-I was a little higher on last night’s Raw than most in our online poll, where 25 percent are giving it a thumbs up, 32 percent a thumbs in the middle, and 43 percent gave it a thumbs down. I guess I graded it on a “holiday show” curve where it can often feel like WWE is phoning it in with the assumption fewer people are watching. I thought there… Read Article →

Looking at this weekend’s WWE house show results, something really jumped out – you ought to be a fan of the WWE Superstars program if you attend a live event. When you watch TV lately, you see shows focused on Paul Heyman, Brock Lesnar, Undertaker, Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, The Dudleys, and Sting. When you attend a WWE house show this weekend, you were treated to matches featuring Curtis Axel,… Read Article →

-A lot of us held our breath and maybe even gasped a little watching that botched landing in the John Cena vs. Kevin Owens match at last night’s WWE house show that was captured by a fan recording it on their phone. This morning Cena talked vaguely about it on Twitter referring to life hitting you hard and having to get up. I really enjoyed Kevin Owens’ response this afternoon, which… Read Article →

-Nitro launched 20 years ago tonight. I attended the first Nitro in person without much of an idea what to expect. I remember being skeptical that WCW could compete with the WWF Raw program, but that was based on what WCW had been doing with their poorly lit and produced syndicated show with sometimes sparse crowds and the WCW Saturday Night program at the Centre Stage studio. The Mall of… Read Article →

-TNA has got to feel a sense of relief today that Impact rose above 400,000 viewers. James Caldwell broke it all down very well in his detailed story (Ad-Free VIP Link / Free Site Link). They drew 453,000 viewers total (counting both airings), up from an ominous 362,000 last week. I’m happy that an advertised World Title match can still pop a rating, assuming that was responsible. Matt Hardy has real… Read Article →

In a few weeks, after a long pro wrestling career dating back to the 1980s, Sting gets his first WWE World Title opportunity. I think most people assume Sting won’t win the WWE Title, despite Seth Rollins having to defend both of his titles in one night. But can we rule it out? Should we rule it out? Is it a good idea or a bad? I suppose it comes down… Read Article →

Some quick reaction to today’s headlines… -I wasn’t excited to read Big Show was Lesnar’s opponent on the MSG line-up that will air live on WWE Network on Oct. 3, but I also can’t be too critical since I don’t have a better option in mind. Show seems like a worthy opponent in terms of sheer physical size, but isn’t going to be hurt by losing decisively to Lesnar. Since… Read Article →

Hulk Hogan is among the last people who should be entering the Black Lives Matter discussion this week. Yet, he couldn’t help himself. I’m not getting into the pros and cons of the Black Lives Matter movement and campaign or the merits of how they are promoting their cause. I will say Hogan’s response is, essentially, synonymous with the “Black Lives Matter” saying. When someone says “Black Live Matter,” it’s… Read Article →

Jason Powell joined me as usual for the Tuesday PWTorch Livecast and the hot topics from Raw with callers and emailers focused on Seth Rollins vs. Sting and also how John Cena fits in. One interesting point brought up is match order. Jason made a case for Sting vs. Seth going on early in the show, perhaps even first, and then Cena vs. Seth going on last. This would make… Read Article →