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ASK PWTORCH STAFF for 8/26: Should WWE be concerned with fan reaction for Reigns? Would Bryan have taken same beating if he was defending champ at SummerSlam? Will Bryan return to WWE as its biggest star? Slater's music?

Aug 26, 2014 - 11:47:15 AM
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Pro Wrestling Torch was established in 1987 by Wade Keller. One of the primary traits PWTorch has been credited with over the years is assembling the best and most diverse staff of columnists with broad knowledge, but also areas of specialty where they have a particularly strong grasp of history. Every day PWTorch.com presents that team of writers answering your questions, some of which are fact-based and others of which are opinion-based. Either way, we've got you covered with Bruce Mitchell, Pat McNeill, Sean Radican, Greg Parks, James Caldwell, and Wade Keller. Collectively they have over 80 years working for the Torch, writing about wrestling and studying industry history and trends.

If you have a question you'd like us to respond to, send your question to askpwtorch@gmail.com. I, along with the Torch staff, will address you questions in this feature and also the “Ask PWTorch: All-Star Panel” edition which is also published most days here at PWTorch.

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PWTorch reader Jeff from Michigan asks: Will Daniel Bryan be the biggest star in WWE once he returns?

PWTorch senior columnist Bruce Mitchell answers: No. At best he'll be fourth behind John Cena, Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns.

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PWTorch reader Dale C. asks: Hey guys, big fan of the Ask PWTorch feature. I was curious, I have seen a lot of wrestling companies, dating back a long time, booking shows in baseball stadiums, even when they can barely draw 500 fans. Is there a reason for this? Is it some weird wrestling tradition from forever ago?

PWTorch senior columnist Bruce Mitchell answers: Yeah, it's called delusional promoters way-overs estimating the appeal of their product. A lot of these guys in the last 25 years got into promoting because they "love wrestling" instead of being businessmen trying to make a profit and what you noticed was one of the results.

PWTorch editor Wade Keller answers: What Bruce said, but not every situation is the same. Sometimes local minor league or community baseball stadiums are often cheaper to rent than an indoor arena during good weather season. Sometimes an outdoor show you hear about was a purchased show where a local community organizer paid for a wrestling show to be art of an outdoor festival or community event, and the wrestling promoter wasn't in charge of selling tickets to the event, just providing a night of wrestling.

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PWTorch reader Michael G. asks: At Summerslam, John Cena pretty much got brutalized and dominated for 16 minutes before Brock Lesnar picked up the victory and won the title. My question: If Daniel Bryan wasn't injured and it was Daniel Bryan vs. Brock Lesnar at Summerslam instead, would they have had a similar match with Lesnar dominating the way he did vs. Cena, or would they have worked more of a match, with Bryan using his speed and submissions to his advantage to neutralize the strength of Lesnar, or would they have worked a similar match to get Lesnar's dominance above the rest of the roster over?

PWTorch columnist Sean Radican answers: That's an interesting question. I believe the match would have been similar to what we saw with Cena-Lesnar. I think the crowd dynamic would have been much different, as Bryan likely would have been cheered way more than Cena was by his supporters during the match. The plan in place has been to get to Reigns-Lesnar was WrestleMania 31 next year, so Lesnar dominating Bryan would make sense. In some ways, it would have been better for Lesnar to dominate Bryan and win the title instead of Cena. WWE has no patience to let Cena sell a beating as was evident with him only being off TV for a week and appearing no worse for wear when he returned to Raw last night and delivered a pretty good one-sided beating on Bray Wyatt before the match was turned into a tag. WWE might have had the patience to keep Bryan off TV for at least three weeks to sell the beating from Lesnar. In my eyes, a little bit of shine was taken off of Lesnar's dominant performance the way Cena returned last night and, if you're going to get Lesnar over as a monster heel who is going to be nearly impossible to beat as champion, the little things like that count.

PWTorch editor Wade Keller answers: I think the match would have been different. Had Lesnar dominated Bryan like that, it would have done more to hurt Bryan than help Lesnar as fans would have written it off as Bryan being too small and overrated and outmatched. Lesnar wouldn't have gained much from the win, and Vince McMahon and Triple H would have recognized that. So the best way to book a Lesnar-Bryan match is very different than the best way to book a Lesnar-Cena match. Lesnar's destruction of Cena is beneficial to Lesnar because fans perceived Cena as being near Lesnar's equal physically, plus fans already have seen Cena on top for years and years against top opponents, so a one-sided loss builds Lesnar more than it hurts Cena. Cena isn't ruined by the beating he took, but Bryan might have been - at least as a main eventer seen as a credible opponent for larger main eventers. I think Lesnar would have still won, but Bryan would have put up more of a fight and had more hope spots.

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PWTorch reader R. Jack asks: What do you think of the reactions Roman Reigns received at Summerslam? I was in the Los Angeles crowd, and I can definitely say that Reigns was over huge with the female fans. However, with the male fans, the reaction was mixed. Are you concerned with this? I'd love to here your opinions on this. Thanks!

PWTorch columnist Greg Parks answers: I wholeheartedly encourage you to check out the Summerslam post-show edition of the PWTorch Livecast that James Caldwell and I did (direct link) in which we went in-depth on the subject. We also discussed it on Thursday's Livecast a few days later last week (direct link).

PWTorch editor Wade Keller answers: I am concerned. WWE should be concerned. Fans don't feel a bond with Reigns yet because he hasn't opened himself to them in any meaningful way. We don't know much about him other than he was a cool silent guy in The Shield who throws a Superman Punch and a Spear. Fans need more than that. If Reigns was tearing it up in the ring with great matches, he could get away with being aloof and "too cool for school," but he's not. So he needs to project his personality more. I encourage you to check out my interview with Steve Austin last Friday on the PWTorch Livecast. The full two-hour-plus interview is available exclusively for VIP members. Sign up for a month of VIP at a 67 percent discount right now - just $3.33 for a month. Click here for sign-up info and details on the vast array of VIP benefits.

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PWTorch reader Aaron P. asks: Why don't they change Heath Slater's 3MB theme music? Are they just too lazy?

PWTorch columnist Pat McNeill answers: That, or they're currently in the studio putting the finishing touches on a new "Slater/Gator" theme song. Or, updating the theme music isn't a priority for guys who don't wrestle much on Raw or Smackdown.

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