SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
TORCH TODAY – Tuesday, February 9, 2016
– The end of the road for Daniel Bryan was an epic half-hour of television on Monday night. Bryan’s run on top was short, but memorable. He also captured what today’s WWE audience is looking for – an authentic, realistic, fighting wrestler who stands out from the crowd as a big star. Bryan conveyed that in his farewell speech and captured why Roman Reigns has such an uphill battle to land in the John Cena position or the (1b) Daniel Bryan position. Reigns is presented as machine-like with only a few glimpses into his character’s personality, he typically blends in, and has a limited moveset. Bryan raised the bar in the ring, developed a persona and a catchphrase bonding him with the WWE audience and mainstream sports fans, and was reliable for a 15-minute match on Raw every Monday night when WWE needed a dependable star to help fill three-hour Raws. Reigns’s tweet on Monday acknowledging Bryan’s retirement included recognition of needing to learn, but there’s more that Reigns and WWE need to address and not continue to sweep under the rug. Bryan’s return to TV and retirement speech captured the differences.
U have to work w/ the best to learn…sorry to hear the news but a pleasure sharing the ring. #ThankYouDanielBryan pic.twitter.com/KVpJj9txf9
— Roman Reigns (@WWERomanReigns) February 8, 2016
– On Monday, we posted a Twitter poll asking whether Daniel Bryan should be in the 2016 WWE Hall of Fame upon retiring. It’s an interesting mix of opinions…
- 49 percent: Yes, Bryan should enter the HOF now
- 44 percent: No, this should wait
- 7 percent: No, Bryan should not be in
We have a similar poll with expanded voting options (including whether Bryan should headline above Sting) at PWTorch.com today. CAST YOUR VOTE HERE.
– Ring of Honor released a detailed overview of Daniel Bryan (Bryan Danielson)’s ROH run, which included matches with huge stars from the U.S. and internationally.
– WWE’s TV partner, NBC Universal, announced a restructuring within their cable TV division. USA Network and Syfy (the recent home of Smackdown) will now be lumped into an internal group called “Entertainment Networks,” which will be headed by USA president Chris McCumber. E!, which airs WWE’s “Total Divas” reality show, is lumped with Bravo, Esquire, and Oxygen under “Lifestyle Networks.” Deadline.com reported NBCU president Bonnie Hammer’s explanation in an internal memo.
– WWE announcer Jerry Lawler offered his support for U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump on Twitter. Lawler then began answering Twittercritics in the form of his new heel persona. (Tweets @JerryLawler)
– WWE Network is launching a new “Collections” feature grouping content together with improved navigation. WWE is advertising new Collections being added each month. Available collections include “Greatest Matches Ever,” Brock Lesnar’s “Road to the Undisputed Title” a decade ago, Black History Month, Stone Cold vs. McMahon, and more. (Collections Info on WWE’s website)
– New Japan held a press conference to formally announce the big IWGP World Hvt. Title match between Kazuchika Okada and Hirooki Goto for this Thursday in Osaka. Goto is trying to win the IWGP World Title for the first time and start a “revolution,” while Okada is trying to hold onto the title after retaining over Tanahashi at the Tokyo Dome on January 4. (Photo & Story at PuroresuSpirit.net)
– Rising U.K. independent wrestler Zack Sabre, Jr. talked to Sports Illustrated about his big plans for 2016 and not being ready to pursue WWE despite being on the radars of Triple H, William Regal, and NXT trainer Robbie Brookside.
“WWE is fantastic, but you have to go in with the right mindset. If I went there, then I would be aware that I would be working for a company that is predominantly television-minded. You can’t be naive when you enter there and expect to be doing what you’re doing on a live show in front of a few hundred people who are all real passionate wrestling fans. But their product is great, and it’s an incredible weekly television show. If you want to succeed, you can if you have the right mindset. I also feel there is so much more to achieve and learn, on a personal level as well, for me in Japan. With my style, I really think I can go anyway,” Sabre told SI’s Justin Barrasso. (Full Interview covering several topics at SI.com)
– TNA star Robbie E. is returning to ECWA for the annual “Super 8” tournament. ECWA announced Robbie as the sixth entry in the tournament scheduled for April 23. (More info on ECWA)
– Construction is continuing at the new home of the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame in Wichita Falls, Texas. The goal is to be ready to open by mid-March, which would be in-time for WrestleMania. Wichita Falls is about two-and-a-half-hours away from Dallas. (Local News Report)
– Ivellise from Lucha Underground talked to VIP member Blake Reilly from the “Blake & Sal” radio show about recovering from a shoulder injury during the recent Season 2 filming in Los Angeles. “Halfway into the second season, I kinda tweaked my shoulder again and of course it was off camera going out to perform but it’s not to the point where I’m incapable of doing things but it’s something that has been a problem for quite some time now and I’m getting it fixed now,” Ivelisse said. (Full Interview at TheBlakeandSalShow.com)
– Dario Cueto from Lucha Underground made a brief appearance in Toyota’s “Prius” car chase Super Bowl commercial. Dario played a game-show host as the ad unfolded.
– The latest painting video from wrestling artist Rob Schamberger features A.J. Styles upon his WWE debut.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.