PWTORCH LIVECAST SUNDAY – WWE NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS PPV POST-SHOW
HOSTS: JAMES CALDWELL & GREG PARKS
AIRED LIVE:SEPT. 20, 2015
DIRECT LINK TO STREAM OR DOWNLOAD EPISODE
Report by Mark Golden, PWPodcasts.com reviewer
MAIN TOPICS COVERED
-Sting obviously legit injured tonight. This was clear to both the home viewer and in person.
-Yet another fan jumped the security wall, and got in the ring. Security is very lax in the arenas.
-The Demon Kane returned tonight, setting up a program with Seth Rollins.
-Kevin Owens gets one of the loudest pops of the night.
SUMMARY OF SHOW (w/Time Stamps)
0:00 – 3:34: James opened the show by stating that he was not the drunk idiot that ran into the ring at the start of the 6 man tag, contrary to the tweets that he received. James said he was at NOC live, and had a great time at the Evening with Jim Ross event prior to that. He then introduced Greg to the show, and asked his opinion of NOC.
3:36: Greg gave it a thumbs in the middle. Some forgettable matches, but no clunkers. They both felt that it was disheartening that the biggest take away from this show was the eventual Kane vs Rollins program. James said in contrast to ROH, who split up Lethal’s title defenses by putting him on in the opener, and then the main event, Rollins was forced to go back to back, thus making him feel like the sympathetic face champion. They talked about the spot with Sting getting injured and how it came across on TV vs Live in the arena. They both agreed that it was clear the injury was indeed legit. James said that considering his age, and the physicality of the match, Sting did well and looked well. James turned the discussion to the championship landscape post NOC, with three new champions crowned. Greg said the most significant title change was Charlotte over Nikki, both in terms of the story of the match, and the fact that Nikki’s reign coming to an end is symbolic of the “Diva’s Revolution”. James said that many would love to see this title go from the “Diva’s Title” to the “WWE Women’s Title”. Greg said if they plan to do it, now would be the time.
13:08: First caller asked what’s next for the Wyatts feud with Dean and Seth after tonight. James said nothing was resolved, even with Jericho, and he asked Greg for his thoughts on the matter. He said Jericho is in the “nice surprise” category. He said the end was confusing, with Jericho walking off the way he did, but it seems like Dean and Roman will probably continue to recruit partners until they finally defeat The Wyatts, but it’s hard to predict the next immediate direction. The hosts named a few possibilities, including who might be the third man. Daniel Bryan, some NXT stars, and Randy Orton were some of the names that were bandied about. The caller’s next comment involved Kane, and how he’d rather see Kane face Taker instead of Rollins. Jason said the reason for this Rollins and Kane match is to bring their past to a head, which will be secondary to Brock vs Taker next month. James said Rollins vs Kane is as easy and predictable as it is obvious at the moment, and at least it seems like they’re just going to get it over with instead of dragging it out.
21:00: James segued into a question of his own, wondering if there could be any storyline connection with the Demon Kane and Finn Balor. Greg said not only does he not see anything to that, but if NXT is going to be a touring brand they need to beef up the roster before move any more NXT stars to Raw. Greg said he’d hate to see Finn doing anything with Kane right off the bat as he’d wallow in mediocrity during that deal. He went on to say that once Finn goes to Raw, he should be in a prominent position right off the bat.
24:20: Next caller commented on the fans getting crazy with hopping the security wall, praised Owens as a certified heel, and suggested that Rollins vs Kane at HIAC might end up being a Triple Threat match with Sheamus. James said he really thought Sheamus was going to cash in the briefcase earlier than he did, thus saving Sting from yet another loss, but that was not to be. He threw it to Greg, who said Sheamus has said all along that he would be opportunistic, so a cash in done in advance would be contrary to everything he’s said thus far. Greg talked about the MITB briefcase losing it’s meaning since its inception, as at one time, the thought of a cash in was an exciting scenario, whereas now, everyone kind of wants a guy like Sheamus to just cash it in and get it over with. Greg said it’s either the fact that the MITB concept itself has run its course, or certain recent MITB briefcase holders have caused it to lose its luster. James then agreed with the caller about Owens’ heel tactics being nice and refreshing. James talked about the crowd reaction to Owens, as he resonates with the crowds because he has a John Q. Everyman look to him. Greg said today’s WWE audience has been controlled to support whoever entertains them, which is why certain heels are more over than certain babyfaces, with Owens and New Day being the most obvious examples. This is a result of WWE abandoning fundamental booking principals for the sake of “the E in WWE”. They talked about the security situation. James said where he was sitting, there was security standing right in front of him, and they had Toyota Center logo on their shirts, and they were facing the ring and watching the matches most of the night.
39:23: Next caller commented on the wave that happened during Cena vs Rollins. James said it wasn’t disrespectful, but more a sign that the fans were having fun, because they were also interested in the show throughout. WWE acknowledged it, production-wise, (once Seth acknowledged it) as a way to show that the audience is “being entertained” In an interesting observation, Cena took advantage of Rollins’ distraction, and got a near fall, immediately putting an end to the wave. They talked about Seth’s acknowledgment of the wave being yet another example of a heel doing uncharacteristic things.
50:10: Next caller talked about All Star Extravaganza being very good, and the Brock Lesnar “Go To Hell Tour” throughout October being something to really look forward to. James asked what this Taker vs Brock blow off match happening at HIAC means for WM. Greg said Kane vs Rollins makes more sense now, as they can get away with it, since it obviously will not headline. Greg predicted Taker vs Cena at WM, and possibly Brock vs The Rock, but that one is less likely. The hosts discussed the match that almost was: Taker vs Sting, and how the boat has sailed on that one ever happening.
59:03: Next caller talked about WWE needing to improve security, and mentioned the Lana/Ziggler/Summer/Rusev drama. James agreed that of course WWE needs to improve their security measures. Greg said he fears that WWE will draw out this storyline until Lana returns just so they can have the mixed tag match. This whole thing has stayed long past its welcome, and most everyone involved has been hurt by it more than they’ve benefited from it. They touched on Kevin Owens, and the number of possibilities for his IC title reign. Greg said that Ryback had improved during his IC title run, and it will be interesting to see what’s next for him.
1:05:10: James read an e-mail about the possibility of Steve Austin refereeing Brock vs Lesnar at HIAC, stemming from something happening during the Stone Cold podcast, Greg said he’s not in favor of it. The match sells itself, and Steve’s podcast shouldn’t change its format, and should continue to be straight. Greg talked about his column this week in the Torch newsletter before saying goodnight.
1:09:37: Next caller asked about the ROH show, and he commented on how WWE feels a bit dated compared to just about everything else going on in wrestling today. James said they have a nice mix of old and new, and it feels stale because of overexposure, which is a problem only experienced by WWE. James said the dual championship defenses were both done well, with the only problem being Seth’s defenses, as he came off almost looking like a face having to overcome the odds, while it was nice that ROH bookended Jay Lethal’s title defenses.
1:16:08: Next caller talked about the new champions, and that WWE should have gone with a different partner than Jericho, and asked what Sheamus is going to do with the briefcase. James said WWE gave him the briefcase to keep him relevant. He said Joe would have been a better choice as the partner, as Jericho didn’t fit within the context of the match. However, if the goal was for Braum Strowman to go over, he did so against a big enough name (Jericho) without the risk of hurting someone else who is fresher, like Samoa Joe, in which case it served its purpose.
1:22:18: The next caller asked what’s next for John Cena, if Bray Wyatt is going to ever be in a title picture, and thirdly if the Dudleys are just a nostalgia act? James said the Dudleys will probably be there longer than Jericho, working with PTP, for example. He said Bray is more of a character than a serious competitor who is concerned about titles. It would all depend on the feud he’s in at the moment. James said Cena will probably have his rematch with Rollins at some point, and then get right back into the US Open challenge.
1:27:24: Next caller said he liked NOC and is looking forward to Brock’s month of October. He commented on the tag team division in WWE, and James said he’d like to see them implement a rankings system in WWE, specifically in the tag team division in an effort to justify who gets title shots, and it would bring a general sense of order to things.
1:32:05: E-mail question: Could we see Daniel Bryan win the Royal Rumble? James said it would be a cool thing if it finally happened, but a lot depends on his health right now.
SCORE & REVIEW
5 out of 10: The hosts did a fine job of breaking down NOC. I like James’s idea of a rankings system. I agree it would be a great idea in all the divisions. The hosts are great, and they have good wrestling dialogue. Unfortunately, sometimes the show gets bogged down by the callers, some of which have valid, fresh questions, while I get the feeling that others just call in to get on the air without anything substantial to ask or add, or they ask about something that the hosts have already addressed earlier in the show. Sometimes the questions and comments are repetitive, as we hear about the same things more than once from more than one caller on any given show. Some of these shows would benefit from a call screener. The hosts still always manage to turn it into good talk, nonetheless.
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