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CALDWELL'S TAKE
CALDWELL & PARKS WEEKLY CHAT 7/27: Big Stories from Raw 1,000, Did D-Bryan out-shine everyone?, potential Rumble & WM29 main events, Impact reaction, TNA's Sting '96 angle

Jul 27, 2012 - 1:36:07 PM
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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.
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James Caldwell: This is PWTorch assistant editor James Caldwell joined by PWTorch columnist Greg Parks for our weekly TV wrestling chat. Greg, let's start off with the highly-rated, heavily-hyped Raw 1,000 episode. A big show to say the least - what did you feel was the top story coming out of this show?

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Greg Parks: C.M. Punk's heel turn; it was the "big moment" of the show that will create intrigue going forward. Related to that, John Cena not successfully cashing in his MITB briefcase. I just wonder how much they'll emphasize that going forward. But, yeah, a lot of stuff happening on that show but Punk turning heel was the big one. I'm going to assume you'll agree James, and to that end, do you think it was worth sacrificing depth on the babyface side to add depth to the heel side in moving Punk over?

James Caldwell: I don't think WWE will draw too much attention to Cena being the first to unsuccessfully cash in, and if it is mentioned again, they'll simply refer to Cena having a visual three count and then having the match won again before Big Show interfered. So, I just think the sales pitch of "every MITB winner successfully cashes in every time!" will have to be tweaked. On Punk's heel turn, I think it was worth the sacrifice of roster depth because Randy Orton is coming back. Depending on how Orton's return is handled, I could see Orton stepping into that #2 or #3 slot without WWE missing a beat. I think most of the audience is curious to hear Punk's explanation for the turn. Do you think it's as simple as him being tired of Cena, Rock, etc. over-shadowing him, per Eve's whispers in that backstage segment a few weeks ago? Or, is there more to it?

Greg Parks: There could be more to it; it's really difficult to say. I agree with you about Orton, and since the brands are no longer split for all intents and purposes, WWE doesn't have to worry about babyface or heel depth on both shows; they're stronger on both sides by combining the rosters. Unfortunately, that doesn't leave a lot of motivation to insert new talent into those top spots as opposed to when things get thin on each individual brand. Back to Punk though: It's an interesting tact to take and makes me wonder if the vocal pro-Punk fanbase will cheer him even with this heel turn. Will all those fans who boo Cena still cheer Punk? Do you think that'll hurt Punk's heel turn that the crowd may not be completely against him?

James Caldwell: At least early on, I think it will depend on the city they're in. They're not in traditional pro-Punk markets coming up, so it will be interesting to see how much a difference the pro-Punk fans make as WWE tries to reinforce Punk as a heel. The pro-Punk fans will still cheer Punk and boo Cena no matter what storyline direction WWE goes, but I don't see a result where the heel turn is ineffective because there's too much of a general audience in-play that will side with Cena or at least not cheer Punk as a heel. Greg, I thought the top story prior to Punk's turn was Rock announcing his Royal Rumble title shot. What did you make of that announcement and did it provide a really clear picture of where they're going following Punk's heel turn?

Greg Parks: I don't think it provided a clear picture other than maybe telegraphing a Punk vs. Rock match with Punk's turn, since WWE probably didn't want both men to go in as babyfaces like what happened with Cena and Rock. I would've preferred Rock to enter the Royal Rumble and truly earn a shot, rather than come back for the first time in months and say, "oh, by the way, I have a title shot at a major PPV. Bye!" But it will certainly make the Rumble a bigger deal and I like announcing it this far out. James, do you see Punk vs. Rock taking place at the Rumble, or does WWE rush into it and have them square off before that? Or maybe even after, at Wrestlemania?

James Caldwell: If Rock were full-time, I could see WWE rushing into a Punk-Rock title match at Summerslam based on Punk's sneak-attack on Rock, who would then want revenge. But, I think WWE will hold off on Rock vs. Punk until the Rumble, assuming Punk is still champion, which I think is the plan at this stage of the game. I also see Cena winning the Rumble, then facing new WWE champion The Rock at WrestleMania in a Mania re-match. Cena gets his Mania win back, captures the title, and they look ahead to Cena-Rock III in the rubber match at WM30. Yes, I've thought this all the way out in my head. Now, could there be a situation where Rock-Punk is so good at the Rumble that WWE decides to book a re-match at Mania 29? I think that could be a possibility, which would then leave Cena out of the equation. Greg, could you see another scenario where Cena regains the title before the Rumble and it ends up being Rock-Cena II at the Rumble instead of the predicted Rock-Punk match?

Greg Parks: I certainly do. I could see him winning at Summerslam, facing Rock at the Rumble, then Rock facing Punk at Mania. I think Punk has surpassed everyone's expectations as far as how long he'd hold the title, but I think expecting him to hold it 'til WrestleMania is asking a lot. Lots of other big items from Raw this week, so I'll mention one that didn't get any press on Thursday's Livecast: The Undertaker made an unannounced return on Raw 1,000. James, we're used to seeing him only in the build-up to Mania lately. Was it the right move to bring Taker back for a one-shot cameoo that didn't really build to anything, or do you think he got lost in the shuffle and that he should only be saved for Mania season?

James Caldwell: Based on the hype WWE put into this show and how they played up the actual show to a WrestleMania-level, I thought they had to bring in Taker to be part of the show. It wasn't the greatest segment and seemed somewhat awkward at times involving the jobbers, but I thought it was one of those things where Taker could "have a moment," it wouldn't be the top story of the show, and now he can disappear for a few months before returning to TV during WM29 hype season and no one will remember him struggling to take off his jacket or looking like a mad trucker gone bad with how he looked. Last week, we talked about the possibility of Taker taking out Heath Slater as the pay-off to the Legends angle being beneath Taker; did you feel like this jobber segment was beneath Taker, or was it okay because he shared the segment with Kane?

Greg Parks: Part of me felt it was a little beneath him, but since he was on the very first Raw, I think it was appropriate to appear on the 1,000th episode too. That's quite the accomplishment. You mentioned Slater...Lita was certainly a surprise in taking him out, joining the other legends and the APA. Were you satisfied with the payoff to that or should it have been a bigger name?

James Caldwell: That one was odd. It seemed like the slot was for Stone Cold and perhaps WWE was waiting for a last-second miracle from Austin to make it to Raw after his knee surgery. And, all of the former Legends would have been able to provide a distraction so Austin could just hit the Stunner. Alas, Austin couldn't make it, so they went with Lita. To me, it seems like the story will just continue on, but I think WWE has tapped out the Legends contact book until the next big special episode. So, I'm leaning towards my Prediction of the Week that Legend Killer Randy Orton is re-introduced to take out Legends Jobber Heath Slater. I still don't know if that would be the end of the program (unless Orton punted Slater in the head). But, we'll see what happens with both Orton and Slater next week. Overall on the Legends, Greg, did you think they were used effectively Monday night, or did WWE leave something to be desired?

Greg Parks: I think they were used in an okay manner. I actually liked Lita as the surprise, as well as the APA appearance. And heck, Sean Mooney looked great! I actually thought it would've been nice for WWE to do something as simple as three times during the night, in each hour, simply introduce four or five legends (and they didn't have to be main eventers, just guys we haven't seen in a while) and have them come out to their music, stand on the stage and wave to the fans. Even something like that I would've been okay with. Given who was available for WWE to actually bring in, besides Austin, did you feel like there was any glaring absences as far as legends who played a key part at some point on Raw?

James Caldwell: There are the obvious deceased wrestlers who were missed, which WWE quickly brushed aside acknowledging Eddie Guerrero in the opening segment, and there are the TNA wrestlers who were obviously not available, such as Kurt Angle, or former TNA wrestlers caught in the middle of a lawsuit (Ric Flair). But, looking at who was available beyond Austin, I think Edge was the biggest absence. Does anyone come to mind as a bigger absence than Edge who was available?

Greg Parks: Not really; you could make a case for guys like Val Venis and Ken Shamrock, who were key to the Attitude Era and while not long-term main-eventers, they had their share of memorable moments on Raw. We talked at length about the Lesnar-Triple H confrontation on the Livecast, and we did answer a question about the wedding, but I wanted to ask what you thought of the actual segment in a vacuum: taking out the implications of A.J. being GM and what that could lead to, what did you think of the actual segment itself?

James Caldwell: I thought it was Step 1 of Daniel Bryan having a break-out night. Just the way his character handled the wedding, the letdown of his plan being thwarted by A.J. accepting the GM position, remaining PO'ed after the segment, and then being so incensed that he stepped up to The Rock - The Rock - and acted like he belonged in Rock's personal space was terrific work. Bryan knows his character so well that it's almost scary. I also thought Slick played the pastor role very well and A.J. continued to perform well. I haven't been a big fan of this program all the way through since it's over-shadowed the WWE Title at times, but I thought this was one of the highlights of the night, especially Bryan stepping up to Rock. What did you think of Bryan's interactions with Rock while Punk stood in the background?

Greg Parks: I loved the interaction with Punk, Bryan and Rock, and I don't think it's hyperbole to say there are some undersized, so-called vanilla wrestlers out there on the Indie scene who watched that segment and saw themselves in Daniel Bryan, giving them hope to make it in WWE and interact with someone on the Rock's level. So in that regard, I think it was a success.

James Caldwell: Very much so. Now that A.J. has accepted the GM position and Punk has turned heel, where do you think this leaves D-Bryan? He's too good right now to be lost in the shuffle, and he's continually managed to avoid being lost in the shuffle going from World champ to World Title challenger to WWE Title challenger to A.J. love story ever since WM28. What's next for him?

Greg Parks: I assume he continues to be involved with A.J. in some capacity, with her trying to make his life a living hell. So I could see him going on a sort of losing streak in the near future, or bad-luck streak thanks to her.

James Caldwell: I'm with you on A.J. continuing to make life tough for Bryan, which will still keep him relevant since he'll be in the mix with the new GM. Greg, anything else stand out to you from the big Raw episode? Chris Jericho and Dolph Ziggler somewhat advertised show-stealing, memorable involvement leading up to Raw, but that certainly did not materialize since they were relegated to the six-man tag with an all-too-brief appearance by Jim Ross mixed in.

Greg Parks: Yeah, Jericho didn't seem to hint much toward a face turn during his performance, aside from the ending with Ziggler. Clearly, they'll be matched up though and I wonder if Jericho will end up turning face when he finally cuts a promo to address Ziggler.

James Caldwell: It feels like they're building to a singles match at Summerslam, so I'm with you on expecting some sort of Jericho face turn - perhaps even short-term - leading up to the match. I think the final significant topic from Raw was the DX Reunion to start the show. What did you make of that segment and also Damien Sandow's involvement? Oh, and what was with X-Pac being left alone with Trish Stratus later in the show? Did I miss a back-story there?

Greg Parks: That was strange for sure, almost like Trish and X-Pac thought they'd cut a few seconds earlier. I too was hoping Brock would punk out Michaels to get heat for his match with Hunter, but I think what happened ended up working well: The surprise additions and involving Sandow made it at least seem relevant to today.

James Caldwell: I thought Sandow had a great line about knowing what he was getting into by interrupting and expecting to take a beat down, but willing to pay the price for advancing his cause. It was a smart, intelligible line for a heel without making him seem like a face. Greg, let's move on to TNA Impact, which just wrapped up as we're doing the Chat on Thursday night. What did you make of the show overall and what stood out to you the most?

Greg Parks: I thought it was strong based on three pretty good matches with a minimum of nonsense. The Claire stuff was toned down this week, which helped. We got more of the Aces & Eights beat-downs, but with James Storm playing the role of Bobby Roode, who was the first one to be accused of being behind this group. Is this going to be a weekly thing where someone new is going to be assumed to be behind it or is Storm going to be a long-term red herring?

James Caldwell: I'm just not feeling what they're doing right now, mainly because the Aces & Eights group - which I continue to not be interested in - remains the centerpiece of the show without development. I thought TNA started grasping at straws with the James Storm item, which did make me wonder if they're going to start a 1996 Sting angle where everyone points the finger at him for a while until the real turncoat is discovered, then Storm heads off to his ranch and returns in the rafters drinking and pointing a bat at people. Like you said, the Claire storyline was toned down, but even when she was on the show, she had this unintentionally comedic mad face going on. I think it's the intangibles that can't be explained that continue to hurt this product, to me. It's partly the Impact Zone, partly the feel and tone of the show, partly the ra-ra speeches - this week coming from Chavo Guerrero. I can't put my finger on it, but this show just felt disorganized this week.

Greg Parks: I'll agree with you on both Claire and Chavo - I thought it was a nice touch to have everyone putting over Chavo in interviews, but his mic work didn't really impress me, and part of that was exactly what you mentioned: the rah-rah stuff. I don't think Aces & Eights can continue doing beat-downs week after week; I think eventually, and soon, we're going to need someone to speak about their intentions or whatever, not necessarily having to reveal the person behind the group. But, for now, I don't have a big problem with how things have played out.

James Caldwell: I agree that it's time for some sort of revelations!!! about what the intentions are. Even a masked spokesman with his or her voice masked to protect the identity. In general, though, I don't like the idea of TNA continually questioning the character of their lead baby faces e.g. Styles and now Storm. They need some strong characters to be lead faces and I don't feel like they have that right now. Elsewhere, Greg, the X Division was spotlighted with Austin Aries taking control of things. What did you of their involvement, the title match, and Bobby Roode deciding to get involved in the title match? Was it just to undermine Austin Aries by ruining his match? Or, what was going on?

Greg Parks: I'm not really sure the motivation for Roode, but I liked that it will lead to a tag match next week with the main-eventers hob-knobbing with X Division stars. Aries continued to shine in the backstage environment, though I was surprised how little Sting was utilized as the GM for the night.

James Caldwell: Yeah, it was odd how Sting just sort of seemed to be the informal authority figure for the night - even at the end of the show, Tenay said he just got word that Angle vs. Storm in a BFG Series match has been scheduled for next week, and this was while Sting was in the ring. So, the invisible hand continued to direct the pace of the show, and they really didn't make a huge deal out of Sting returning to an authority figure position. Two other items TNA spent some time on were the Gut Check segments with Sam Shaw and the Knockouts match revolving around Earl Hebner's conflict of interest. What did you make of Gut Check and Hebner/Madison Rayne this week?

Greg Parks: Gut check was okay; Sam Shaw was fine, but after Alex Silva and Taeler Hendrix won then proceeded to fall off the face of the earth, I was wondering why Shaw was so excited to win. I thought the finish of the KO tag match was somewhat clever; Hebner tried to fend off Rayne's advances earlier in the match, so I'm not sure if we're supposed to believe he counted Mickie down on purpose or just didn't see her shoulder up and it happened to benefit Rayne.

James Caldwell: Each month confirms what I believe that Gut Check is a big joke on the audience to make them believe these guys and gals will turn into stars if they receive a TNA contract. Like you said, the winners have disappeared and I have no idea what the judges saw in Sam Shaw - if it's supposed to be a shoot, like it's presented - that would warrant a contract. So, it felt like TNA wasted three or four segments on that this week. Greg, anything else from Impact jump out at you tonight?

Greg Parks: I think we can move on to Smackdown. I can honestly barely remember anything that happened less than a week later. We did end up getting Rey Mysterio's return match after he had come back on Monday night in a surprise moment. Does it seem like to you they're sticking with the Del Rio vs. Sheamus feud?

James Caldwell: It certainly does feel that way. They're obviously high on Del Rio and don't want him to lose momentum during Re-Building Phase #929, but I think it's time for Sheamus to move on to someone else. Perhaps they're waiting for Orton's return or for Mark Henry to make a decision on whether he's coming back or not. But, I think Sheamus vs. Del Rio has worn out its welcome. Concerning the Smackdown brand, there was a significant development on Raw 1,000 with Christian losing the IC Title to The Miz. What did you think of that decision and where does that leave Christian on Smackdown if he's not IC champ and Cody Rhodes isn't IC champ?

Greg Parks: Christian wasn't doing much as IC Champion, which really wasn't his fault, but I feel like WWE would invest more in Miz as IC Champ as opposed to Christian, who often just feels like a veteran place-holder. I think it was something Miz needed upon his return too, since he didn't leave or come back with a tremendous amount of momentum. I think Christian continues fighting for the IC Title. As for Rhodes, I'd hope he'd be the guy that Sheamus moves on to if they're not ready to reintroduce Henry or want Orton to stay face.

James Caldwell: Do you sense Rhodes has any momentum for that or would WWE need to jumpstart him? Then, of course, Dolph Ziggler is floating around with the briefcase, but he's in a feud with Jericho that seems to indicate he won't cash in the briefcase anytime soon, especially now that Cena's briefcase is out of the picture so there aren't two guys walking around with cases.

Greg Parks: Yeah, I think Ziggler needs some time away from Sheamus anyway to rehabilitate after so many crushing losses to him. I'm torn on Rhodes; I think yeah, he should be built up a little more before facing Sheamus, but then again, I feel like he's floundered long enough to where he really doesn't have the stench of "loser" on him anymore.

James Caldwell: Good points. There's also the issue of the Smackdown GM, which was not announced during Raw when a new Raw GM was announced. Should they just go back to Teddy Long or involve someone else in the role?

Greg Parks: I kinda wish they'd go back to Teddy Long like nothing ever happened and that the Laurinaitis era never took place.

James Caldwell: Which we might be saying about the A.J. Era if WWE uses this as an excuse to book nonsensically, then blame it on A.J. since her character is crazy. I hope that's not the case, but we shall see! Greg, anything else on Smackdown or WWE-related to discuss this week?

Greg Parks: I'm all set for tonight. But this weekend on Gonzo & The Greg, we'll list our top five worst Monday Night Raw moments, which follows our top five favorite moments from last week.

James Caldwell: And, with The Hand pay-off on Raw, one of Mae Young's most infamous WWE TV moments must be scratched from the list! Should be good, as always. Greg, thank you for the Chat and we will talk again next week!

Greg Parks: We will, James, and have a happy birthday!


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