PWTorch Livecast Friday Edition
Hosts: Bruce Mitchell & Travis Bryant
Airdate: Friday, October 2, 2015
DIRECT LINK TO LISTEN/DOWNLOAD
Report by Mark Golden (@RealMarkGolden)
TOPICS COVERED
-The 10/3 MSG Network Special.
-Kurt Angle’s (last) match and TNA’s (final) PPV Bound For Glory on Sunday.
-John Cena taking extended personal time off.
-Raw’s ratings the lowest in 18 years.
-Wrestling Riots in the past.
-WWE Network
TOPICS COVERED (W/TIME STAMPS)
0:00: – 19:04: They started the show addressing Raw’s low ratings. Travis said it scored a 2.33, and wondered aloud if they would continue to drop. The hosts talked about if the return of Brock Lesnar and the legends-heavy month of October would lead to a resurgence. Bruce talked about the overall product needing to improve, regardless of the names being brought in over the coming weeks. Bruce talked about looking forward to Saturday night’s live MSG special on the Network. Travis more or less said he could take it or leave it, but it should be all right. Bruce asked Travis if he’s anticipating TNA’s Bound For Glory. He said the card looks promising, as it has a pretty solid line-up. Bruce mentioned how it will be notable for Kurt Angle’s final mainstream match. Bruce talked about how it’s a pretty sad ending for not only Angle, but the promotion itself. Bruce mentioned that Cena has decided to take an extended time off for “personal reasons,” most likely starting after October. The hosts talked about how this will be a blow to an already thinned out, hurting company.
19:05: First caller talked about how Pedro Morales didn’t lose the title at MSG in an effort to avoid a riot. Bruce said Pedro dropped the title in Boston. One happened in 1957, and it made the cover of the New York Times. Bruce tells some interesting stories here about several riots that have happened years ago. Give it a listen. The caller mentioned that Stan Stasiak defeated Pedro Morales in Philadelphia. He asked if New Day will retain the weekend, and if they’re closer to The Shield (serious) or 3MB (silly) on the six-man scale. Travis said they’re closer to 3MB. Bruce said you always felt the the individuals in The Shield were destined for more. The same can’t be said for New Day. Travis said he’d pick Kofi as the one who would go over as a singles star, but based on his look, Big E. would probably be the pick of WWE, but in reality, it’s none of the above. The hosts agreed that this past Monday’s U.S. Open Challenge should have been answered by Big E. instead of Xavier. They said the act works best with Xavier as the manager, with the other two wrestling. They said The Dudleys might win the titles Saturday as a response to the recent ratings.
33:19: Next caller commented on John Cena’s time off, and how Cena mentioned it on Total Divas last week. The caller asks if this is panic time in WWE? Bruce asked the caller what panic move WWE might do. He said maybe a surprise return like Jeff Hardy or Kurt Angle. Travis said he doesn’t think WWE will have any panic moves, and the ratings have been low for a while and if they were going to do anything like that, they would have by now. Bruce said there aren’t many viable options, and the booking needs fixed to make any sort of difference. Bruce said WWE decided a decade ago that they did not want Kurt Angle dying on their watch. However, Bruce said that he wouldn’t be surprised to see the Hardys return, albeit on a limited schedule. Bruce again said the changes necessary are less aesthetic, and more creative.
39:28: Next caller said the third hour of Raw is its biggest handicap. He compared WWE to a commercial radio station, killing your favorite song (in this case, Seth Rollins) due to overkill. He also said Bayley would be better off staying with NXT. Bruce said nothing can be done about the third hour. He said Finn Balor has said he wants to stay with NXT and make it grow huge. They both said that Bayley COULD get over huge on the main roster, but they will undoubtedly drop the ball if things continue the way they are.
45:20: Next caller asked about the WWE Network, and if the content will change if and when Triple H takes the reigns from Vince McMahon. Bruce said he doesn’t think he will because they usually determine what’s on the Network by the trends. Bruce said that while there are many long-time fans who would love to see some classic wrestling, there’s probably not enough to justify putting it on there. They experimented with WCCW, and had people been watching it, they would have made more episodes available in the vault, whereas they released a lot of WCW and ECW. The hosts expressed an interest in seeing them put Smoky Mountain Wrestling on the Network. The caller asked about the U.S. Title match Saturday night. Bruce said he feels Cena will probably retain over Seth in the cage match. The hosts talked about listening to PWTorch ten-years-ago audio shows. They also referenced how WWE is painting Kevin Owens as just a fat guy in his program with Ryback, but how in reality he’s a stout guy who can move, a la Jerry Blackwell. They agreed that WWE is creating an obstacle for themselves by doing this, when they could be treating him like a stocky legit tough guy.
OVERALL SCORE
Another very good listen. I especially liked Bruce’s stories about classic Southern wrestling, and his stories about riots that happened at wrestling shows over the decades. I specifically chose not to elaborate on that, as it must be heard to be fully appreciated. Do yourself a favor, and listen to this show. 7/10.
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