Hart & Jim Neidhart & Jeff Jarrett at 21:38 when the entire heel team was counted out of the ring.

Michaels's sported a pony tail half way down his back. Michaels was the vocal captain of his team while Ramon was for his. Kid began against Owen with a loud "1–2–3" chant from the crowd at the start. Owen tagged out to Neidhart before locking up with Kid. Kid tagged out to Sionne. When Jarrett faced off against Owen, Owen demanded Jarrett tag out to Bulldog. Bulldog took early offense. After Owen tagged out to Neidhart, Bulldog eventually tagged to Fatu, who hit Neidhart with a top rope headbutt. Samu then tried to take off his boots, which according to the storyline he's not used to wrestling with. After slamming Jarrett, Fatu tagged out to Ramon which received a pop

As Ramon came in at 7:00, McMahon wondered aloud why Michaels had not entered the ring yet. After a few minutes of Jarrett vs. Ramon, Ramon tagged in Kid and threw him onto Jarrett at 10:35 for a near fall. Jarrett locked an abdominal stretch on Kid. At 12:20, Owen and Fatu tagged in and Michaels and Diesel had yet to tag in. At 13:12, Diesel tagged in for the first time and blindsided Fatu with a clothesline and a jackknife for a three count at 13:26.

Kid entered for his team and hit Diesel with a top rope sunset flip, but Diesel grabbed him by the neck and dropped him with another jackknife for a three count at 14:05. At 14:37, Diesel put Sionne away with a somewhat sloppy jackknife for the third elimination.

Bulldog then entered the ring. Diesel sent Bulldog to the ringside floor with a boot to the face. Bulldog lay next to Kid, who was still lying motionless on the mat. Jarrett and Owen beat on Bulldog at ringside, who was counted out, as Ramon snuck in the ring and rolled up Diesel for a surprise near fall at 15:45. Ramon hit Diesel with at top rope bulldog at 16:15 for a false finish near fall. Michaels cheerleaded from the apron, telling Diesel to jackknife Ramon. Diesel continued to beat on Ramon, but at 18:08 Ramon made his comeback and signalled for the Razor's Edge, but Diesel backdropped out of it. Michaels walked half way across the ring apron and told Diesel to hit Ramon with the jackknife. Diesel finally jackknifed Ramon, at which point Michaels demanded a tag to Diesel, who left the ring with a disgusted look. Michaels then talked Diesel back into the ring and told him to hold up Ramon as he sidekicked him. Michaels, though, hit Diesel when Ramon ducked. Ten seconds later, Diesel rose to his feet and backed Michaels into the corner. Diesel threw Owen and Jarrett to the side as he backed Michaels toward the dressing room. Diesel hit Owen and Jarrett again on his way down the aisle. Finally Michaels broke into a run as he returned to the locker room. Ramon, meanwhile, lay in the ring as the referee counted out the heels for victory at 21:38. The bell didn't ring, which hurt the drama and crowd pop for the countout victory.

A good storyline and okay wrestling action, but no exchanges worth watching twice. (**1/4)

Michaels walked out of the building to his car telling Todd Pettengill that Diesel was an ungrateful turncoat. He threw his tag belt on the ground and said he was through with tag team wrestling. As the introductions to the next match were taking place, McMahon plugged the 900 line effectively by showing Diesel telling Stan Lane for the 900 feed his thoughts on what just happened.

(2) The Royal Family (Jerry Lawler & Queasy & Sneezy & Cheesy) defeated Doink & Dink & Wink & Pink at 16:08. Doink had Lawler in an armbar and the mini clowns ran across Lawler's stomach. Lawler's mini knights then ran across his stomach to get to the mini clowns. At 4:20, as McMahon cackle–laughed, all three mini clowns got two counts on Lawler as he threw them off into Doink's arms at every two count. Dink put a Burger King crown on Lawler at 5:54 as Doink belly–laughed. In (gasp) an original comedy spot, Doink with a mini clown on his shoulder challenged Lawler's team to a chicken fight. Lawler, though, got on Queasy‘s shoulders and fell forward. At 9:07, Lawler hit Doink with a foreign object. At 10:33, Lawler reversed a roll–up on Doink and pulled his tights for a three count. Monsoon observed that it didn't matter who pinned who since the big wrestlers can only wrestle each other, so Lawler is essentially eliminated, also. Lawler pushed down on Queasy's back as he pinned Wink at 13:10. Lawler dropped Queasy onto little Pink for the three count at 14:28. Queasy rolled Sneezy onto Dink for the three count at 16:08 as the referee was talking to Lawler. Probably as good as a total comedy match can get. Lots of laughs for kids, lots of red faces on fans of more serious wrestling.

After the match, Lawler told the mini kings to put their arms down because he won the match for them. They refused to lower their hands. He said, "I don‘t even need you. I hate short people." As McMahon accused Lawler of hogging the spotlight, Lawler chased them around the ring. Finally the three mini clowns came out and all six midgets beat on Lawler. Doink caught Lawler from behind and threw a pie into his face. (*1/4)

Tod Pettengill showed footage of Bull Nakano pinning Alundra Blayze to capture the WWF Women's Title in Tokyo. Nakano responded in Japanese to Pettengill's congratulations.

(3) Bob Backlund defeated Bret Hart at 35:11 to capture the WWF Title. Bret slammed and hiptossed Backlund to open the match as Backlund rolled outside the ring. Backlund fled the ring again but Bulldog rolled him back in. After a slow paced first six minutes, Backlund attempted to reverse a side headlock into a crossface chicken wing, but Hart belly–to–belly suplexed out of it. Hart went for a sharpshooter, but Backlund rolled out. At 8:30, Backlund yanked on Hart's left arm. When Monsoon said Backlund tried to dislocate it, the "violence conscious" McMahon said, "I'm not so sure about that, but he did try to soften it up." Backlund applied a wrist lock for a minute, which Hart kipped out of. Backlund then uppercut Bret out of the ring. Bret went after Owen and Backlund caught Hart from behind.

At 14:25, after several more minutes of mat holds, Hart applied the figure–four leglock. The camera showed Owen at ringside with his arms crossed without the towel in his hand to show he wasn't going to throw in the towel. As Backlund writhed in pain, Owen contemplated picking up the towel. After nearly two minutes in the figure–four, Backlund rolled the figure–four over. At 17:00, Backlund reached the ropes.

At 19:22 Backlund piledrived Hart. Backlund then applied the crossface chicken wing but immediately Hart fell into the ropes. Hart broke out of a sleeper at 22:30 by ramming Backlund's head into the turnbuckle. Hart piledrived Backlund at 23:20 and then hit a bulldog seconds later. At 24:18 Hart hit Backlund with a second rope kneedrop and then went for the sharpshooter, but Backlund reached the ropes. Hart pulled him off of the ropes and locked on the sharpshooter. When Owen got in the ring to interfere, Bulldog chased him out of the ring. Owen, though, ran back into the ring and when the referee stopped Bulldog from getting into the ring, Owen rammed Hart off of Backlund facefirst into the mat. Bulldog then chased Owen at ringside, but Owen ducked and Bulldog flew head first into the steel stairs at ringside, which knocked him out.

At 25:44, Backlund locked on the crossface chickenwing, but Bulldog was knocked out and couldn't throw in the towel. Owen then began apologizing to Bret, showing concern that now Backlund wouldn't release the crossface causing serious injury to Bret. Owen tried to revive Bulldog and said aloud, "I'm sorry, Bret." At 27:50, with Bret on his knees, he appeared to barely be conscious. At 28:30, Hart rose to his feet and almost reached the ropes. The camera showed Stu and Helen Hart's concern as Owen began to panic at ringside. McMahon said, "This is the real Owen, concerned about his brother's welfare." At 30:30, Owen apologized to Helen and Stu in the front row. Owen pleaded with Helen to throw in the towel for Bret. Bret hit the mat a few times to show he was awake and to get some crowd heat going. A "Let's Go Bret" chant began. At 32:34, Owen begged Helen on his hands and knees to throw in the towel, telling her, "We were going to have Thanksgiving together." Owen separated the security rail and pulled Stu out of his chair.

Finally, Helen and Stu walked to ringside. Owen begged them to throw in the towel for Bret over and over again. At 34:45 a very loud, "Let's Go Bret" chant began. At 35:11, Helen threw in the towel and the referee called for the bell. Backlund actually broke the hold. Owen then grabbed the towel and ran to the dressing room gloating. As Stu, Helen, and several officials helped Bret from the ring, Backlund strapped on the WWF Title as Howard Finkle announced him as the "neeeewww WWF Champion." Backlund then celebrated in the ring with his gyrations and facial expressions. McMahon compared the 45 year old Backlund to George Foreman's feat weeks earlier. "This is the new WWF Generation?" said McMahon. "I shudder to think."

Pettengill interviewed Owen backstage who had a big smile on his face. "A set up?" said Owen. "You got it right, it was a set up. Mom and Dad, you fell right into my trap. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha." Owen then called Bret a quitter. Owen concluded, "I am the best there is, the best there was, the best there ever will be. Whooo!" McMahon and Monsoon talked about Owen's betrayal, with McMahon laying on the disgusted routine very heavy. (In a more humorous moment, a woman was shown with her head dropped, as if she was mourning Bret's loss and Owen's trickery, but when she discovered she was on camera, broke into a celebration, which sort of hurt the mood the director was looking to portray.)

The match gets an A for booking, a B for execution, and a D+ for actual wrestling. On a star scale, it has to be nearly four stars (although without the camera shots and television dialogue of Owen, it must have been less dramatic for the crowd in attendance in San Antonio). (***1/2)

As ring introductions took place for the next match, McMahon pushed the 900 number without an annoying Okerlund–like hard sell simply by casually saying that those listening on the 900 line "certainly know more about this situation than we do."

(4) Lex Luger & Mable & The Smoking Gunns defeated Tatanka & King Kong Bundy & The Heavenly Bodies at 23:21. Luger began against Tatanka. After Luger hit Tatanka out of the ring with three consecutive clotheslines he clotheslined a charging Tom Prichard, and press slammed Jimmy Del Rey into a Bigelow. When Bundy entered the ring, Mabel also entered to offset him. Prichard then battled with Mabel. At 3:57, Mable crushed one–half of SMW's top heel tandem with a second rope crossbody block for a three count. At 4:20, Mable one–arm powerslammed Del Rey, who quickly tagged out to Bundy. Bundy challenged Mable to charge him and on the second try, Mable knocked him down. A shocked Bundy tagged out to Bigelow. Mable knocked down Bigelow with a falling spin wheel kick. Mable then climbed to the top rope, but because it took him so long, Bigelow press slammed him off the top. Bigelow then tried a sunset flip off the top rope, but Mable sat on him during the attempt. Mable then clotheslined Bigelow and both flew over the top rope. Mable was counted out and Bigelow tagged out to Prichard.

Prichard then began to battle Billy Gunn. After two near falls, both tagged out to Adam Bomb and Bigelow. Bomb missed a flying clothesline over the top rope, but then knocked Bigelow down with a slingshot suplex back into the ring. Bundy clotheslined Bomb coming off the ropes. Bigelow then moonsaulted Bomb for a three count at 9:12. Luger rolled up Bigelow from behind for a near fall. At 10:54, Luger pinned Del Rey after a clothesline. Tatanka turned a crucifix on Bart into a back powerdrop for a three count at 14:25. This left Luger & Billy Gunn vs. Tatanka & Bundy & Bigelow. Bundy pinned Billy Gunn at 17:12, leaving Luger in a three-on–one battle.

A loud "USA, USA" chant began. At 18:26, after a clothesline, Luger scored a near fall false finish on Tatanka. Luger took a beating for several minutes, kicking out at the last moment on several pin attempts. At 23:10, Luger surprise rolled–up Tatanka for a three count, but Bundy responded with a sudden splash at 23:21 for a three count to end the match. After the match, the three heels beat on Luger until Bomb and the Gunns made the save

Continuing with the trend on this card, a very well booked match. The early departures made sense and the early action helped establish the undercard and mid–card wrestlers in their roles. Then, at the end, the final minutes built sympathy and respect for Luger, while also getting Bundy over. The wrestling wasn't spectacular, but almost everything that happened helped tell a story or forward feuds and characters. (**1/2)

The camera zoomed in on Backlund as Todd Pettengill congratulated him for winning the WWF Title. Backlund quickly corrected Pettengill by claiming he never lost the championship, he just regained the belt. "I beat the man who represents your society," Backlund said. "I beat him so I could save you (the fans). I'm gonna scrutinize you to the fullest, pasteurize you, homogenize you, and synchronize you back into morality." He fell into a whisper and then burst out saying he is the champion and he "feels like God!"

(5) Undertaker defeated Yokozuna at 15:03 in a casket match. In the opening seconds, Undertaker pointed toward the open casket and Yokozuna fell back onto his butt with a thump in the corner. Yokozuna tried to leave the ring, but Undertaker stopped him. Yokozuna reversed a whip and splashed Undertaker into the corner. Undertaker walked out of the corner as if nothing happened. At 32:00, Undertaker walked the ropes and came off with a forearm. Yokozuna, seconds later, caught a charging Undertaker with a fireman's carry backslam. He then took Undertaker off his feet with a clothesline. Yokozuna rolled Undertaker toward the casket, but Undertaker fought his way back, knocking Yokozuna off his feet. At 3:40, Undertaker missed a flying elbow, but he did his upper–body rise. Yokozuna, though, returned with a one–armed chokeslam. At 4:07, Yokozuna landed a legdrop on Undertaker. At 4:46, Yokozuna flopped a lifeless Undertaker into the casket, but Undertaker made a sudden comeback with a barrage of punches. Both men exchanged punches in the casket. When Fuji tried to interfere, Undertaker grabbed him by the neck. Cornette came up from behind, so Undertaker turned and hit him in the throat.

When Undertaker returned to the ring, Yokozuna slammed him and continued on offense. Undertaker made a comeback at 8:30, throwing Yokozuna to the mat and then hitting him with a high flying clothesline at 9:17. As Undertaker recovered from the move and began to roll Yokozuna toward the casket, all of the fans rose to their feet as King Kong Bundy walked toward the casket. Bam Bam Bigelow then joined Bundy. Chuck Norris stared them down, keeping them from interfering. I.R.S. then snuck in the ring and kicked Undertaker from behind, then rammed him into the corner turnbuckle. Undertaker swung and missed with a punch. I.R.S. then locked on a sleeper hold. I.R.S. then threw Undertaker into the casket at 12:20. I.R.S. then left through the crowd. At this point, the referees were still trying to keep Bundy and Bigelow away, although all they needed to do was close the casket lid. Yokozuna reached to close the lid and Undertaker extended his arm and grabbed Yokozuna. Jeff Jarrett then walked toward the casket, but Norris sidekicked him in the chest. Jarrett, Bigelow, and Bundy then fled as Undertaker began to work over Yokozuna again.

Undertaker hit Yokozuna with a clothesline and a DDT at 14:38. Undertaker then gave Yokozuna a big boot to the face and Yokozuna took a perfect bump into the casket. At 15:03, the lid was closed as Undertaker broke Fuji's Japanese flag over his knee.

A much better match than they've been having. Norris was used effectively, more than anything because his role was limited. Some good moves, good drama, believable false finishes, and a satisfying ending. (**3/4)

McMahon promised updates on Bret Hart over the weekend as they went off the air.

MITCHELL FLASHBACK (Dec. 1994): C.M. Punk's character is the latest Vince McMahon creation responding to criticism of his WWE product

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:17:11 PST

WWE heavily emphasized C.M. Punk's "straight edge" heel character on ECW TV this week with several shots at Punk needing to loosen up. In the middle of WWE pushing its PG-TV product and removing some of the edgy aspects of the product, WWE CEO Vince McMahon is sending messages through the TV product that's not happy having to scale back the product to appease advertisers and deflect criticism from Linda McMahon's Senate campaign.

This look back at a column in the Torch Newsletter by columnist Bruce Mitchell 15 years ago details at a similar situation when McMahon changed the WWF product following the federal steroid investigation in 1994. Look for the similarities between Punk and Bob Backlund's character in Mitchell's column.

BRUCE MITCHELL FLASHBACK
"The All Fun League"
TORCH NEWSLETTER #311
COVER DATE: December 10, 1994

"Fun, fun, fun…"

- The Beach Boys

Vince McMahon knows Fun.

For to know Fun, you have to know No Fun.

What is No Fun, you ask?

No Fun is spending your summer days in an orthopedic neck collar in a Federal Courthouse, while a crotchety old judge and a barely awake jury try to decide whether you are going to spend the next ten years in the pokey. No fun is watching your ex-secretary, a former Playboy Centerfold, explain how she used to order HCG for you "because often when you take steroids for a while your testicles shrink and need HCG to get back to regular size" and your wife for some unknown "wink, wink" reason starts to cry…

That, friends, is no fun.

So don't blame Vince if he wants to enjoy himself these days. He wants to relax now. Some guys do that by playing cards or watching NFL Gameday.

Not Vince.

He, judging by the last several months, relaxes by exorcising his personal demons when he sets the direction of the storylines of WWF wrestling. McMahon has made his privately owned company a reflection of his own character and biases.

And Vince is a smart guy. He knows it's tough, or at least tedious, to have fun by yourself. So he wants to spread the fun around to all of the WWF fans.

But he also knows it is more fun to be with friends who share your views and look at everything you do with a friendly fondness. So he is using the storylines to make sure that all of his little Whiff buddies do exactly that.

This is the real purpose for the last few months of storylines, not setting up a WWF New Generation. Only at Titan Sports would a guy in his mid-30s who has been a washout for years, Kevin Nash, and a wrestler who had worked for the company for a decade, also in his mid-30s, Bret Hart, be considered a New Generation. Of course, at WCW to do that you need to be in your mid-40s…

So Vince, who a decade ago was definitely cutting edge, is now strictly old school. Not that he cares.

He just wants you to love him and be his bud. So he is going to make sure you see things his way.

Take Lex Luger and the storyline surrounding him. Lex keeps getting pushed despite ample evidence that a lot of fans would not care about him if he were handing out free Sega Genesis systems at ringside. So why push him?

Well, he's the handsome, well-spoken, all-American type with what has been for years wrestling's most bitchin' male body. In other words, he's really Vince McMahon. Vince is certainly more of an "American Original" than Lex Luger is, anyway.

So when Tatanka, someone with "credibility," starts claiming that Vince, uh, I mean Lex isn't really a clean-living good guy, that he is a big phony liar whose wrestlers were all on steroids… wait, I got confused… who is really on the take, people start to listen.

So anyway, a bunch of misunderstandings where Lex "looks guilty" of selling out occur. Ted DiBiase, the Million Dollar Man, keeps showing up around him and telling lies. Tatanka keeps telling people that Lex is no good. Through no fault of his own, even the fans stop believing in the American Original.

So Lex, like Vince, was being accused of telling fibs for money. And Lex, like Vince, was having a hard time getting people to believe him. And Lex, like Vince, was constantly being attacked by someone that people, those dopes, believed. And Lex, like Vince, was innocent.

Well, maybe not like Vince.

And don't fool yourself. Tatanka was also picked for this scenario very deliberately. For who is more "politically correct" to a guy like McMahon than a Native American? Everyone knows that minorities are listened to before men like Lex and Vince, right? Native Americans are the ultimate minority.

Geez, it's just not fair.

It gets better. For if you have a pencil, fiction does not have that nasty habit of kicking your teeth in the way facts can. "Facts are stupid things" President Reagan once declared and no doubt Vince would agree. He would rather book his own reality.

So in his reality those critical journalists did not just go back to work after the not guilty verdict. Tatanka, their surrogate, and not Lex, was actually the liar who sold out for money and broke the hearts of his followers. Lex, therefore Vince, was actually telling the truth all along.

It gets even better. For not only does Vince get to be the good-looking hero whom America adores, he also gets to have another principal represent a side of him.

Remember the Million Dollar Man? For years people have thought, for good reason, that DiBiase isn't the only one who everyone has a price for.

So Vince also gets to be the all-powerful tycoon who buys and sells those phony moralists who try to annoy him. Vince, through DiBiase, shows his critics to be hypocritical liars.

McMahon must have felt much better after getting that out of his system. And all of his little friends understand now.

And he had some other things to get out of his system. McMahon obviously never forgot that he had to spend six years of his youth smiling and lavishly praising the unhippest wrestler to ever wear an ugly brown suit, "Howdy Doody" Bob Backlund. Even though he knew he could make wrestling cool, just like Rock 'n' Roll, if only his stick in the mud dad would listen to him. Then he could hang out with Hollywood types like Dick Ebersol instead of those little old ladies and ancient codgers with the smelly cigars.

So first chance he got he dumped the dork and made wrestling history.

Now he can take all of the things that so annoyed him about that Bob for six long years and make sure his friends understand them, too.

Like that goofy grin. Or that ale white complexion. Or those sanctimonious speeches about being a role model for the kids. Or that gawky ring style. Or the submission hold with the "chicken" name that can only be applied from behind. Or that ridiculous haircut.

Vince took all of these rich elements and built them into a heel designed to remind every WWF fan of every authority figure or Captain Bringdown who ever ruined everyone's fun.

He even was personally involved, on the air, with virtually every interview and angle used to establish Backlund as a "moral" heel.

For it is everyone with those inconvenient morals who gets in Vince's way. Those petty moralists who feel like God are no more fit to judge McMahon than Mr. Backlund is to judge all the great "New Generation" fans. Vince bonds with his fans again.

Incredibly, since the Monday Night Raw where Backlund declared that he wanted to slap the crossface chicken wing on Vince just once before he retired, rumors are rampant that Vince and Bob will face off at Wrestlemania. Every main event babyface wrestler in the company has put over the chicken submission. And Bob has vowed to retire when someone breaks it. Is Vince's ego so large that he, the bi-focaled play-by-play man who has never had a match in his life, will squash the number one heel Bob Backlund and force him to retire? Again? We'll see.

Clearly McMahon would like to squash all of his critics, but this may be the closest he gets. It is the same reason Mike Rotunda has had his "I.R.S." character protected for years from the normal phasing out most gimmicks face. I.R.S. is facing Undertaker in one of the best spots on the card, not because he is such a ticket selling heel, or even because a Death and Taxes feud was "inevitable," but because Titan Sports and Vince McMahon have been audited for several straight years by the real I.R.S. That has obviously interfered with Vince's fun and he does not appreciate it.

Because Vince wants to get down to the business of having fun. That is what all of those wonderful kids out there, even the ones not in the Make-A-Wish Foundation, want. And Vince is determined to give that to them. So he is going to grit his teeth, clench his jaw, and demand that his whole company be about "Fun."

Fun can be a tough business. Ask the aforementioned Beach Boys. Fifty year old men with a history of drug abuse, death, legal trouble, and mental illness that would make anyone not in the wrestling business blanch get to stand with sweat poring down their forehead and sing silly teenage songs about "Fun." No wonder the "Boys" all look so old.

But no matter the cost of "Fun" Vince McMahon wants his fans to have some, whether they want it or not.

Witness all of those Clowns. What's more fun than a clown? If you cried out "Midgets!" you win a kewpie doll.

Only one problem. Clowns suck.

Nobody likes a clown. Take my word for it. If you want to make a child cry, put a garishly painted real life clown, screaming and babbling, right in the kid's face.

"WAAAAAUGH!" One terrified little guy.

Kids like Power Rangers. They never, ever want to see clowns.

Adults hate them, too. That is why you never see clown shows on TV or at the movies or on CDs. Why do you think the circus comes to town only once a year?

But what about those other little guys?

"And don't forget to bring the kids. the lovable midgets will be on the card" they used to cry in the days when Bruno wore a toupee and no one mentioned it. Vince remembers that time. So he had Doink, Dink, Stink, Lawler, Squashy, and the rest play with Silly String, squirt guns, wagons, and tricycles. What "Fun."

Midgets. In U.S. wrestling they are grown men who try to dress and act degradingly childlike to attract the attention of little children. Not coincidently, that is also the definition of a pedophile, something that should make Jerry Lawler nervous, if no one else.

Clowns suck. Wrestling midgets are gross.

But Vince McMahon and Titan Sports want you to see things their way anyway and have fun. Damnit.

Austin News: Steve Austin to appear in new season of NBC's "Chuck" show

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:48:25 PST

By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

Former WWE star Steve Austin is scheduled to appear on the third season of NBC's "Chuck" TV show. The date for Austin's guest appearance has not been announced yet.

NBC announced this week it is bringing back the action-comedy series in January. According to NBC's announcement, Austin will play the role of "Hugo Panzer," who becomes entangled in the lead Chuck character's first solo mission.

NBC is continuing to utilize former or current WWE stars on TV programming. Former WWE diva Torrie Wilson appeared on the "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here" reality show this summer.

Former WWE/WCW star Bill Goldberg and current WWE diva Maria are scheduled to appear on the next season of Donald Trump's "Celebrity Apprentice" that will premiere in spring 2010.

The NBC teaser for the new season of Chuck includes a brief shot of Steve Austin on an airplane about 35 seconds into the clip below.

Link: Report on hitfix.com.

CALDWELL'S PPV/DVD REVIEW: Dragon Gate USA's "Open the Historic Gate" debut event - Review of whether following DGUSA is worth your time and money

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:30:12 PST

By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

There's something for almost everyone on Dragon Gate USA's debut event "Open the Historic Gate" that debuted on PPV in September and is currently available on DVD. However, it's not right for everyone.

For hardcore wrestling fans, the chance to see highly-athletic, technically-proficient wrestlers from Japan on U.S. soil is a rare treat. It's a must-see for avid wrestling fans who take their fandom seriously and want to study different styles of wrestling presentation.

For wrestling fans who follow the Torch's coverage of wrestling but aren't familiar with wrestling outside of WWE and TNA, it's a chance to get a feel for what WWE and TNA are capable of at their absolute best on PPV. The drawback is unfamiliarity with some of the wrestlers, lesser quality production value, and a cartoonish feel to the product at the times. (In a different way than watching Hornswoggle run around with DX.)

For casual wrestling fans who only know what WWE sells, this isn't the right product until you take the first step to a Ring of Honor DVD. It would be like jumping from Top 40 pop songs to underground music played on college radio stations. "That just sounds weird," would be a casual music listener's reaction when a music aficionado would want to describe the different technical aspects of the music to explain its greatness.

Going into the PPV debut in September, Dragon Gate USA had similar buzz as Ring of Honor did with their first PPV in July 2007. "PPV Wrestling" no longer meant WWE's same old stars in the same old matches or TNA's over-booking, run-ins, and gimmick matches.

Much like ROH, DGUSA was offering a product that was previously limited to DVDs that can be a hassle to order and Internet clips that don't grab viewers like something on a 51" widescreen TV.

However, as much as familiarity with the same "PPV wrestling" from WWE and TNA can breed contempt, it can also be comforting to many wrestling fans. They have an idea of what they're getting from month-to-month, event-to-event.

DGUSA has to start from scratch trying to win over an entire audience that might be turned away by the unfamiliar names, cartoon wrestlers from CHIKARA, and lightning-paced wrestling that might be too much to keep up with.

On this PPV, if you blinked during Dragon Kid vs. Yoshino, you were lost. A newer fan watching the event might become frustrated trying to keep up with the action. One match ends and the next match is already going 100 MPH without a chance to take a bathroom break or run to the kitchen.

The PPV event itself delivered the best two hours of non-stop action you will find on a wrestling PPV this year. It won't mean anything, though, unless it comes with a commitment to make a long-term investment in the product.

The product is catchy and exciting enough to be worth an investment if a viewer can get past the initial roadblock of unfamiliarity. With WWE asking their fans to spend $5 more on PPVs next year and TNA already asking their fans to spend $5 more, many wrestling fans will have to make tough choices on where their expendable income will be going.

For hardcore fans, DGUSA's product is worth investing in. DGUSA is targeting those hardcore fans, but also readers of our site who may only be familiar with mainstream wrestling in the U.S.

The first event is worth a look to see if this is the type of product worth investing the time, money, and energy into becoming a follower of. DGUSA isn't going to ask fans to order 12 or 14 PPVs or watch 40-52 weeks of TV a year to stay "current" on what's happening without feeling lost.

DGUSA is only offering six events per year at a reasonable price on PPV or DVD. Many first-time viewers might feel the urge to switch off the DVD when unfamiliar men wearing funny costumes come to the ring, but the entire event must be seen in its entirety to determine if the product is worth the investment.

It's not for everyone, but a match like the Young Bucks vs. CIMA & Yokosuka is good enough to convince skeptical wrestling fans to give the promotion a second look.

The DVD is available for purchase at DGUSA's online store.

Show Review

The PPV version of the show opened with the opening match of BxB Hulk vs. YAMATO, who looks every bit the role of a heel. Hulk, on the other hand, is a very charismatic babyface with an awesome dance routine entrance. Picture John Morrison coming to the ring with divas performing a choreographed dance entrance. Except, five times better with Hulk pulling out Dance Dance Revolution moves.

(1) YAMATO beat BxB Hulk in 16:00. I thought this was the best match-up of the entire PPV. Not the best match, but best pairing of two opposite wrestlers who clicked very well in the ring. YAMATO slowed down the match to work over Hulk's knee, then Hulk would speed things up with a great offensive display. The crowd was into the action from start-to-finish and helped sell the excitement for each nearfall sprinkled throughout the final five matches. Gabe Sapolsky and Dragon Gate's Japan office picked the best match to start the show. (***3/4)

(2) CHIKARA Technicos beat CHIKARA Rudos in 18:00. This match will either lose viewers or get them hooked on the fast-paced, "can't get enough" nature of the product. The eight-man tag match from the CHIKARA promotion featured masked men, short men, tall men, big men, and men with funny names. It really depends if the viewer at home can suspend disbelief for 18 minutes and just watch an overly-choreographed Lucha Libre match. I'm not a fan of these types of matches that seem to feature wrestlers who have other day jobs, but I really enjoyed the colorful personalities in the ring. Amasis's dance moves stand out in my mind, Quackenbush as the clear leader of the entire proceedings gave this match a limited sense of structure it needed, and the crowd buying into the match made it "okay" to buy into the action as well. It could have the opposite effect where, similar to TNA's Impact Zone, the fans buy into the product "too much" to the point of annoyance and distraction. In this case, the audience helped make this seem acceptable. (***)

The problem is that the next segment featured a double-turn where one of the heels from the previous match (Gran Akuma) appeared to be out to save Quackenbush from an attack by Yamato, only to turn on him. The announcers then sold disbelief that Akuma would attack Quack. If DGUSA was asking fans to buy into the match as a legitimate competition to win a match, then it would make sense for Akuma to be upset after losing the match and want to attack Quackenbush. The object of a wrestling match is to win, after all.

(3) Dragon Kid beat Masato Yoshino in 14:00. The event moved to the meat of the action with two of the top stars in the Dragon Gate promotion dueling. It would be like Rey Mysterio vs. Evan Bourne with two super-fast, undersized cruiserweights going non-stop. Continuing from the previous segment where wins and losses didn't seem to matter, the announcers spent a lot of time talking about "what these two can do" in the ring. When wrestling moves away from wins and losses and focuses more on spots and "style points" in the context of a competition, there's a limited window of opportunity to make money. With that approach, DGUSA is smart to run only six shows per year and two or three in the Philly market and two or three in the Chicago market. Otherwise, their markets would begin to dry up like what's happening with ROH. Since the show was taped in the former ECW Arena, Kid paid tribute to Rey Mysterio's famous springboard huracanrana to pin Yoshino. An excellent display reminiscent of the WrestleMania weekend matches Dragon Gate presented at ROH shows prior to this year. (****1/4)

(4) Young Bucks (Nick & Matt Jackson) beat CIMA & Yokosuka. This is the match everyone talked about after the live event taping in July and everyone was talking about after the PPV debut in September. And for good reason, as the Young Bucks tag team is so fluid in the ring executing their trademark double-team moves that "wowed" the audience. They also had good opponents. CIMA, "one of the greatest men alive," simply exudes massive amounts of charisma. I believe he could be a wrestling star on mainstream WWE or TNA TV, and he doesn't need to talk in order to convey his charisma to the audience. It's simply there. Young Bucks won with the awesome More Bang for Your Buck tag team combo. They should be on national TV soon enough trying to be the next decade's Rockers and Hardys. (****1/2)

(5) Naruki Doi beat Shingo in 21:00. The build-up to this match was effectively presented on the show with shots of them warming up in the locker room and preparing for the match. Doi and Shingo are two powerhouse wrestlers who delivered some awesome Japanese-style strong-style wrestling that American fans would need to see a few times to warm up to. But, fans of hard-hitting wrestling that ROH delivered on PPV with Morishima in 2007 would appreciate this great main event. In the end, Doi won with a Muscular Bomb to cap off a tremendous wrestling event. There was something for everyone, culminating with a hard-hitting, physical wrestling match that wrestling purists would enjoy. (****)

HITS & MISSES - TNA IMPACT 11/12: Review of last week's show before tonight's Impact - Wolfe-Angle build-up, Lethal loses to Niedhart

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:45:04 PST

By Chris Reed, Torch specialist

-- 11/12 TNA IMPACT HITS & MISSES

I had to take a week off last Impact, but in reality, I didn't miss a whole lot of important wrestling action. This week's review takes a look back at what was the last Impact before last Sunday's PPV action. I'll also throw in a few final thoughts about the PPV at the end of this column, but here's what was good and what wasn't from Impact.

IMPACT HITS

Desmond Wolfe and Kurt Angle Build-up: It's almost amazing to see Kurt Angle going so far to put over a new wrestler for the purpose of building up that new person, but that's exactly what Angle has done in their brawls on Impact. You could see the gears turn as Angle realized that Wolfe was trying to sneak attack him, but still Wolfe got the better of him with the DDT on the outside. It was a very nice way to whet the whistle of the TNA wrestling fan to order the PPV on Sunday and see Angle try to get his revenge.

Raven's Return: When Raven left TNA some months ago, he left a lot of unfinished business with Abyss for no reason, and in the process made a bad angle become worse between Abyss and Dr. Stevie. With Raven back in the mix, we have the potential to have some nice hardcore matches return. Hopefully Raven sticks around long enough to deliver some of the great promos that he killed during his last TNA run. And with one fireball to Foley, Raven is back.

IMPACT MISSES

Super Dave Osborne: His voice sounds like sandpaper grating across barbed wire, and his comedy/stuntman act is boring and mundane. Add to all that the fact that Super Dave knew absolutely nothing whatsoever about the TNA product made his appearance on the show just that much more annoying.

Jay Lethal Jobs To Jim Neidhart: Okay, I admit, I loved the Hart Foundation. Back in the '80s, that is. Neidhart looked at least fifty pounds overweight in the ring, and still he managed to pin Lethal in about three minutes. Lethal's challenge to the legends could have been a nice little angle to lead up to Hogan's arrival in TNA, but instead TNA killed the entire act in less than one week. The only possible positive that could come out of this may be the death of Black Machismo and maybe the return of Jay Lethal, the TNA wrestler, instead of the over-actor. Oh, by the way, to the studio audience at Orlando -- Jim Neidhart does not, in any way, "still got it."

Alissa Flash vs. Traci Brooks: Mike Tenay tried his best to sell us on the fact that Flash went too far by targeting Traci's birth defect with the focus on her right arm. Baloney. Any wrestler should always try to target the weak points of their opponent; that's one of the key elements of wrestling. Add to the fact that absolutely no one has tried to get the audience over that Traci was a face ever since her turn to the Main Event Mafia and even the audience didn't understand what Traci was so ticked off about and was booing her temper tantrum against Flash at the end.

Beer Money Inserted Into Tag Title Match At Last Minute: I was really looking forward to seeing the Motor City Machine Guns get a one-on-one shot against British Invasion for the Tag Titles ever since I watched their awesome match a while back aginst No Limit from Global Impact where MCMG won the IWGP Junior Tag Team Titles. I know the fans love Beer Money, but with three days left before the PPV to have them thrown into the PPV match seemed like a major throwaway.

In the end, the hype for the PPV wasn't as good as it could have been, but the last two matches of Turning Point saved the show from becoming a moderately-bad PPV into a moderately-watchable PPV. The Angle-Wolfe match was a clinic in just about any way you looked at it, and the Styles-Daniels-Joe World Title match was only a few steps below their classic from the past. Amazing Red had a decent opener, the Knockouts tag match was quickly forgettable, the three-way Tag Title match wound up with a ridiculous distraction finish that totally stole the impact from the match itself, the Tara-Kong match was pretty good at best, the six-man tag match was a nice brawl for what it was, and the Steiner-Lashley match was a pretty ugly garbage brawl. All in all, the PPV made for a halfway decent Sunday night of entertainment.

Chris Reed is a PWTorch Specialist covering TNA Impact with a weekly Hits & Misses column.

WWE News: N.Y. newspaper covers WWE at MSG, Great Khali off the police force, former WWE executive competing with WWE

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:45:30 PST

By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

-- The New York Daily News published a brief report on Sherri Shepherd's celebrity involvement in Monday's Raw from new York City's Madison Square Garden. The mainstream press for WWE included a note about MVP losing a match to "powerhouse The Miz." That might be the first recorded instance of that descriptor being used for Miz. N.Y. Daily News story.

-- Great Khali traveled to India last week and was officially "suspended" from his duties as a police officer with the Punjab police force. Media reports in India say Khali was cited for taking an "unauthorized" leave of absence to pursue a professional career in movies and wrestling. The latter profession is up for debate. Report from DNA India.

-- Former WWE executive Kurt Schneider was profiled by the Wilton Bulletin (Conn.) for helping the famous Harlem Globetrotters traveling basketball team stay in business. Schneider credited his work with WWE for helping him draw big numbers at the box office in 2009.

“No one is better at promotion than Vince (McMahon)," Schneider said. "He is really a master." Schneider will have a job waiting for him in WWE based on that quote.

However, Schneider is positioning the Globetrotters to compete with WWE for "leisure entertainment" dollars, especially with low ticket prices comparable to WWE's live event ticket prices.

“We are a great value,” said Schneider. "Our average ticket price is $25 and everyone who comes, parents and kids, has a good time."

Former WWE CEO Linda McMahon emphasized in every quarterly conference call with investors that WWE doesn't just compete with other wrestling promotions, but other forms of entertainment that target families with special events.

ROH News: ROH Title match signed for Final Battle; Air dates for McGuinness and Danielson's Farewell speeches

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:09:28 PST

By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

-- Ring of Honor announced today that Tyler Black has been signed for an ROH Title match at ROH's Final Battle show in New York City on December 19. (ROH Newswire.)

Current ROH champion Austin Aries is scheduled to defend the title against Colt Cabana on Dec. 5 in Chicago. Aries would defend the title against Black on Dec. 19 if still champion.

-- ROH did not air Bryan Danielson's complete "farewell speech" on this past Monday's edition of ROH TV on HDNet. ROH announced they will air the promo on their year-in-review show scheduled for December 28.

-- ROH is advertising for next Monday's show on November 23 that Nigel McGuinness (now Desmond Wolfe in TNA) will have his farewell speech from ROH, which was taped in September when he was expected to sign with WWE. The video below is a teaser ROH posted online for the ROH TV episode.

Other News: Stacy Keibler to appear on popular CBS comedy "How I Met Your Mother"

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:37:33 PST

By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

Former WWE diva Stacy Keibler has been signed to appear on a milestone episode of the popular CBS comedy "How I Met Your Mother," reports the L.A. Times.

Keibler will play a bartender on the 100th episode that is scheduled to air on January 11. The CBS comedy airs on Monday nights at 8:00 p.m. EST before WWE Raw airs on USA Network.

TNA News: Bored at work? Daniels featured on FOX Sports in a series of humorous wrestling skits (w/VIDEOS)

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:17:15 PST

By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

TNA wrestler Daniels is featured in a series of short, humorous clips in today's "Cubed" video series published on FOX Sports. Daniels filmed the segments earlier this month.

The skits were designed to take a humorous look at the "Day In the Life" of a wrestler with the hypothetical situations of Daniels at a book club, Daniels winning a game of chess, and Daniels trying to train a dog.

Naturally, the key prop in each skit is a folding chair, playing off the stereotype from the late 1990s Attitude era that every wrestler uses a chair as part of his regular offensive attack. Video of the three skits is below.

<a href="http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-us&brand=foxsports&from=metadatawidget_en-us_foxpsorts_videocentral&vid=afcf61da-bded-43de-a0d2-55f27f88c84f" target="_new" title="Cubed: The Life of a Pro Wrestler Pt.1">Video: Cubed: The Life of a Pro Wrestler Pt.1</a>

<a href="http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-us&brand=foxsports&from=metadatawidget_en-us_foxpsorts_videocentral&vid=6c07fc77-6a66-40a1-8b67-b6fab26634c8" target="_new" title="Cubed: The Life of a Pro Wrestler Pt.2">Video: Cubed: The Life of a Pro Wrestler Pt.2</a>

<a href="http://msn.foxsports.com/video?vid=673a7de1-66b5-4933-b31a-8b5a7dea0c75&from=IV2_en-us_foxsports_videocentral" target="_new" title="Cubed: The Life of a Pro Wrestler Pt.3">Video: Cubed: The Life of a Pro Wrestler Pt.3</a>

WWE News: Mark Cuban tells ESPN why he's guest-hosting Raw, says he helped John Cena get his WWE break

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:56:59 PST

By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban told ESPN that he's friends with WWE CEO Vince McMahon and wanted to guest-host WWE Raw when the show comes to Dallas in December. Cuban added that he "loves" McMahon's "approach to life."

"I grew up with Bruno Sammartino and George 'The Animal' Steele and have been a fan of WWE for a long time," Cuban said.

The ESPN reporter seemed surprised Cuban would get involved with WWE, but Cuban reminded readers he worked with WWE in 2003. Coincidentally, it was at the Survivor Series PPV, which is coming up on Sunday. In 2003, Cuban had a planned verbal exchange with Eric Bischoff leading to Randy Orton getting involved.

"I was RKO'd by Randy Orton," Cuban recalled, "so I'm not a rookie at this stuff."

Cuban also credits himself for helping current WWE champion John Cena get his big break in WWE when Cena was training at Ohio Valley Wrestling.

"I even did a video with current champion John Cena when he was wrestling in Louisville to help him break into the WWE, long list of fun stuff," Cuban said.

Link: ESPN.com report.

WWE News: ECW TV ratings are in - did Helms-Burchill and a C.M. Punk cameo help viewership?

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:32:59 PST

By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

Tuesday night's episode of ECW TV featuring Hurricane Helms vs. Paul Burchill and a cameo appearance by C.M. Punk averaged an improved 1.1 rating with an estimated 1.38 million viewers.

The show averaged a 1.1 rating for the first time in six weeks after ECW averaged a 1.0 rating each week from October 13 - November 10.

ECW's 1.38 million viewers were the most since 1.47 million viewers on October 20. Compared to the previous five weeks of TV, ECW's TV viewership was up 2.8 percent.

Looking at the long-term trend since ECW moved back to the 10:00 p.m. EST timeslot, this week's show was down 8.7 percent compared to average viewership since May 5 when ECW changed timeslots. WWE has lost about 350,000 viewers since the summer when they were regularly averaging 1.7 million viewers per episode.

TORCH TALK DAILY with Eric Bischoff: "Nothing new and creative and cutting edge and industry-changing has come out of WWE since the '80s other than what they copied from WCW"

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:00:40 PST

On Monday, September 14, PWTorch editor Wade Keller interviewed former WCW President Eric Bischoff an exclusive multi-hour "Torch Talk" interview covering a variety of controversial subjects from the Monday Night War period, his days on WWE TV, his 2006 autobiography, and the "Rise & Fall of WCW" DVD.

The following is the latest installment of part four of the exclusive five-hour "Torch Talk" with former WCW President Eric Bischoff. Part 4(b) of our daily Q&As will be published here at PWTorch.com, which is unprecedented with our VIP-exclusive "Torch Talk" series.

To both READ and LISTEN to the entire interview, you'll want to become a VIP member, which also includes instant access to our newsmaking multi-hour in-depth hard-hitting "Torch Talks" with other top WCW players such as Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, X-Pac, Vince Russo, Ed Ferrara, Hulk Hogan, Goldberg, Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, and others (ALL AVAILABLE AT THIS LINK FOR VIP MEMBERS). To subscribe right now and be the first to read the entire Bischoff "Torch Talk" and have VIP-only access to the audio, click here. The first audio segment and transcript installment is now available for VIP members.

We present today's latest question and answer from Part 4(b). Tune in tomorrow for the next series of Q&A's from part 4.

Eric Bischoff: ... I think he's (Vince McMahon) one of the least creative people that I've worked with. However, he is good at taking other people's ideas and twisting the, turning them, modifying them to fit the formula that clearly has worked for him.

Wade Keller: I think that will sound stunning to some people. I think it deserves a little more explanation. You think Vince McMahon is one of the least creative people you've run across. You've done a good job drawing the picture that he has his filter, his flavor that he puts on things, his voice. But from a creative standpoint, are you surprised that you found him not creative once you were around him more and saw first-hand how he operated? Because I would have thought, like most people on the outside, he must be very creative because he's the main booker for his promotion.

Eric Bischoff: I knew he wasn't creative back in the '90s when I was kicking his ass. Vince has one kind of creative formula that he's really been doing variations of since the '80s. The only time he kind of diverted from that formula is when he was forced to. And again this is going to sound like the McMahon-Bischoff War all over again. It is what it is, and it's my point of view. A lot of people will take credit for creating the Attitude Era. A lot of people take credit for the Stone Cold thing. A lot of people deserve credit for that stuff. But believe me, all of that was the reaction to the formula that was putting him into bankruptcy. Vince McMahon or anybody else in the WWF at the time didn't wake up one day and say, "You know what? We gotta shake things up. We're gonna change the formula, we're gonna depart from this cartoonish animated corny Doink the Clown formula we've been doing since the '80s and we're going to get tough, we're going to get edgy, we're going to become more reality based." That didn't happen.

What happened was they were getting their asses kicked for an extensive period of time, they were losing so much ground with the audience, and they were literally on the verge of bankruptcy, and they were forced to imitate the formula that we had laid out that caused that situation. That was the cause of the effect of the Attitude Era. We caused it. We changed it. We changed the world. We changed his world. We changed his world. I'll fast-forward ten years. Now that he doesn't have that kind of pressure on him, what is he going back to? He's going back to the same basic formulas he used in the '80s. To me, that's not creative. There's nothing new. Nothing new has come out of WWE. Many good things have come out of WWE. Many great things have come out of WWE. But nothing new and creative and cutting edge and industry-changing has come out of WWE since the '80s other than what they copied from us.

MORE TO COME TOMORROW WITH THE NEXT PART OF THE SERIES...

CLICK HERE FOR THE MOST RECENT BISCHOFF Q&A SNIPPET

WWE News: TOP STORY - "The Rock" Dwayne Johnson working with WWE on a TV project beyond guest-hosting Raw

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:53:02 PST

By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

Former WWE champion "The Rock" Dwayne Johnson says he's working with WWE on creating a special TV episode that would be beyond just guest-hosting an episode of Raw. Johnson was vague on the details during a radio appearance this morning, but hinted he'll be working with WWE on a significant project.

"I love that world and being able to entertain, especially if I could go back whether it's on Smackdown and do a promo or guest-host or we could create this cool show, whatever that may be," Johnson said on the Jack Diamond Morning Show in Washington, D.C. "Especially now, I'm at the point where I can go back and give back to the fans and help out the guys in any way I can."

Johnson said he currently has a "great relationship" with Vince McMahon and WWE to where he's working closely with WWE on creating apparently a special episode of WWE TV.

"Right now we're trying to put together - there is always something cool and interesting for me to do. I would like to do something more than just host the show," Johnson said. "I'm in the process of creating something really cool for the fans - something very special and unique. It will be something like one big entertaining show."

Link: Jack Diamond Morning Show page.

Note: The Torch was the first to report this story on Thursday morning. Please report to pwtorch@gmail.com other websites copying and pasting quotes from this article without proper attribution to PWTorch.com.

WWE/TNA News: Jerry Lawler talks TNA as competition, whether TNA is discussed within WWE

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:45:22 PST

By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

WWE announcer Jerry Lawler claims TNA is not even a blip on the radar to WWE management, but he believes WWE would benefit from having competition from TNA.

Lawler echoed what Chris Jericho said in an interview we covered yesterday that it would benefit WWE if Hulk Hogan's signing with TNA boosts the second-leading promotion in the U.S.

"Even with Hulk Hogan, I don't think the WWE feel they (TNA) are any threat at all," Lawler told the U.K. Sun. "Maybe they don't worry if TNA does well as competition is a good thing. The best years WWE had was when we were embroiled in the big war with WCW."

Lawler added that TNA isn't a topic of conversation in WWE. It's clear that if WWE management gives the impression that TNA isn't even a blip on the radar, then it would be frowned upon for wrestlers to be heard discussing another wrestling promotion.

"I've told this to a lot of people, and I don't know if they believe it, but no one in the WWE ever talks about TNA," Lawler said. "There is no concern whatsoever. They don't acknowledge, think, or worry about them."

Link: Read Jerry Lawler's complete interview on the U.K. Sun.

WWE News: Jim Ross could make his return at WrestleMania 26 next year

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:20:49 PST

By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

WWE announcer Jerry Lawler says he believes WWE will hold off Jim Ross's return to the broadcast position until WrestleMania 26 next year. Lawler says Ross is on-target to recover from his third Bell's Palsy attack before WrestleMania next March.

"There's a strong possibility that WrestleMania could be when he makes a return," Lawler told the U.K. Sun. "Even if it's a situation where he could return a little bit before that, it might be best to just wait and let him come back at Mania — as the comeback of JR would be a big draw."

Lawler reiterated Ross's statement on his blog last week that he will need at least two or three months to become "facially ready" for TV again. Lawler also says Ross's voice sounds fine over the phone and someone on the other end wouldn't know he's only able to talk out of one side of his mouth.

"I texted him last night, and spoke with him this past week, and he's doing better but says it will probably be a few months before he's facially ready to be back on television," Lawler said. "But when you talk to him, when you just hear his voice, you can't tell. He doesn't have slurred speech any more."

Link: Read Jerry Lawler's complete interview on the U.K. Sun.

WWE News: Linda McMahon reveals the McMahon Family's vast wealth in Senate campaign filing

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:20:43 PST

By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

Former WWE CEO Linda McMahon filed official paperwork in Connecticut for her Senate run in 2010 revealing the McMahon Family's vast wealth. Linda has personally donated over $3.0 million to her campaign, which is a small drop in the bucket compared to her family's personal wealth.

Newspapers and news outlets in Connecticut have drawn attention to McMahon becoming an "instant player" in the 2010 Senate race due to her financial resources.

"McMahon has just blown right by them (other Republican candidates) in terms of resources," said the chairman of the Government & Politics department at Sacred Heart University. "It's just extraordinary. We've never had anybody that has had wealth like this campaigning."

McMahon's filing revealed the following, according to a report in the Connecticut Post:

-- Linda and Vince McMahon have $103.7 million in total assets and they received "at least" $8.97 million in salary and investment income from WWE during a period from January 2008 to October 2009.

-- The McMahons have $355.13 million worth of stocks, bank accounts, and other holdings, including a joint share of Stamford-based Bandito Entertainment, LLC and two properties in Boynton Beach, Fla.

-- Linda McMahon has an investment portfolio with municipal bonds, mutual funds, and stock holdings, including $50,000 to $100,000 each in several industries, including notable names such as drugmakers GlaxoSmithKline and Novartis, technology companies Apple and Google, and financial services firms JP Morgan Chase and Goldman Sachs.

-- Vince McMahon holds four undisclosed assets recorded with a value of at least $1 million.

-- Linda McMahon's reported salary as CEO of WWE from January 2008 to October 2009 was $871,154. Vince McMahon's salary is recorded as $1,000. Vince receives his income from WWE through the company's Class B common stock designated for the McMahon Family.

Hogan News: Media in Australia continuing to cover the Hogan-Flair brawl as a legit fight

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:59:41 PST

By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

ABC News in Australia is continuing to cover the Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair brawl with the tone that a real fight broke out and Hogan was legitimately injured one day after news from the press conference grabbed headlines across Australia.

The news agency covered Hulk Hogan making a media appearance in the country's capital of Canberra with a gathering of media "bigger than any turnout for a Kevin Rudd press conference." Rudd is the Prime Minister of Australia.

Hogan was scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Rudd after making a good-natured charity appearance for the Make-a-Wish Foundation at Parliament House in the capital city.

ABC News continued to embellish the Hogan-Flair brawl with the following report: "Hulk may still be feeling the effects of a seemingly out-of-control press conference in Sydney yesterday that apparently left him battered and bruised after a bloody brawl with rival Ric Flair. The event, to promote a wrestling tour later this month, veered violently out of control when Hogan and Flair let their animosity break into what appeared to be a full-scale brawl."

Link: ABC News report.

TNA News: Mick Foley says what he'll be doing on Comedy Central's "Daily Show" on Thursday night

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:57:55 PST

By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

TNA wrestler Mick Foley says he'll be appearing in a sketch on Comedy Central's "Daily Show with Jon Stewart" on Thursday night rather than as a guest being interviewed. The show airs at 11:00 p.m. EST, which follows the end of TNA Impact on Spike TV.

"I saw somewhere that I was listed as the special guest, and would be talking about my career and upcoming projects. Actually, I will be taking part in a different type of segment - not a guest interview," Foley said on his MySpace blog.

Link: Mick Foley on MySpace.

11/18 Wade Keller Hotline - Guest Bruce Mitchell: In-depth on MSG Raw including ratings, Piper's role, Kofi's push, DX attacks Hornswoggle, plus Hogan-Flair bloody angle discussion (32 min.)

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:32:48 PST

This installment of the Wade Keller Hotline features guest analyst Bruce Mitchell. They go in-depth on MSG Raw including ratings, Piper's role, Kofi's push, DX attacks Hornswoggle, plus Hogan-Flair bloody angle discussion.

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ECW ROUNDTABLE REVIEWS 11/17: Donofrio, Mayer, Parks rate and review

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:48:51 PST

Tony Donofrio, PWTorch.com Contributor (7.5)

The only thing that brought this down was the opening segment of the show. For all of us that like to wonder (out loud sometimes too) why Shelton Benjamin doesn't get a main event push...he showed you us why again on ECW. His mic skills never seem to improve. I don't mind the Zack Ryder and Rosa pairing so much, but something was just off about that opening segment with those two.

The rest of the show was high quality programming. I was surprised that Hurricane didn't lose and was not forced to unmask. With that said, the match was entertaining. Paul and Katie Lea Burchill both deserve a push (yes, Katie Lea too in one of the women's divisions) and I'm hoping that they get that push on either Raw or Smackdown now.

CM Punk being back on ECW was a nice surprise, even if it is only for one week. However, why wasn't Punk being on ECW advertised? It seems like WWE doesn't want the show to break the 1.0-1.1 ratings ceiling that it consistently can't crack. The same could've been said weeks ago when Chris Jericho showed up on ECW. Why doesn't WWE want to advertise this, it just doesn't make sense. With all that said, he was very entertaining in all the backstage segments he was in and solid in the tag match (as expected). Seeing Christian get to mix it up w/Punk and Jericho recently though just frustrates me even more knowing that Christian could be having great matches weekly and monthly in a higher spot with the WWE on PPVs. On this edition of ECW though, it was exciting to see the two former TNA World Champions team up against William Regal and Punk. The match spoke for itself and was very entertaining. The only problem is (and the same could be said for Raw) that it didn't do much to promote Survivor Series this Sunday.

Dominick Mayer, PWTorch.com Contributor (6.0)

A decent enough show, but I'd like to point out how depressing it is that this is the first time CM Punk has looked like a star in a couple months now. It's remarkable how the inability to push young talent can kill ANY push. This having been said, he comes in and gets the pin on the ECW champ. It sets up the PPV well enough (better than anything Raw has been doing), but it's still counterproductive to having ECW not be the afterthought show/talent farm.

That rant aside, the Burchill-Hurricane match was pretty entertaining. The ending was compelling, and it was a good way to move both men forward. Benjamin and Ryder are trapped in limbo again, but at least they're being kept on TV I guess. And then we have Vance Archer. I actually don't mind his build, but just because of how often these builds for big men have happened on ECW recently (Kozlov 2.0, Zeke Jackson, Sheamus), it's starting to get a little bit redundant.

Greg Parks, PWTorch.com Contributor (6.5)

ECW hasn't really had to worry about building to PPV matches lately, what with being shut out on the last few events, so it was nice that WWE threw them a bone and put a tag match on the show that would promote one of the elimination matches at the PPV. And it was quite entertaining to boot. Punk's opening promo broke my smugness meter, it was so off-the-charts.

The Ryder-Benjamin opening joust was kind-of interesting, kind-of train-wrecky. While it was good and built toward the next match, and each person played their part about as well as expected, something just felt like it was missing. I guess I feel like Ryder's attitude that really made that character is gone now that he's swooning over Rosa. I don't mind Rosa with him, but I don't think he should be so googley-eyed over her all the time.

Burchill vs. Hurricane was a nice blow-off match, made better by the fact that my roommate and I were on opposite sides, cheering for the opposing wrestler quite vocally in our apartment. I'd like to see Burchill come back to ECW as a masked bad-guy character to oppose Hurricane's good-guy image, without referencing that it could be Burchill (at least, immediately).

11/17 WWE ECW Hits & Misses: Intensity, Hurricane vs. Burchill, Regal & Punk vs. Christian & Truth

By Jon Mezzera, Torch Specialist — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:30:38 PST

ECW HITS

Burchill vs. Hurricane: This was a good match and a fitting end to what has been a solid to good mid-card feud for ECW. Paul Burchill has improved, and Hurricane has shown that he appears to be back fully healthy after his injury issues. Burchill is never going to have super exciting matches, but he can have good physical matches which is what this was. I particularly liked how he played his role as growing more and more frustrated as the match proceeded when he couldn't finish off Hurricane. Hurricane looked good for his part. The match built well to the end with the big spot from the top rope as Hurricane hit a crazy spinning neck breaker to get the win. The Burchills' reaction to being done with ECW was good too.

Raw Rebound: Yes, I am actually giving the Raw Rebound a Hit. Although technically speaking, this video package wan not titled the Raw Rebound. It was a replay of the great video from Raw of the classic moments from over the years of WWE in Madison Square Garden. That led into a nice recap of the big main event from Raw at MSG, adding to the big moments of the original video. It was nicely done.

Punk & Regal vs. Christian & Truth: I don't really get having CM Punk and R-Truth on ECW this week (more later), but I liked the main event tag. I want to focus on two things. The first is how the match told a consistent story throughout. The heels worked over Truth's leg to weaken him during the match. It was a good strategy that actually paid off in the end. Truth did ultimately get a hot tag to Christian which fired up the crowd, however when he reentered the ring a few minutes later to try to lend a hand, he hurt himself again, which caused the referee to be distracted, allowing Regal and Punk to get the win over Christian. The second thing I want to focus on is that ending, which was very well executed as Christian attempted to hit the Killswitch on Punk, only to take the Knee Trembler from Regal, setting up the GTS by Punk, which Christian sold very well. It was a strong ending to a good match.

ECW MISSES

Brand Split Disintegrating: WWE has thankfully done a good job this year after the last draft of keeping the brands split. At the very least it has been a vast improvement over last year when the brand split meant nothing. That makes something like Undertaker's first appearance on Raw in a year more meaningful. However, the split has been blurred quite a bit lately, particularly starting with the build towards Bragging Rights. That was done in the context of a Raw vs. Smackdown themed PPV, so it made some sense. I don't really see how building towards a simple Survivor Series traditional elimination tag match justifies a random appearance by CM Punk and R-Truth. I enjoyed their involvement in the show. However, I don't like the trend and I hope it doesn't continue. On a side note, how do you have CM Punk on ECW and not announce it ahead of time? If you insist on blurring the brand split lines, at least take advantage of it to try to get a bit of a ratings boost for ECW.

Archer's Intensity: I don't think one adjective is enough to really define a character. For three weeks now we've been told that Vance Archer is intense. Anything else we should know about him? When you introduce a new character cold like this it can be difficult to establish who he is. He looks strong in the ring destroying jobbers in about a minute, but that does nothing to help him connect with the audience. It could be worse. He could be playing Guitar Hero. But, they have to do something to make us connect with him in some way other than just being intense.

Jon Mezzera is PWTorch.com's WWE Hits & Misses Specialist, providing his point of view for Raw, Smackdown, ECW, and Superstars each week. Email him at jmezz-torch@sbcglobal.net.

For another view from the original Hitlist author, compare Jason Powell's views to mine by visiting prowrestling.NET's "Hitlist" section here.

WWE News: Chris Jericho responds to Gabe Sapolsky's negative review of Smackdown TV taping, Sapolsky invites Jericho to upcoming show

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:13:14 PST

By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

WWE wrestler Chris Jericho responded to Dragon Gate USA executive Gabe Sapolsky's negative review of last night's Smackdown TV taping with a sarcastic post on Twitter that WWE must be going out of business if Sapolsky didn't enjoy the taping.

"Dammit if Gabe Sopolsky wasn't impressed, then what chance does the WWE have to survive even one more day??? Breadline, here I come," Jericho said.

Sapolsky responded by inviting Jericho to an upcoming show he's producing where Jericho could sample a different product other than WWE's.

"Don't worry about the breadline Mr. Jericho, you are always welcome in Dragon Gate USA or EVOLVE," Sapolsky said. "Better yet Mr. Jericho, consider yourself invited to 11/28 Philly or 1/23 Chi. DGUSA events & compare it to Smackdown yourself."

For what it's worth, WWE is scheduled for a Smackdown/ECW house show in Maryland on November 28, but Jericho is not advertised to the show. WWE has another SD/ECW house show on January 23 in Indiana that Jericho is advertised for.

Hogan News: Hulk Hogan scheduled to meet with the Prime Minister of Australia

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:25:08 PST

By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

Hulk Hogan is scheduled to meet this week with the Prime Minister of Australia, which is the highest government position in the country, as part of his promotional work for the Hulkamania Tour.

"Things are already getting a little crazy down here in Sydney," Eric Bischoff said on Twitter. "Hulk is on his way to Canberra to meet with the Australian Prime Minister."

The country's capital of Canberra is in-between the two major cities of Melbourne and Sydney. Hogan and Ric Flair are scheduled for a series of matches on the four-date tour starting Saturday night in Melbourne.

Hogan being photographed shaking hands with the Prime Minister would be welcome positive press for the tour after many members of the Australian media were duped into believing the well-publicized brawl between Hogan and Flair was a legitimate fight.

WWE News: Raw TV ratings break down - Detailed analysis of the Raw ratings from Monday's MSG show

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:04:45 PST

By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor
Monday night's episode of WWE Raw from Madison Square Garden averaged a 5.05 million viewers, which was up 18.9 percent compared to the previous week's 2009 low of 4.25 million viewers. Compared to the long-term averages, Raw was up compared to recent trends, but down compared to the 2009 average.

Looking at estimated viewers, Raw from MSG was up 4.3 percent compared to the previous five weeks of TV, which includes last week's rock-bottom 4.25 million viewers. Removing the November 9 Raw, the show still would have been up 1.2 percent.

Raw was also up 3.5 percent compared to the previous ten weeks of TV, which includes two rock-bottom shows - last week's episode and 4.49 million viewers from the September 28 episode.

Looking at the entire year, this week's Raw was down 4.3 percent compared to all of 2009. The show was strong compared to the recent averages, but behind the curve compared to the entire year. However, the ultimate goal each week during the fall season is to reach the five-million viewers benchmark. WWE achieved that with 5.05 million viewers this week.

Raw TV Viewers Breakdown
11/16 - 5.05 million viewers (Roddy Piper, MSG, vs. Week 10 NFL)

LAST FIVE WEEKS OF RAW
11/9 - 4.25 million viewers (Ricky Hatton, vs. Week 9 NFL)
11/2 - 5.00 million viewers (Ozzy, vs. Week 8 NFL, World Series)
10/26 - 5.59 million viewers (NASCAR hosts, vs. Week 7 NFL)
10/19 - 4.64 million viewers (Snoop Dogg, vs. Week 6 NFL, MLB Playoffs)
10/12 - 4.79 million viewers (Nancy & Maria, vs. Week 5 NFL, MLB Playoffs)
5-WEEK AVERAGE: 4.84 million viewers (11/16 Raw up 4.3 percent)

W/LAST TEN WEEKS OF RAW
10/5 - 4.71 million viewers (Big Ben, vs. Week 4 NFL highest-rated game ever)
9/28 - 4.49 million viewers (Rev. Sharpton, vs. Week 3 NFL Dallas Cowboys)
9/21 - 5.01 million viewers (Cedric, vs. Week 2 NFL)
9/14 - 4.90 million viewers (Trish Stratus, vs. Week 1 NFL)
9/7 - 5.48 million viewers (Bob Barker)
COMBINED 10-WEEK AVERAGE: 4.88 million viewers (11/16 Raw up 3.5 percent)

WWE News: Raw TV ratings are in - Did Raw rebound from the 2009 year-low?

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:38:23 PST
By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

Monday night's episode of WWE Raw from Madison Square Garden averaged a 3.47 rating, which was up nearly 12 percent from the previous week's year-low 3.10 rating.

Raw also averaged 5.05 million viewers, which was up nearly 20 percent compared to the previous week's year-low of only 4.25 million viewers.

Raw started with 4.92 million viewers in the first hour of the show, then grew to 5.18 million viewers for the second hour.

The following is a look at this week's show compared to the previous five episodes of Raw. Raw was up 4.3 percent compared to the previous five weeks of TV.

11/16 Raw - 5.05 million viewers
10/12 - 4.79 million viewers
10/19 - 4.64 million viewers
10/26 - 5.59 million viewers
11/2 - 5.00 million viewers
11/9 - 4.25 million viewers

TNA News: Mick Foley scheduled to appear on Comedy Central this week

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:50:20 PST
By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

TNA wrestler Mick Foley is scheduled to appear on Comedy Central's "Daily Show with Jon Stewart" on Thursday night.

The show airs at 11:00 p.m. EST, which is right after TNA Impact on Spike TV. TNA president Dixie Carter made the announcement on Twitter this afternoon.

Foley has recently been on a stand-up comedy tour in the Northeastern U.S. after debuting his routine in Los Angeles during WWE Summerslam weekend in August. Link: Read more at totalextremecomedy.com.

WWE News: WWE announces guest hosts for the next four weeks of Raw, including two new names

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:39:46 PST
By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

WWE announced the list of Raw guest hosts for the next four weeks of episodes. The list includes two new names - Dallas Mavericks/HDNet owner Mark Cuban and actor Verne Tryor, who played "Mini Me" in the Austin Powers movie series.

-- Nov. 23: Jesse Ventura hosts a three-hour "Thanksgiving Week Raw" from Hershey, Pa.

-- Nov. 30: Verne Tryor hosts a regular episode of Raw from Baltimore, Md. (Stacy Keibler says her management team sent out a feeler to WWE to host the show from her hometown, but Keibler says WWE did not return her request.)

-- Dec. 7: Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban hosts a regular episode of Raw from Dallas. The show will be leading to the TLC PPV.

-- Dec. 14: Comedian Dennis Miller hosts a three-hour episode of Raw for the 2009 Slammy Award Show from Corpus Christi, Tex.

WWE/TNA News: Chris Jericho comments on how Hulk Hogan signing with TNA benefits WWE

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:10:32 PST
By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

WWE wrestler Chris Jericho says he hopes Hulk Hogan helps TNA become a bigger company to give WWE competition in the marketplace. Jericho says a stronger TNA would help WWE become better.

"Anything that makes that company bigger is better for us," Jericho told expressnightout.com. "Competition is what we thrive on, so good luck to them. I hope they get a real big boost from it."

Jericho has said in interviews recently that he feels WWE is at a "crisis point" when it comes to a lack of new stars. A strong argument could be made that WWE doesn't have a sense of urgency to create new stars due to a lack of true competition.

If TNA were to begin making a dent in WWE's business, it could lead to a sense of urgency that has been missing from WWE's business model for promoting and elevating new stars.

Link: Read Jericho's complete interview on expressnightout.com.

WWE News: Chris Jericho might consider taking time off in 2010 for music tour

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:53:28 PST
By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

WWE wrestler Chris Jericho says he might consider taking time off early next year to tour with his band "Fozzy" after the release of their next album in January.

"We did a lot of touring overseas: U.K., Ireland, Australia, Scotland — we did really good in those markets. I would be really interested in doing that again, but it all depends on what kind of timeline I have," Jericho told Express Night Out. "You can't spread yourself too thin because that's when you really start losing it. That's what I did last time: I just had so much going on that I started losing my mind."

Jericho took a hiatus from WWE in 2005 and returned in November 2007 after what he called mental burnout. "I wasn't really mentally there, and if you're not mentally there in this job you might as well just quit because you get hurt or you hurt somebody else," Jericho said.

Jericho took time to write his autobiography during his hiatus and is currently working a second book detailing his WWE career. He says he is delegating some of the book-writing to others after writing "every word" himself in the first book.

"The first one, I was a complete control freak," Jericho said. "Everything was under my control. This time, I'm delegating a little bit of the responsibility just so it can get done. If not, it probably wouldn't get done at all because I just don't have the time for it right now."

Caldwell's Analysis: Jericho taking time off would be a major blow to WWE with him being a vital part of Raw and Smackdown each week. WWE needs star power and a "complete heel" like Jericho to play off different characters and be able to take losses in-ring without losing credibility.

Link: Read Chris Jericho's complete interview on expressnightout.com.

TNA News: TNA presenting one-night tournament on Thanksgiving edition of Impact

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:10:52 PST
By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

At last night's TNA Impact taping, TNA taped a one-night tournament to air on the Thanksgiving edition of Impact on November 26. The winner of the tournament will receive a future title shot in his respective division.

The following are the first round matches that were taped last night and will be presented on next week's Impact:

Bracket 1
-- Desmond Wolfe (Hvt.) vs. Suicide (X-Division)
-- Bobby Lashley (Hvt.) vs. Abyss (Hvt.)
-- Winners face each other in Semi-Finals

Bracket 2
-- Kurt Angle (Hvt.) vs. D'Angelo Dinero (X)
-- Homicide (X) vs. Robert Roode (Tag)
-- Winners face each other in Semi-Finals

-- Winner of Bracket 1 faces Winner of Bracket 2 in the Finals

Link: SPOILERS on PWInsider.com.

WWE News: MTV interviews Ted DiBiase, Jr. on his musical tastes (w/VIDEO)

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:48:54 PST
By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

WWE wrestler Ted DiBiase, Jr. swung by MTV Studios in New York City this week with WWE traveling to Madison Square Garden for Raw on Monday night to do promotional work for "The Marine 2" coming out in December.

DiBiase talked about his and Big Show's musical tastes during the interview. DiBiase said he usually listens to Eminem in the gym when he's looking for an extra push lifting weights.

"I'm a fan of all music," DiBiase told MTV. "I'm not just saying that. I like the pop music that comes out. I live in Mississippi, so I do like the country music. I'm a big fan of the Kings of Leon. I really dig their music. I work out to Eminem and stuff. He gets me going in the gym. He's got some good lyrics, and he gets me a little pissed off. That's what I need to push some weights sometime."

A video clip of the interview is below.

MTV Shows

WWE News: Gabe Sapolsky blogs on why he thought last night's Smackdown TV taping "sucked"

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:02:31 PST
By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

Dragon Gate USA executive Gabe Sapolsky says he thought the Smackdown/ECW TV taping last night in Philadelphia "sucked" due to the robotic nature of the wrestlers performing for the casual audience.

"Most of the wrestlers were robotic (stop at top of ramp, pose, walk into ring, ignore entire crowd and turn to hard cam, pose, turn back to ramp and wait for opponent). Everything was formulaic," Sapolsky blogged on MySpace. "I sat there for two hours from the opening bell waiting through dead time between matches and endless videos before Smackdown actually started."

Sapolsky was an apprentice under Paul Heyman in the Original ECW and did not acknowledge WWE's ECW TV taping taking place before the Smackdown taping. Sapolsky gave a positive review to ECW Original Tommy Dreamer and former ROH champion C.M. Punk, who Sapolsky worked with in Ring of Honor.

"I left after C.M. Punk's promo (to start Smackdown). Punk was great, but the taping sucked," he said. "However, it wasn't all bad as Tommy Dreamer is still over in Philly and Punk is a superstar."

Sapolsky says he's seen some "crappy wrestling lately that turned me off to the business." Sapolsky's criticisms of WWE's machine-like TV presentation were addressed by Eric Bischoff in a recent Torch Talk with Torch editor Wade Keller. From his experiences working in WWE, Bischoff detailed why WWE's TV presentation often comes across like the wrestlers are zombies.

Bischoff said: "The quality of production in WWE is second-to-none in my opinion, but part of that is because everything is so tight. Kevin Dunn is sitting in the truck directing an interview or directing cameras to cover an interview on Monday Night Raw and he's looking at the same script that the talent has memorized. He knows when the important part of that interview is going to come up and he'll cut to a tight shot at the right moment and capture the interview live. That level of production requires an equal level of pre-production, and part of that pre-production is a tight script. It's two things. It's one, the nature of the experience of the person who's in charge of directing the talent and producing the talent. And two, it's a manifestation of the change in the business."

The first six part of the six-hour Torch Talk with Eric Bischoff are currently available for TORCH VIP Members. Learn how to sign up and become a VIP member today.

WWE News: "Superstar" Billy Graham gains publicity for attacking Linda McMahon's Senate campaign

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:33:00 PST
By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

WWE Hall of Famer "Superstar" Billy Graham is garnering publicity in Connecticut for attacking former WWE CEO Linda McMahon's Senate campaign by calling McMahon a hypocrite. Graham blames McMahon for being part of a "WWE machine" preventing wrestlers from receiving health benefits while promoting a TV product with "sex and violence."

Graham says he's going to travel around the state of Connecticut with t-shirts calling McMahon a "scam" for trying to distance herself from WWE after announcing her campaign run.

Graham was interviewed by the Hartford Courant, which has been covering the Senate race leading to the 2010 election season. Graham said, "Linda McMahon's hands are as bloody as her husband's (WWE CEO Vince McMahon) because she is aware of every move in the ring."

Graham insists WWE changed to a PG-TV, family-friendly product to help McMahon's Senate campaign. He pointed to WWE stopping blood usage on TV.

"She has had no problem with grown men — myself included — cutting their head with a razor blade. All of a sudden, why aren't these guys bleeding anymore? Because Linda is running for the Senate," he claimed.

McMahon's campaign spokesman discredited Graham, saying "that rhetoric is so over the top and so outrageous that it's not credible and not believable."

WWE discredited Graham by saying he's bitter when he's not on the WWE payroll. Graham was released from his "personal services" contract this summer.

"Clearly, Superstar Billy Graham has a pattern of making false statements about WWE and Vince McMahon when he's no longer on WWE's payroll," a WWE spokesman said.

In the interview, Graham responded to anticipated criticism of his attacks on McMahon and WWE.

"I am disgruntled," he said with a raised voice. "I am bitter. I am mad at Vince McMahon for not having health care. Absolutely print that. Absolutely, I'm bitter to the core."

Link: Hartford Courant report.

MMA News: Brock Lesnar health update - UFC president much more optimistic than this weekend

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:12:53 PST
By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

UFC president Dana White says former WWE star and current UFC Hvt. champion Brock Lesnar is "doing okay" after checking out of the hospital on Tuesday.

White says Lesnar will be scheduled for a full medical exam after returning home to Minnesota to determine his physical condition after having "minor surgery" on Monday to address a bacterial infection in his intestines.

In a video blog, White sounded much more optimistic about Lesnar's future in MMA than this past weekend when he said Lesnar was "very, very sick" and his fight career was in jeopardy.

"I flew up to see Brock," White said on Tuesday. "Brock was released from the hospital today, went home, and gonna wait a couple days, heal up, see how he feels, and then we're going to go get him checked out, get a full medical checkup, and hopefully he's okay and everything's going to work out with him."

White told the L.A. Times that he's planning to book a fight to determine the interim UFC Hvt. champion while Lesnar recovers. ESPN covered Lesnar's health update on SportsCenter today with a report on the basics that Lesnar is expected to recover from surgery.

Continue to follow this story and other MMA hot topics in the news at MMATorch.com.

Links: White's video blog on fanhouse.com and L.A. Times Report.

TORCH TALK DAILY with Eric Bischoff: On Vince McMahon - "I think he's one of the least creative people that I've worked with"

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:00:25 PST

On Monday, September 14, PWTorch editor Wade Keller interviewed former WCW President Eric Bischoff an exclusive multi-hour "Torch Talk" interview covering a variety of controversial subjects from the Monday Night War period, his days on WWE TV, his 2006 autobiography, and the "Rise & Fall of WCW" DVD.

The following is the latest installment of part four of the exclusive five-hour "Torch Talk" with former WCW President Eric Bischoff. Part 4(b) of our daily Q&As will be published here at PWTorch.com, which is unprecedented with our VIP-exclusive "Torch Talk" series.

To both READ and LISTEN to the entire interview, you'll want to become a VIP member, which also includes instant access to our newsmaking multi-hour in-depth hard-hitting "Torch Talks" with other top WCW players such as Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, X-Pac, Vince Russo, Ed Ferrara, Hulk Hogan, Goldberg, Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, and others (ALL AVAILABLE AT THIS LINK FOR VIP MEMBERS). To subscribe right now and be the first to read the entire Bischoff "Torch Talk" and have VIP-only access to the audio, click here. The first audio segment and transcript installment is now available for VIP members.

We present today's latest question and answer from Part 4(b). Tune in tomorrow for the next series of Q&A's from part 4.

Wade Keller: Let me play the role of defense attorney for Vince McMahon. As you say, he's got this incredible market cap, he's mega-successful. Does there come a level of success that you reach where it's not even bad business to just say, "I don't want to filter through other people's ideas, my way of doing things works, and I just want things done that way. Even if you think it can be done better, my way is working pretty damn well, I don't want to work with a thousand people and a thousand ideas and try to find the five or six great ideas in that mix. I want things done my way." Because you were in the heat of that mega-success run in Nitro and I'm sure everybody was coming at you with tons of ideas and there had to be a moment where you thought, "Let me just concentrate on doing what I know has worked even if it's not the best, it's working certainly well enough for me to focus on this."

Eric Bischoff: I want to make sure I was clear in our previous interview. While in my opinion every single thing in that company has Vince McMahon's fingerprints on it, he does listen to other people. Other people do come to him with ideas, good and bad. The difference is that when someone comes to him with a good idea, he McMahon-izes it. He takes an idea and modifies it in such a way that it kind of fits the formula or the recipe that he feels works for his company. Honestly, I don't think there's anything wrong with that. I'm not being critical of it because it's working for him. But the net of it is that it all looks the same, walks the same, talks the same, and smells the same so consistently that it's hard to watch. There's just nothing new there. It's not that it's bad, it's just the same. But that's his process. I'm not saying that he just sits in a room by himself and writes the stuff. He clearly doesn't. I don't think quite honestly he's that creative of a person, to be really honest about it. The creativity is not his strength by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, I think he's one of the least creative people that I've worked with. However, he is good at taking other people's ideas and twisting the, turning them, modifying them to fit the formula that clearly has worked for him.

MORE TO COME TOMORROW WITH BISCHOFF EXPLAINING HIS OPINION...

CLICK HERE FOR THE MOST RECENT BISCHOFF Q&A SNIPPET

Hogan News: Hulk Hogan reportedly admits the brawl with Ric Flair was staged

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:16:56 PST
By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

Hulk Hogan reportedly admitted to reporters in Australia that his "fight" with Ric Flair that left Hogan's face covered in blood was staged for publicity. Hogan made the admission at Sydney Football Stadium when he showed up "looking fit and healthy" for the press conference.

"It took me about half an hour to get freshened up before I ran back out, it got a bit crazy," Hogan told Australia's Wentworth Courier newspaper. "I didn’t plan on going backwards off the stage, that was a bit of a shock."

Hogan admitting the fight with Flair was a work came after Hogan's Hulkamania Tour received tremendous press across Australia, even becoming a top story on the leading news website in the country.

Hogan's first tour date is Saturday night and it will be interesting to see if there is any negative backlash from the staged fight that many members of the Australian press bought as a legitimate brawl.

Images of Hogan's face covered in blood were splashed across the websites of major newspapers and news outlets on Wednesday linking to stories that suggested the fight was real, which made some reporters gathered at the press conference seem silly for buying into the stunt.

Link: Report from contactmusic.com.

Hogan News: TMZ covers Hogan-Flair brawl; Shocker - Hogan rep claims it was real

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:03:13 PST
By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

TMZ's coverage of the Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair press conference brawl centered on...whether the blood on Hogan's face was real. TMZ even posed a poll question to readers straight from 1984 on whether Hogan had "BS blood."

TMZ says they spoke with a representative from Hulk Hogan's promotional team who naturally insisted that the entire fight was real.

"We know -- you're thinking it's all BS to promote the fight, but we spoke with somebody in Hulk's camp who insists the entire thing was real ... the blood and the injuries," TMZ reported.

Link: TMZ Report.

WWE News: List of matches taped for this week's Superstars leading to Survivor Series

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:45:09 PST
By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

WWE taped the following matches at Monday and Tuesday's TV tapings to air on Thursday night's edition of WWE Superstars on WGN leading to the Survivor Series PPV.

-- Raw brand: Cody Rhodes vs. Mark Henry

-- Smackdown brand: Eric Escobar vs. Jimmy Wang Yang

-- ECW brand: Shelton Benjamin vs. Zack Ryder

Link: SD/ECW SPOILERS at Prowrestling.net.

TNA News: TNA polling for Best PPV Match of the Year; winning match to air on Impact

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:12:40 PST
By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

TNA is polling readers on their official website to decide the company's Best PPV match of 2009. The winning match will air on a "special episode" of TNA Impact on New Year's Eve.

TNA included 24 matches on the list, but missed one of the Top Five matches of the year according to the Torch's star ratings, as TNA did not include the Alex Shelley vs. Chris Sabin match from the first PPV of the year at Genesis.

TNA included one of the marquee match-ups from Genesis, Jeff Jarrett vs. Kurt Angle, which I rated slightly below the Shelley vs. Sabin match. Genesis PPV Report.

The voting is available on TNA's wesbite.

Hogan News: Coverage of Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair's brawl extends to U.S. mainstream news outlets

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:50:25 PST
By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

The news of Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair staging a bloody brawl in Australia earlier today has reached mainstream news outlets in the U.S. The tone of the reports has been mockery toward the wrestlers and fingers being pointed at the Australian press for buying into the fight as being legitimate.

PerezHilton.com, the Chicago Tribune, and the Charlotte Observer from Flair's home city have covered the news story and posted video clips.

Internationally, the U.K. Sun and the Daily Mail in the U.K. have covered the staged brawl with a tone similar to the U.S. coverage.

The AP has yet to report on the brawl between Hogan and Flair, but that would increase the number of U.S. mainstream news outlets reporting on Hogan's publicity stunt to keep his name in the news despite being thousands of miles away in Australia.

Hogan News: Watch VIDEO of the Hulkamania Press Conference breaking down into a staged fight (w/VIDEO)

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:28:30 PST
By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

FOX Sports in Australia covered the Hulkamania press conference with video of Flair landing apparently the most deadly slap to the face in the history of the world leading to Hogan bleeding profusely from his forehead after he obviously bladed to stir up Australian media gathered at the press conference.

The video shows Flair talking about Hogan's love life during a verbal exchange, then Hogan declaring the press conference is over. Hogan then turns around and takes The Slap to the face from Flair.

Next, Eric Bischoff steps in trying to play up the staged fight while Hogan is on the ground preparing to bleed as wrestlers pretend to be holding back Flair from doing anything else to Hogan. The video ends with Flair taking off his belt to "inflict more damage" on Hogan, who was surely "feeling the effects" at this point. Video of the stunt is below.

For another video clip, this one of Ric Flair playing a great heel, Ten Sport in Australia covered the event with one of their news reporters saying Flair trying to go after him after he was spotted laughing at the stunt.

ECW TV Reax #1: "C.M. Punk scoring the pin in the main event made Smackdown seem more important than ECW"

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:15:03 PST
-- 11/17 ECW TV Reax

Terrie Neilson of Las Vegas, Nev. (7.0): Best: Punk/Regal vs. Christian/Truth. Worst: Punk-Christian promo. ECW is going to Survivor Series. Too bad they're going in as lackeys instead of having their own triple-threat match. Did Ryder piss someone off? I just don't like how this storyline with Benjamin is working. And Rosa just plain annoys me, as well as brings Ryder down from the good place he was at. I wish there was more time spent on this, but at least time was taken to take in Burchill's loss and its effects on Paul and Katie. I haven't heard anything about Paul Burchill being released outright, so I'm guessing he'll be a "free agent" like Batista and end up elsewhere. For once, the top rope corner move actually led to a clean finish! Between Christian and Tiffany, Tiff's response to Punk's Straight Edge lifestyle was less condescending in words. Checking the definition of "prude," it does fit Punk in terms of his preachiness of his lifestyle. However, in her comments, she makes herself to be a party girl when not on the job. To come across a little more professional, a mention of "moderation" would have done the trick. Christian, on the other hand, extends Straight Edge to Punk's personal life, which Punk was given no chance to explain. It doesn't make the face look very good there. Archer gets another squash win, which should mean he will be mixing with the small roster soon. What he has in his arsenal looks okay, but what else is there? The only thing wrong with the main event was Punk getting the pin. I could understand Punk getting in plenty of licks for Christian's insult, but Regal's title match loss is higher in my book in terms of getting heat back. It just makes Smackdown seem more important than ECW.

-- 11/16 WWE Raw Reax

A.A. Norman of Tulsa, Okla. (9.5): Best: Main event. Worst: Roddy's promo. There really was nothing that made me cringe, except wondering if Rowdy Roddy was drunk when he was in the ring calling Vince out. Congrats to WWE for having one of the best shows of the year. I hope the ratings reflected the fact that the wrestlers and creative team put forth a lot of effort on this show. Highlights for me were Santino's pandering to the New York crowd, WWE pushing Kofi as a legit star against Randy Orton, and the main event. They might have actually convinced me to buy a PPV.

We welcome your 0-10 score and comments on this show for a "ECW TV Reax" feature in the Torch Feedback section of PWTorch.com. Just to add a twist to this feature, include not just your hometown, but also your occupation (mechanic, lawyer, stay-at-home-dad, college student, etc.) so readers get a flavor for what everyone does as "day jobs." To contribute your thoughts on ECW, click here.

Hogan News: Hulk Hogan covered in blood the top story on the leading news website in Australia

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:31:09 PST
By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

A photo of Hulk Hogan covered in blood at today's Hulkamania Tour press conference is currently the top overall story on the leading news website in Australia.

The photo on news.com.au, which has similar reach to FOX News in the U.S. and is owned by billionaire Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., includes a headline "Bloody Mayhem." The photo links to a story on Ric Flair attacking Hogan in an angle that was played out in front of numerous media reporters and wrestling fans.

The news report on news.com.au plays up the angle as being real, with a lead paragraph that the press conference "veered violently out of control today as Hulk Hogan and ring rival Ric Flair let their animosity break into what appeared to be a full scale bloody brawl."

Thanks to Torch specialist Mike Roe for the tip. Mike adds: "I think this proves that Hogan and Flair are still officially the best workers in the world."

Hogan News: More photos of Hogan bleeding to promote the Hogan-Flair feud for the Australian Tour

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:10:58 PST
By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

Hulk Hogan bleeding profusely after a Ric Flair attack during a Hulkamania Tour press conference today was covered by numerous media outlets in Australia, including major newspapers, Australian TV stations, and MTV Australia.

The coverage included quotes from fans who bought into the angle as being real to give Hogan's organizers the publicity they need to help boost ticket sales for the four-event tour.

Hogan and Flair were joined by former WWE wrestlers the Nasty Boys, Shannon Moore, Gangrel, Rikishi, and Val Venis to promote the show. Photos of the event are below. An entire photo gallery is available at Sydney Central.

Hogan News: Ric Flair bloodies Hulk Hogan at press conference to promote Australian Tour (w/PIC)

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:20:05 PST
By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

WWE Hall of Famers Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair worked an angle at a press conference in Australia to promote their series of matches in Australia this month.

The angle included Flair attacking Hogan during the conference, then Hogan bleeding to sell the media reporters gathered at the event on the "feud" between Hogan and Flair.

From the Herald Sun: "The press conference veered violently out of control today as Hulk Hogan and ring rival Ric Flair let their animosity break into a full scale bloody brawl."

The first match on the tour is on Saturday night in Melbourne. The rest of the schedule is Tuesday in Perth, next Thursday in Brisbane, and next Saturday in Sydney.

Thanks to Torch readers Robert Taylor and Andrew S. for the story tip.

[Photo credit The Daily Telegraph]

MMA News: Brock Lesnar released from the hospital tonight; Lesnar's UFC future in doubt

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:42:03 PST
By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

The AP reported tonight that former WWE star and current UFC Hvt. champion Brock Lesnar was released from a hospital in South Dakota and has returned to his home in Minnesota.

Lesnar's chiropractor told the AP that Lesnar won't make a decision on his MMA career until his health improves after suffering from a bacterial infection in his intestines.

ECW MVP POLL: Who was the MVP of the 11/17 ECW TV if you saw the show?

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:14:15 PST

ECW MVP POLL: Who was the MVP of the 11/17 ECW TV if you saw the show?
C.M. Punk
William Regal
Christian
R-Truth
The Hurricane
Paul Burchill
Zack Ryder
Shelton Benjamin
Vance Archer
Rosa Mendes
Katie Lea
GM Tiffany

CALDWELL'S ECW TV REPORT 11/17: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of Burchill vs. Hurricane, C.M. Punk cameo

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:10:08 PST

WWE - ECW on SyFy TV Report
November 17, 2009 - Year 4, Week 24 (Week 180 overall)
Taped in Philadelphia, Pa.
By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

The WWE show started with C.M. Punk backstage. He welcomed us to the show where he won his first title in WWE. We'll be seeing more of him tonight.

In-ring: The announcers plugged a Survivor Series preview match of Christian & R-Truth vs. Regal & C.M. Punk for later tonight. Zack Ryder and Rosa Mendes came to the ring to start the show. Ryder said his life has changed for the better since hooking up with Rosa. She seemed more into herself than anything Ryder was saying. Ryder then wanted another piece of Shelton Benjamin, which brought out Shelton. Ryder and Shelton then engaged in a back-and-forth verbal exchange about who was the bigger tool and who could win Rosa's affection. Another match between these two was set for a later date. That date being Superstars on Thursday.

[Q2]

1 -- PAUL BURCHILL (w/Katie Lea) vs. THE HURRICANE

Burchill's ECW career on the line vs. Hurricane's mask. They had an early feeling-out process to convey to the audience this was going to go long. Burchill then gained control with his trademark slow-it-down, work-a-body part offense. Katie tried to get involved by grabbing Hurricane's foot from the outside, and Burchill capitalized with a suplex to take control going to the break.

[Commercial Break]

The second-half of the match led to desperation mode with each man scoring nearfalls trying to protect their positions. Announcers suggested Hurricane was using his super-powers to kick out of each pin attempt. Burchill became frustrated, screamed out to the audience, and demanded Katie do something. She stood by silently, though. Hurricane then hit the Eye of the Hurricane for another two count. The action moved up top and Hurricane blocked a superplex. He then nailed a top rope neckbreaker and scored the pin on Burchill for the win. And Burchill is gone from ECW. Post-match: Katie Lea shook her head in frustration ringside as Burchill held his hair in anger and frustration. Katie then slid into the ring to console Paul as the announcers went silent. Crowd just wanted them out of the ring, but WWE milked the reality of the situation for a while.

WINNER: Hurricane in 14:00. Good, above-average TV match with a nice finish that the audience bought into considering the stipulations. We'll see what it means for Burchill in WWE going forward. Tiffany's post-match reaction in the next camera shot suggested Burchill might be able to convice her to stay... (**1/4)

[Q3]

Backstage: They showed ECW GM Tiffany watching the ending of Burchill on ECW with concern. C.M. Punk then walked in and Tiffany became happy again. Punk said he's straight-edge, but he understands Tiffany drinks. Tiffany said she's not an anti-social prude. She told him he needs to loosen up and try being a human being. Tiffany smiled and slapped him on the shoulder after Punk smirked at her.

[Commercial Break]

In-ring: Vance Archer intensely walked to the ring for an intense match-up against an intense jobber. Already in the ring from an intense South Beach was Johnny Andrews.

2 -- VANCE ARCHER vs. JOHNNY ANDREWS

Announcers reminded us that Archer is intense. Archer made poor Andrews cry, or Andrews was just selling pain. Archer nailed his intese finisher for the pin and the win. Crowd still quiet for Archer, who we don't anything about in WWE. That's intense.

WINNER: Quick squash to continue building up Arch. Intense you might say. (n/a)

Backstage: Christian was shown lacing up his boots, then Punk walked up to him to talk about the straight-edge lifestyle. He wanted to know if Punk could hold hands with a girl or if he gets punished for missing curfew. (Great message to the kids that abstaining from alcohol and giving into peer pressure means you're a dork. So backwards.) Christian said people around here call Punk a nerd. Punk became agitated with Christian's line of nerd-calling. Punk asked for some respect since he's a former ECW champ. Christian shot back that Punk is the former champ, while he is the champ. Christian walked off, leaving Punk frustrated.

[Q4]

[Commercial Break]

MSG Video: ECW announcers Josh Mathews and Byron Saxton tossed it to the lengthy MSG video that aired on Raw with the old-school WWWF, WWF, Attitude Era, and current clips with Jim Ross providing much of the soundtrack for classic moments.

In-ring: C.M. Punk, then William Regal came out for the ECW main event. ECW champ Christian came out first for the babyface tag team. Out second was R-Truth, who received higher billing than the champ for some reason. Truth rapped to the ring wanting to know what's up with them.

3 -- ECW champion CHRISTIAN & R-TRUTH vs. C.M. PUNK & WILLIAM REGAL

After the full-length entrances, the babyfaces cleared Punk and Regal to the floor and they quickly cut to a break.

[Commercial Break. WWE is advertising the "biggest tag match in Smackdown history" - Taker & Kane vs. Jericho & Big Show. I realize WWE thinks their audience will buy anything they're selling, but that's a ridiculous insult to the intelligence of the audience. It's what Jim Ross talked about in his blog with too much over-selling on wrestling TV.]

[Q5 -- over-run]

Back from break, the heels were in control with Punk working over Truth's right knee before bringing in Regal to pick up what Punk was putting down. Announcers talked up the Survivor Series elimination matches while Punk shouted at Christian, "Who's the man now, huh?" Regal continued to work the knee as Punk riled up the crowd from the ring apron to keep them interested. Punk came back in and cut off Truth's attempted comeback before bringing Regal back in to inflict more punishment. Punk returned at 10:00, but lost control to allow Christian to tag in. Christian nailed a Tornado DDT for a two count, then hit a spinning D.J. Gabriel European Uppercut from the second rope. Punk and Christian then teased each other's finishers, but Christian had the last word with a Killswitch, only to have Regal break up a pin attempt. The action broke down and Christian ate a running knee trembler from Regal. Punk then scooped up Christian for the Go 2 Sleep on Christian for the pin and the win. Afterward, Regal hugged Punk to celebrate the win going into Survivor Series. After replays aired, Regal and Punk did the "go to sleep" hand motion to taunt Christian as the heels stood tall to close the show.

WINNERS: Punk & Regal in 12:00. Punk gets the last laugh over Christian on ECW tonight to set up Christian's team for a probable comeback victory at Survivor Series. Fine match with Punk playing a good heel throughout the match (and the show) to rile up the crowd during potential slow spots. (*1/2)

We welcome your 0-10 score and comments on this show for an "ECW TV Reax" feature in the Torch Feedback section of PWTorch.com. To contribute your thoughts on ECW TV, email to pwtorch@gmail.com using our Feedback form.

11/16 WWE Raw Hits & Misses: Miz vs. MVP, Piper - McMahon, Kingston's Moment, Survivor Series Hype, JeriShow vs. DX vs. Cena & Taker

By Jon Mezzera, Torch Specialist — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:28:16 PST
RAW HITS

MSG Video: I am a fan of WWE history and as a general rule, I enjoy these trips down memory lane. This video focusing on huge moments in Madison Square Garden was very well produced and fun to watch. It was part of the big show feel that this Raw had, with the large crowd, multiple celebrities in attendance, a special appearance by Vince McMahon who has been on Smackdown more than Raw lately, and the huge star-filled main event. I give kudos to WWE for making the show and the venue feel this special.

Piper - McMahon: This is a marginal Hit. I liked this moment from Rowdy Roddy Piper better than his other appearances on the show. He gave a good promo about his history in MSG. I liked how he called out Vince McMahon for one last fight, although it did seem to come out of nowhere. McMahon was good in his part in verbally running down Piper. Piper had the one slip up when he said he had been in 7,000 car accidents and 30 pro matches, but he realized it and corrected himself. Piper's best moment was when he got a little more serious, specifically mentioning how he beat cancer and can beat McMahon too. Obviously, the fight didn't happen on this show, but the seeds were planted for what would be a very ugly match down the line.

Shaemus: Shaemus continues to be built up as a strong and intense and even sadistic competitor. This week when he couldn't get any competition from the locker room, he took out his frustrations on the time keeper in a brutal attack. His knockout kick of Jerry Lawler worked well too. He looked good and is getting a big build at this point. On a side note, it was nice to hear a logical explanation why Matt Striker happened to be in attendance to take over for Lawler.

Kingston's Star Making Moment: At this point in Raw, 4 of the 5 Misses below had happened (the 5th encompassed multiple segments, some of which had occurred). Only 3 of the 5 Hits had happened. It was getting late and the show was looking bad. Then came the really awkward moment when Kofi Kingston's music came way too late as he was supposed to interrupt Randy Orton's attempt to punt Piper in the head. Luckily, what followed was so good and so memorable and such a star making moment for Kingston that I can forgive the bad timing. The brawl between Kingston and Orton was great. I liked how Kingston got the early advantage, but Orton was able to come back on his own. Then, Kingston had the great leaping take down to avoid a punt and continue the brawl. The brawl went back and forth. It was very physical. I loved the ending, how Kingston teased a big leap through Orton on the table only to have the referees put a stop to it. That only got the crowd more excited to see the move a moment later when Kingston shook the refs off and went back to dive onto Orton. It was a great moment.

JeriShow vs. DX vs. Cena & Undertaker: I was worried about this match when Undertaker's entrance occurred right at 11:05 when the show usually ends. I feared that it would turn into a quick brawl after a very short match. Fortunately, the match went 7 minutes. That isn't very long, but I thought it was only going to go 2 or 3 minutes. Plus, those 7 minutes were very fun to watch and I felt the quality of what we saw made for a satisfying finish to Raw. The match was well booked. I liked the rule of having one member of the team in the ring at all times (as opposed to some triple threat tags were only two men are in the ring and they can tag out to anyone). The match had many nice moments, like Undertaker and Triple H teaming to take out Big Show. I liked how Michaels finally got serious when he got in the ring against Undertaker and took off his DX gear. The brief encounter was well done. The match continued on at a good pace with several tags and each wrestler being able to hit their signature moves. The crowd was hot throughout the main event. It built well to Cena getting the win after the FU on Triple H. Undertaker's surprise Tombstone on Cena to end the show was a nice moment also.

RAW MISSES

Opening Piper's Pit: In the end, there was quite a lot to like about Raw, but early on it was looking ugly right from the start with this edition of Piper's Pit. Later on, they showed multiple celebrities at the arena, but at this point it was very odd and random to have Luis Guzman as a guest for no reason. The bit with the Iron Chef / Iron Sheik mix up was an amusing idea, but it just didn't work. It was a mess of a segment that might have worked better later in the show as the audience might be already committed to watching as opposed to just tuning in and possibly quickly tuning out after seeing this. The "Saturday Night Live" opening was bad too.

Miz (promo) vs. MVP: This Miss is both for Miz's pre-match promo, and the match itself. In general, local cheap heat does not bother me much depending on the situation. But, this is a situation where Miz really went after the Yankees and got the New York crowd chanting for the Yankees, not for Miz's opponent or against Miz himself. It seemed to me that Miz was going to go on to say something about LeBron James being from Cleveland like himself and not coming to the Knicks, but after the strong Yankee chant, Miz went another direction which was smart. I hate the Yankees so I found myself rooting for Miz and not Montel Vontavious Porter and his kiss ass Yankees hat. The match was too short at under 4 minutes. I don't mind Miz getting a strong win, but MVP has been built up lately too and looked bad for losing so easy to Miz. This did nothing to hype MVP's involvement in Team Kingston at Survivor Series or Miz captaining his own team.

Melina vs. Fox: A Divas Championship match that lasts less than 2 minutes? Give me a break. If you can't trust the Divas to have even a 5 minute match, especially for a Title, then what's the point of having them wrestle at all? There is talent in the division. I don't get diminishing them to this type of roll. At Survivor Series they will have a traditional elimination tag match that will probably have about eight eliminations and last maybe 4 minutes.

Bourne vs. Swagger: These two have had too many matches since coming to Raw. This one was only 2 minutes as it was joined in progress. This was particularly disappointing because of how little wrestling action we had seen up to that point. Instead of giving us a nice long (or even decent length) match, they joined it in progress and only showed 2 minutes. This did nothing to hype Survivor Series. It made Swagger look strong, but Bourne look weak.

Selling Survivor Series: I'm glad that DX seemed to put their angle with Hornswoggle to bed finally, but it is too late. Once again, they came out to discuss the triple threat match for the WWE Title, but barely mentioned it so that they could move on to more important matters, Hornswoggle's gimmick infringement. Why should I pay to see a PPV match that the wrestlers themselves aren't taking seriously? Later, John Cena gave a bad promo about the match. He did his normal mix of sort of serious with goofy. Did we need a "Ghostbusters" reference? It was more goofy and silly stuff in what could be a much more serious and impactful build to what could be a great match between these three wrestlers. WWE didn't do much to build anticipation for any of the other matches either other than the great fight between Kingston and Orton. The traditional Survivor Series tag matches weren't hyped at all. Speaking of those matches, my brother pointed something out to me that I hadn't thought of, but I should have. Last month at Bragging Rights, we were expected to believe that there was this huge feud and animosity between the Raw and Smackdown rosters. Now one month later, there are multiple tag matches that feature members of Raw and Smackdown on the same team. So what happened to Raw vs. Smackdown? They wanted to fight each other last month for Bragging Rights, but this month they stand together for a match with nothing on the line. It makes no sense.

Jon Mezzera is PWTorch.com's WWE Hits & Misses Specialist, providing his point of view for Raw, Smackdown, ECW, and Superstars each week. Email him at jmezz-torch@sbcglobal.net.

For another view from the original Hitlist author, compare Jason Powell's views to mine by visiting prowrestling.NET's "Hitlist" section here.

WWE/TNA News: Kurt Angle interviewed on his steroid use in WWE, recent legal issues with ex-girlfriend

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:30:49 PST
By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

TNA wrestler Kurt Angle justified his steroid use in WWE during a mainstream interview this week that he "did what he had to do" in order to become a star in the wrestling industry. In TNA, Angle said he no longer depends on looking "big," especially considering his numerous health problems.

"It's not about size for me anymore," Angle told the Vancouver Sun in an interview to promote TNA. "If you go through my career, you can tell when I was really big, and when I wasn't. You do what you have to do to get there. But you know what? I don't deal with that stuff anymore. I'm clean and I do my work."

In 2007 while with TNA, Angle was on the famous Sports Illustrated list of pro wrestlers who received anabolic steroids from an online drug company, which is a direct violation of WWE's Wellness Policy. Angle obtained the steroids while he was part of WWE, but prior to WWE instituting the policy. (Read about the SI list.)

Angle also talked about his legal issues with ex-girlfriend Trenesha Biggers in the interview. Angle reportedly brought up the subject after a three-month process that led to all charges against him being dropped last week.

"I just want to say to all my fans, I was found not guilty," Angle said without prompting, according to reporter Dalson Chen. "Myself and Trenesha Biggers came to an agreement that we would not talk to each other for the next three years. The whole case was thrown out."

Link: Read the entire interview in the Vancouver Sun.

11/17 Wade Keller Hotline - Raw: MSG edition packed with stars and antics, but did it sell Survivor Series? (30 min.)

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:16:29 PST

This installment of the Wade Keller Hotline features a look at last night's edition of WWE Raw from MSG including what can be inferred from the new opening to the show, thoughts on the smaller entrance set, reaction to Roddy Piper's role, whether the final Survivor Series hype delivered, and more.

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WWE News: What's on ECW TV tonight - Hurricane vs. Burchill, Survivor Series hype

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:32:41 PST
By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

Tonight's edition of ECW TV on Syfy will feature Hurricane Helms vs. Paul Burchill in the blow-off match from their relatively lengthy feud on ECW TV. The stipulations are that Helms must unmask if he loses and Burchill must leave ECW if he loses.

WWE will also be promoting the Survivor Series PPV on Sunday. ECW champion Christian and William Regal are the only two members of the ECW brand on the PPV. Christian will be on Kofi Kingston's team and Regal will be on Randy Orton's team.

Last week, Christian was booked to retain the ECW Title over Regal in a match WWE advertised as Regal's "last chance" at the ECW Title.

WWE News: Note on Raw TV ratings delayed today

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:20:08 PST
By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

The Nielsen TV ratings system was down today, so we won't have WWE Raw ratings information until Wednesday.

Last week, Raw drew the lowest TV rating of the year with a 3.1 rating and 4.2 million viewers. WWE should rebound from that rating for last night's show with the final hype for Survivor Series, a show from New York City, and a non-competitive game on Monday Night Football.

WWE News: Raw TV taping report - Happenings off live TV including Legacy in action before the Raw taping

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:36:15 PST
WWE Raw TV taping report - Happenings off live TV
November 16, 2009
New York City at Madison Square Garden
Report by Joe, Torch reader of wrestleslam.com

Legacy members Ted DiBiase, Jr. and Cody Rhodes were surprisingly off last night's episode of WWE Raw. The following are notes on their role in the pre-Raw matches at last night's TV taping.

Dark Match: Ted DiBiase, Jr. beat Primo. DiBiase must have received half-cheers and half-boos and even Primo got a good amount of cheers. The match itself was a pretty good match - one of the best dark matches I can remember and not just a throwaway match.

Former WWE ring announcer Lilian Garcia then sang the national anthem. The pop she got was crazy - one of the loudest of the night.

Superstars Taping for Thursday's show

(1) Cody Rhodes vs. Mark Henry. Cody was booed and had some cheers, but not as many as Ted.

[Torch art credit Grant Gould (c) PWTorch.com]

DGUSA News: Match order announced for Dragon Gate's next show to crown first-ever DGUSA champion

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:22:57 PST
By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

Dragon Gate USA announced today the match order for their upcoming show on Saturday, November 28 in Philadelphia to crown their first-ever DGUSA champion. The announcement was made on DGUSA's first podcast available on iTunes.

The four first round matches will be in the first-half of the show. The semi-main event match of Dragon Kid & Shingo vs. Masato Yoshino & Naruki Doi will follow the intermission.

The show will then conclude with the main event four-way match featuring the winners of the first round matches to determine the promotion's first champion.

The first round match-ups are as follows:
-- Next Level: YAMATO vs. Davey Richards
-- Generation New: Young Buck Nick Jackson vs. Young Buck Matt Jackson vs. Jigsaw vs. Gran Akuma vs. Lince Dorado vs. Johnny Gargano
-- Redemption: Former WWE wrestlerBrian Kendrick vs. BxB Hulk
-- Salute to Skayde: CIMA vs. Mike Quackenbush vs. Super Crazy vs. Jorge Rivera

Read More: DGUSA.TV.

WWE RAW ROUNDTABLE REVIEWS 11/16: Keller, Caldwell, Parks rate and review

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:18:08 PST
Wade Keller, Torch Editor (7.5)

The final hype for Cena-Hunter-Michaels was lousy, and Cena pinning Hunter may portend a Hunter title win at Survivor Series. The show itself felt "big" and was a nice recovery from the disastrous run that led to a deserved drop in audience levels in recent weeks. The pushes of Kofi, Swagger, Miz, and Sheamus are all being well done. The crowd is clearly itching to get permission to cheer Orton, and setting him up as a top babyface is going to be tough to resist, but WWE should for another year or two until they have firmly established a whole new tier of credible heels. Strange that Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes were left off the show. Piper alone was terrible, as is par for him the last 15 years, but once McMahon was added to the mix it hit the right tone and was pretty entertaining.

James Caldwell, Torch Assistant Editor (7.0)

A solid show for TV purposes with a very strong final 20 minutes. Survivor Series hype? Not so much. WWE didn't even try to flip the switch; they merely put Shawn Michaels, Triple H, and John Cena in a position to stare at the switch on the wall, then decide it was too much effort and left the Big Elephant sitting in the room. DX joking about how poor the hype for Survivor Series has been pretty much summed up the poor hype job. From a storyline perspective, it makes sense because Hunter and Michaels are playing passive juveniles who don't want to face their issues - possibly having to fight off each other for the WWE Title at the PPV - and would prefer the avoidance route. Not going to sell PPVs, though.

From a TV perspective, Kofi Kingston and Randy Orton's brawl through the crowd was a true star-making moment for Kingston, who WWE is really behind right now. Orton sold effectively for Kofi and Kofi delivered the goods with some major hops on the Boom Drop off the railing through the table. WWE stayed with the moment for a good while with numerous replays and discussion from the announcers to reinforce the moment. Going back to the lackluster Survivor Series hype, Kingston and Orton will be on opposite sides of a ten-man tag match on Sunday, but WWE didn't give the audience any reminders of that for an opportunity to pay $40 for the follow-up before next week's Raw.

The main event had all the stars, hype, crowd involvement, finishers, and historically-significant moments that WWE is looking for to create memorable TV every week. Shawn Michaels opposite Undertaker for the first time since WrestleMania 25 was a nice treat for viewers at home. Taker then setting up a possible match against John Cena at WrestleMania 26 was a good piece of business for five months from now. The only drawback was that one of the Big Four PPVs, Survivor Series, was over-looked yet again.

Greg Parks, PWTorch.com Contributor (6.5)

The highlight was once again the Kofi Kingston vs. Randy Orton segment of the show, but other than that and the hot crowd, there wasn't a ton to like. The main eventers had their working boots on, likely because they were in MSG, as we've seen similar tag matches lumber to an end on other Raw episodes. Roddy Piper was all over the place in his promo against McMahon, which didn't end up leading to anything other than awkwardness. Sheamus looked good, but I'd rather see him squash somebody in the ring than take out two (for all intents and purposes) non-wrestlers.

Jack Swagger gets his win back against Evan Bourne and again, no one gets over. The Miz vs. MVP was fine but inconsequential, aside from getting Sherri Shepherd on WWE TV again. Nice to see wrestling fan Judah Friedlander on the show, but the Divas match was a disappointment. DX burying Hornswoggle was strange- not sure who was supposed to be the face there. I guess we'll see if, like some are speculating, it was Horny's "initiation" into DX. If not, I'm nots ure what hte purpose was. Santino got to be Santino in front of the Garden crowd and the celebrities, low on the totem pole as most were, made it seem like a newsworthy show.

CALDWELL'S TUESDAY CHAT w/GREG PARKS: Raw, Smackdown, TNA PPV discussion - MSG crowd, Survivor Series hype, Kofi breaks out, CSI:Miami vs. 30 Rock

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:47:54 PST
James Caldwell: This is Torch assistant editor James Caldwell joined by Torch specialist Greg Parks for the weekly Tuesday afternoon chat talking Raw, Smackdown, and a little TNA Turning Point if we have time today. Greg, what is your view of last night's Raw - some Torch readers say it was great, some say it was terrible. I'm a thumbs up due to Kofi-Orton and the main event over-riding the horrible Survivor Series build-up. What are your thoughts?

Greg Parks: I wish WWE booked Raw like they were in MSG EVERY week...I mean, you could tell they put a lot more effort into this one, and hey, give the crowd credit, they helped make the show what it was too. Take away the MSG atmosphere and the crowd, and I thought it was barely a thumbs up. The Piper stuff fell flat, Bourne jobbed again to Swagger, there was little wrestling on the show, and the hype for the PPV again sucked, but I think the Kofi brawl and the hot crowd has kind of blinded some people to the not-so-good aspects of the show.

JC: While I was awaiting your thoughts, I kept thinking about the three-star rating I gave for the main event and I believe the crowd added an entire star to the match because they were so hot and so energetic for that match, as well as from start to the finish of the show to cover for some of WWE's usual issues. They really made a difference. I want to focus on Kofi-Orton for a second. Will their brawl and Kofi's boom drop be something that stands the test of time as a memorable moment to show Kofi's official arrival or will it be a mere blip on the radar in a few weeks/months? How do you think this will this stand out over time?

GP: Well, WWE has the power to MAKE it something that stands the test of time; see the "MSG moments" video for a prime example. It was clear they set out to make another MSG moment tonight, and with Cole harping on it, you knew it'd probably happen. I'd like to think Kofi will stand the test of time, but I've seen the rug pulled out from under wrestlers like him before.

JC: WWE had that type of moment for Randy Orton and Ted DiBiase a few weeks ago - right before the Bragging Rights PPV. Ted had a memorable match against Orton fighting the urge to fight back against Orton. Then, that element was gone and it was back to Legacy as lackeys (and now disappearing from Raw last night). I'm expecting this to be completely different with WWE really making this a special deal with Kofi's push to the top working opposite Orton, who is trying to make a star. On the opposite end of the spectrum, when was the last time DX was positioned to make a star, ya know? So, looking at Survivor Series, the general feeling is that Hunter is winning the title after he took the fall against Cena in the Raw main event. How do you see the PPV main event playing out?

GP: I don't necessarily know if that'll be the result, but putting the belt on one of the DX members could cause some tension within the group, which is okay by me because the sooner they are broken up, the better. But then again, with the title, they'll be on TV even MORE probably.

JC: I definitely don't see Michaels winning, as he's been presented poorly as Robin to Hunter's Batman, but I am willing to go along with Hunter winning if it leads to something completely new and different compared to the direction DX has currently been going. It's just too much now. They literally sucked the life and energy out of MSG in the first hour with that Hornswoggle bit. Anything else jump out at you on Raw last night - celebrities, Piper-Vince, Divas, Miz-MVP?

GP: I'm a big "30 Rock" fan, so I liked seeing Judah Friedlander. And hearing Sheiky baby rant every few months is good for the soul. I was disappointed in Piper's performance but at least he looked good, and that's what matters. Miz vs. MVP, to me, was just a way to get Sherri on the show, since MVP did nothing to earn a U.S. Title shot.

JC: Good points all around there. I've never watched an episode of "30 Rock," so Judah is one of those guys who I would probably like if I watched the show, but have no interest in him since I'm unfamiliar with him. I would be ecstatic if Horatio from CSI:Miami hosted a future Raw, though. But, that's a different story. Let's talk Smackdown. Batista-Rey continuing their program leading to a singles match at Survivor Series. Jericho-Taker first-time-ever. What stood out from Friday's show?

GP: Oh God, I can't stand David Caruso. I had to watch him Monday because of the CSI crossover and I nearly gagged due to his acting. What stood out on Friday was the Batista vs. Rey contract signing; they've played that feud perfectly so far. I predicted here last week that they wouldn't give away a full Taker vs. Jericho match, so I'll eat crow on that one.

JC: I was in the same camp of hating on Caruso's acting before I started watching CSI:Miami, but now that I've watched 100 episodes and I've been hooked on the show, I think he's simply amazing. Best babyface on TV. Back on topic...how do you see the Batista vs. Rey singles match on PPV in terms of the chemistry they'll have in the ring when the focus will be on them since it's the only singles match on the entire PPV?

GP: I think they'll be fine....it's not like they're just being thrown onto Smackdown and asked to wrestle 15 minutes with no real story to tell in the ring. They DO have a story they can tell within the match, and I think that'll help not only the work rate, but it'll help the crowd's overall enjoyment of the match.

JC: I expect the match to flow with Rey teasing comebacks, then Batista back on the offensive, then a full comeback from Rey, and the finish. I don't think the match will be a major factor in people's decisions to order the PPV, but I think it will help determine people's enjoyment of the PPV. It really depends on how much the crowd on Sunday is into this program. Like you said, I think WWE has done a good job building this story, which will help at the PPV. ... Quick thoughts on the IC Title picture and C.M. Punk being bumped down the card?

GP: It's the reason why I'm not completely sold on Kingston's push yet; one minor slip-up (and I mean MINOR) behind the scenes, and it can all be taken away. I really think Ziggler needs to win the IC Title at some point in the near future, but he and Morrison have a nice little battle going on for it, that's for sure.

JC: Good point, especially with Vince McMahon's temperament. Final thoughts for today wanting to get your thoughts on the Turning Point PPV - Angle vs. Wolfe and Styles-Joe-Daniels?

GP: The final two matches were just plain awesome, and really show the high ceiling TNA has as a company. When creative gets out of the way and lets guys tell the story in the match without over-the-top stipulations, overbooking or constant interference/ref bumps, they can produce something really special, and that's what happened Sunday.

JC: That's about as concise and perfect of an explanation as there is on TNA's current position before Hulk Hogan jumps into the fold. Well done, Greg. Thanks again for the chat today!

GP: Always a pleasure.

ROH News: Ring of Honor announces details on Austin Aries's next ROH Title defense

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:32:11 PST
By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

Ring of Honor announced today that ROH champion Austin Aries will defend the ROH Title against Colt Cabana at ROH's December 5 show in Cabana's hometown of Chicago. ROH also announced that TV producer Jim Cornette will be at the show.

Aries was booked to successfully defended the ROH Title last weekend in the Detroit and Toronto areas with victories over Davey Richards and Kenny Omega, respectively.

ROH's new Pick 6 rankings have Cabana ranked #6 in the pecking order for future ROH Title consideration, but Cabana already had a title match opportunity in place in the ROH storylines.

The current Pick 6 rankings after last weekend's show are: (1) Kevin Steen, (2) Chris Hero, (3) Roderick Strong, (4) Tyler Black, (5) Kenny Omega, and (6) Colt Cabana. Steen and Hero entered the rankings by virtue of singles match victories over the weekend. Delirious and Claudio Castagnoli were pushed out.

Link: ROH Newswire.

WWE News: Rey Mysterio reveals who pushed for him to win the World Title in his new book

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:18:06 PST
By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

WWE wrestler Rey Mysterio credits agent/producer Pat Patterson for pushing the idea to top executives, including Vince McMahon, that Rey should win the World Title in 2006. Rey's only World Title victory occurred at WrestleMania 22 in Chicago, following the death of Eddie Guerrero.

Rey revealed Patterson's role in his first World Title run in his new book, "Behind The Mask. The U.K. Sun published excerpts from the book, including the one below.

"Many things helped me in my run for the belt. The crowd and the push that I'd gotten from Eddie were certainly on my side," Rey says in the book. "And I really have to give credit to Pat Patterson, who played a big role behind the scenes pushing for me, vouching that I would make a good champion."

Caldwell's Note: Starting next week, we'll be looking at several key excerpts and analyzing Rey's comments on Eddie Guerrero, which is one of the key selling points of the book. We will also have a similar "excerpted review" of Hulk Hogan's book in December.

WWE/MMA News: Jim Ross evaluates Brock Lesnar's rough road to recovery based on his own experiences

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:16:28 PST
By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

WWE announcer Jim Ross says former WWE star Brock Lesnar's future as an MMA fighter will most-likely depend on the severity of the bacterial infection in his intestines and whether doctors caught the infection in time before it caused too much damage to Lesnar's internal organs.

Lesnar was diagnosed with an infection of his intestinal tract after collapsing in Canada last week. Lesnar is expected to be released from a hospital in South Dakota today, but will likely require further evaluation to make a recovery. Ross blogged on his personal experience from a similar condition that led to doctors removing 13 inches of his intestines in October 2005.

"Hopefully, diverticulitis is all that is going on with Brock because if that's the case I think that he can likely fight again in several months. Issues with the colon however may dictate a different story," Ross said on jrsbarbq.com. "This is a hugely painful ordeal and I was stupid enough to work about a month's worth of Raw's before the Mrs. forced me to see a doctor."

Based on what UFC president Dana White has been saying the past two days, the infection sounds as if it's more serious than simply diverticulitis. White says he wants to have Lesnar evaluated at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, which would help determine Lesnar's future, not only in MMA, but also for his personal health and well-being.

Link: Read Jim Ross's complete blog detailing his experiences with similar issues.

WWE News: Matt Hardy & Mickie James stuck in Most Awkward TV Interview promoting Survivor Series (w/VIDEO)

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:56:00 PST
By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

WWE wrestlers Matt Hardy and Mickie James were interviewed on a number of local media outlets today talking Survivor Series and this Friday's edition of Smackdown leading to the PPV.

Hardy and Mickie appeared on the FOX affiliate in Houston this morning for perhaps the most-awkward interview ever. There was a two-second delay between the news host and Hardy & Mickie, the anchor wasn't familiar with the subject, and there was an impromptu discussion of WrestleMania that Hardy steered away from to back to Survivor Series.

Also, WWE is bringing a Smackdown/ECW TV taping to Houston in December, but that wasn't mentioned during the interview by the host or Hardy & Mickie. The awkwardness is below.

WWE Raw Reax #3: "While WWE delivered an above-quality show, they still haven't given viewers a reason to order Survivor Series"

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:25:02 PST
-- 11/16 WWE Raw Reax

Terrie Neilson of Las Vegas, Nev. (5.0): Best: Orton-Kingston brawl. Worst: do I have to say it...again? If this edition of Raw were a "Biggest Loser" contest, this one would have been voted out after the "last chance" workout. Roddy Piper is fine in bits and pieces, but he rambled too much. And this time he was actually portrayed as a guest host with no real GM powers. Miz vs. MVP was on its way to being a pretty good title match...then it was over before it could really take off. Santino vs. Chavo was on its way to being a fun little comedy match...then Hornswoggle came out to ruin it. DX comes out in what should have been a solid promo to salvage the triple threat build. What comes instead is a little bit about the build, a little more time to plug merchandise, and even more time to deal with Hornswoggle. The fact that the crowd didn't really boo Hornswoggle getting a Pedigree, plus DX carrying Hornswoggle to the back, killed the idea that either of them were heels in the match. Triple H will probably be the designated match heel outside of Cena getting his usual mixed reaction. The lumberjill match turned into a nice free-for-all; I just wish WWE thought of their women's division more to build that up some. Swagger gets his heat and his win back from Evan Bourne. Whatever: lather, rinse, and repeat. It was nice that Lawler enhanced the Sheamus monster heel run. The Orton-Kingston segment was logically placed on the show to move the Orton-Kingston feud another step upwards, but where exactly did Vince go? With Ventura on tap for next week, there's a conspiracy theory to wrap your mind around. The main event was stuff put together in a rush starting in the overrun. In the end, Undertaker pinned Triple H and Tombstoned Cena. Indicators here give Shawn the advantage, but it's looking like #14 for Hunter Hearst Helmsley on Sunday. Yippee (dripping with sarcasm)!

M. Swindley of Kingston, Ont., Lawyer (7.5): Best: Kofi-Orton brawl. Worst: Lack of follow-up on certain feuds. 1. Biggest non-surprise of the evening: Swagger destroys Bourne in a re-match from last week. However, why were the Miz and Swagger kept apart this week? Wouldn't it have made sense for Swagger to interrupt The Miz's match with MVP in retribution for last week? 2. Where was Legacy last night? Perhaps their lack of a run-in save will give a reason for an Orton blow-up and a full-fledged DiBiase face turn. 3. The Kofi-Orton segment was the best WWE TV this year. Bar none. 4. Santino is over. Big time. And he's actually growing on me. 5. I hope this isn't the last we see of Piper-McMahon. You could cut the personal tension and animosity between these two with a knife. 6. What was with Michael Cole's commentary applauding the DX pedigree on Horny? And what was with the lack of Cena mentioning it? Cena saves Horny for the past two weeks from verbal threats, but doesn't bother to show up when HHH teases a pedigree? FINAL THOUGHTS: WWE did a great job in some build-up, specifically Orton-Kofi and the Cena-Taker WM26 tease. However, they failed to continue building up other feuds, such as Miz-Swagger and Cena-DX. Let's be honest - while WWE delivered an above-quality show, they still haven't given a reason to order Survivor Series on Sunday.

We welcome your 0-10 score and comments on this show for a "WWE Raw Reax" feature in the Torch Feedback section of PWTorch.com. Just to add a twist to this feature, include not just your hometown, but also your occupation (mechanic, lawyer, stay-at-home-dad, college student, etc.) so readers get a flavor for what everyone does as "day jobs." To contribute your thoughts on Raw, click here.

TORCH TALK DAILY with Eric Bischoff: "Not too many people had the balls, quite frankly, to speak out (against WWE) and probably still don't"

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:00:02 PST

On Monday, September 14, PWTorch editor Wade Keller interviewed former WCW President Eric Bischoff an exclusive multi-hour "Torch Talk" interview covering a variety of controversial subjects from the Monday Night War period, his days on WWE TV, his 2006 autobiography, and the "Rise & Fall of WCW" DVD.

The following is the latest installment of part four of the exclusive five-hour "Torch Talk" with former WCW President Eric Bischoff. Part 4(b) of our daily Q&As will be published here at PWTorch.com, which is unprecedented with our VIP-exclusive "Torch Talk" series.

To both READ and LISTEN to the entire interview, you'll want to become a VIP member, which also includes instant access to our newsmaking multi-hour in-depth hard-hitting "Torch Talks" with other top WCW players such as Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, X-Pac, Vince Russo, Ed Ferrara, Hulk Hogan, Goldberg, Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, and others (ALL AVAILABLE AT THIS LINK FOR VIP MEMBERS). To subscribe right now and be the first to read the entire Bischoff "Torch Talk" and have VIP-only access to the audio, click here. The first audio segment and transcript installment is now available for VIP members.

We present today's latest question and answer from Part 4(b). Tune in tomorrow for the next series of Q&A's from part 4.

Wade Keller: Did you sense when you were there, did you in your conversations with some of the talent, get a sense that they felt frustrated or they felt boxed in by the formula and that they too think like you do that a little more creative freedom would actually help the overall quality of the product?

Eric Bischoff: No. That's one of the "rule by intimidation" and "rule with an iron fist" manifestations of Vince's control of that company is not too many complain. It's not like it was in the '90s when you could complain because you knew you had somewhere else to go. When I was there, clearly the talent recognized that there was nowhere else to go and if you wanted to be in this business, you wanted to be in it in WWE and everyone knew that Vince and the entire staff was very sensitive and not very appreciative of dissension at any level. Not too many people had the balls, quite frankly, to speak out on issues like that and probably still don't.

Keller: Let me play the role of defense attorney for Vince McMahon. As you say, he's got this incredible market cap, he's mega-successful. Does there come a level of success that you reach where it's not even bad business to just say, "I don't want to filter through other people's ideas, my way of doing things works, and I just want things done that way. Even if you think it can be done better, my way is working pretty damn well, I don't want to work with a thousand people and a thousand ideas and try to find the five or six great ideas in that mix. I want things done my way." Because you were in the heat of that mega-success run in Nitro and I'm sure everybody was coming at you with tons of ideas and there had to be a moment where you thought, "Let me just concentrate on doing what I know has worked even if it's not the best, it's working certainly well enough for me to focus on this."

MORE TO COME TOMORROW WITH BISCHOFF'S ANSWER IN THE NEXT PART OF THE SERIES...

CLICK HERE FOR THE MOST RECENT BISCHOFF Q&A SNIPPET

TNA News: SPOILERS - first two matches announced for TNA's December PPV

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:43:30 PST
By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

At last night's TNA Impact taping for this Thursday's show and part of the Thanksgiving edition, TNA announced the first two matches for their Final Resolution PPV in December.

-- Kurt Angle will face Desmond Wolfe in a re-match from the Turning Point PPV. The match will be a two-out-of-three falls cage match. First fall will be pinfall, second fall will be submission, and the third fall (if necessary) will be escape the cage.

-- Scott Steiner vs. Bobby Lashley in a re-match from the Turning Point PPV.

-- Already announced for the PPV is the "Feast or Fired" match, but the participants have not been announced yet.

Link: Spoiler Report from wrestlingnewsworld.com.

MMA News: ESPN SportsCenter provides update on Brock Lesnar's health

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:25:23 PST
By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

ESPN has been covering former WWE star Brock Lesnar's health on SportsCenter today with an update that Lesnar is expected to be released from the hospital in North Dakota today.

The ESPN story that has been running regularly in news updates on SportsCenter this morning has included quotes from UFC president Dana White that Lesnar's MMA career is in jeopardy. Lesnar is the current UFC Hvt. champion.

Continue to follow this story and other MMA hot topics in the news at MMATorch.com.

Caldwell's Analysis: First priority is Lesnar's health, but one of the interesting things from ESPN's coverage is the acceptance of UFC as a legitimate sports organization to cover. The news story has been presented like any other sports story ESPN would cover without that early "skepticism" or feeling that ESPN is "looking behind their back" to see if they're looking silly for covering MMA.

ABSURDITY OF IT ALL - WWE Raw: Kofi's Boom Drop In The Garden, Triple H Fears Hornswoggle, Piper To Star In John Carpenter's "They Bald" Starring Hulk Hogan

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:53:13 PST
By Shane McKinley, Torch specialist

""I'm a big dreamer, so watch me come up with somethin'"
-"N.Y. State of Mind Part II" by Nas

So coming off the heels of a dominant performance by the growing legend of Manny Pacqauio on Saturday night and TNA's return to great in-ring work at their PPVs (unlike previous efforts, which consisted of lame storyline developments like "Will Sting retire for the 137th time? Tune into Impact to find out!"), Monday Night Raw opens up...with Roddy Piper and some comedian. Oh-kay. Then for some reason, Iron Sheik shows up to play with his dolls. I wonder how much WWE paid these guys. And why they couldn't pay for the stadium that featured "the slam heard around the world."

-The new Raw "tunnel" theme is fine, but I agree with others that it lacks that "late '90s crack open a beer and relax, it's Monday Night Raw" type of vibe.

-I felt that it was good to get back to basics with Miz being featured in a credible TV championship match. As for Miz, it's time for us to put more stock into him. He has a heel character that people love to hate. Of course, he doesn't have a rocket strapped to his back like Kofi Kingston, but he looks to be the new star of the Raw mid-card.

-Crowd was hot for Santino's "t-shirt" bit. Chavo played the fool. Hornswoggle crotch chopped his junk. You know the drill.

-Now that the crowd has been officially primed by the warm-up comedians, here comes DX to capitalize on it. (Guess who came right after Kofi put Orton through a table? John Cena.) This DX reunion might be the lamest yet, because week after week all we hear is the tired "merchadize" jokes. Har har. It's not depressing that they don't bother to come up with new material. It's depressing that this is the only material for DX. Ugh.

-I mean, can't those DX guys hear how quiet the crowd got after the "go out to Borders" line? Right about now I'm tempted to go inside Borders, grab all of those DX books and throw then into a massive bonfire.

Then, "because we guess we have to," DX goes into pumping up their PPV triple threat match. It seemed like a not-too-subtle way to "fix" the problem that those "whiny wrestling fans" have brought up. So what was solved? Um, not much. DX says that they don't care who wins, the gold is coming home with them. You know, this "big elephant" wouldn't be such a problem for fans if there wasn't another triple threat on the PPV with the same storyline (a team vs. the champion in a triple threat match).

What are the odds that JeriShow do some silly dissension in the ring (har har look at the heels they can't get along) and that DX and Cena play up a more serious tone? Whatever. We can all agree that the feud has been botched up a bit and could have been so much more.

I had an idea that Hornswoggle would be the one to play pranks on DX in a childish manner. You know, DX would get a taste of their own medicine and it would be fun for kids. I didn't take into account the fears Trips has. So Trips pedigreed poor little Horny. Then DX brought out a stretcher. In bad taste? Sure. But like how Bill Belichick went for it on 4th down on his own 28-yardline, I approve. Mainly because DX did something else than their tired shtick. Although, it was nauseating to hear Michael Cole suck up and say that it was all okay. Hornswoggle is in a coma but it's all okay, because it was a moment. Next time I'm in New York, I'll be sure to injure one of the New York Knicks. "It's okay! I made a MSG moment!"

Trips pedigreeing Hornswoggle is not a "classic MSG moment." I'll put it in with the other great DX moments. Somewhere between "Shawn Michaels superkicking a girl" and "Triple H getting 'serviced' under a table."

And for the record, DX spent more time and effort on the Hornswoggle bit than hyping Survivor Series. "What stinking issues? We don't need no stinking issues. People just love our wrestling characters so much that they'll care about anything our characters are doing." I can imagine Stephanie McMahon shrieking that to fans.

-I was a bit surprised to see Mick Foley on that MSG video package. The Royal Rumble 2000 Triple H vs. Mick Foley street fight is one of my old favorites.

-Ha ha, everybody! I knew WWE couldn't resist Chris Master's unique talent of pumping his chest pecs! It's like my very own ugly, disgusting baby that I have unleashed upon the world! Ha ha ha! Now if I can find a way to make some money off of it...

-Holy moly, WWE actually landed somebody from a current hit show that people actually watch in that "30 Rock" Judah guy! Oh my.

I don't know what to make of the women's division. Right now (especially on the Raw side), it's a non-factor in buying WWE PPVs. On TNA, I'm getting Tara vs. Awesome Kong in a steel cage and in WWE I'm getting the same old same old. Now what I do is I count how many botched moves they are in the Raw divas matches.

-I noticed that during the Hot Rod segment, the camera panned to a fan wearing a Ring of Honor t-shirt. Free publicity is good when you can get it.

-Did Piper forget to write his lines on his hands again? Maybe the movie "They Live" was right and Piper is an alien under a disguise of human skin. To the younger fans, they are listening to a troll bellow words and looking at each other, going "what?"

Highlight of the night was when Evan Bourne came out to face Piper because Bourne "respected Piper and wanted to make a MSG moment." Piper promptly poked him in the eyes and rolled him up for the three count. Take that, Jim Neidhart! (We wouldn't be ripping on TNA so much if we didn't care about Macho Man imposter Jay Lethal.)

I did like the joke Piper made about the dead wrestlers and bald wrestlers like WWE's favorite Hulk Hogan. They Live? No, They Dead or They Bald. Don't think so? You're wrong. Bald wrong.

The percolating peaking Piper wants to fight Vince McMahon. It's okay, Piper. I rather not see Vince McMahon in the ring anymore. It's fine. He's has bled roughly 40 gallons in his street fight matches. Enough is enough.

Vince jaunts down to the ring. Out of his ramblings, which made more sense than Piper's ramblings, I was excited that one of the "handsome stars" that Vince mentioned (Rock, Stone Cold, etc.) were going come in. Guess not. So, it's Piper vs. Vince.

-Can't Jesse Ventura announce the entire 3-hour Raw? Or do fans have to listen to the "oil and water" relationship of Matt Striker and Michael Cole?

-Ladies and gentlemen, the first and last Paul Burchill ECW teaser you will see. They should probably resist Burchill donning the pirate outfit and joining the Green Hurricane.

-Sheamus gets his moment (not a MSG moment) in beating up a cameraman and Jerry Lawler. Kayfabe thoughts here, but I sometimes wonder why "monsters" spend so much time beating up weak jobbers. Don't they get bored? Shouldn't they be shooting higher? Vladmir Kozlov over on ECW spent like three years beating up jobbers. I would like to see Miz play the coward to Sheamus (people would cheer Miz anyways).

The prospect of Sheamus feuding with King is an indictment that management doesn't have anything for him. It could also mean they are looking to get a cheap "Jerry" pop because his ass is out the door. Guess who feuded with King before they got fired? Booker T and The Brian Kendrick. Sheamus isn't going to be fired, but I don't really want to see a Sheamus-Lawler feud.

-Jack Swagger and Evan Bourne are both stuck in a dingy boat in the middle of an ocean with one oar. Keep paddling, boys.

-A bit of unprofessionalism by Randy Orton during his "what the heck" motion towards the camera during the botched Piper punt to the head. At this point of the show, I was wondering if watching the Cleveland Browns play against the Baltimore Ravens was more depressing. Somewhat dark content until Kofi did the Boom Drop in the Garden.

Hell of a moment for WWE television during that "Kofi's boom drop on Orton through a table." I liked to think that Randy Orton owed the Rasta some money. "Where's my money, man? Where's my money." Kofi Smear campaign fact #2: Kofi was beating up Orton because Orton backed away from purchasing Kofi's "goods." Loved that "awww refs are pulling Kofi away oh wait here he comes back oh my gosh" bit. Nice tactic.

I also liked how Cole defended Kofi fighting a bully as "standing up for himself." That's good to know. Because at the start of the year, Edge screwed Kofi out of the Elimination Chamber and as I recall, Kofi apologized to Edge for getting in his way.

Next we'll find out that Evan Bourne swears like a sailor and comes down to the ring with the Godfather "Ho Train." Is that how it goes? Think I'll go downtown and ask a pimp.

It was a MSG moment, a Kofi moment, and a WWE moment. Namely because when people see it, they'll go, "Wait. Somebody other than Cena, Triple H, or Shawn Micheals did that to Orton? Wha?"

-Cena is here to pump up the PPV...and he's got nothing. Actually, WWE did accomplish one thing. It made me wish the marshmallow man from Ghostbusters was fighting in that Triple Threat. Maybe then we get an actual issue in this feud. People have farted out better storylines in Smackdown vs. Raw than this one, albeit with poor spelling and juvenile humor.

-Main Event was more of like a curtain bow for the top WWE stars. Thing felt like a PPV match. I'm telling ya, Cena vs. Undertaker at WrestleMania. Streak vs. Streak. Cena has to go into the "hometown" of the Dead Man. The Gravest Challenge II. And hey, a Cena PPV loss!

(credit to students.ithaca.edu, mannythemovieguy.com, 3.bp.blogspot.com and 1.bp.blogspot.com for pics)

Email is mckinley.torch@gmail.com

WWE Raw Reax #2: "This was NOT one of the best Raws of 2009, but one of the worst..."

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:31:07 PST
-- 11/16 WWE Raw Reax

Joseph Martinez of Hayward, Calif. (5.0): Best: Tie between Miz-MVP and The Brawl. Worst: The rest of the show. This show was horrible and I doubt it even deserved a five. Maybe I was spoiled by TNA. Wait! Did I just say that? Yes I did! I was going to write a rating after the PPV last night since I was so juiced when it was over. But than I realized that Raw was going to be in MSG and it might actually be good. Boy was that a mistake! Raw was just plane horrible, especially leading into the fourth biggest PPV of the year. WWE did not even try to build towards it. I was going to order Survivor Series no matter what. Now, I am not so sure. The biggest reason I am considering not ordering the PPV is because TNA blew me away. I just started watching TNA the night Desmond Wolfe showed up but have ordered TNA before. That was the night Samoa Joe fought Jushin Thunder Liger in what was the worst match I had ever seen Liger in. I said I would never order another TNA PPV, but Vince has driven me to do so. And what I saw Sunday night was nothing short of amazing. Wolfe-Angle was worth the money alone. Yet to be followed by Styles, Joe, and Daniels was just brilliant. I had fun and felt like a kid again. I hope someone in WWE paid attention because that was wrestling. Oh wait, Vince is in the entertainment business. I have been loyal to Vince since I was ten-years-old. But a few more weeks like tonight and I will turn off Raw for good.

Adam from Edmonton, Alb. (1.5): Best: Kofi Kingston-Randy Orton brawl. Worst: Santino Marella vs. Chavo Guerrero. Was I the only one paying attention this week? The first set of Reax I read had them both claiming this was one of the best Raws of 2009. I'm sorry but I beg to differ. First of all, is there even a pay-per-view on Sunday? Other than the announcers running down the card and John Cena's "promo" before the main event, it really didn’t seem like the lead-in before a PPV. First, we got Miz vs. MVP which was actually not a bad little match to open the show, even though Miz seemed to win just a little too easily. Then we got Chavo vs. Santino, which would have been a good match about five-six years ago when they would have given them more than 2:30. But, once the match was over, it suddenly became all about DX and Hornswoggle again with no mention of the match. I’m sorry but enough is enough already. Triple H went from respected multi-time World Champion to Pedigreeing a midget wrestler. Reeeeally? And storylines like this are supposed to entice me to spend $45 on a PPV next year? I'll try TNA where they at least care about wrestling and not about selling a crappy book (once again, how is it "Unauthorized" when it was written by DX?). I’m so sick of DX. I was sick of them by 2000. They are beating a dead horse and it needs to stop. They brought Chris Masters back to do a pec dance but they couldn't sign Desmond Wolfe (Nigel McGuiness) to a contract? Shows you where the WWE's mindset is. No mention of Jericho’s WrestleMania feud with Piper kind of annoyed me too. Divas match was a yawn and I don't care. Piper's promo sucked. It seemed like he was the only one who thought he was funny and Vince didn't save the segment either. Sheamus's attack was well done, but I wish he kicked Michael Cole instead of the King. Swagger and Bourne was predictable, and they only showed two minutes, so I didn't care. Kofi Kingston is the man. Hands down he was the MVP of the show. The way this brawl was done was almost perfect and Orton deserves props for taking, what to me, looked like a vicious shot with the lid from the crate. I also love how NYC babyfaced Orton. The main event was pretty predictable with Cena getting another "epic victory." The Undertaker attack was just as predictable. The worst part of the entire show is this: I don't understand AT ALL how this show was supposed to entice me to buy Survivor Series. Aside from Kingston-Orton, none of the feuds were really given much attention. Miz-Morrison got about five minutes of air time, DX-Cena was focused more on Hornswoggle with a half-assed promo by Cena, and the Divas got their usual two minutes. I'm not even sure if there are any more Raw matches. For all of these reasons fellow Torch readers, this was NOT one of the best Raws of 2009, but one of the worst by far. I hope TNA gets better so I can officially switch over.

We welcome your 0-10 score and comments on this show for a "WWE Raw Reax" feature in the Torch Feedback section of PWTorch.com. Just to add a twist to this feature, include not just your hometown, but also your occupation (mechanic, lawyer, stay-at-home-dad, college student, etc.) so readers get a flavor for what everyone does as "day jobs." To contribute your thoughts on Raw, click here.

WWE News: Sherri Shepherd Tweets about "violating WWE fan code" during last night's Raw

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:02:27 PST
By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

"The View" host Sherri Shepherd was on Twitter throughout the two-hour Raw last night from New York City's Madison Square Garden commenting on the action in the ring and in the stands after she was cited for "violating WWE fan code."

During the Evan Bourne vs. Jack Swagger match, Shephered said, "Oh shoot - didn't know there was WWE etiquette - Do NOT stand during the match - folks get VERY mad." She added later: "You would sit too if everybody is screaming at you to sit the bleep down!"

Shepherd had a number of entertaining posts throughout the show. She commented on the brawl between Kofi Kingston and Randy Orton - "I aint seen a street fight like this in years between Kofi & Orton! Orton got knocked out by Kofi - my voice is gone!"

She also said she was looking down Tweeting when Shawn Michaels chucked a DX book at her during DX's promo at the beginning of the show. "Generation X Just threw their book & it hit me in the head YEAH BABY I GOT A CONCUSSION!" Obviously, she wanted to be part of the show, but a concussion isn't much to celebrate.

As for MVP, who she partnered with for a series of TV and celebrity appearances earlier this year, she played up that she was upset with WWE for booking MVP to lose to The Miz in the opening match.

"MVP lost! What the heck is going on here at The WWE?" she said.

Link: Read Shepherd's Tweets from Raw.

WWE News: Summary of the News & Notes & Everything that happened on a memorable Raw last night

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:35:32 PST
By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

The following are the key news, notes, and happenings from last night's memorable episode of WWE Raw from New York City:

-- WWE delivered the first tease for a possible Undertaker vs. John Cena match at WrestleMania 26 when Taker gave Cena a Tombstone Piledriver at the end of Raw. The main event three-team tag match ended with Cena pinning Triple H, then Taker Tombstoned his tag partner, Cena, to stand tall at the end of the show.

-- WWE officially announced to the TV audience that Jesse Ventura will guest-host next week's three-hour Raw the night after the Survivor Series PPV with wrestlers from Raw, Smackdown, and ECW scheduled to appear on the Thanksgiving-themed episode.

-- No new matches were added to the Survivor Series PPV line-up. The top two matches remain WWE champion John Cena vs. Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels and World Hvt. champion The Undertaker vs. Big Show vs. Chris Jericho.

-- The list of celebrities shown on-camera (in chronological order) were: Luis Guzman, Iron Sheik, Sherri Shepherd, apl.de.ap and Taboo of Black Eyed Peas, and Judah Friedlander.

-- WWE heavily promoted the fact that Raw was in Madison Square Garden. WWE ran a lengthy video package on "WWE moments" in MSG, Michael Cole was produced to tell fans that "four generations of McMahons built MSG," Vince McMahon made an on-camera appearance to have a promo exchange with guest host Roddy Piper, and WWE heavily focused on Kofi Kingston creating an "MSG moment" with his Boom Drop on Randy Orton through a table.

-- WWE mentioned Hulk Hogan in numerous segments in-part to promote the release of the Hogan Anthology DVD today, but also because Hogan has a lengthy history at MSG. WWE did not acknowledge Hogan's current projects or working for TNA, but they appeared to be sending a message that they own Hogan's legacy via video and film even if he's working for another promotion.

-- The Miz retained the U.S. Title over MVP with Sherri Shepherd ringside supporting MVP.

-- Melina retained the Divas Title over Alicia Fox in a Lumberjill match.

MOJO MITCHELL'S WWE RAW 11/16: Stream of Piper In The Back, Hornswoggle Stabbed in the Back, An MSG Look Back, Mr. McMahon Backs Out, Kofi Kingston Backs Randy Orton Up

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 23:24:43 PST
MOJO MITCHELL'S WWE RAW 11/16: Stream of Piper In The Back, Hornswoggle Stabbed in the Back, An MSG Look Back, Mr. McMahon Backs Out, Kofi Kingston Backs Randy Orton Up

We start with Roddy Piper and his bad dye-job sitting in Piper's Pit with Luis Guzman. You remember Luis Guzman from Boogie Nights and Oz, right? Great character actor...

Anyways, here comes the Iron Sheik to yell about Hulk Hogan (I think) and remind everyone how long ago it really was that he main-evented here in Madison Square Garden with the Hulkster.

Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler plug the main event: DX vs. JeriShow vs. John Cena & The Undertaker.

Cleveland's own The Miz reminds these New York Yankees they buy their championships, but there's one man they'll never buy. (Wanna bet?) MSG has the big heat tonight. Sherri Shepherd from The View is here to cheer on her fake boyfriend MVP in his challenge for Miz's U.S. Title belt. Good opener, Miz wins with a Skullcrusher. Poor Sherri...

Chavo Guerrero faces Santino Marella (in a New York Rangers uniform, then a Knicks uniform, then a Jets one, then a Mets, then a Phillies, then, of course the Yankees – so it's like that). This may be the most-heated WWE show in years. Chavo keeps climbing to each top turnbuckle for a frog splash, and the prone Morella keeps rolling out of the way. That makes sense. Hornswoggle runs in, and Marella rolls up Chavo for the win.

Chavo calls home. Uncle Hector: That's nothing, they made me dress up like a space alien.

DX comes out. The glowsticks in the crowd make for quite the merchandising spectacle. DX plugs their crap. Triple H says it doesn't matter who wins the WWE Title Sunday as long as one of them does. Shawn Michaels and he quickly blow off this issue in favor of something more important: Hornswoggle wearing DX crap.

The two are willing to consider letting the little person become a member of DX. HS comes down and jumps around like a little kid. Triple H asks him, and all of New York, "Are you ready?"

Triple H is just about to finish the ritual when he stops and Pedigrees the little guy. Some fans boo. DX stretchers out HS. Is DX turning heel? Are they getting their edge back?

Or is it Hornswoggle's DX initiation? (That's my guess.)

They show one hell of a highlight video. (Except, where the hell's Bruno Sammartino? No one, and I mean no one, would even be on this highlight tape if not for Bruno.) It's shown to a new Jay-Z song kissing up to MSG, reminding UFC of all that history.

Chris Jericho does his normal complaining to Piper, who brings out Chris Masters to bounce his gyno.

Jonah Friedlander from 30 Rock, The Greatest Athlete In The World, is the guest ring announcer for the Divas championship. Melina defends against Alicia Fox. Friedlander makes it a Lumberjill match. Why not? Melina wins and...cat fight! "Team Mickie James stands tall!" Survivor Series, remember?

Roddy Piper comes out to the ring. In Madison Square Garden. "Very cool, indeed." Piper remembers Bruno and Captain Lou. "If you mess with me you end up either bald or dead. I love 'em all, mostly the dead ones."

I've got one more thing to do before I check out. I want to have a match with Vincent Kennedy McMahon!

Mr. McMahon comes out. "Nice dye job on the hair there, Hot Rod. The most heinous thing you've ever done in this ring is show up tonight."

McMahon cuts a really mean promo on Piper, his spindly little legs, his catcher's mitt face. McMahon says he looks better than The Rock and Stone Cold and his son-in-law, and he beat them all. He's retired from the ring.

I beat cancer, I can beat you, buddy. I want to fight you tonight. (Ah, the game is revealed. It's the old bait and switch, after last week's rating. ) Piper leaves McMahon in the ring. That was fun.

Sheamus comes out. He needs some bag-pipes. He reminds everyone that in four weeks on Raw he's already put one man (Jamie Noble) out of the business. Then he beats up the timekeeper. Jerry Lawler goes to check on him and Sheamus kicks him in the head. This gets good heat from everyone who doesn't want to listen to Micheal Cole alone.

Undertaker faces Batista for the World Title in the Greensboro Coliseum the day after Christmas.

Matt Striker takes the King's place. He lives in New York City so he was here anyway.

Evan Bourne faces Jack Swagger again. Why? Didn't Swagger beat him clean in the middle last time? Whoops, sorry. Swagger does it again, "giving Team Miz all the momentum."

Striker wants to know whether "Vince" will accept Roddy Piper's challenge for a street fight. Uh, no.

Piper's ready in the ring. Randy Orton comes out. (I thought he hated McMahon. He tried to kill him and all.) Cole and Striker forget about Piper and Randy's father, "The Ace" Cowboy Bob Orton. Orton doesn't care about McMahon; he just wants to relieve some stress after all that losing by crushing Piper.

And he does. By the way, if you're wondering how WWE would use Ric Flair if he came back, this is how. Kofi Kingston makes the save. Orton and he brawl into the crowd. Striker did remember the Ace, by the way. Orton finally starts to get the better of it. He throws Kingston in the ring and prepares to kick his head in. Kofi leaps up at the last second and the brawl continues.

This is good stuff to cement Kingston as a guy who can run with Randy Orton. Hey, where's Legacy? They don't even rate a mention here.

This is turning into a career-maker for Kingston, particularly after the referees stop him from leaping onto Orton and putting him through a table, only for Kingston to break away and do it anyway. He ought to beat Orton at Survivor Series now. Great stuff, with top-level production and a ravenous crowd.

John Cena does one of his trademark antic not-quite-as-entertaining-as-it-ought-to-be promos about his triple threat match with DX at Survivor Series.

DX faces JeriShow, which faces John Cena & Undertaker. Poor guy wrestled eleven straight nights in Europe. He got the torch-bearing druids with him.

We get a little taste of Undertaker-Michaels for the first time since WrestleMania. A short, but high-energy main event ends when Cena pins Triple H with an Attitude Adjustment.

Undertaker then Tombstones Cena and gets the final dramatic shot. Hmm.

This was one hell of a Raw. WWE awakened the echoes with a pro wrestling show that could stand among the most-heated the Garden had ever seen.

WWE Raw Reax #1: "This was the best Raw in years and had a ton of great, emotional moments"

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 23:17:39 PST
-- 11/16 WWE Raw Reax

Gary Graham of Zanesville Ohio (8.0): Best: Orton-Kofi brawl. Great show tonight. I loved the atmosphere, the new/old entranceway, and the MSG crowd. Roddy Piper was about as coherent as Ozzy Osbourne, though. Maybe him and Sheik were busy before the show. The Orton-Kofi brawl was the best. No matter what one may think of Randy, he does his best to make others look great all the time (Legacy, Henry, etc.). Tonight, he sold for Kofi like he went Ten Rounds with a semi-truck. And I sure hope Triple H losing tonight doesn't mean he's winning Sunday. Cena-Taker at WrestleMania 26, anyone? Great job tonight, WWE!

James Hill of Navarre, Fla. (10.0): Best match: Triple Threat Tag Match. Worst match: Divas championship match. I feel obliged to give this show a maximum rating, because it was the best Raw in years and it had a ton of great, emotional moments. My only complaint is why do they hype the Divas Title match only to give it a minute-and-a-half? Ah, the good days when Trish and Lita carried the women's division. On to the good stuff. Seeing Vince McMahon in MSG was the right thing to do and I wish he would've taken it to Hot Rod. Kofi's leg drop onto Orton was a Top 10 moment of the year and it did wonders for Kofi. I wasn't too fond of Kofi, but he is really growing on me while he runs around and wreaks havoc on Orton. Where was Legacy at, tonight? Huh? The triple threat was star-casted. I wish Undertaker would go to Raw so I can see his entrance every Monday night. When Undertaker Tombstoned Cena, I thought, "There's our WrestleMania headliner." Awesome show tonight. Best of the year, by far.

We welcome your 0-10 score and comments on this show for a "WWE Raw Reax" feature in the Torch Feedback section of PWTorch.com. Just to add a twist to this feature, include not just your hometown, but also your occupation (mechanic, lawyer, stay-at-home-dad, college student, etc.) so readers get a flavor for what everyone does as "day jobs." To contribute your thoughts on Raw, click here.

KELLER'S WWE RAW REPORT 11/16: DX vs. Cena & Taker vs. JeriShow, Piper and McMahon turn into Grumpy Old Men, Ventura Announced, Kofi further elevated in Orton brawl (hour two)

By Wade Keller, PWTorch editor — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 23:12:03 PST
KELLER'S WWE RAW REPORT - HOUR TWO
NOVEMBER 16, 2009
LIVE FROM NEW YORK CITY, N.Y.

[Q5]

As everyone in the back cringed, Piper began rambling incoherently. He actually said if you mess with the Hot Rod, you end up either bald or dead. He then said he loves them all, mostly the dead ones. He said he just can't help himself. He said he has one more dirty nasty job to do. He said he wants one more match with Vincent Kennedy McMahon. The crowd popped for that. He said he knows Vince is a big fan of his because when he did "Real Sports with Bryant Gumble," he was watching and he fired him right in that building. The crowd booed. Piper said, "That's what all my kids said." Piper said Vince is backstage because he has a soft spot from the Garden and a hard spot in his wallet from all the money the fans have been giving him. Out walked McMahon, not a second too soon. McMahon said what everyone was thinking: "Nice dye-job on the hair there, Hot Rod." McMahon said Piper had done a lot of bad things at MSG, but the worst thing ever was "show up here tonight." He said mother nature hasn't been too kind to him. He asked him when the last time was he had a 100,000 mile check-up. Vince wasn't one to talk with that circus suit he was wearing, and his hair has never recovered fully the head shaving angle. McMahon continued, turning Raw into  "Grumpy Old Men." He said: "Some things ahven't changed. You still have those toothpick arms and spindly little legs and knobby little knees and you've always had that catcher's mitt face. The only thing I'd suggest that hasn't dried up and withered away is that kilt." He said if he soiled his hands on Piper, his forefathers would be ashamed of him.

Piper made fun of McMahon's suit. He said it matches his hair, the grey and the black. McMahon said at least it's not dyed. He said he's always looked better than all of the top stars including Triple H, The Rock, Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels, Undertaker. He's right about Triple H. He bragged that he's beaten them all. He said he regrets to inform Piper that he's officially retired from in-ring action. Piper said that's about all the games he's going to play with him. Piper said "retired" is another word for "coward." He said he's been in 7,000 car crashes and 30 matches - then added, "Reverse them around." Vince said, "Your mind is as sane as it's always been." Piper said he's not sane. He went down in an airplane, he's been electrocuted, and he's had cancer. He said if he beat those things, he can beat him. Piper said he should he held accountable to the people who have made him a billionaire. Piper told McMahon to tell the fans he's retired. They cut away from McMahon jus as he was about to say something more. Lawler laughed and stumbled his way through plugging the Triple Threat tag match main event. [c]

-An ECW ad hyped Hurricane vs. Paul Burchill. Are they trying to tank the ratings below 1.0 now?

[Q6]

-They showed the Empire State Building and then the street scene outside of MSG. Cole talked about the celebrities in attendance. Lawler wondered if McMahon would accept Piper's offer to fight later. About eight minutes of wrestling in the first hour and fifteen minutes of the show.

-Sheamus said he's going to make another impact by annihilating anyone who dares step in the ring with him. He waited and no one walked out. He then walked to ringside and grabbed the time keeper/bell ringer. Lawler had enough and stood up to him. Sheamus kicked him in the face. Referees and medics checked on both fallen men. [c]

-Matt Striker joined Cole on commentary, replacing Lawler who was still suffering facial pain. They hyped the line-up for Survivor Series. They didn't stand mid-ring which has been the norm lately for PPV plugs by announcers.

-Ring intros took place for Jack Swagger and Evan Bourne. [c]

[Q7]

4 -- EVAN BOURNE vs. JACK SWAGGER

The match was joined in progress. Striker did a nice job articulating the assets and bright futures of Swagger and Bourne. Swagger won after two minutes of action aired.

WINNER: Swagger in 4:00.

-They showed Piper walking backstage. Striker wondered if McMahon would answer Piper's call. [c]

-WWE Fact: Last week fans from all 50 states plus 22 countries purchased tickets to WrestleMania 26.

-Piper stood in the ring in jeans and a black "Hot Rod" t-shirt. He looked to be in better shape than the last time he showed off his belly with a tucked in shirt. Instead of McMahon, though, out walked Randy Orton. Cole said: "Oh no." The crowd broke Piper's heart with a chant of "Ran-dee Or-ton! Ran-dee Or-ton!" Orton said if it's a fight he wants... at which point he kicked him in the gut. Striker cited Piper's history with Orton's father, "Cowboy" Bob, as the reason for the aggression. Cole said he thinks Orton would do this regardless. Orton stomped away at Piper. Orton set up the punt kick. As he moved in, they were late playing Kofi Kingston's music, so Orton had to stop mid-kick. It messed up the move. Kofi did come out to his music and attack Orton. He cleared the ring of Orton quickly.

[Q8]

Piper cheered as Kingston attacked Orton further at ringside. Orton made a comeback, brought Kofi back into the ring, and snapped his neck upward into the bottom rope catapult style. He set up a punt kick, but Kofi leaped into the air to avoid it and tackled Orton and punched away at him. He beat up Orton at ringside again. Orton again turned the tables at which point five referees jumped in and separated them. Cole said he hadn't seen that side of Kofi before. Orton broke free and jumped Kofi once again. Kofi made a comeback as they brawled into the stands. They ended up in the production pit. Kingston put Orton on a table and leaped off the railing with the Boom Drop double legdrop, crashing Orton through the table. A long brawl that was both entertaining and another step in cementing Kofi as getting a top tier push. A for effort, and now we'll see if Kofi can deliver (so far he has in all respects) and the fans are willing to buy into him at this level this soon.

-Backstage John Cena cut a promo about his match at Survivor Series. He said MSG will once again be the place that makes WWE history with the Raw main event. He called Big Show the "overweight NWO Telly Sevalas." He said Undertaker seemed like a good choice for a partner until he came to realize how difficult he is to talk to. He said he is a fighting champion. He was handed a note. He read it and said he didn't believe it. He said, "That changes everything." He paused and said it came to his attention that he made a mistake, Survivor Series isn't a handicapped match, it's a Triple Threat match. He said as a result there will be no frisbee golf with the DX DVDs or glow stick party and a DX celebration. He said if Michaels and Triple H wanted to ask him if he's ready, the answer is yes. He said the Ghostbusters saved this city once from a marsh-mellow man, and I'm still not sure why. He closed with "The Champ is Here." So far, this is the weakest hype for a PPV main event in a long time, with that being Cena's "go home" promo. 
-The ring intro for Jericho and Big Show began as they cut to a break. [c]

[Q9]

-Cole plugged that Jesse Ventura would be guest hosting next week. Striker did a brief Ventura impression.

5 -- TRIPLE H & SHAWN MICHAELS vs. UNDERTAKER & JOHN CENA vs. CHRIS JERICHO & BIG SHOW

The ring intros were still going on six minutes into the overrun. Undertaker got the full "big event" ring intro with druids and torches. Striker said there are a lot of interesting interweaving conflicts in this match. Cena vs. Jericho vs. Michaels started the match. Show tagged in right away, though. Undertaker and Triple H also tagged in. Show speared Taker as he was scuffling with Michaels. Jericho tagged in and applied a Walls of Jericho on Michaels. Taker quickly broke it up. At 4:00 Triple H and Cena faced off. Triple H gave Cena a crotch chop. Show gave them both a double chokeslam. Taker went after Show with a flying clothesline, then knocked him to the floor. He continued to beat him at ringside. Meanwhile, Cena scored a near fall on Jericho. Michaels took over on Jericho and hit a top rope elbow. He followed by stomping the mat, but Cena ducked his superkick and his some shoulder tackles and a back suplex. Then came the "You Can't See Me" routine. As Cena lifted Michaels for an Attitude Adjustment, Triple H tagged himself in. A minute later Michaels superkicked Show. Jericho gave Michaels a Code Breaker. Taker gave Jericho a chokeslam. Triple H clotheslined Taker over the top rope. Cena then surprised Triple H with an Attitude Adjustment for the win. Afterward, Taker gave Cena a Tombstone.

WINNER: Cena in 8:00.

STAR RATING: **3/4 -- Not very long, but they got a ton of big spots in that were well timed and executed. A crowd-pleasing "parade of stars and signature moves" type of main event.

FINAL THOUGHTS (7.5): The final hype for Cena-Hunter-Michaels was lousy, and Cena pinning Hunter may portend a Hunter title win at Survivor Series. The show itself felt "big" and was a nice recovery from the disastrous run that led to a deserved drop in audience levels in recent weeks. The pushes of Kofi, Swagger, Miz, and Sheamus are all being well done. The crowd is clearly itching to get permission to cheer Orton, and setting him up as a top babyface is going to be tough to resist, but WWE should for another year or two until they have firmly established a whole new tier of credible heels. Strange that Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes were left off the show. Piper alone was terrible, as is par for him the last 15 years, but once McMahon was added to the mix it hit the right tone and was pretty entertaining.

QUOTEBOOK

Miz: "I haven't said one word yet and you people have already chosen to hate me. I thought you people loved champions."

Roddy Piper: "If you mess with the Hot Rod, you're either going to be bald or dead. Yeah, I went there, because they know I love them. I love them all. Mostly the dead ones, not so much the bald ones. I'm the reason Hulk Hogan has no hair. Some things I just can't help."

Vince McMahon: "I have people come up to me all the time and say, 'I hope one day when I'm your age I can look as good as you.' I truthfully look into their eyes and say, 'Son, you don't look as good as me now."

DEROSENROLL'S ROH TV REPORT 11/16: Bryan Danielson's final ROH match, Top Five Danielson moments countdown, Beard vs. Beard match

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 23:01:14 PST
Ring of Honor TV Report
November 16, 2009
Taped September 11 in Philadelphia, Pa.
Episode #34 - Fourth episode of Series Six
Report by Mike DeRosenroll, Torch ROH specialist

Overview

- A very good show overall. Bryan Danielson's farewell match against Roderick Strong was very good, and the rest was entertaining and well-paced. Between Danielson's farewell and the Beard vs. Beard match, it felt newsworthy as well.

- ROH continues to do a nice job of building up Kenny King after running the angle four weeks ago where he and Rhett Titus injured Jerry Lynn. This week King got a solid video package building up his match next week against Brent Albright.

- The quality of the commentary has been up-and-down for the past few weeks, but this week both Hogwood and Prazak were on top of their game. Prazak in particular had a strong week this week, with a couple of laugh-worthy zingers in his heel color commentator role.

Detailed Show Recap

- The show opened with a video package hyping "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson's last match on ROH television coming up.

- In the studio, Mike Hogwood and Dave Prazak reiterated that Bryan Danielson's last match on ROH television would be the main event. Hogwood said that no one has meant as much to ROH over the last few years than Bryan Danielson, and said it would be an emotional night.

1 – CHRIS HERO (w/Shane Hagadorn) vs. DELIRIOUS

Sonjay Dutt attacked Delirious from behind during Delirious' ring entrance. After Dutt beat down Delirious outside the ring, Hagadorn rolled Delirious into the ring and the referee called for the opening bell. Hogwood rightly pointed out how unfair it was for the referee to call for the bell before giving Delirious a chance to recover.

Hero opportunistically continued to beat him down Delirious heel-style. Hero mixed his usual strong offence with various heel tactics. After teasing a couple of comebacks, Delirious finally turned the momentum at 5:30 by catching Hero with a head but to the gut while Hero was charging him in the corner. This gave Delirious the chance to get a short burst of offence. At 6:30, Delirious tried for Shadows Over Hell from the top rope, but Hero rolled out of the way then landed a rolling elbow on Delirious for a near fall. Delirious fought back with a couple of leverage pin attempts, but Hero hit the rip cord rolling elbow out of nowhere for the pin.

WINNER: Hero in 7:30. Solid, logical match. The pre-match attack made it obvious that Hero would win, but Hero is always entertaining to watch and both wrestlers performed well.

- After the match, Dutt ran into the ring and gloated over the fallen Delirious.

- Hogwood again hyped that the main event would be Bryan Danielson vs. Roderick Strong in Danielson's last match on ROH television, then threw to the next installment in Bryan Danielson's countdown of his top 5 ROH memories.

- Number two on the countdown was Danielson's 60-minute draw with Colt Cabana at Gut Check in Chicago in 2006. Highlights of the match aired while Danielson talked about it. He said many of his favorite memories involved times when he got injured but managed to work through the injury and things turned out well. In this case, he separated his shoulder early in the match but still managed to go sixty minutes with Cabana.

2 – BEARD VS BEARD TAG TEAM MATCH: THE EMBASSY (JOEY RYAN & PRINCE NANA w/"Dirty" Ernie Osiris) vs. GRIZZLY REDWOOD & NECRO BUTCHER

The stipulation for this match was that if The Embassy lost, "Dirty" Ernie Osiris would have his beard shaved, while if Grizzly Redwood and Necro Butcher lost, Redwood would have his beard shaved. As the referee carried barbershop equipment to the ring, Prazak said "Not since Big Momma and Jimmy Valiant has there been so much anticipation in the air to find out who gets the shave."

Redwood began the match with Ryan and took control with a combination of hurricanranas and arm drags. Redwood tagged in Necro at 0:30, prompting Ryan to run to his corner to try to tag in Nana but Nana jumped off the apron to avoid tagging in against Necro. This allowed the babyfaces to work over the isolated Ryan until Redwood idiotically left the ring to chase after Nana on the outside at 1:30. Osiris intervened to save Nana, and Redwood chased Osiris into the ring where Ryan caught Redwood with a powerslam at 2:00. This allowed the heels to isolate Redwood in their corner and beat him down for a few minutes. Nana tagged in a few times to take a few shots at Redwood before quickly tagging back out each time.

Nana went for a Jerry "The King" Lawler fist drop off the second rope at 3:30 but missed, allowing Redwood to reach Necro for the hot tag. Nana tagged in Ryan and Necro beat on Ryan for a minute, until Ryan landed a spinning superkick out of nowhere at 4:30. Necro tagged Redwood back in. Ryan took out Necro with a dive through the ropes to the outside, knocking Necro over the guardrail into the first row. Meanwhile, in the ring, Redwood got his hands on Nana and landed a few strikes. Ryan came back into the ring and rolled up Redwood from behind for a near fall, but Redwood kicked out and quickly landed a swinging DDT for the pin.

WINNERS: Redwood & Necro at 5:30. A very basic, kiddy-style match. It was appropriate for this undercard feud, and did not overstay its welcome.

- After the match, Necro chased Osiris into the ring while Ryan and Nana ran up the aisle. Redwood put Osiris to sleep with the sleeper hold and proceeded to cut off Osiris' beard with a pair of scissors.

- A clip aired from the aftermath of Bryan Danielson's last match on an ROH DVD show, the recent Glory By Honor VII show at the Manhattan Centre in New York City. Some female fans in the crowd were tearing up as the crowd chanted "We Will Miss You."

- The final installment of Bryan Danielson's top 5 ROH memories countdown featured Danielson's match against KENTA at Glory By Honor V in 2006. This was Danielson's first match after separating his shoulder against Cabana a month earlier at Gut Check. He said that the emotion from the crowd was overwhelming, and after getting through the match despite his shoulder injury he knew then that he was going to be able to get through the rest his ROH World Title reign.

[Commercial Break]

- A clip aired of Austin Aries' fireball attack on Tyler Black last week. Hogwood announced that, in two weeks, Aries will wrestle Colt Cabana. It was unclear whether the title will be on the line.

- A clip aired of Kenny King and Rhett Titus' post-match attack on Jerry Lynn four weeks ago. ROH has done a fine job of selling this angle by keeping Lynn off TV all this time while revisiting the angle each week. Hogwood announced that King will face Brent Albright next week.

- A video package aired with action clips of Kenny King interspersed with King cutting a promo talking about how great he is. King is getting a solid build-up. Hopefully, Lynn does not simply squash him when he returns for revenge, because ROH needs to elevate some new stars.

3 – "SKULLKRUSHER" RASCHE BROWN vs. CAMERON MATTHEWS

Prazak said that Brown had his neck broken when he was hit by a Mack truck, and came back quicker than most people come back from a hang nail. Brown quickly took control of the match and landed a spinning suplex. Matthews teased a comeback at 0:30, but Brown cut the comeback off with a flying shoulder block, showing good agility to go with his size and strength. He quickly followed up with his torture rack-burning hammer finishing combination.

WINNER: Brown in 1:00. Another good squash victory for Brown. Matthews sold well for him.

- A hype video of Bryan Danielson highlights aired.

4 – "AMERICAN DRAGON" BRYAN DANIELSON vs. RODERICK STRONG

The fans showered Danielson in streamers during his ring entrance. The fans chanted "Thank you, Dragon." The wrestlers began the match with an intense sequence of chain and mat wrestling. At 3:30, Strong countered an arm bar into a backbreaker, and then began working over Danielson's back. Strong backed Danielson into the corner and unleashed some searing chest chops at 4:00. Danielson made a comeback at 7:00 with a stiff series of leg kicks. Danielson's chest was beet red from Strong's many chops. Danielson got a spell of offense until 9:00, when he charged Strong in the corner but Strong met him with a kick to the head, followed by another backbreaker. Strong continued to work over Danielson's back, and locked in a Boston Crab at 10:00 but Danielson managed to reverse it into a leverage pin for a near fall. They went into a nice exchange of holds and counters until Danielson caught Strong with a triangle choke, forcing Strong to go to the ropes for the break.

Strong rolled to the floor to recover from the triangle choke, so Danielson tried for a dive through the ropes but Strong saw it coming and met the dive with an elbow to Danielson's head at 11:00. As Strong tried to re-enter the ring, Danielson dropkicked him back to the floor from the apron then landed a baseball slide dropkick to send Strong into the front row. Danielson then landed his trademark springboard dive from the top rope into the seats, and the wrestlers crashed into the third row at 12:00. The fans chanted "Best in the World."

Danielson rolled Strong back into the ring and followed up his advantage with a missile dropkick from the top rope, followed by a flying knee strike for a near fall at 13:00. Danielson then tried for his cattle mutilation submission hold, but Strong fought out of it and managed to mat wrestle Danielson is the Stronghold submission at 13:30. Danielson countered out of it back into a triangle choke at 14:00. Strong countered the triangle into a backbreaker at 14:30. Both wrestlers struggled to their feet, and started exchanging strikes in mid ring. Strong came out ahead in and landed a combination of backbreakers for a near fall at 15:30.

Frustrated, Strong tried to set up Danielson for a superplex from the top rope, but Danielson slipped out of it and instead caught Strong with a back superplex at 16:00. Danielson then went for cattle mutilation, but Strong countered it into a lung blower followed by a Gibson driver for a near fall. Strong once again lifted Danielson to the top rope, but Danielson fought out of whatever move Strong was going for with a series of elbows. Strong fought back with a kick to Danielson's head, followed by super gutbuster-running kick combination for the pin.

WINNER: Strong in 18:00. A very good match. Not quite up to the level of matches these two had during Danielson's title reign in 2005-06, but very good nonetheless. The opening sequence was very good and there were several great exchanges and transitions in the middle part of the match. The finishing sequence seemed rushed, making me wonder if they were going long and had to cut the finish down for TV purposes.

- After the match, Strong cut a short promo praising Danielson. He said "Thank you Bryan Danielson, I love you like a brother." The locker room emptied out and the wrestlers surrounded the ring to pay tribute to Danielson while the fans chanted "Thank you, Dragon." Danielson grabbed the mic and seemed about to cut a promo when the show ended. I wanted to hear the promo, so the ending seemed jarring. Hopefully ROH will include Danielson's farewell promo to the Philadelphia fans as an extra on a future DVD release.

We welcome your 0-10 score and comments on this show for an "ROH TV Reax" feature in the Torch Feedback section of PWTorch.com. To contribute your thoughts on ROH, email to pwtorch@gmail.com using our Feedback form.

UFC News: Brock Lesnar's mystery ailment revealed, ESPN covers Lesnar's health problems

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:48:37 PST
By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

Former WWE star and current UFC Hvt. champion Brock Lesnar has a bacterial infection in his intestinal tract, according to an ESPN report that was listed on the Top Stories section of their website.

Lesnar is expected to be released from a hospital in Bismarck, S.D., but UFC president Dana White wants Lesnar to check into the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota for further evaluation.

White reiterated that he's not sure if Lesnar will be able to fight again.

Link: ESPN Report.

WWE News: Site of famous Hulk Hogan-Andre the Giant match at WrestleMania III sells for ridiculously low amount

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:38:26 PST
By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

The Silverdome in Pontiac, Mich. sold to a Canadian buyer for only $583,000 after a lengthy auction process. The building cost $55.7 million to build in 1975.

The site of WWE's WrestleMania III for the famous Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant match is expected to be turned into a soccer facility. A city representative said they were disappointed with the sales price, but said they had no choice.

"Even I have to admit that the number is lower than I would like," said city manager Fred Leeb. "But I'm happy that we made the decision. Procrastination was literally costing us millions of dollars."

Caldwell's Analysis: Torch reader Joe P. sent in the tip on the sale and suggested WWE should have bought the property to host WrestleMania there every year. I would take it a step further that WWE could have bought the Silverdome on the cheap and actually built a physical WWE Hall of Fame.

Link: Read the report on Wall Street Journal.

WWE News: Former WWE ring announcer Lilian Garcia appears at tonight's Raw TV before the live show

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:30:35 PST
By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

Former WWE ring announcer Lilian Garcia made a surprise appearance before tonight's live Raw from New York City to sing the National Anthem. Lilian retired from WWE in September after ten years with WWE.

Lilian lives in New York City and made a one-time appearance that wasn't mentioned on Raw. She posted on Twitter: "Just sang the National Anthem at Madison Sq Garden before WWE Raw!! Felt so good 2 c everyone!! Crowd was awesome! Thks for the love!!"

WWE RAW POLL: Who was the MVP of the 11/16 Raw if you saw the show?

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:24:31 PST

WWE RAW POLL: Who was the MVP of the 11/16 Raw if you saw the show?
Triple H & Shawn Michaels
Chris Jericho & Big Show
The Undertaker
John Cena
Vince McMahon
Roddy Piper
Kofi Kingston
Randy Orton
MVP
The Miz
Evan Bourne
Jack Swagger
Judah Friedlander
Hulk Hogan via videos
Hornswoggle
Santino Marella
Sheamus
Iron Sheik
Melina
Alicia Fox

CALDWELL'S WWE RAW REPORT 11/16: Complete coverage of Roddy Piper hosting, DX vs. Cena & Taker vs. Jericho & Show

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:20:28 PST

WWE Raw Live Report
November 16, 2009
Live from New York City
Aired live on USA Network
Report by James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

WWE Raw opened with a shot of the crest for Roddy Piper backstage while bagpipes played. Piper smiled and welcomed us to Piper's Pit. He was sitting next to actor Luis Guzman. Piper said he flew in the Iron Chef...actually, Iron Sheik. Piper said he wanted the Iron Chef. Guzman referenced Hulk Hogan, then Sheik then cut a "jibberish Sheik" promo on Hulk Hogan. Sheik then pulled out an Iron Sheik action figure and stomped on a Hogan action figure. Sheik with a payday to cut a promo on TNA's Hogan...using an action figure. Wonderful. Bella Twins joined in the background, then all of them did "Live from New York, it's Monday Night Raw."

Cue up the new Raw theme music from Nickelback with a hint of the old-school original WWF Raw theme at the end that brings up images of Yokozuna, Bret Hart, HBK, and Diesel. A little tribute at the end.

In-ring: Justin Roberts announced a U.S. Title match to start the show. The Miz then came out through an adjusted ring entrance through the classic walkway facing the hard camera in MSG. Reminds me of Mick Foley vs. Triple H. Once in the ring, Miz cut a promo on the World champ New York Yankees, saying he didn't have to buy his U.S. Title, but he earned it. A "Let's go Yankees" chant interrupted Miz, who said he's going to defeat his opponent tonight. He closed by telling the audience that this (his face) is what a champion looks like. "Because I'm The Miz...and I'm...Awesome." Cue up MVP's music to come out challenging Miz. MVP was sporting a Yankees cap and...look who's back, Sherri Shepherd on the front row.

1 -- U.S. champion THE MIZ vs. MVP -- United States Title match

Miz took it to MVP early on, but MVP made a comeback. Cole suggested the lowly Knicks could use MVP as he set up the ballin' elbow drop for a two count. MVP wanted the Playmaker, but Miz escaped and shot MVP off to the corner to land a kick to the gut. Miz then dropped MVP on his face with the Skullcrushing Finale for the pin and the win. Ringside, Sherri wasn't pleased with her sitcom...er...man losing the match.

WINNER: Miz at 3:46 to retain the U.S. Title. Hot crowd tonight gave this match a boost. There's definitely a different vibe in the arena to create energy this show desperately needs. MVP got in his signature spots to retain some credibility despite the loss. Good showing for MVP at the top of the show. (*1/4)

Announcers: Michael Cole plugged Melina vs. Alicia Fox for the Divas Title up later tonight.

[Commercial Break]

[Q2]

Video package: They recapped Ricky Hatton KO'ing Chavo Guerrero on last week's Raw. Ali finally avenges Inoki! Or not.

In-ring: Chavo Guerrero was already in the ring for something. Cue up Santino Marella's theme music. He walked out sporting a N.Y. Rangers hockey jersey to continue the theme of cheap heat. Santino looked super fat. We found out why...

2 -- SANTINO MARELLA vs. CHAVO GUERRERO

Bell sounded and Santino told Chavo to hold on. He pulled out a #10 Eli Manning jersey for the Giants. This was followed by a #34 Patrick Ewing jersey. Wait, next was a Mark Sanchez Jets jersey. Cole played the heel pointing out how poorly the New York teams have been. Santino then pulled out a Johan Santana jersey from the Mets. Suddenly, Santino was in a Phillies jersey. Loud boos. Santino pretended to be shocked. He then took off the Phils jersey to finally be wearing a Yankees jersey. Didn't see the number on the back. Chavo had enough and gave Santino a suplex. We got a look that it was Derek Jeter's #2 jersey. I hope this isn't what Jim Ross meant by Yankees in the house tonight. Suddenly, Hornswoggle showed up in DX gear. He distracted Chavo, then Santino rolled up Chavo from behind for a three count. The coyote loses to the roadrunner again.

WINNER: Chavo at 2:50. A parade of jerseys the NFL and MLB will be grateful for. Crowd was hot for the locally-driven match. Thankfully, we got the obligatory Chavo joke match out of the way. (n/a)

Post-match: The DX theme music hit to a loud crowd reaction. The classic MSG entranceway opened up to bring out Shawn Michaels and Triple H. Hunter gave a shout-out to New York City, then Hunter talked sadly that they're not coming out here to play games or sell merchandise. Michaels then pulled out a DX book and plugged it anyways. Hunter then set up Michaels to sell the book in the Border's adjacent to the building. Michaels tossed the book to Sherri in the front row anyways. Hunter then transitioned to the Big Fat Elephant in the room. No, not the Big Show. The one this Sunday. A triple threat match between Shawn Michaels, himself, and the one and only John Cena. That prompted a mix of loud female cheers and male boos. Hunter said DX will not implode like Cena suggested. Hunter said they will be like a unit combined like this (he mixed his fingers together to demonstrate). Michaels then asked if he really meant they would be a unit. "Yeah, but in a good way," Hunter said, being Hunter. Michaels said you cannot tear DX apart, so now that that item is done with, they want to address Hornswoggle.

Hunter said Hornswoggle has refused to listen to logic. He said Horny hasn't even paid for the merchandise. Hunter said this is America where even little people can live their dream of being a member of DX. Hunter and Michaels told Hornswoggle to come on out. Horny then popped out from under the ring and skipped into the ring doing crotch chops with glowsticks while running around the ring like a kid on a stick pony. Chavo and Pepe flashback.

[Q3] Hunter told Hornswoggle to get in line for the official DX ring intro. Hunter inserted a nice promo on Hornswoggle...but then kicked him in the gut and set up the Pedigree. Crowd wasn't too pleased as Hunter teased it, Michaels encouraged it, then Hunter dropped Hornswoggle center ring. Hunter smiled, then Michaels took the mic and said, "If you're not down with that..." Crowd finished. Hunter just shrugged his shoulders looking self-satisfied with himself. DX then pulled out a DX-spray-painted gurney and slid it into the ring. They sarcastically put Hornswoggle on the gurney and carried him out of the ring to the back. And the point of this to sell the PPV was.....? Pretty much a waste of time segment. PYB (3) talk time: 7:35.

[Commercial Break]

Recap: Cole and Lawler recapped DX taking out Hornswoggle in the previous segment. Another shot of Hunter with a self-satisfied smirk. They plugged Jay-Z's new album before playing an audio clip of Jay-Z and Alicia Keys's duet. On-camera, Cole and Lawler talked about the mystique of MSG. Cole then introduced a video package on WWE and MSG. Well, this is interesting considering the recent rough relationship between WWE and MSG, with WWE now trying to take ownership on the building for wrestling after TNA took over with Hulk Hogan a few weeks ago.

MSG video: Hulk Hogan dropping the leg to begin Hulkamania. Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon in the ladder match at WM10. Steve Austin on Vince McMahon. Bret Hart. Jimmy Snuka off the top of the cage. Hogan and Savage. Bret Hart again. Ultimate Warrior winning the IC Title. Cyndi Lauper and Ali at WrestleMania I. Triple H making the return in the jean jacket. John Cena's surprise return to the 2008 Royal Rumble. Kane taking off the mask. Kurt Angle vs. Eddie Guerrero at WrestleMania 20. Owen Hart. Roddy Piper. Mick Foley as Cactus Jack. John Cena with the FU on Big Show in the opener of WM20. Steve Austin giving Brock Lesnar and Goldberg the Stunners at WM20. Ric Flair old-school. Vince McMahon's plaque. No shot of Benoit winning the World Title in the main event of WM20. Incomplete look without that moment. Of course, Hunter and HBK were on the losing end of that one.

Backstage: Roddy Piper was doing his thing, then Chris Jericho barged in to re-live WrestleMania 25. Actually, no references. Apparently it's ancient history. Jericho said Piper needs a portrait of Jericho on the wall after all of these previous guest hosts have disrespected him. Piper blew his nose mid-sentence, then he brought in Chris Masters. Piper asked for some music, prompting Masters to bounce his pecs to the beat of a Black Eyed Peas song. WWE has discovered Masters's only talent, apparently. Bella Twins then showed up and were impressed. Jericho was grossed out. Piper blew his nose, then wiped his hand on Jericho's bare chest to leave Jericho with egg on his face.

Ringside: Black Eyed Peas were shown ringside dropping elbows. ...Backstage: Melina and Alicia Fox were shown on a split-screen. Divas Title match up next.

[Commercial Break]

[Q4]

Did You Know: WWE is claiming their international tour went in front of 170,000 people across the 22 total events.

In-ring: Justin Roberts did an ironic, super-sports-hype for the pudgy, out-of-shape, nerdy-looking Judah Friedlander from 30 Rock, who was the guest ring announcer for the Divas Title match. Divas champion Melina came out first as the announcers plugged the Divas match at Survivor Series. Alicia Fox then came out to challenge for the title. Before the match started, Judah gave us a new announcement that it's a Lumberjill match. "Yeah!" he shouted excitedly.

3 -- Divas champion MELINA vs. ALICIA FOX -- Divas Title match

On cue, Alicia found herself on the outside trying to intimidate the babyface lumberjacks, then she returned to the ring and Melina worked her over before landing her Canadian Destroyer-esque finisher for the quick pin and the win. Post-match: a fight broke out among all the divas present to set up the Five-on-Five match at Survivor Series. Babyface divas stood tall and then danced to close out the segment, much to Judah's delight.

WINNER: Melina at 1:38 to retain the Divas Title. A short match happened. And they danced. Not a memorable display of women's wrestling tonight. (n/a)

Video package: They went back to Undertaker's WWE debut at the 1990 Survivor Series. Just a close-up of Taker walking down the aisle without the obligatory shots of Brother Love and Ted DiBiase. Fast-forward to 2009 or Taker vs. Show vs. Jericho for the World Title.

[Commercial Break. For the local Houston Smackdown TV taping next month, they're plugging appearances by Punk, Jericho, and Rey Mysterio.]

Announcers: Cole and Lawler talked on-camera about WWE and USA Network renewing their TV deal to keep WWE on the air through 2014.

In-ring: Just before the top of the hour, Justin Roberts brought out Roddy Piper. Cole listed his credentials appearing at 13 WrestleManias including the first one against Hulk Hogan and Mr. T. Cole talked briefly about Piper's history at MSG before Piper took the mic.

[Q5 -- second hour]

Piper said it's nice to walk out to MSG and get a standing ovation. He turned to the cameraman in the ring and said he'll kick him if he gets too close again. Piper said he's a New York orphan child. And he's had some embarrassing moments in this ring. He said he embarrassed Cyndi Lauper, but she also embarrassed herself. Piper name-dropped Captain Lou Albano, Bruno Sammartino, Andre the Giant, and Hulk Hogan (mix of cheers and boos). Piper said if you mess with Hot Rod, you're either going to be bald or dead. "Yeah, I went there," he said. Piper said he's the reason Hulk Hogan has no hair. Pause. Pause. Piper said he's done some unspeakable things in New York...and he loved every one of them. Pause. Pause. Piper then called out Vince McMahon for one more match. He went back to the HBO show where Piper talked about McMahon, who fired him right after that. Piper said he knows McMahon is back there, so he called him out.

Cue up Vince McMahon's music and out came McMahon in a Mob-style pinstripe suit. Cole talked up the McMahon Family "building MSG" with "four generations of the McMahon Family" bringing WWE to MSG. Once McMahon hit the ring, Piper leaned against the ropes. McMahon complemented him on the dye job. Quick "What?!" that McMahon paused to hate on. McMahon then started a promo on Piper, saying Mother Nature hasn't been too kind to him. McMahon said Piper still has that frail, weak body and that "catcher's mitt" face. The only thing that hasn't dried up or withered away is Piper's kilt. McMahon said if he were to soil his hands with Piper, his forefathers would be ashamed of him. Piper said there are plenty of reasons for McMahon to be ashamsed of himself. Turned into "how low can you go?" with some mud-slinging. McMahon then cut a promo on the entire locker room and the history of stars "he created" - The Rock, Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Taker, and Austin. McMahon emphatically said he looks better than all of them. McMahon said he is officially retired from ring action. Crowd booed.

Piper slowly walked up to McMahon and said he's done playing games. Piper said McMahon is a coward for backing out of a fight. Piper said he's been in 7,000 car crashes and 30 matches. Piper and McMahon looked at each other funny, then Piper tried to correct himself with McMahon pointing out the error. Piper said he's beaten cancer and he can beat McMahon. Round of applause. Piper said McMahon needs to be accountable to the people who made him a billionaire. Piper doesn't want it on PPV or WrestleMania. He wants to see if McMahon has the guts tonight to tell these people he's not a coward. Piper vowed to retire McMahon "for full" tonight. Piper then left the ring, leaving McMahon in the ring. McMahon thought he was off the air, then shouted "Let's hear it one more time..." He was cut off, then the announcers plugged the six-man, three-team tag main event later in the show while laughing at McMahon talking to the live audience with a live mic on the air. PYB (3) talk time: 10:40. So, moral of the story is that McMahon thinks he's the biggest star in the history of the wrestling business.

Raw 3-Hour video plug: They plugged next week's three-hour Raw for the Thanksgiving special with Raw, Smackdown, and ECW guest-hosted by "the governor" Jesse Ventura. They rolled old-school WWE footage of Ventura with the plug for next week.

[Commercial Break]

[Q6]

ECW plug: Hurricane's mask vs. Burchill's ECW career. ... Announcers: Cole and Lawler posed the question of whether McMahon will accept Piper's challenge tonight.

In-ring: Sheamus came to the ring as the announcers recapped Sheamus destroying Jamie Noble two weeks ago. Cole said Noble has "indeed retired" after Sheamus's attack. Back live, Sheamus took the mic and said he's been here for four weeks and has already put one man out of the business. He issued an open challenge to anyone in the back. No one came out, so Sheamus walked over to the timekeeper's table and grabbed Mark Yeaton. Mark sold fear, then Sheamus punched him in the gut. Sheamus followed by sliding Yeaton stomach-first across the announce table. Lawler had a problem with Sheamus and stepped up, but Sheamus dropped him on the floor with a bicycle kick. Good crowd heat with the kids screaming and yelling at Sheamus, who then stomped off to the back as refs and Cole checked on Lawler and Yeaton. "You okay?" one kid asked with the sincerest little voice. "King, can you hear me?" Cole asked. Can't resist the flashback to "Paul, I can't feel my legs!" Lawler was then helped to his feet and he sold an eye injury. "Come back and kick his ass, King," one fan shouted as they cut to break with the scenes telling the story.

[Commercial Break]

Of note: We've had less than ten minutes of in-ring action tonight 83 minutes into the show. Less than seven minutes if you don't count the Lumberjill match. Less than four minutes if you don't count the New York jersey display match.

Announcer table: Michael Cole talked quietly about the attack by Sheamus on Lawler. Smackdown's Matt Striker was at the table now. Cole said Matt Striker lives in New York City and was here for the show. At least they explained why Striker was in the building. Cole then made sure the show went on by plugging the Survivor Series PPV. Wait, there's a PPV on Sunday? Wow.

In-ring: Evan Bourne came to the ring for a random match. Announcers talked about Bourne defeating Jack Swagger last week to end Swagger's "no losses the rest of the year" streak. On cue, Jack Swagger came out to face Bourne again.

[Commercial Break]

[Q7]

4 -- JACK SWAGGER vs. EVAN BOURNE

Action was joined in progress with Swagger already dominating Bourne with mat holds. Bourne elbowed Swagger in the head, but Swagger shook it off and smashed Bourne with a lariat to the back of the head. Bourne then came back with a double knee smash off the top rope for a two count. Swagger shook off Bourne's offense, then took Bourne across the ring with multiple running powerslams into the turnbuckles before finishing him off with the gut wrench powerbomb for the win. Announcers built up Swagger as a dominant figure for the Survivor Series match for Team Miz.

WINNER: Swagger at 2:02 of what aired. Just two minutes of Swagger having offense, a quick tease from Bourne, then Swagger with the dominating offense to stand tall. Not enough aired for this to be memorable. (n/a)

Backstage: They showed Roddy Piper walking down the hallway for his fight against McMahon.

[Commercial Break]

In-ring: Roddy Piper was already in the ring sporting a Hot Rod t-shirt and blue jeans. Where's Goldust for a Backlot Brawl? Piper called out "Vincent" to hurry on out here. Piper wanted a mic. Suddenly, Randy Orton's music hit and out came the Legend Killer looking very menacing with the red LED lights flashing during his entrance. Orton said McMahon isn't coming out here, but he has a bigger problem to deal with. Orton kicked Piper in the gut, then Piper slowly made his way to his feet and punched Orton. Orton shook it off, then dropped Piper to the mat and stomped away on him. No sign of Kofi yet. Orton then went to the corner and stalked Piper for The Punt. Orton looked off camera waiting for a run-in, then Orton approached Piper for The Punt and stopped, thinking Kofi's music was going to hit. Orton looked silly for a second, so he just stomped Piper and Kofi's music finally hit. Orton turned to the hard camera and did this "What the heck?" signal as Kofi hit the ring to start a brawl. Well, that was totally messed up. Orton walked off, then Kofi met him on the floor and took the fight into the stands with Piper bailing to the back. Orton and Kofi brawled through the crowd, then back to ringside, and then back into the ring. Orton catapulted Kofi throat-first across the bottom rope before stalking Kofi for The Punt. Kofi jumped to his feet and blocked, though, then the action moved back to the floor. Kofi smashed Orton into the guardrail twice as Striker talked about the fight they never thought Kofi had inside him.

[Q8] The fight continued on the floor near the production area before refs held Orton back. Fans chanted for them to keep fighting, so Orton tackled Kofi and knocked him down again. Kofi suddenly jumped over the refs and attacked Orton. Refs then held Kofi back, but Kofi chased Orton into the stands on the hard camera side. Kofi stomped away on Orton, who teetered over the edge of the stands before landing at the production area. Kofi then picked up the lid to a production trunk and smashed Orton over the face with the item. Orton had a cut on his forehead. Oops, we have blood. Kofi cradled Orton's head to make sure the blood didn't get on camera, then all the attention turned to Kofi, who put Orton on a gimmicked table. Kofi then went to the railing about five or six feet above the table and teased a dive, but refs held his feet and pulled him down. The fans booed, wanting to see the spot, but Kofi was dragged down the side stairs. Kofi then suddenly broke free and stormed up the stairs to the railing. Kofi then came off the top with a memorable Boom Boom leg drop onto Orton through the table. Huge crowd reaction with WWE capturing the moment with a slow-mo recap of Kofi getting major air, the crowd reactions, etc. After several replays, they cut back live to show Kofi standing tall on the railing above Orton's lifeless body. JC: This could have been a totally botched segment after the botched Punt on Piper, but it turned into one of the best segments on WWE TV this year with a real star-making opportunity for Kofi, who delivered the goods here. Very memorable with WWE trying to make an "MSG moment" after talking about "MSG moments" all night.

Hogan DVD: They plugged the Hulk Hogan DVD coming out tomorrow with the old-school collection of Hogan clips. WWE's way of saying they own the Hogan Legacy.

[Commercial Break]

Backstage: They showed WWE champion John Cena for the first time tonight. Cena plugged the big main event coming up next with his usual "super announcer voice." Cena said it's DX - friends for life and always with something to sell you. Cena said Undertaker seemed like such an obvious choice for a partner, but realized it's difficult to talk to him because he might actually be dead. Suddenly, a stagehand walked over and handed Cena a note. Cena said he doesn't believe it. This can't be real, he said. Cena relayed the message that he's made a mistake. Survivor Series isn't a handicap match with Cena vs. DX, but a triple threat match. That means there won't be a Frisbee golf tournament, no glowstick party, but if Triple H and Shawn Michaels want to know if he's ready, then his answer is yes. Cena said the ring has four corners and DX is just fooling themselves because they will have to make a choice. He said he hopes DX stays friends because they're going to need a shoulder to lean on when they realize the...champ...is...here.

In-ring: Chris Jericho and Big Show marched out to the ring three minutes before the top of the hour. This will either be really short or WWE is going way into the over-run period. They cut to a break, which will put them really close to being on a commercial break when other TV shows are ending at the top of the hour and people are tuning in for the over-run.

[Commercial Break]

[Q9 -- over-run]

They returned one minute past the top of the hour. Matt Striker did his best Jesse Ventura voice imitation to plug Ventura hosting the three-hour Raw next week. DX's music hit to bring out HBK and Hunter for team two in the main event. Quick DX crotch chops to get that out of the way before John Cena's music hit. One small kid was confused and threw up a thumbs down while in his dad's arms. Quick Cena entrance, then Cena and Hunter stared each other down while Michaels stared at Big Show. After a pause, the druids started chanting and out came druids with torches. Crowd responded with an "Under-taker" chant. Once the druids were lined up, the bell tolled and the smoke filled the ring entrance. Undertaker then slowly made his way out to the ring with the World Title belt around his waist. It looked like Taker was in pain with every step he took. Cole said it's been almost a year since Taker was in-action on Raw. Once Taker hit the ring, Hunter and Michaels stood stoically. No mention of Taker vs. HBK from WrestleMania. Taker then took off his hat as Cole explained it's triple threat rules and you can only tag in your tag partner.

5 -- World Hvt. champion THE UNDERTAKER & WWE champion JOHN CENA vs. DX (SHAWN MICHAELS & TRIPLE H) vs. Unified tag champions CHRIS JERICHO & BIG SHOW

Cena, Michaels, and Jericho started things off with the bell sounding seven minutes after the top of the hour. Big Show then tagged in for Jericho, followed by Hunter. Cena then walked over to Taker, who tagged in to bring in the three bigger men. Hunter and Taker formed an agreement to work over Show, who took right hand strikes. Taker and Hunter then dumped Show to the floor and went after each other. Hunter landed a spinebuster, then Hunter tagged in Michaels. Taker sat up, though, and we were back to WrestleMania 25. Cole noted it was their first encounter since then. Michaels ducked a punch, then landed a round of slaps. Taker then walked into a big spear from Big Show, who clobbered Michaels and brought in Chris Jericho. Jericho smirked and saluted himself before landing a bulldog on Michaels. Jericho then slapped on the Walls of Jericho, but Taker broke it up and Cena blind-tagged in for Taker. Cena dropped Jericho with a bulldog, but Michales hit Cena with a chop and brought in Hunter. Suddenly, Cena and Hunter had a staredown. He gave Hunter the "You Can't See Me" and Hunter responded with a crotch chop. Show had enough and double-chokeslammed both men until Taker entered to battle Show. Cole noted Taker's MSG moments with a reference to "Mankind." The action moved to the floor where Show whipped Taker into the guardrail. Cole said he needs a scorecard to keep up with who's legal. Michaels took a tag from Hunter, then Michaels did his routine and went up top to drop the "vintage" elbow to the heart. Michaels started tuning up the band, but Cena interrupted and put Michaels center ring for the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Cena then wanted the FU on HBK, but Hunter blind-tagged in mid-air and dropped Cena with a high knee. Hunter cleaned house before dropping Cena with a spinebuster center ring. Hunter wanted the Pedigree, but Big Show entered and headbutted Hunter. Suddenly, Michaels dropped Show with the superkick. Jericho with the Codebreaker on Michaels. Taker then re-entered and chokeslammed Jericho. Hunter then clotheslined Taker to the floor. Suddenly, Cena with the FU on Hunter to score a pin on Hunter for the win.

Post-match: Out of nowhere, Undertaker entered the ring and dropped Cena with a Tombstone Piledriver center ring. Striker asked if Taker was trying to send a message of domination. It's the Alpha Male world. Taker then grabbed his World Title belt and knelt over Cena's fallen body. Taker stared into the hard camera as his music played to close the show 15 minutes past the top of the hour.

WINNERS: Taker & Cena at 7:10. Well, there's your first official tease for Cena vs. Taker at WrestleMania 26. Very good tag match with a constant flow of action, moves, teases, counters, finishers, star power, and intriguing match-ups. Electric atmosphere in the arena helped tremendously. This show started with tons of energy, DX sucked the life out of the building, then McMahon, Piper, Kofi, and Orton rebuilt the energy to culminate with an excellent TV main event. Only problem was we still don't have an issue for the top two matches at Survivor Series and WWE is teasing a WrestleMania match. WWE is obviously not concerned about PPV buys at this point. (***)

We welcome your 0-10 score and comments on this show for a "Raw Reax" feature in the Torch Feedback section of PWTorch.com. To contribute your thoughts on Raw, email to pwtorch@gmail.com using our Feedback form.

KELLER'S WWE RAW REPORT 11/16: Roddy Piper guest hosts, 30 Rock star makes in-ring appearance, DX attacks Hornswoggle and gets flat crowd reaction, more (hour one)

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:57:38 PST
KELLER'S WWE RAW REPORT
NOVEMBER 16, 2009
LIVE FROM NEW YORK CITY, N.Y.

[Q1]

-They showed Roddy Piper backstage on a Piper's Pit set. He introduced Louis Guzman. He plugged his upcoming movie and mistakenly said Mr. T was in it. Piper then bragged that he beat him up and that's why he's not in it. Piper said he heard Guzman is a chef, so he flew in the "Iron Chef." Instead, in walked Iron Sheik. Guzman brought up remembering Hulk Hogan. Sheik interrupted and ranted. Piper something about Hogan (I think) getting his robes at the Days Inn. Sheik then called Hogan a "nobody." Two girls walked into the room and Piper led them in saying, "Live from New York, it's Monday Night Raw!" Piper and Joe Piscopo followed a similar timeline of going from funny to not-at-all-funny.

-The new Raw opening aired. Let's look at who's featured, as it's always fun to read into: DX get the first appearance (no shocker there, as Triple H sat in on enough production sessions to make it clear what's in the best interests of those who put these things together). Then John Cena. Then came in rapid-fire sequence: Miz, Maryse, Jack Swagger, Evan Bourne, Mark Henry, Melina, MVP, John Cena (he wasn't first, so he gets to be the first to double-up), Gail Kim, Triple H, Triple H, Alicia Fox, Jack Swagger, Santino, Miz, Bella Twins, Cena, Kofi Kingston, Ted DiBiase & Cody Rhodes (surprisingly late), Sheamus, Big Show & Chris Jericho, Randy Orton (very late), Kofi, Maryse, Miz, Shawn Michaels (alone for the first time), MVP, Eve, DX, Orton, Kofi, Maryse, Melina, DX, and Cena. (Who was left off among the wrestlers listed at WWE.com? Carlito, Chavo Guerrero, Chris masters, Festus, Hornswoggle, and Primo.) It's a fine song with fine production, but nothing that feels all that different from recent Raw openings in terms of the graphics or tone. You always hope WWE knocks your socks off with something innovative that really defines the era (the helicopter on the rootop, the empty warehouse scene with Steve Austin, etc.). This was not one of those. Check out YouTube for cool montages of Raw openings over the years and you'll see how this qualifies as good, but blending in.

-Michael Cole introduced the show and hyped 20,000 plus fans in MSG.

-The Miz walked out. The crowd loudly chanted, "You suck! You suck!" He said he's U.S. Champion and he thought they loved champions, just like the Yankees. He said the world hates New Yorkers because they buy titles. He said he's from Cleveland. A loud Yankees chant broke out. Miz said he didn't have to buy his U.S. Title, he earned it, and he'll prove it by defending it. He said the same person who couldn't differentiate the Iron Chef from the Iron Sheik has told him he has to defend his title tonight. Out came MVP. Miz remains money on the mic.

1 -- MIZ vs. MVP -- U.S. Title match

At 1:00 Miz bailed out. MVP pursued him at ringside and threw him back into the ring. As he went into his finishing sequence at 3:00, Cole said the 1-9 Knicks could use MVP. Miz fought back, though, gave MVP his Skull Crushing Finale for the clean win. They showed Sherri Shepherd at ringside (the "Earth might be flat, I don't think about that stuff, I have kids to raise" lady from "The View")

WINNER: Miz in 4:00.

STAR RATING: * -- A sign of a continuing push for The Miz. He's at that point in a lot of ways that Matt Hardy was during the whole V1 gimmick with "Matt Facts" where if he was protected and promoted at a steady pace, he could have been a money player at or near the top for years to come. Stephanie "didn't get" Matt's gimmick back then, so he was lost on Smackdown in the shuffle and ended up getting to the point he's at now, which - with a tease or false start here and there - isn't a lot different than the Val Venis role. Miz definitely deserves better and with a relatively thin roster, he should get a chance Hardy didn't get.

[Q2] [c]

-A clip aired of last week's disastrous guest host angle with Chavo last week and that fat "boxer" guy (sorry, UK, fans, but he was a lousy host and hardly looked like a world class athlete).

2 -- SANTINO vs. CHAVO GUERRERO

Santino came out wearing a New York Rangers jersey. Yes, the NHL still exists, that's not a nostalgia jersey. Santino removed the jersey to reveal a New York Giants jersey. Then the Knicks, which got booed. Funny. It was obvious a Jets jersey was underneath. It should have been a Brett Favre version. It was no. 6 with "Santino" on the back. He followed with the Mets. Cole made the Mets even less cool by saying he's a Mets fan. Then came a Phillies jersey, which got a ton of boos. Cole said, "That's who the Yankees spanked in the World Series." Cole shouldn't say "spanked." Santino then revealed his final jersey, a Yankees jersey. He offered Chavo a handhand. Chavo turned it into Three Amigos. He climbed to the top rope for a frog splash, but Santino was too far away. So he climbed to the other corner. Santino rolled away. He's a genius. He found the counter to the Frog Splash. Chavo climbed back to the original corner. The crowd chanted "San-ti-no." That's a house show "just-for-laughs" type of routine. Hornswoggle walked out and distracted Chavo, leading to a schoolboy by Santino for the win.

WINNER: Santino in 2:00.

-As Santino celebrated, DX's music played. The crowd popped. Cole and Lawler touted the main event six man tag as one of the biggest ever on Raw. Cole said, "The Garden is a sea of DX glow sticks." Triple H did some mic work. He said MSG is the most famous arena in the world. Until the Knicks start winning again and MSG hosts a UFC PPV, I'd say Staples Center is eclipsing MSG's rep in that regard. Then DX went into their "zany merchandise plugs." Knee-slapping hilarious the 86th time. "Instead of entertaining the fans, let us hawk merchandise so we can add to our net worth and continue Triple H's obsession with drawing more merch money than Steve Austin and Rock (even though it's taking ten extra years)." Triple H said they were going to rag on some people and try to embarrass them, but instead they're going to talk about the big match at Survivor Series. Triple H said he and Michaels have come to terms with the fact that only one of them can become WWE Champion, and as long as it's one of them, they'll be happy. Michaels asked, "Did you say we were going to become a unit." Triple H replied, "Yes, but in a good way." Michaels said he wanted to then turned their attention to "one certain member of the leprechaun community." Triple H said they know he's under the ring and he refuses to listen to logic and quit fraudulently pretending to be part of DX. Triple H enticed Hornswoggle to come out by saying they were going to consider making him a member of DX. Hornswoggle walked into the ring with his glow sticks. He jumped excitedly around the ring doing crotch chops and flexing like Michaels does. They did their "Are you ready?" routine with Hornswoggle, praising his perseverance in the process. But then as they got to the "Let's get ready to..." line, Triple H set up Hornswoggle for Pedigree. And why are fans supposed to cheer this? Why are kids supposed to side with DX? Or anyone? This whole angle is so over my head. The crowd didn't like it. That makes it official: Hornswoggle is more popular than Triple H.

[Q3] [c]

-They replayed Hunter attacking Hornswoggle. Cole (prematurely at best, and more likely inaccurately) called it "another classic MSG moment." Lawler pluggede Jay-Z's "Empire State of the Mind" and the CD. Lawler said no one wants to fail in MSG. Lawler said WrestleMania was born in MSG. Cole (inaccurately) said Hulkamania was born in MSG. Maybe the WWF version, but Hogan was pitching Hulkamania in the AWA and selling out in the years before his jump to WWE. Cole then threw to a video package of WWE highlights at MSG to Jay Z's song. All the usual moments, plus surprising focuses on Randy Savage, Owen Hart, Eddie Guerrero, and Kurt Angle. No Chris Benoit, but no surprise there. They showed Steve Austin giving Stunners to Brock Lesnar and Goldberg. A vintage clip of Ric Flair flashed on the screen late. Nice video package and very good contemporary choice of song to go with it.

-They went backstage to Roddy Piper, whom they obviously don't trust to pull of his lines live - or they're saving his pop in front of the live crowd for later in the show (both, probably). Piper made some jokes about "nuts" when looking at a coconut and Morton Downey Jr. when he saw a fire extinguisher when in walked Jericho. Piper blew his nose as Jericho talked. In walked Chris Masters who did his pectorial muscle dance routine. The Bella Twins walked in and were impressed. Jericho's torso is beginning to look like Iron Sheik in the mid-'80s.

-They showed the Black Eyed-Peas, TABOO and apl.do.ap, in the front row. Lawler declared he loves them. They showed a split screen of Alicia Fox and Melina heading toward the entrance tunnel. [c]

[Q4]

-WWE Fact: The WWE Supestars just completed a 22 show, 2 week tour of Europe performing in front of over 170,000 people.

-Justin Roberts introduced Judah Friedlander, the Gabe Sapolsky-looking member of the "30 Rock" cast. He handled ring introductions for the next match.

3 -- MELINA vs. ALICIA FOX -- Lumberjill Match for the Divas Title

Judah said before the match he was there for two things - to watch Melina's entrance and to declare it a Diva's Championship Lumberjill match. Out came Kelly Kelly, Mickie James, Eve, Michelle McCool, Layla, Jillian Hall, and Eve. Cole said all of those Divas would be part of the Divas' traditional Survivor Series match on Sunday.

WINNER: Melina in 2:00.

-Afterward, McCool attacked Melina from behind. A brawl broke out with all of the Divas. Lawler said he loved it. Team Mickie James cleared the ring of the heels. They celebrated with Judah in the ring. Cole took a dig at Memphis by telling Lawler he should get a trucker hat like Judah was wearing, adding, "You can buy plenty of them in Memphis." Lawler said Judah was living his dream.

-Cole plugged that Piper was up next. [c]

-Justin Roberts introduced Piper from center-ring. Piper walked to the ring as bagpipes played. Cole talked about Piper memories from MSG. He got what came across as a polite response. They zoomed in on a crowd shot of people looking disinterested, which can't be an accident; there had to be some fans who felt something for him. Piper told the fans he loves them as the first hour came to a close.

CHECK BACK FOR HOUR TWO REPORT SOON

QUOTEBOOK

Miz: "I haven't said one word yet and you people have already chosen to hate me. I thought you people loved champions."

ROH News: Tonight is Bryan Danielson's final ROH match - details on tonight's special ROH TV episode (w/VIDEO)

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:32:39 PST
By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

Ring of Honor will be presenting a special one-hour episode of ROH TV on HDNet tonight focusing on Bryan Danielson's ROH career culminating with his final ROH match against Roderick Strong.

Danielson vs. Strong was taped in September at the end of the Final Countdown Tour. Last week on HDNet, ROH presented Nigel McGuinness's final ROH match at the same time he was starring in TNA as Desmond Wolfe.

ROH is promoting tonight's episode as "probably the most special hour of TV that ROH will do this entire year." Throughout the show, ROH will be counting down the Top Five moments of Danielson's ROH career.

The top two moments will be revealed on the show tonight after ROH unveiled the 3-5 online to promote tonight's show. The following videos show moments 3-5 starting with #3. Danielson comments on each moment in the videos.

WWE RAW 11/16: Place Your Bets on tonight's Raw - Week 12 featuring Roddy Piper

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:11:04 PST
Tonight is another chance to score points in this season's Place Your Bets contest on tonight's episode of WWE Raw. The contest is running through the final Raw in 2009. We'll start Season Four on the first Raw in January. For tonight, simply answer the questions below...

Submit your answers via email to pwtorch@gmail.com or send us a Tweet at twitter.com/pwtorch. Readers have until 9:00 p.m. EST to submit guesses on each of the three general questions for each week.

(1) Who will be a winner in the longest match of the show?
(2) Who will be a winner in the shortest match of the show?
(3) Name one person involved in the longest talking segment of the show?

11/16 WWE Raw line-up -- Thinks to consider
-- Roddy Piper hosting Raw
-- John Cena & The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels & Triple H vs. Chris Jericho & Big Show
-- Survivor Series build-up: John Cena vs. Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels
-- Survivor Series build-up: Undertaker vs. Big Show vs. Chris Jericho
-- Survivor Series build-up: Team Kofi vs. Team Orton
-- Survivor Series build-up: Team Miz vs. Team Morrison
-- Survivor Series build-up: Team Mickie vs. Team McCool

SMACKDOWN POLL: Who was the MVP of the 11/20 Smackdown if you saw the show?
	The Undertaker
	Kane
	Chris Jericho
	Big Show
	Batista
	Rey Mysterio
	Matt Hardy
	Tyson Kidd
	John Morrison
	Dolph Ziggler
	C.M. Punk
	R-Truth
	Drew McIntyre
	Finlay
	Mickie James
	Layla
	Eric Escobar
	Vince McMahon
	Teddy Long
	Vickie Guerrero

TNA IMPACT POLL: Who was the MVP of the 11/19 Impact if you saw the show?
	Kurt Angle
	Desmond Wolfe
	A.J. Styles
	Daniels
	Team 3D
	Rhino & Jesse Neal
	Dinero & Morgan & Hernandez
	Mick Foley & Abyss
	Raven & Dr. Stevie
	Kevin Nash
	Tomko
	World Elite
	Machineguns & Beer Money
	Taylor Wilde
	Hamada
	Homicide
	ODB
	Beautiful People
	Alissa Flash
	Sarita

ECW MVP POLL: Who was the MVP of the 11/17 ECW TV if you saw the show?
	C.M. Punk
	William Regal
	Christian
	R-Truth
	The Hurricane
	Paul Burchill
	Zack Ryder
	Shelton Benjamin
	Vance Archer
	Rosa Mendes
	Katie Lea
	GM Tiffany

WWE RAW POLL: Who was the MVP of the 11/16 Raw if you saw the show?
	Triple H & Shawn Michaels
	Chris Jericho & Big Show
	The Undertaker
	John Cena
	Vince McMahon
	Roddy Piper
	Kofi Kingston
	Randy Orton
	MVP
	The Miz
	Evan Bourne
	Jack Swagger
	Judah Friedlander
	Hulk Hogan via videos
	Hornswoggle
	Santino Marella
	Sheamus
	Iron Sheik
	Melina
	Alicia Fox