The "Ask the Specialists" Roundtable is the latest spin-off from the "Ask the Torch" feature. CSI led to CSI: New York and CSI: Miami, which is where you'll find the Specialists tackling a daily topic submitted by PWTorch readers to askpwtorch@gmail.com.

Ask the Specialists Roundtable #56

- Question from PWTorch reader Will Sheng: Just had a question regarding the lighter side of wrestling in current years. During the Attitude Era, there were many wrestlers who were genuinely very funny including The Rock, Stone Cold, Edge, Eddie Guerrero, the heel John Cena, and, in my opinion, the funniest being Kurt Angle. Even Brock Lesnar when he was a face with Kurt was funny. But, all the "comedy" these days are those of childish gimmicks. Why aren't there any good funny wrestlers these days? Do you think it is missed in modern wrestling? And do you feel good comedy characters helps fans relate to them more? And, lastly, who do you think were there funniest wrestlers?

- "Mr. TV" Justin James (@Justin_M_James) responds: Will, this boils down to the amount of scripting in the current environment. They've gone from letting wrestlers go do their thing, to giving them bullet points, to writing the entire promo for them word-by-word. It's also why all of the wrestlers sound so generic and alike outside of a catchphrase or two. How many promos start wit "my name is..." or include the phrase "You see..." as a transition? If you were to take a transcript of any given wrestler and turn it into a Mad Lib, they would all look virtually identical. Is it any wonder that the few people on the roster with a distinct personality are those with comedy/"entertainment" gimmicks (Santino, R-Truth, etc.) or the few main-eventers with the pull to stray from the script a bit?

- "Mr. PPV" Nathan Kyght responds: I've never been a big fan of "funny characters" - I think the product works better when taken more seriously, but obviously The Rock springs to mind right away. The trick is to give the wrestle more than just comedy, as a Santino Marella or a Damien Sandow aren't taken seriously as main event guys.

- "Common Fan" Jimmy Eaton (@TheCommonFan) responds: It's certainly missed and very unfortunate because WWE is more interested in what's "in," except they end up months behind. Or, it's done to death. Social media will always trump over that old-school comedy. Those you mentioned from years past were able to be themselves, too, which is key. And it helps that they're funny guys to begin with. That is a lot of what I think is missing today, along with the dedication to do something non-PG. But, in a PG environment, that's hard to do. My personal favorite may have to be Edge and Christian, along with Mick Foley. The Commissioner stuff and Five-Second Poses were gold. Thanks for the question!

- "Instant Reaction" Ben Tucker (@BTuckerTorch) responds: Comedy definitely has a place in wrestling, despite claims that "funny don't make money." It provides a great change in tone for a show, as seen today with Bo Dallas's interruptions on Raw. Wrestlers are probably less funny today because of the bevy of writers that script what they have to say. Hard to have good material with 20-plus cooks in the kitchen. As far as funny wrestlers are concerned, Attitude Era Rock will always be one of my favorites. His timing was truly impeccable, and he managed to stay funny while also getting over as a serious main event player.

- "Showstopper" Shawn Valentino responds: Thanks for your question, Will. Some comedy will always have a place on wrestling programming, but I cannot say that I watch wrestling for comedy. In fact, such a wide majority of comic attempts in wrestling misfires so badly that I would prefer they do not attempt it. Some wrestlers have a natural wit and comic timing, but I prefer laughs that result from witty trash-talking and not Superstars trying to be comedians

John Cena is the perfect example. When he was an edgy heel rapper, many of his rhymes had a dark humor to them so you laughed while thinking he was cool. As a dorky face, his lame attempts at humor generally are so embarrassing that I want to change the channel. I do not remember Austin trying to be a funnyman, and I think Angle was at his best when he was a serious, intense wrestling machine.

Some of the characters I have found genuinely funny include Rock and Bobby Heenan and Jesse Ventura on commentary. What I liked about Brain and the Body is that the laughs were generated from their rationalization of their point of view, not horrible jokes like Jerry Lawler's awful commentary. Even the King was at his funniest when he was taking witty jabs as a wrestler and not as a goofy, whiny announcer. Comedy has its place in wrestling, but it should generate from the naturally cool personalities of the wrestlers not trying too hard to be funny.

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[ FYI: The specialists consist of a mix of current PWTorch contributors providing their opinion on today's wrestling scene and modern wrestling history questions, including Shawn Valentino, Michael Moore, Ben Tucker, Jon Mezzera, Justin James, Brian Leahy, Jimmy Eaton, Nathan Kyght, Tony Donofrio, and Mike Roe. ]

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