This installment of the PWTorch VIP Vault jumps back to the June 12, 2005 Wade Keller Hotline podcast featuring these topics:

• Tons of backstage insights from ECW One Night Stand including Vince McMahon’s role.
• Two major confrontations behind the scenes (one of which started in the ring), and both sides to both incidents (and there are two sides to both)…
• Plus, specific reactions from specific WWE wrestlers (named by name) about what they saw, including a wide variety of pros and cons about the show…
• What surprising name was backstage, who his connection was, and why he wasn’t allowed backstage later…
• ECW wrestlers’ reaction to the WWE wrestlers’ involvement including Steve Austin’s heavy involvement…
• What was Vince McMahon’s reaction to the show, and to some of the one-liners…
• What was planned ahead and what wasn’t, what was real and what wasn’t, who was upset and who wasn’t…
• The rumors about the future of the ECW brand circulating among wrestlers…
• Which WWE bigwigs were backstage and which ones weren’t, and whether ECW wrestlers felt they added to or took away from the show and the overall operations…
• A lot on RVD’s promo and the planning of it…
• Why some wrestlers were over with the crowd and others weren’t, and specific steps some took to avoid a backlash…
• Plus instant Raw reax with draft sending top talent to Raw and decimating Smackdown.
• And much more…

This is another episode in our VIP Podcast Vault series going back to our earliest podcasts. We will continue to present VIP Podcasts from 18 years ago exclusively for PWTorch VIP members on our VIP Podcast Feed.

SHOW SUMMARY: In this episode of The Fix with PWTorch VIP analyst Todd Martin and host PWTorch editor Wade Keller, they respond to listener emails on these topics.

• Does AEW need to book Kenny Omega better?
• What was the plan at the 2005 Royal Rumble when John Cena and Batista were eliminated at the same time?
• Any knowledge of Paul Craig & Chris Bungard?
• Is C.M. Punk a hypocrite regarding situations with Colt Cabana, Corey Graves, and Kofi Kingston?
• A case that pro wrestling video games are a major gateway into people becoming viewers of pro wrestling shows.
• When does the “modern era” begin that WWE talks about?
• Is Seth Rollins actually a generation-defining wrestler?
• Who was the best Beatle?
• Is Peacock actually creating new WWE fans?
• Can WWE cost AEW buys for their PPVs by going head-to-head with NXT specials?
• Has Tony Khan introduced Jay White in the worst way possible?
• Thoughts on the legacy of Madusa.
• A sidebar discussion on the history of Pro Wrestling Illustrated “Rookie of the Year” winners and runners up over the decades
• When AEW viewership drops and WWE viewership goes up, are those the same viewers?
• Could AEW’s expanded TV hours cause AEW to cater even more to hardcore fans?
• Thoughts on AEW All Access and if anything was learned from the shows.
• Will AEW Collision lead to fans just stopping watching AEW because it’s too much to keep up on?
• Could Orange Cassidy be a major player on Collision as a floating AEW International Champion?
• How is Steve Maclin’s run as Impact World Champion going and can he use it to get to AEW or back to WWE?
• What would be the value of Roman Reigns & Solo Sikoa as tag champs in the short term?

SHOW SUMMARY: In this week’s episode of “Everything with Rich Fann hosted by Wade Keller,” Wade and Rich cover these topics:

• The latest on C.M. Punk’s visit to WWE Raw last night and what the ramifications could be within AEW.
• Some sparse notes on the meeting over the weekend with Chris Jericho, FTR, and C.M. Punk and theories on how that played into Punk’s visit to Raw.
• Is WarnerMedia a new player for WWE content, which could move WWE PLEs to HBO’s rebranded Max streaming service and off of Peacock?
• Young Bucks backstage politics in AEW and where they might stand on the Punk stuff as of this week.
• Reaction to the new WWE World Title and whether it could end up on Smackdown with Roman Reigns heading to Raw.
• WWE Draft speculation including some wildcard ideas for who the inaugural new champion could be and rationalizations for others talent placement on Raw or Smackdown.
• Analysis of last week’s setback in the Four Pillars feud, a discussion of the swipes Jungle Boy and Darby took at each other, and where this all leads.
• Jay White’s botched presentation so far.
• Stardom All-Star Grand Queendom thoughts and the latest with Mercedes Monet.
• And more topics and sidebars sprinkled in throughout.

SHOW SUMMARY: This installment of the PWTorch VIP Vault jumps back to the April 22, 2005 episode of The Bruce Mitchell Audio Show with host PWTorch editor Wade Keller, Bruce covers these topics:

• Why Ric Flair gets a pass for being on top for so many years while Hunter gets criticized for seemingly hogging the spotlight.
  
• Analysis of Flair’s tenure as WCW booker in the mid-90s…
• An in-depth discussion about the Top Five WrestleMania Matches Ever…
• Mitchell’s favorite era as a wrestling fan…
• Some of the most embarrassing moments in pro wrestling history and one of the most disgusting angles…
• Reaction to MNM and the Heart Throbs…
• Thoughts on the MSG fans chanting at Lita on Monday…
• The second Diva Contest…
• Why Batista’s title run may be handled differently politically by Triple H than those of Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho…
• And much, much more…

This is another episode in our VIP Podcast Vault series going back to our earliest podcasts. We will continue to present VIP Podcasts from 18 years ago exclusively for PWTorch VIP members on our VIP Podcast Feed.

SHOW SUMMARY: In this episode of The Fix with PWTorch VIP analyst Todd Martin and host PWTorch editor Wade Keller, they discuss listener emails on these topics. This is part two of two…

• Heels ripping on fans but marketing merchandise to tem.
• Favorite kayfabe explanations for illogical or perplexing aspects of pro wrestling.
• Inconsistencies with babyfaces running out for saves.
• Is Keith Lee hurt by having grey hair along with reduced mobility?
• Could All In sell so few tickets they have to move it to a smaller venue?
• Exploring babyfaces winning with honor and heels cheating and whether that’s a dated approach or just embedded into pro wrestling inherently.
• Is it fair to say WWE’s product has cooled since WrestleMania and AEW has been on a roll?
• What are the pros and cons of booking C.M. Punk as a face versus a heel?
• Will fans be okay with keeping Punk separated from his locker room rivals if there’s a roster split?
• Who on the AEW roster is most like Disco Inferno and Horace Hogan?
• Would Eric Bischoff be a good candidate to be Tony Khan’s “bad cop”? If not him, whom?
• Why aren’t people talking more about Brock Lenar being in cahoots with The Bloodline?
• Todd is challenged to make a case for Madcap Moss being the no. 1 pick, as Emma says he will be.
• How do international markets end up with AEW on other networks like ESPN?
• What’s next for Logan Paul? Doesn’t he have to win his next feud?
• Talking points from the two hour Bloodline video on YouTube summarizing The Bloodline’s history
• If Punk returns to AEW, should that show be billed as Colt Cabana Appreciation Night?
• Does new information shed new light on the exchange between Punk and Jon Moxley leading into their title match last year?
• Which wrestlers’ on-air personas seem most like what they’re probably like in real life?
• Which wrestlers should be shifted from Dynamite to AEW’s proposed/rumored Saturday show? Is there a way AEW could differentiate the show from Wednesdays?
• Reaction to frustration with AEW’s Women’s Division, pairing Swerve Strickland with Prince Nana, and poor usage of the Luchadors on the AEW roster

SHOW SUMMARY: It’s a “Nick & Tom Mailbag” week, with a range of topics including rebooking for WrestleMania 39, some face and heel turns, and deep dives into Asuka and Solo Sikoa. (NOTE: There are some audio quality issues with this episode.)

SHOW SUMMARY: In this episode of Bonus Point, Tom Stoup covers February 2023 in WWE Developmental news and analysis including:

• Black History Month community outreach
• Next-In-Line signees at the Royal Rumble
• Reviews of episodes 2, 3, & 4 of “Trickin’ Ain’t Easy”
• Blake Howard joining Byron Saxton on Level Up commentary
• Upcoming Campus Rush dates
• Amari Miller injury announcement and update
• Ivy Nile wrestling for Booker T’s Reality of Wrestling
• Chris Gerard (FKA Oney Lorcan) becoming a full time WWE Performance Center coach
• Coconut Loop house shows incl. Lola Vice title match, Ava Raine physicality, more
• Level Up progress reports on Oba Femi, Myles Borne, Scrypts, Tank Ledger, Lash Legend, Eddy Thorpe (FKA Karl Fredericks), and Lola Vice
• Further items on Guru Raaj, Brady Booker, Rickssen Opont, Skylor Clinton, Dragon Lee, Jason Cade, Boa, Secretary G, Adrain Jaoude, Karrion Kross, Chase U, Beau Morris, Hayden Pittman, Bryson Montana, Dante Chen, Javier Bernal, Axiom, Dani Palmer, and Kale Dixon

SHOW SUMMARY: In this week’s episode of “Everything with Rich Fann hosted by Wade Keller,” Wade and Rich discuss a variety of topics:

• Super Bowl commercials that had pro wrestling connections.
• If the Jacksonville Jaguars win a Super Bowl, will the MVP accept a WWE Title belt? Could AEW be sneaky and double-cross WWE?
• Is AEW showing signs of vulnerability in terms of even surviving as a major league competitors to WWE with recent ratings performances and anecdotal softening of passion in the fanbase?
• Is AEW prepared to replace the aging top tier crew with another generation of stars?
• Might C.M. Punk have a better chance to be brought back if ratings falter more and his locker room rivals fail to step up?
• Thoughts on last week’s Dynamite including The Gunns winning the AEW Tag Team Titles and MJF’s controversial promo?
• How many people are on AEW’s graphic poster for tomorrow night’s Dynamite?
• Where is Jay White more likely to end up – AEW or WWE or neither?

In this week’s episode of “Everything with Rich Fann hosted by Wade Keller,” Wade and Rich discuss a variety of topics:

• Reaction to Jerry Lawler’s stroke.
• Reflecting on Lanny Poffo.
• Detailed review of NXT Vengeance Day with extended talk about Roxanne Perez and Bron Breakker
• AEW Dynamite review from last week including Bryan Danielson’s journey, The Acclaims vs. The Gunn Boys, and more
• A preview of this week’s AEW Dynamite
• WWE Smackdown review including Sami Zayn’s angle with Roman Reigns
• WWE Raw review including Cody Rhodes-Paul Heyman segment, Brock Lesnar-Bobby Lashley, JBL-Baron Corbin, and more
• MJF defends Zackery Wentz on Twitter
• Stardom 12 Anniversary Supreme thoughts
• And more sprinkled in throughout.

This installment of the PWTorch VIP Vault jumps back to a VIP Audio Roundtable with PWTorch editor Wade Keller and PWTorch columnists Bruce Mitchell and Pat McNeill from Jan. 23, 2005. They discuss the prior Sunday’s TNA PPV and next month’s TNA PPV, Batista’s proclamation that Triple H is the greatest of all-time and where Hunter really stands, the merits and drawbacks of turning Eddie Guerrero heel, whether John Cena is showing signs of being a franchise player, the current direction of Smackdown, and thoughts on the death of Johnny Carson.

This is another episode in our VIP Podcast Vault series going back to our earliest podcasts. The VIP podcasts from March, April, May, and most of June 2004 were lost due to hard drive failure, but we’re back now with the summer 2004 podcasts. We will continue to present VIP Podcasts from 18 years ago exclusively for PWTorch VIP members on our VIP Podcast Feed.