Tuesday’s Torch Today (Afternoon Update) – Lesnar/MMA, Piper, Pope, Cena on ESPN, SD taping, Austin commercial, more

TORCH TODAY – Tuesday, October 20

AFTERNOON UPDATE

– Brock Lesnar’s podcast interview with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin made waves in the MMA world, with Lesnar talking about how close he was to returning to UFC. Read MMATorch editor Jamie Penick’s Take on Lesnar’s comments at MMATorch.com.

– Roddy Piper was planning to transition to music, according to his daughter. Ariel Toombs told TMZ that they were working on a duet before he died in July. Ariel has a new album due out.

– Current TNA commentator “The Pope” D’Angelo Dinero says he is definitely not retired from active competition, he’s simply embracing his new TV announcer role. “There will be times in the future when ‘Pope’ will do a casual appearance inside the ring, I am not retired. Let’s get it out there right now. ‘Pope’ is not retired by a long shot I’ve got years left under my belt. I just recognize my role right now and have no problems committing to it and fulfilling it to the best of my abilities.” (“Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling” podcast)

– Deadline.com released box office projections for the new “Bond” movie, which features Dave Bautista in a supporting role.

– LIVECAST: PWTorch editor Wade Keller and Jason Powell of Prowrestling.net host Tuesday’s show at 5:00 p.m. EST at PWTorchLivecast.com taking your calls and emails. Check out Jason’s Raw Hit List.

MORNING UPDATE

– John Cena is scheduled to appear on the ESPNews edition of SportsCenter on Tuesday night. Cena’s interview with The Coach is slotted for the 9:00 p.m. EST hour of ESPN’s new WWE-related segment on Tuesday nights.

– WWE tapes Smackdown tonight in Austin, Texas. This will wrap up the Hell in a Cell build-up with the only advertised segment being Miz TV with Dolph Ziggler and Summer Rae.

Additional roster members advertised are WWE World Hvt. champion Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, and Sheamus. (NOTE: We’re looking for results sent to pwtorch@gmail.com if you attend the taping.)

– With Raw in Dallas on Monday, WWE announced a pre-sale code for WrestleMania 32 tickets. Starting November 4, the pre-sale code is RAWVIP. Tickets are scheduled to go on-sale to the general public on November 6. (Thanks to Joe.)

– WWE NETWORK HIGHLIGHTS: WWE is replaying the Stone Cold/Brock Lesnar podcast at 8:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., and 2:00 p.m. EST. There is no new content tonight; prime time programming includes “WWE List” and “Swerved” re-runs.

– Austin fielded a few tweets after the podcast interview with Brock aired. In response to a Twitter follower suggesting Lesnar is disrespectful to the wrestling business, Austin replied: “I’ve been in the business since 1989. He does this for a job. Clock in. Work. Clock out. Repeat. #workingman #respect.” (More tweets @SteveAustinBSR)

Also related to Austin, 2K Sports released a new 60-second TV commercial spot featuring Austin and other stars standing around a bonfire throwing items from their past into the bonfire to set up the “Rivalries” theme of the video game.