PWTorch.com - ASK PWTORCH STAFF for 10/17: Is WWE’s diversity of body types at a recent high? Orton vs. Cena again? Where was Guerrero-Hardyz storyline headed before injury? Do wrestlers protect their finishers too much? Brand split again?

Ask PWTorch
ASK PWTORCH STAFF for 10/17: Is WWE’s diversity of body types at a recent high? Orton vs. Cena again? Where was Guerrero-Hardyz storyline headed before injury? Do wrestlers protect their finishers too much? Brand split again?

Oct 17, 2014 - 9:18:45 PM

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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 Damian H. asks: PWTorch editors and other famous wrestling podcasters are in agreement that the WWE doesn't feature varied body types. Is this really true? The meme seems to be "everyone looks like Cena or Orton" or that one must be ripped to get a push. What year are you comparing WWE to when it comes to the homogeneous look allegedly seen today? When did everyone allegedly look the same? The current main roster has around 40-50 guys and perhaps 25 percent are unusual guys like Big Show, Kane, Wyatt Family, and Mark Henry or average looking dudes like Bo Dallas, Dean Ambrose, Daniel Bryan, Damien Sandow, and the Rhodes Brothers. Isn't that varied enough? There are certainly super-ripped guys but some are jobbers like Big E, Titus, Jack Swagger, and Ryback. Then there are guys like Miz, Usos, Rollins, Reigns, and Dolph who have good bodies but are not in Cena's body type class. Not sure how Curtis Axel gets labeled. Please clarify this homogenous body type theme so I could better understand the argument.

PWTorch columnist Greg Parks answers: To be honest, I haven't heard this argument a lot lately. I think if you do look at the NXT roster, aside from a few exceptions, there is a certain body-type that, if you have it, you are more likely to get hired than if you looked like a Kevin Steen, for example. But again, it's not an argument I've heard made lately.

PWTorch editor Wade Keller answers: Several things. Back up your premise with evidence, because I can’t remember the last time I or anyone associated with PWTorch has espoused in concert the viewpoints you claiming we make. Second, the answer to your question is self-evident. WWE currently has a wide range of body types, as diverse as at any time in their history. Second, Daniel Bryan and Damien Sandow aren’t “average looking dudes.” Bryan is short, but would be among the most muscular guy in most gyms. Next to Cena and Brock Lesnar and Mark Henry, he’s not larger-than-life in that way, but on the street, when he’s at pro wrestling weight levels, he turns heads. And Sandow even more so. It’s all relative once you see them next to WWE’s most muscular guys.

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PWTorch reader Aaron P. asks: Randy Orton vs. John Cena on PPV again!?

PWTorch columnist Sean Radican answers: Yes.

PWTorch columnist Greg Parks answers: Yes sir, and you can get it for the low, low price of $9.99 on the WWE Network! Tell your friends!

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PWTorch reader Joseph F. asks: I love this feature and all of the work that you guys do. I have a couple questions. (1) In the early 2000s there was a storyline with the Hardy Boyz and Eddie Guerrero. I think the storyline got dropped because Eddie got injured. He was teaming with them a lot and running in to help Lita. Do any of you guys have any idea where that storyline was headed?

(2) I had a thought about the brand split. I doubt that we will see the brand extension for a while, if ever again, but if they did what do you think about the idea of having the different rosters and only having the current titles go from show to show? You could use sort of the traveling champion concept and it could possibly elevate the titles some. What do you guys think? Thanks for taking the time to read my questions.

PWTorch columnist Pat McNeill answers: (1) The storyline you were talking about ended in May 2001, when Eddie Guerrero was sent to rehab. I don't know what the long term plans were for Eddie's character, but when he returned to WWE in 2002, Eddie was a heel. I have to think it would have ended with Eddie turning on the Hardys.

(2) WWE tried that concept in 2002, when the brand split started, and then again in 2011 when they were winding down the brand split. I think the whole "traveling champion" idea in professional wrestling is deader than Mike Myers' acting career, but WWE is welcome to try it again.

PWTorch editor Wade Keller answers: I think with one World Champion, if they did a roster split again, they’d probably have to either elevate the U.S. or IC Title to a more major status or reintroduce a second World Title. I like the idea of the IC Title on Raw and the U.S. Title on Smackdown, and then have the single WWE World Hvt. Champion appear on both shows - but not every week. This is a challenge, and it’s one of the reasons during the brand split era that Vince McMahon hesitated to merge the rosters. If his top drawing star is champion, which is often the case, he would need to “overwork” and “overexpose” by making him the only wrestler on both shows regularly. He could solve that by not having the champion on every show, of course, but WWE doesn’t have the depth of top draws right now to give their top attraction half of the Monday Night Raws off. The other challenge is the World Champion floats from Raw to Smackdown, the Smackdown wrestlers have to seem like they have a chance to become World Champion, but when it comes time to push a PPV main event and the Smackdown no. 1 contender is headlining against the World Champion, the Raw-only viewers might feel like they don’t have much of an investment in that challenger. So then that challenger either has to float over to Raw also (and there’s a way to make that work where the no. 1 contender can float over to the other brand to promote his title match), or they just run a lot of video packages updating Raw viewers on why that Smackdown challenger earned his title shot. But given that we’re in the Network Era, WWE might not worried about three or four PPVs a year where the World Title challenger is someone Raw viewers aren’t all that invested in. Clearly, based on their booking of Hell in a Cell without Lesnar, they’re willing to go without top stars or top matches every month on PPV now because they figure they’ve got people locked up in six month intervals (although this probably wouldn’t be happening except for the very specific contractual situation with Lesnar which isn’t the situation with any other wrestlers on their roster).

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PWTorch reader Chris from Australia asks: Is there an established tradition amongst top wrestlers when it comes to "handing down" signature moves when you retire? I remember an angle where DDP gave the Diamond Cutter to Randy Orton, and recently Ric Flair gave the figure-four to The Miz. Is that all just WWE decision-making or is there any custom amongst wrestlers? If an up-and-comer wants to use, say, a Rock Bottom as his finisher, is it bad form to use it without asking The Rock for permission? Personally, I'd love to see Steve Austin handing off the Stone Cold Stunner to someone new (Dean Ambrose would be perfect in my opinion). It's too great a move not to be used any more. What do you think?

PWTorch senior columnist Bruce Mitchell answers: Ther is no custom like this. Sometimes, as a courtesy, the new wrestler might ask the veteran if he can adopt some part of the gimmick, but he was always going to do it anyway.

PWTorch editor Wade Keller answers: Guys are protective of their finishers for the most part, although there are wrestlers who aren’t and don’t think it really matters, especially if the wrestler is from another generation or a different company. It’s a given that a wrestler will stop using a move from the indy scene if he signs with WWE and an established wrestler uses it as a signature move. It would be cool if Austin gave his blessing for someone else to use the Stunner, but I could also see most wrestlers wanting to come up with their own twist on other moves and not be known for using another wrestler’s, no matter how cool the move is. A lot of people are going to want to start using the RKO after the Vine sensation this week.

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