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 for our weekly TV wrestling Chat. Greg, you just covered Smackdown with yet another "firing" stipulation announced for the No Way Out PPV main event. Now, if John Cena loses, he may be "fired" Part 3. Or, of course, if Big Show loses, then John Laurinaitis is "fired." How does this all sort out for you and what do you think of them adding the bonus firing stip for Cena?

Greg Parks: WWE is like the boy who cried "fired." This is the third time already that Laurinaitis's job has been on the line, and as you pointed out, Cena's career has been on the line numerous times - he's even LOST and been back in record time. So who's to say this time will be different? With the firing stip going both ways, I guess WWE thinks fans will tune in knowing at least SOMEONE will be gone.

Caldwell: My firm prediction is Cena wins, but Laurinaitis isn't fired because they come up with some sort of explanation that McMahon doesn't have the power to fire Laurinaitis. Or, some other thing that disallows Big Johnny from being "fired" and they come up with a misdirection to make fans forget about the firing teases. This just feels like a desperation heave to sell the PPV before they go somewhere else this summer. Do you agree that no one will end up being fired or will someone be fired, even for a week or two?

Parks: Isn't it sad when we're left to speculate not who will be fired, but how long they'll be gone before being brought back? My initial prediction for this match was Big Show winning, but now with Laurinaitis threatening to fire Cena, I'm not so sure. I could see it more as Show winning but Vince or someone convincing Laurinaitis not to fire Cena - remember, it's not a firm stip that if Cena loses he's fired. Laurinaitis said he'd fire Cena if he lost, but I could foresee a way around that.

Caldwell: Of course, Greg, what if they both escape the cage and hit the ground simultaneously? Or, if three masked men hit the ring and take them all out as the PPV goes off the air? Does everyone get fired?!

Parks: More like no one gets fired. But basing stipulations around someone getting fired is one of those tropes WWE needs to put away for a while. A long while.

Caldwell: I agree. Especially concerning Cena, who's been down this road too many times, and just in the last two years. At the very least, I hope it does not lead to the return of Juan Cena. Greg, we'll look at Smackdown some more in a second, but one thing that has surprisingly been downplayed this week is Triple H returning at the PPV to address lawsuits, Brock Lesnar, etc. WWE only briefly mentioned his return during the PPV line-up rundowns on Raw and Smackdown this week; is that something to look into or does it tell you it's not going to be that big of a deal and they don't want to over-sell it?

Parks: I don't think WWE wants to draw too much attention to a talking segment on PPV, since that would make it feel like what we get each week on free TV. Plus, as you said, it may not be a big deal. But yeah, knowing that Triple H vs. Lesnar may headline WrestleMania and that Triple H is involved at all, you'd think that segment would be getting more press than it has in the build-up.

Caldwell: Do you think this is setting up Brock Lesnar to return at the PPV or Monday's Raw, or will it be further down the line?

Parks: I think it'll be further down the line still. Whatever Vince does at the PPV will be at the forefront for the next few weeks. Back to Smackdown James, the first half-hour of the show was dedicated to hyping the two title matches at the PPV. Do you think they did a good job with it, or did putting it in the opening segment/half-hour make the titles feel less important than if this took place during the main event?

Caldwell: I think the slotting fit how WWE has presented the top titles for this PPV and also over the past several weeks a little before Mania and then after Mania. Whatever Cena has been doing has been top priority, and since he's not in the title picture, the titles certainly seem like second-tier right now. I think there's also the issue of Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler being a quick change from Sheamus-Del Rio and then A.J. almost being more intriguing than the actual WWE Title three-way match. Throw in a criss-cross of Raw and Smackdown guys in both matches and there just doesn't seem to be that real hot issue ready to be paid off on Sunday. WWE has played it up like the most intriguing aspect is unrelated to the five wrestlers in the matches - it's who A.J. sides with. Greg, your thoughts on the build for the title matches? And, also, during the Livecast yesterday, you predicted A.J. siding with Bryan at the PPV. After seeing Smackdown, are you sticking with the pick or have you been swayed in another direction?

Parks: I'm still sticking with my A.J-helping-Bryan pick. I didn't mind the hype on Smackdown because they did get so much time and it was such a heavy focus of the show early on. It was almost like two shows - one was the first hour, where the titles mattered; the second was the second hour, where Cena, Big Show, and Big Johnny took precedence. James, has WWE done enough with Kane's character to make him worthy of being in this WWE Title match, or should it still be just a Bryan vs. Punk rematch?

Caldwell: Kane's character has gone in so many different directions the past two months that's it hard to say where he belongs - ya know, should he be in the Santino vs. Ricardo tuxedo match, in the Cena-Show cage match, or competing for a top title? I still can't get past the storyline two months ago where he "locked his father in a freezer" to - as was suggested - let him die. Now, he's sort of playing this conflicted, sometimes-sad freak monster who made out with A.J. on Raw. And, how did he even qualify for a title match? He didn't win a Beat the Clock or #1 contender match, and seemingly has just happened to find himself in a title match because Punk and Bryan were using him in their feud last month. I think it gets to the larger issue of WWE de-valuing titles and who gets to compete for those titles, but that's another topic for another day. I don't see Kane winning the title, Greg, but could there be a situation where Bryan and Punk cancel each other out and Kane is suddenly WWE champion, which seemed completely unfathomable just a month or so ago?

Parks: Yeah, that could happen, but I don't see it. Like I said yesterday, I think it's more fathomable that A.J. distracts Punk allowing Bryan to bet Kane for the belt. As for the World Title, is there any way Ziggler ends Sheamus's reign? I personally don't see it, and think there's a much better chance of Punk losing the title than Sheamus.

Caldwell: I definitely agree there's a better chance of Punk losing the title than Sheamus (and not just in a WWE Math way of Punk having two opponents and Sheamus having one). If Sheamus loses the title, I see it being against a solidified top star in the midst of an actual feud, which is why I was predicting Orton taking the title from Sheamus at Summerslam. Then, Orton got suspended, and I think it's bought Sheamus some more time as champ. And, even when Del Rio returns from concussion, I don't see him winning the title. Maybe Mark Henry *if* Henry returns to WWE, but, right now, unless there's a Draft or Sheamus finds himself in a solid feud that builds somewhere, I don't see him dropping the title any time soon. But, as for Sunday, I think Sheamus vs. Ziggler has potential to be the best match of the show. I don't see Ziggler winning the title at all, especially after the tag match booking on Smackdown, but I like the match-up on PPV. Assuming Ziggler loses, does he just slide back to the mid-card/tag division, or is this the first step of establishing him as a legit main-eventer?

Parks: I think it depends on who and when guys come back from injuries and suspensions, the long-term or even short-term prognosis for Chris Jericho's career, and things like that. Ziggler to me is the go-to guy if someone does get hurt or there's a heel opening at the top of the card, but I don't know if this is going to signal a Bryan-like stay in the title picture. Elsewhere on Smackdown, Christian got a quick win over Jack Swagger. Were you surprised Cody Rhodes wasn't on the show at all to plug the IC title match?

Caldwell: I thought Cody would be back in-time from his promotional tour in Turkey to do something at the Smackdown taping on Tuesday, but that did not materialize. And, WWE did not record a pre-taped segment or insert a promo in post-production, which was surprising. Sure, they had a video package on the Christian vs. Rhodes feud, but it certainly felt like WWE did not prioritize hyping that match on TV this week. Overall, it feels like WWE is backing Christian right now - whether it's because of roster depth issues or him returning from injury to provide a fresh star on TV or some other reason - so I don't see a title change on Sunday. Do you feel any differently, Greg? And, is Cody ever going to take that next step or is he destined to be one of those guys who can't get past the IC/U.S. Title level?

Parks: Christian will win, I think, and I think Cody has shown enough lately to be a guy who eventually moves past that middle level, but, like Ziggler, a spot has to open up - it's all about timing. James, anything else from Smackdown worth pontificating on?

Caldwell: Worth taking a look at is the Big Three of returning/debuting stars - Ryback, Damien Sandow, and Antonio Cesaro. It seemed like more of the same from Ryback and Sandow, and nothing from Cesaro this week. What do you make of how those three are positioned?

Parks: Nothing new from Ryback really; just waiting 'til he takes the next step. Same with Sandow, though I wish his match with Kidd will lead to a feud where they can get some time to go in the ring. Cesaro seems to be the guy that doesn't make TV every week like Ryback and Sandow, but that could be because he's associated with Aksana and Long, who both need to be on TV when he's there, too.

Caldwell: I think that's why Cesaro needs to break away from Aksana and Long pretty soon, or he could be lost in the shuffle. Of course, he could get lost in the shuffle on his own, too, so I sense he's in a no-win situation right now. Greg, let's shift gears to Monday's three-hour Raw episode. A lot on this show, but it mainly boiled down to the Vince McMahon Variety Hour. What did you make of the overall show, Raw's final PPV build, and McMahon's involvement?

Parks: I thought the show as a whole was decent enough for a three-hour Raw, but "decent enough" isn't going to get people to sit through a three-hour episode every week come July. The Vince stuff ranged from okay to sorta funny to offensive, but then again, that's Vince McMahon himself in a nutshell. He was all over the show, which is fine for a one-time thing, but that can't be a common thread going forward.

Caldwell: Definitely not something that's sustainable - especially when looking at the rating. As a one-off, McMahon will draw an audience because he has history with the casual audience. But, I don't think the week-in and week-out audience is ready to sit through two (or three) hour episodes heavy on McMahon. Based on Monday's effort, I don't see how they'll sustain Raw for three hours every week unless they come up with another type of program for one of the three hours. I got a sense everything else was secondary to McMahon on Raw, so, what stood out to you as the #2 or #3 item from this show?

Parks: I'd say the WWE Title confrontation that took up a large chunk of time, plus Vader's return of course. Fun speculation: What other names could WWE bring in these next few shows leading up to Raw 1,000, as promised by Cole?

Caldwell: You gotta think Doink will appear one of these weeks. We're used to talking about the usual suspects when WWE trots out Legends - Piper, Rhodes, Cowboy Bob, etc., so it would be nice to see some different Early Raw Era stars in this slot. I'm a little concerned about a Brooklyn Brawler cameo, though. Part of me thinks someone like Bob Holly, but I don't think he would get the nostalgia pop WWE is looking for here. Maybe a New Age Outlaws reunion if they're on good terms with Billy Gun/Kip James. Do you have anyone in mind, Greg?

Parks: Cole made it sound like past Raw main-eventers would be those being considered, and if so, Ken Shamrock came to mind. And we gotta have Sid. When the focus wasn't on Vince on Raw, it was on the title matches, which we've discussed. That made up a good chunk of Raw - anything else we missed?

Caldwell: Sid is interesting since there's been a groundswell for him over the years, and I think he would get that Vader nostalgia pop. A quick follow-up on the Main-Eventers aspect - do you think it will build to something big like Rock or Stone Cold or Undertaker returning on the 1,000th Raw?

Parks: I think most likely is Undertaker - it would seem to be all hands on deck for the 1,000th Raw, which means everyone under contract. And, if Rock or Austin are slated to wrestle at Mania, it would be a good time for them to reappear just to stay fresh in the minds of fans.

Caldwell: I'm thinking the same thing. At the same time, WWE is advertising a DX Reunion, so how would WWE spotlight all of those potential big-name stars on the same show, especially if Brock is back in the fold by then? That will be an interesting question to answer, and it certainly sounds like WWE wants everyone there. On the rest of Monday's Raw, I'm skimming through my Raw report and seeing a lot of McMahon and the title matches like you mentioned. The only other things we haven't covered are the PPV undercard items like the Divas Title match, Ricardo vs. Santino tuxedo match that you pointed to in your Smackdown report a few weeks ago!, and the PPV pre-show match, plus the Tensai business. What do you make of the PPV undercard "build-up" and what they're doing with Tensai right now?

Parks: PPV undercard stinks, aside from Cody vs. Christian. Plus I'm assuming we'll get an unadvertised match or two. The Divas division is as lifeless as it's been in a while, which is saying something. I'd say they seem to be giving up on Tensai, but he did have the post-match attack on Sakamoto on Monday which felt like a last-ditch effort to get him some heel heat. Where do you think Tensai goes from here?

Caldwell: I think Tensai saved his run - for now - with probably his best showing in the ring since returning to WWE in the match against Sheamus. I think WWE reinforces Tensai's abuse of Sakamoto for a few weeks before deciding whether to press on or ditch the gimmick, at which point they would have to find an actual program for him. I sense holding pattern for the time-being, but we'll see if perhaps he's involved in the PPV main event on Sunday. There's a crazy near-prediction for Sunday. Greg, anything else from WWE leading into this PPV before we tackle TNA?

Parks: Nah, let's move on to TNA. I could tell reading your report that you liked most of the show save for the attack on Sting. What made that a thumbs-down for you?

Caldwell: It just felt very Wednesday Night PPV-ish and I thought the beat down looked bad. The masked men holding their masks to prevent their identities from being exposed while landing awkward punches, the beat down went on too long to where it lost the crowd, the image of a 52-year-old-man taking a beating, and the general sense of TNA wants this show to seem like every single little thing is being monitored and watched by the higher powers, but, yet, no one made the save and where was Dixie demanding the show be cut off so her Hall of Famer isn't beat down on TV? Ya know, when you open up the can of worms like that with someone "cutting off the show" one week, then I have a problem with TNA "allowing the beat down to play out," especially involving "unauthorized" people in the ring. The rest of the show I thought was pretty much top-notch except for a few things, which we can get into. But, what were your thoughts on the final minute of the show and where do you think the surprise attack is leading to?

Parks: I wasn't as negative on it - I don't think, for me, it went on long enough for all those questions to really come up. Yes, if it had gone much longer, I agree with what you said, but it was such a shock and surprise that I don't feel like Dixie would've been "ready" to address this - same with babyfaces storming the ring to make the save. I'm just happy Sting isn't in the BFG series, but seems to have something to do at least. And it's a hook for next week's show. With the shows TNA has been putting on lately, I do have more faith in them pulling off this masked men thing than I would've had even a few weeks ago.

Caldwell: The Jarretts being name-dropped right before Sting was attacked feels too much like a red herring, but do you think this is part of Jeff Jarrett returning to TV or something completely unrelated?

Parks: It could be; none of the henchmen looked like Jarrett though, so I'm not sure if they'll actually be revealed as major parts of this storyline, or whether they're just hitmen for someone running things behind the scenes (such as Jarrett from Mexico). We saw the start of this year's BFG Series this week...what did you think of TNA's opening salvo with that tournament?

Caldwell: Interesting thought on Jarrett perhaps orchestrating a hit behind the scenes from Mexico. That sounds pretty reasonable. On the BFG Series, I definitely like the change this year - if they stick with it - of each wrestler wrestling the others only once. But, I felt like James Storm getting 20 points right off the bat was a little excessive. Maybe 10 or 15 points. Regardless, it definitely feels like this is Storm's tournament to win setting up a TNA Title re-match against Roode at Bound for Glory. So, I think it's a great set up for Storm's journey to redemption at BFG. Do you see any other candidates to potentially win the Series and advance to BFG, or is this Storm's tourney to win?

Parks: This has to be Storm's to win; he failed at Lockdown, he can't fail here too. Austin Aries got to rub elbows with Hulk Hogan in the open - what did you make of the possibility of Aries facing Roode at Destination X?

Caldwell: I like the match-up, assuming Aries makes The Decision next week. It allows Roode to look impressive as champ, Aries gets a chance to be in a spotlight match after his solid work the past few months as champ, and it allows TNA to take the X Title off Aries without Aries actually losing the title. Of course, the problem is the X Division line-up is depleted and they have zero candidates to be champ other than Aries. So, that's the downside to this. How do you see TNA handling the build-up to Roode vs. Aries after The Decision? Do you think they'll just play up Aries as the underdog based on his size or will they do something else?

Parks: That's my one worry is that who's left to carry the X Division in Aries' stead? I would assume Aries goes back to being a big fish in the small pond that is the X Division after losing to Roode at Destination X (if he decides to take that course). Do you think it de-values the X Division title to have Aries abandon it to go for the World Title, or do you think it would make sense for someone like Aries to NOT want to pass up the chance at the big belt?

Caldwell: That's the tough part of this. In other sports, like MMA and boxing, you just want to be the top dog in your weight division. But, in pro wrestling, anything below the Hvt./World Title level is viewed as inferior. So, it's one of those things where Aries could turn into the best overall champion in TNA history, but he would still be viewed as "just the X Division champion." At the end of the day, wrestling has set the ultimate goal of the World/Hvt. Title, so that's what he should be striving for, I suppose. As for the World Title match that aired on Impact, what did you think of Roode getting a clean tap-out win, and was Anderson affected at all by the loss?

Parks: Good for Roode to get another clean win, which I hoped for on the Livecast on Thursday. I don't know how the fans view Anderson at this point, so it's difficult to say whether or not he was negatively affected by it; I think at this stage, given where he's been lately, just winning to earn the shot at the champion was a big enough opportunity. To me, he's on the same level as RVD, who also did a clean job for Roode lately, so it made sense for Anderson to lose cleanly.

Caldwell: On a related note from the BFG Series gauntlet battle royal, I thought they played up some interesting stories within the match that will continue to play out over the next few months. Of course, the big one was Styles "not having his head in the game" with the accidental kick to Kurt Angle. They're advertising A.J. and Dixie revealing whatever it is that they have to reveal on next week's show; will they reveal the big Birthday Bash surprise for Serge...or something else?

Parks: Haha, yeah, I thought of the birthday thing at first too, but that doesn't seem to be the kind of thing Dixie would be so enraged about that she'd storm the announce desk and demand the director cut off the audio and then threaten him about it. Serge wouldn't be the first person whose surprise party was spoiled. But, I also don't know what else it would be. I'm intrigued to find out, though.

Caldwell: We shall see next week…maybe…unless Daniels and Kaz interrupt again. Elsewhere on Impact, Devon defended the TV Title again, Miss Tessmacher scored a clean win in her first match as KO champ, and Brooke Hogan was on TV. Your thoughts on some of the supporting stories and matches on the show, as well as the general Slammiversary PPV follow-up?

Parks: I thought it was all decent. Tessmacher needed the clean win to give her some cred. Brooke was only on TV once, and aside from the wonky camera angles, was fine. The crazy, off-the-wall booking that used to make up TNA is gone, and that's the best part of the show.

Caldwell: Agreed. It certainly helps the quality of the show and overall business to keep those things in check. Greg, anything else on TNA before we wrap up look ahead to WWE's PPV on Sunday?

Parks: I don't think so. As for Gonzo & The Greg, we'll be listing our top five second-or-third generation superstars in wrestling history. Look for that Sunday afternoon on the Torch.

Caldwell: Right before we go...No Way Out...Sunday night. Very good, Greg. We will have an announcement this weekend on whether we will have a post-PPV Livecast Sunday night, so be on the lookout for that. Otherwise, Greg, have a great weekend and always enjoyable chatting with you!

Parks: It's always a pleasure, James.

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