PWTorch Livecast Friday – Bruce Mitchell & Travis Bryant (Sept. 25, 2015)

-Legends working semi to full-time schedules
-Steve Austin NOT working WrestleMania
-The futures of Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins
-Jim Ross
-Dusty Classic Tag Team Tournament
-The Ding Dongs and Tank Abbott

SHOW RECAP

Bruce introduced the show, talked about his VIP audio show with Wade Keller, and his recent visit to the Ross Report (PodcastOne.com and iTunes). He introduced Travis and they got things rolling. The guys talked about what they thought would be happening at WM32, in regards to the main event(s) and the issues of older legends having matches today with younger wrestlers, working more hard-hitting matches. They also discussed who exactly are the heels and who are the faces in the feud between The Dudleys and New Day. Really good analysis of the current tag team scene in both WWE and NXT, with Travis talking about how even with his TV on mute, he’s appreciating the NXT Dusty Classic.

21:18: The first caller talked about the lax approach to the announcement of the big match Brock Lesnar vs. Undertaker at HIAC. Travis felt the match promo sounded and felt like ECW’s Hype Central, and how it should have been at Survivor Series as it marks Taker’s anniversary. Bruce disagreed, saying Travis is making a big deal out of nothing, and no one really cares. Bruce disagreed with Travis’s sentiments, saying he liked the approach, and WWE did a good job with it. The caller went on to talk about the U.S. Open Challenge, and if it returns, Roman Reigns should accept, to begin a new program between he and Cena. Bruce thought the two should stay away from each other, until it’s for the World title, making it more marketable as a generational main event match, whereas, for the U.S. Title, this leaves opportunities for mid-carders.

32:51: The next caller suggested that Travis and Bruce go back and watch recent episodes of NXT with the volume on, as there are some good stories developing. They said they’d take that under advisement. The next caller said Braun Strowman would/could/should be the next challenge for Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania, to which both hosts disagreed unanimously.

36:51: The next caller commented on the previous discussions. He and Travis had a nice little argument. He then asked if Brock Lesnar is “standing in the way” of anyone moving up the card. Bruce said that the opposite is true, as anyone who is on the same card as Brock has their boots on, and feeds off that energy. The problem is the constant lack of the company creating new stars. Bruce said the only difference=makers are Brock, Randy Orton, and Cena, otherwise, that’s it. The hosts talked about how Steve Austin WILL NOT be wrestling at WrestleMania.

43:02: The next caller talked about how Jim Ross pays too much attention to what people think of him, and he shouldn’t care what anyone thinks. Bruce basically said that Jim has been such a high-profile figure in the industry after growing up and being raised in it and is a legend whose reputation speaks for itself, and that perhaps Ross should consider that, and carry on. The caller said WWE is hurt by the absence of Jim on play-by-play. Bruce said McMahon/WWE has basically redefined that element of the industry in his vision, within his own company.

48:37: The next caller had another two-parter: First he thinks Steve Austin will have some sort of confrontation with Brock leading to WM. The hosts already addressed that earlier in the show, and more or less repeated what was said earlier. Bruce said he and Wade Keller addressed all of this for VIP members. Next, he asked about the identities of The WCW Ding Dongs and Black Blood, and if WCW was at one point considering putting their World title on Tank Abbott. Yes, to the Tank question in a desperate move by the sinking company. The Ding Dongs were wrestlers from Georgia, who were respected in wrestling in the Southeast. The concept was a Jim Herd concept. The only match they had was at Clash of the Champions VII. It was universally panned, and consequently, so were their careers.

55:15: The next caller asked if WWE could potentially expand their training facilities. Travis said they could and need to, citing a lack of new talent coming up. Both he and Bruce said people such as Booker T and The Dudleys could do just that in the long run.

REVIEW & SCORE

7 out of 10: I enjoyed this show. They covered a lot of areas. It felt more fast paced and informative than the past couple weeks. Interest and variety was key here. I love Bruce’s vast knowledge of wrestling history, paired with a modern Travis not being afraid to go against the grain. They offer a nice dynamic on this series. Check it out.