On a weekly basis, PWTorch staffers James Caldwell and Greg Parks have a casual, yet insightful, Lounge-style chat reviewing the week in TV wrestling and looking ahead to what's next for key storylines, matches, and future events. An occasional "Seinfeld" or "The Office" reference is also mixed in for good measure.

James Caldwell: This is PWTorch assistant editor James Caldwell joined by PWTorch columnist Greg Parks to discuss the week in TV wrestling. Greg, I think we should change it up this week and start with TNA since we're one day removed from Impact, TNA's biggest PPV of the year is in two days, and I'm still processing what in the world happened on Raw. Greg, your thoughts on the final hype for BFG on Impact last night?

Greg Parks: It was okay, though it felt like they went into overdrive trying to make sure they hyped everything as much as they could, which made it feel like one of those episodes that went 100 mph and they threw a lot at you - they'd been doing a nice job pulling back on that kind of show lately. I thought it was curious to introduce Jeff Hardy into the Roode-Angle deal so late, but it almost looks like they want to set up a Hardy vs. Storm deal, and now the specter of Hardy will be hanging over the Roode vs. Angle match, something that wasn't really needed in my opinion.

Caldwell: It's as if TNA (a) didn't trust themselves to get people excited for Angle-Roode straight-up with nothing else in the picture or (b) they don't trust Roode as a centerpiece of the company, so they tried to add a few too many ingredients, including Jeff Hardy. And, based on Hulk Hogan knocking or ignoring Roode in interviews this week, perhaps there's some truth to the second option. I agree on the overall feel to last night's show - too much thrown at viewers trying to make sure everything (or nearly everything) on the PPV got some attention. TNA has shown improvement lately, but they still haven't figured out that it's okay to pull back rather than try to cover everything. If they can figure that out, it will help immensely. Greg, did you get a sense based on the final build-up that Roode is taking the title on Sunday or do you think Angle retains?

Parks: I think Roode will win, but Hogan's comments on Roode not being a top guy were just mind-boggling. Maybe it's better that the doesn't mention TNA if this is what's going to come out of his mouth. Really, even if you don't think he's a top guy, he's clearly the guy TNA is building around, so why would you publicly make that decree and make people NOT want to buy the PPV or watch Impact? Just so stupid.

Caldwell: And, listening to that interview on Busted Open, it wasn't like he was in "heel Hulk Hogan mode" talking down about the lead babyface from Fortune. I just don't know why he would say that. I think Roode takes the title on Sunday, but, with the introduction of Hardy on Impact last night and Hogan's comments this week, it already feels like Roode's potential title run has been derailed before it's even started. I just fear another Samoa Joe 2008 situation, although I think TNA (other than Hogan) is more behind Roode right now than Joe three years ago. Where do you think Hardy and/or Storm fit into the title picture coming out of BFG, assuming Roode takes the title?

Parks: I would've saved Hardy and re-introduced him after Bound For Glory, and let Roode vs. Angle just tell the story itself, leaving Hardy and Storm out of it. But TNA has already set things up for fans wondering where Storm's mind is at. I'm hoping he doesn't get involved either way at the PPV, but would not be surprised if he does. With a young guy like Roode who you're trying to sell as a true main-event player, James I'm sure you'll agree with me that if you put him over at the PPV, you've got to put him over strongly with a clean win.

Caldwell: Definitely. A tainted win where the focus is on a combination of Angle, Storm, or Hardy does nothing for Roode. Plus, the follow-up on Impact has to be strong with focus on Roode as the new face of the company. But, then there's the Sting-Hogan issue for "control of the company" that will certainly be focused on coming out of the PPV. What did you make of their final sales pitch with the contract signing and, based on Hogan's comments about what the match will look like on Sunday, what are reasonable expectations for that...um...encounter on Sunday?

Parks: I thought Hogan's comments were all over the place - his delivery is fine but the wording was just odd. I mean, who really believes Sting and Hogan have been going at it (or Sting has been dodging him) for 30 years? Some of the stuff he said I found difficult to connect to...well...reality. But for the most part, they kept things simple in that final segment, which is what they needed to do. I wonder how exactly Hogan will keep his spot in TNA if Sting wins as expected, and the company is returned to Dixie Carter.

Caldwell: I think that's where the babyface turn comes into play. Something like Hogan "sees the light" and sides with Sting & Dixie, but the trio is opposed by Heel Bischoff, who has a "legal clause" or he has some sort of protection through The Network to still have a measure of control over the company. So, Team Dixie/Sting/Hogan battles with Team Bischoff/Immortal for the next year. It should be interesting (or frustrating) to see how it all unfolds. Greg, anything else on the final build-up to BFG worth touching on?

Parks: Just some random thoughts you can reply to with your own or just ignore (I'll leave it up to you): I thought Samoa Joe did a nice job with his reasoning in proposing a three-way with himself, Crimson and Matt Morgan, but any way you slice it, it's still a heel challenging two faces; the Knockouts segment did nothing to interest me for that PPV match; neither did the tag title segment, though it did introduce a new character who could be an interesting addition; I'm still not sure why Kendrick is still in the X Division title picture; Anderson vs. Bully build was okay and I think I can see Abyss getting involved in that match after Immortal turned on him.

Caldwell: Considering the way TNA books, I thought Samoa Joe did the best he could trying to create a logical explanation for the three-way. Concerning the X Division and Tag Title matches, I don't think there's a likable character out of any of them. Ink, Inc. was heavy with the xenophobia and Kendrick has given zero indication in past promos he even cares about the X Title. I thought Anderson-Bully was another case of TNA adding too much to the mix right before a PPV when the issue was really strong before the post-match, which took the focus away from Anderson-Bully singularly and added Abyss and Immortal and a bunch of other stuff to the mix that didn't need to be there. Save the Abyss deal for next week's Impact. At the end of the day, Greg, is Bound for Glory worth ordering, especially for people who might only order one or two (or zero) TNA PPVs during the year?

Parks: If you're TNA exclusive and don't order much during the year, I think the intrigue of Hogan vs. Sting and wanting to get on the ground floor of Roode's main event push could be enough to convince someone to order the show.

Caldwell: Well-put. All right, Greg, let's go ahead and tackle Monday's Raw. *sigh* I don't know where to begin because my worst fear trying to analyze Raw on a weekly basis came true on Monday: what happened in the past didn't matter, all the clues were swept under the rug, logic was thrown out the window, and WWE basically reset the whole thing. Your initial thoughts on how to evaluate what happened on Raw?

Parks: I evaluated it best i could on yesterday's Livecast and in my VIP blog this week. I don't know what else I could say about it. I'm in a good mood right now and talking about it will only angry up my blood. I will say that I'm very interested in seeing if WWE can recover this week on Raw, and whether or not, internally, there is any acknowledgment of how bad this Raw was, or if they're just oblivious to it.

Caldwell: I'm sure enough people in WWE - even in McMahon's inner circle of "yes men" - recognize how poor Monday's show was, but I think WWE will just move on with the Raw taping in Mexico City tomorrow hyping Vengeance, then begin focusing on Cena & Rock together at Survivor Series. This week's Raw will just turn into one of those shows everyone remembers for how WWE completely fell apart with a hot angle in-play. I assume this coming Raw will just emphasize Vengeance, continue to play up Laurinaitis as heel authority figure, and continue the Cena-Del Rio issue with little emphasis on a title actually being at-stake. It will be interesting to see the crowd reactions to Del Rio and Cena in Mexico, though, so that could be worth looking forward to. Greg, I think it's safe to say we'll just wait & see what happens next rather than trying to break down this week's awful performance any further. But, any other minor or secondary items from Raw you feel like touching on?

Parks: Not a one, James. And I'll say this: WWE could recover from this and the walk-out angle to come up with another huge idea that will get people talking sooner rather than later. WWE did something similar this summer, having Punk do his thing, then trying to top that with putting Hunter in charge, then having Nash return, then having the "who texted Nash" angle, then having someone behind the scenes wreaking havoc on Hunter's product. So I guess what I'm saying is WWE could recover from dropping the ball on the walk-out to come up with something else big again later this month.

Caldwell: I think with each passing "what will happen next?" big item every five or six weeks, there's that law of diminishing returns where the audience figures out that WWE really doesn't have a direction and they're just booking themselves into an interesting corner, but they don't have a way to get out other than just blowing it up and starting over. Granted, I think WWE viewers have short memories and WWE could do something similar to this around the time of Survivor Series and pop a rating, especially if it involves a new player - whether it's Rock, an actual real-life GM, the promise of the anonymous Raw GM reveal, etc. It goes to the over-arching problem that WWE has gotten away from focusing on the week-to-week booking like enhancing top stars, valuing the titles, building up mid-card stars, and promoting PPV matches. I think those issues are very evident when WWE has a show like Monday.

Parks: Absolutely. I saw very little of any of those you mentioned, unless you count Mason Ryan in "building up mid-card stars."

Caldwell: I should correct myself - "building up the right mid-card stars!" Ryan enhanced at the expense of five other more-deserving stars in that six-man tag was icing on the cake for an awful Raw. Plus, Zack Ryder, who pinned the U.S. champ two weeks in a row, was nowhere to be found. Mind-boggling stuff Monday night. As for the Divas, it seems like Eve could be next in line for a title shot or do you think they keep the Beth-Kelly issue going, I guess since Kelly has a re-match clause?

Parks: I could see them doing a Beth-Kelly rematch, but it would make sense to move to Beth-Eve before long. Those would be some matches I'd actually look forward to seeing.

Caldwell: Agreed. All right, Greg, I think we've had enough of Raw. Let's see what Mexico City produces next week, especially with a more rounded Vengeance PPV line-up rather than a thrown-together feel. NXT seems more like Superstars every week, but what did you make of how they handled D-Young's suspension, and is WWE any closer to ending this show based on the shocking return to focusing on "NXT competition" in the opening segment?

Parks: I'll believe it when I see it as it pertains to the competition. While the women's tag match was good (include a nice sequence near the end that was as good as any fast-paced sequence you'll see with women on WWE TV) and the Usos vs. Hawkins & Reks was good, it really is becoming more and more like Superstars - which we don't even bother to talk about. Therefore, I have a proposal: We table any further NXT discussion in this chat until they actually set in concrete (a) the next elimination or (b) the end date of the show, or they do something else that will make the show worth talking about. It'll give us more time to chat about the more important shows, after all.

Caldwell: Proposal 3(a)2 has been approved by the Board of Chat Directors. I'm holding out hope, Greg, that WWE ends what they started in Houston two Tuesdays from now. I was there for Week 1 of NXT: Redemption at a Smackdown taping in Houston and I hope Week 34 back in Houston will be the end of this. We shall see. All right, let's talk Smackdown. Henry-Show is set for Vengeance, Orton vs. Rhodes seems to be the next feud for them, and Sheamus is floating out there on a hot streak. What's your take on the Smackdown scene?

Parks: I tentatively approve where things are going. I think bringing back Show, given his past with Mark Henry, and presumably feeding him to Henry at Vengeance is the right move. I've talked about the possibility of Orton vs. Rhodes for probably a month now, so it's nice to see the wheels go in motion there. Christian vs. Sheamus could be something that continues on Smackdown. Those top three feuds don't look too shabby.

Caldwell: I like where Smackdown is right now. Ratings have been very strong the last three weeks, Henry is a very good top champion, and Show delivered a great comeback promo last week on Smackdown. I think Henry-Show is a nice change of pace from the Orton-Christian-Henry title picture on Smackdown the past five or six months. I approve, as well. Any prediction on how long Henry holds the title after having a few weeks to take a look at how WWE has presented him as champion?

Parks: Hopefully, a long time. I'm loathe to predict title reigns anymore, considering the simplest thing like a slight ratings dip can make WWE change titles.

Caldwell: Very true. This week's Smackdown rating drops to a 1.7 and all of a sudden Show is World champ at Vengeance! I'm going with my prediction from the Livecast yesterday that I think WWE keeps Henry strong the rest of the year, then Orton wins the Rumble and they go from there leading to Mania with Daniel Bryan somewhere in the picture. Speaking of Bryan and the somewhat non-existent mid-card as of late, what are your thoughts on the supporting characters like Sin Cara(s), Bryan, Mahal, etc.? It seems like a lot of those spots are being taken by Raw cameos as of late.

Parks: Correct, and that's the downside of Smackdown. Once known for its bustling mid-card, the blue brand has seen it's mid-card disappear like a speck of sand in the wind. Both Sin Caras need some rehabilitation after a lackluster reception to their PPV match, and I wouldn't be surprised if many fans had forgotten that Daniel Bryan is indeed still the holder of the MITB briefcase. I'd like to see some more work get done in this area in the near future.

Caldwell: I think WWE is still falling victim to their bad habit of not doing the long-term build-up and thinking they can "flip the switch" a few months before WrestleMania and get people excited. Or, they don't think it's worth investing time/energy into Bryan leading to Mania, which brings up the question of why they had Bryan win MITB in the first place. I chalk that up to impulsive decision-making without thinking things all the way through. Greg, any other thoughts on Smackdown before we take it home?

Parks: I suppose not. Tonight should be interesting given that the DX reunion is being plugged on WWE.com - shouldn't Hunter be sullen after losing his job (or at least his Raw GM-ship) on Raw?

Caldwell: And that gets to the underlying problem with Hunter in that role - he didn't want the job, he didn't care about having it or not having it, and he showed no emotion when he was being challenged by the roster and when he lost the job. His character simply did not care, which hurt the entire angle.

Parks: Yep, but that's Hunter for ya!

Caldwell: Indeed. Man of Steel Emotions! Greg, give the readers a preview of Gonzo and The Greg this weekend on the VIP Audio site.

Parks: This weekend, we'll list our top five most legit tough guys in wrestling, current and active edition.

Caldwell: And, as VIP'er MattFanatic said on the Livecast yesterday, he expects Cena to top the list. I'll pencil in my pick for Gunner. But, I'm certainly looking forward to that discussion this weekend! Greg, always good to Chat and have a great weekend.

Parks: Thanks, you too, James.

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