James Caldwell, Torch Assistant Editor (5.5)

Up-and-down show leading to the No Way Out PPV. WWE better hope casual fans are really, really into watching SuperShane vs. Randy Orton, as WWE entirely over-sold that match. Shane completely ignoring The Punt to the ribs from Orton on last week's show that they replayed several times on this week's show was ridiculous and continued to cut the legs out from under Orton. Legacy fortunately had plenty of TV time this week (and a tag match victory) to make up for taking chokeslams from Taker and DiBiase taking the coast-to-coast from Shane. Dangerous territory of taking that "NWO B-Team" stigma, though.

WWE wasn't going to be able to cover for the lack of legit hype for the Elimination Chamber match in one week, so they did the best they could with the six-man tag match showing John Cena in jeopardy to hopefully translate to Cena in jeopardy defending the World Title at No Way Out. They could have conveyed a lot of meaning to the audience by pointing out Rey, Knox, Kofi, and Kane all have a World Title opportunity on Sunday.

The PPV hype was saved by another compelling development between Shawn Michaels and JBL. It's a little uncomfortable when HBK's wife is involved in the pre-match storytelling, though. HBK being DQ'ed in his match against Mark Henry and JBL drawing attention to what that could entail for the rest of HBK's life if he does the same thing on Sunday was a good use of a DQ finish. On the other hand, Taker-Orton was not a good use of the DQ finish in the TV main event right before a PPV. Very TNA-esque.

Ric Flair's return was a very good moment to start the show, even if his face was not HD-ready. Jericho and Flair going back and forth in a verbal exchange was excellent, with both sides of the pro-Flair and anti-Flair argument given equal time. If Rourke isn't getting involved for a WrestleMania deal, then the segment was pointless for advancing a storyline, but Flair's return at least made for great TV when WWE needed a little spark.

Greg Parks, PWTorch.com Contributor (7.0)

WWE got back on track this week with a relatively good show that was short on low-IQ moments. The show started out with a solid promo exchange between Chris Jericho and Ric Flair, even though it didn't clear up the picture between these two for Wrestlemania when you think about it. I mean, Flair can't come back to the ring after all Jericho said here....can he? They didn't even really let Flair loose here either.

The women's tag was watchable and we got a good plug for the title re-match next week. I think the only time Jillian ever wins is when she tags with Beth Phoenix. Orton had a good promo and The Legacy beat Cryme Tyme in a finish that should've happened last week. Having the Chamber participants all in a six-man tag was so predictable, and again, the finish of Jericho winning probably should've happened in his match with Cena last week. At least they're giving someone some momentum heading into No Way Out and putting Cena on the ropes so to speak.

The Michaels-JBL situation was about what you'd expect as the final hype for the PPV, but I feel that adding Shawn's wife into the feud just furthers the idea that this angle is the red-headed step-child of the Michaels-Jericho angle. Punk vs. Regal was embarrassingly short again, and it seemed like that may have been the end of this feud. If so, I don't get why it was so short. The main event was OK and I was a little more forgiving of Shane coming out on top here considering the circumstances. He needs to be squashed at the PPV though.

Lee Stevens, PWTorch.com Contributor (8.0)

WWE obviously pulled out the big guns for this show with the return of Ric Flair and a rare appearance by The Undertaker and for the most part, it worked. Flair and Chris Jericho were solid in their confrontation and I thought everyone showed a surprising bit of restraint. Yes, Flair ripped off of his coat to reveal his very damp shirt (were you swimming earlier, Nature Boy?), but it didn't end up in a lengthy physical confrontation and more importantly, it didn't turn into a match. I was pessimistically expecting a "match just signed" featuring Jericho vs. Flair later in the show. I appreciate the fact that they resisted the urge.

Undertaker and Randy Orton was decent and the Shawn Michaels/JBL segment helped sell their Pay-per-view match. Your wife will always have a position with my company? That's what a heel should be saying just before a big match. I want to see Michaels get his revenge. I need to see Michaels get his revenge. The six-man tag was fun and although Shane McMahon's coast-to-coast barely reached the Atlantic, it still reminded viewers that he's capable of big moves.

I can appreciate having shorter matches on TV to save the epic battles for the PPV, but some of the matches felt rushed. I understand leaving a viewer wanting more, but the I-C match left me wanting anything! The belt deserves more. Not a perfect show, but enjoyable.

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