SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
PWTorch reader Joe G. asks…
What if Roman Reigns returns to NXT for a month or more to reevaluate his career and to reinvent himself? NXT could be the perfect place for him to create a heel persona. It worked for Emma.
PWTorch editor Wade Keller answers…
I understand what you’re saying, it’s not a bad idea in that it’d give fans a break from Roman Reigns and allow him and them to hit the reset button before he made a high-impact return to WWE. That said, I think having him turn heel is a moment many main roster fans have been clamoring for, and picking just the right moment to do it against just the right babyface would have a big impact. If he went to NXT, fans would hear about it who don’t watch NXT and it’d take something away from the big moment for some fans. Reigns is super-talented, but miscast as a babyface, and I think at this point he’s just too valuable to put in NXT for any length of time, either as a babyface or a heel.
PWTorch reader Ty asks…
TNA really feels like they’re grasping their last breath. Would they be better off producing a “season” for a streaming Network such as Hulu or Netflix? And would Hulu or Netflix find value in adding them to their roster of shows?
PWTorch editor Wade Keller answers…
I think it’s only a matter of time before Netflix or Hulu see the value in adding pro wrestling to their original programming. With TNA taping five days in a row this coming week (assuming funding comes through as currently expected), it essentially already is filming a whole “season” all at once. They could post-produce the shows and then put them on Hulu or Netflix one week at a time or all at once. I think the greater value for Netflix or Hulu would be to have a night of the week the show becomes available every week, as is the case with NXT on WWE Network on Wednesday nights. It would give people who subscriber to Hulu or Netflix but don’t use it very often an excuse to visit more often and perhaps discover other content. It’s relatively inexpensive original programming with a strong niche following. If TNA survives long enough, I could see a Billy Corgan-owned & led version of TNA landing on a streaming service if Pop TV doesn’t offer a compelling renewal offer. Growing Impact Wrestling viewership is a key, though, to showing the program is attracting new fans, not turning away existing fans.
PWTorch reader Chad G. asks…
Do you feel that the New Day doesn’t connect with some people because a large percentage of WWE viewers and audience members are white, but they seem to incorporate a lot of black humor into their segments? There are of course other reasons the New Day might not be connecting as well. I and a lot of other people think that the New Day are great, so naturally the WWE are going to overexpose them like they did to Seth Rollins. Less is more with any act.
PWTorch editor Wade Keller answers…
As a white guy, I’m probably the wrong person to pinpoint whether you’re accurate here or not, but I do think there’s something to what you’re saying. There things New Day have referenced that I’ve had to have “explained to me” by younger people and black people, so I suppose there’s something to that. I think New Day being authentically themselves and tapping into contemporary pop culture is a good thing, and they shouldn’t dumb down the act or worry about everyone getting everything, as that would hurt their appeal with the fanbase that loves them. I do think they’ve been overexposed along the way at times, but lately that’s been less of an issue.
PWTorch reader Chad G. asks…
What are your thoughts on a future Vince McMahon biopic. Vince McMahon is such a complex and fascinating person that a movie about him has the potential to be phenomenal. What would you cover in the movie and who would play Vince?
PWTorch editor Wade Keller answers…
It’s a great idea, and I’m really surprised someone hasn’t done it yet. Who should play him? That’s easy: Jon Hamm. I’d cover his entire life, although the challenge would be getting enough info about his childhood and teen years to create an accurate backstory on him. They could get through that aspect of his life quickly and begin with him going wide-eyed to his first WWWF shows with his father at the helm and go from there. I think part of what holds back a move from being made is just not having a final act yet. The challenge would be where the movie would end if it were created today? Maybe a movie loosely based on McMahon, but greatly embellished, with a fictional ending would work better for now.
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I think Rip Torn is a perfect McMahon.