Welcome to a new website-exclusive PWTorch feature! I am PWTorch founder and editor, Wade Keller. I've been covering pro wrestling since 1987 when I started the Pro Wrestling Torch Newsletter while still in high school. Over 25 years later, PWTorch reaches more wrestling fans every week than any other independent brand. When we launched PWTorch.com in 1999, one of the features I enjoyed doing the most was "Ask PWTorch." I haven't done it recently on the website, but did revive it in recent years in an audio format for PWTorch VIP members on my Keller Hotline. We reintroduced it to the website audience at the start of May 2013.

===

PWTorch reader Will S. asks: If today's TNA took a risk and used the production values of WWE (big budget, huge pyros on entrance ramps, major league arenas), but using their current crop of stars with their existing characters and gimmicks, how good would TNA be?

PWTorch columnist Greg Parks answers: It would be the equivalent of putting lipstick on a pig.

PWTorch columnist Sean Radican answers: TNA wouldn't do well at all no matter how much you dressed it up with WWE's production values. First of all, TNA needs to be different than WWE. They aren't going to beat them, so they need to find a way to make their shows stand out so that fans that want more wrestling will seek it out.

Secondly they need to make their program more cutting edge and not rely on trying to recreating the glory of wrestling companies that folded in the past. That would mean changing a great deal of characters and gimmicks with a new vision so the company would stand out.

TNA's issues can't be solved by just ramping up the production. I believe if they offered something radically different where feuds and titles meant everything, they would find their footing as an alternative to WWE.

PWTorch editor Wade Keller answers: It would help a lot, actually. I think TNA has a strong roster, if not a troubled one (there are reasons a number of those guys aren’t signed to WWE). With the big time setting, it would help. The problem is, it’s just one of several keys. For it to have maximum effect, TNA would also have to establish a brand identity to differentiate themselves, plus most important of all stronger creative (although there are aspects of their creative that are underrated because other aspects of how they do things - especially match finishes and pacing are so awful - undercut the strengths of what they do). But with dramatically better Creative, super high-end productions values that matched WWE would make a big difference. I think TNA could do more with less budget than WWE if they just stopped trying to look like WWE on a smaller scale and instead created a unique look to their shows (and a six-sided ring is about 2 percent of what needs to be different to really make a difference). There are more ways to present pro wrestling on national TV than WWE’s way, but nobody in TNA has that vision or guts to try something dramatically different. Who knows now if they’ll ever have that chance, or if another group such as Jeff Jarrett’s is any better.

===

PWTorch reader Aaron P. asks: Is TNA going out of business? It's hard to picture anyone else picking up their show after Spike cancelled it.

PWTorch columnist Sean Radican answers: It's not definite that TNA is going out of business. They are going to have a very tough road ahead of them if they can't negotiate something with Spike.

I'm guessing if they are renewed by Spike that it’s going to be for lesser money and given the budget cuts they've endured, they could be faced with so many more financial issues with less revenue coming for Spike.

They could always survive in other ways and pay for a timeslot like they did when they were in FSN in 2005, but those were rough times for the company back then and Spike's relationship with WWE fell apart at just the right time for Spike to pick them up.

Things aren't looking good right now for TNA, but I think there's a chance they could survive this.

===

PWTorch reader Chad G. asks: What do you think the Junkyard Dog's place in history is? I know he never was acclaimed as technical wrestler, but he broke a lot of racial barriers by being the top star in Mid-South.

PWTorch assistant editor James Caldwell answers: This is interesting because if you just look at his Mid-South run, you would rank him on a list of top individual territory draws of the past 30 years or so. There are not too many wrestlers who you could say single-handedly drew massive numbers of people to wrestling events, but at the peak of his Mid-South run, he was huge in the New Orleans region.

Of course, if you look at his WWF run, which most people know him for, he was mainly a role-player with a memorable gimmick and act. Then, at the end of his career, JYD was just a name for Crockett/NWA/future WCW. It's surreal to see JYD in an undercard match at Clash of Champions 6 in 1989 at the Superdome in New Orleans one decade removed from drawing a huge crowd to the same building. I believe the end result is he had a very strong peak, but just an okay second-half of his career.

===

PWTorch reader Antonio of Canberra, Australia asks: I just want to continue on the tag team main eventing PPVs. In my opinion, I personally don't think that the tag division has been strong enough in recent years and, even though I would find it entertaining if they main evented PPVs, it doesn’t seem to happen.

Why haven't main eventers tagged together at a PPV? The only notable example of this is John Cena & Shawn Michaels vs. Batista & Undertaker. That event (No Way Out 2007) pulled in a decent buyrate of 218,000 and that was a match that had four dream wrestlers tag together before there singles matches at WrestleMania.

I find this good a way to continue building a storyline through to WrestleMania of singles dream matches that are occurring, but even that structure can be modified as you could put, say, Seth Rollins & Cesaro vs. Roman Reigns & Daniel Bryan. I just think that if a big match is planned for the future, then why not continue the build through a tag match? What is the opinion on this matter? Thanks.

PWTorch columnist Pat McNeill answers: WWE just had a pay-per-view a couple months back headlined by main event talent in a tag team match. Granted, it was a six-man tag team match instead of a straight tag team match, but it still counts. When The Shield wrestled the Wyatt Family back at Elimination Chamber in February, that was also treated as a big deal. I think we'll see this more often. WWE should be trying to differentiate its pay-per-views from each other.

PWTorch columnist Greg Parks answers: WWE generally (with a few exceptions) likes to have the WWE World Title in the PPV main events, so that would impede a tag match with big stars being in the main event of PPVs. We have seen this happen recently, however, with The Shield vs. Evolution, even though it's a six-man and not a traditional two-on-two tag match. Secondly, depth in WWE at the top is not fantastic to begin with, so by putting main eventers in a tag match, it takes away from another possible marquee one-on-one match on the card. You would then have to replace that with a lesser match if the star power is contained in that one tag match rather than in a number of one-on-one matches.

PWTorch editor Wade Keller answers: WWE believes one-on-one or else big concept matches (Elimination Chamber, Royal Rumble, Money in the Bank) sell PPVs. They reserve main eveners in tag situations to their TV shows, so in effect they’ve defined down that type of match as a set-up match for the other matches on PPV “that really count.” I think when top level guys aren’t in a top level feud, it’s a good chance to put them in a tag team for a while to feud with an established tag team for the tag titles. It’s a break for the singles stars so they’re fresh again when singles feuds present themselves down the line, and it elevates the tag titles’ prestige to have main event singles stars team up to go after them.

===

Catch up on past Ask PWTorch articles...

-ASK PWTORCH - FREE WEBSITE.
-CLICKING HERE - ASK PWTORCH - VIP VERSION

********

(Send your question for PWTorch editor Wade Keller and the PWTorch staff exclusively to pwtorch@gmail.com for consideration! You can hear expanded conversation on the above topics from Wade Keller by becoming a VIP member and gaining access to the daily Wade Keller Hotline, posted every day for VIP members for over 1,000 days straight. Sign up at www.PWTorch.com/govip)

We suggest these recent related articles...

ASK THE SPECIALISTS ROUNDTABLE: Who will be WWE's Next Top Star?

SATURDAY’S ASK PWTORCH STAFF for 4/11: How should WWE cater to Texas at WM32? Does WWE using Sting and Hogan add to chances more TNA wrestlers are hired? Do NXT gimmick wrestlers have a chance? Is El Generico really Sami Zayn?

THURSDAY’S ASK PWTORCH ALL-STARS 4/9: Are El Generico & Sami Zayn the same person? Next MITB cash-in for IC or U.S. belt? What match do you show non-fans so they get it? Why don’t heel teams cheat?