By Greg Parks, PWTorch columnist

Half of Buffalo Wild Wings was empty tonight as the usual suspects gathered for yet another WWE PPV: It was Kurt, Gonzo, and I, along with my girlfriend Lindsey, and once again, Kurt's friend Tim. Before the show, we talked football early on: Kurt was proudly wearing his Panthers shirt after their win. The volume was turned way up on the show, to the point where the opening pyro reminded us of sitting so close at Night of Champions. It didn't get turned down a bit, thankfully.

(1) Evan Bourne & Kofi Kingston vs. Dolph Ziggler & Jack Swagger: We noticed Ziggler wearing a singlet (with straps down), drawing even more of a comparison to Mr. Perfect. The monkey flip early on got a nice reaction from our table. Tim began to talk about UFC again, just like last month, as he doesn't follow current wrestling. He did note that Bourne looked like AJ Styles (at least in the face). He also said Swagger looked a bit like Finlay (again, in the face). We discussed Shooting Star Presses through the years, and Tim loved Kidman's during his Flock days in WCW. Gonzo demanded a re-count after the match, as he thought he picked Air Boom on this week's "Gonzo & The Greg," but Kurt had otherwise in his notes. I picked the heels, but at least a face win gives the belts more stability. **3/4

(2) Zack Ryder vs. Dolph Ziggler: I had seen people predict a tag loss for Ziggler, followed quickly by a loss to Ryder, but that didn't quite happen. Gonzo called it a conspiracy against Ziggler here that his matches were back-to-back. Good job sending Air Boom to the back for their role in the match. Gonzo's crazy prediction was Ziggler losing here too, then winning the World Title somehow. Tim's crazy prediction centered on the Warrior making his return...during every match. There were a lot of unique ways WWE could've gone with Ziggler wrestling twice on the same PPV, but they went a rather boring route. *1/4

(3) Beth Phoenix vs. Eve Torres: We thought it odd that the Usos were breaking up a backstage fight when they're not even on the PPV. New theme song alert for Eve! Cole's "backstage assault" comment about what happened earlier took me back to the video game of the same name. Tim asked what would happen if they just started making out during the match - then we had Kurt do JR's reaction if he was on commentary. Totally bought Eve's roll-up after escaping the Glam Slam as the finish. *3/4

(4) Christian vs. Sheamus: Kurt and Tim discussed their favorite finishers before this match. Tim noted that Sheamus looked like a Dry Erase board. Gonzo talked about how he hates when wrestlers always find themselves in position for their opponents' key moves even if it doesn't seem realistic (like on the apron for Orton's DDT, or swinging wildly so Cena can do his suplex). He also felt this match was somewhat choppy. There wasn't a lot of conversation at this point as most everyone at the table was watching the match. Kurt said Christian has one of the weakest-looking Spears, mostly due to his body weight. I didn't care for Christian losing again, but we figured Sheamus must be next in line for a title shot and has to look strong **

(5) Triple H & CM Punk vs. R-Truth & The Miz: Kurt and I wondered how big Punk would've gotten had he come along during the heyday of ECW. Triple H just seems so inflexible at this point in taking certain moves. Kurt and Tim (and even Lindsey) talked Dexter during this one. Also, it was good to see Hunter put over that youngster Kevin Nash after the match **1/4

(6) Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes: I read a suggestion elsewhere that this feud would end when Orton removed Rhodes' mask and give him a punt. I thought it would be cool if Rhodes came back with an even bulkier mask. The match went about how I had guessed. Kurt thought maybe this would signal the end of the bagging gimmick. **

Between matches, we had this awesome idea of Tim (whose fav finisher is the Diamond Cutter) making a website where he Diamond Cutters "unsuspecting" people in everyday life, then does the hand sign and says, "never saw it coming. BANG!" It's be like KickedInTheNuts.com.

(7) Big Show vs. Mark Henry: Gonzo, Lindsey and I were all battling various forms of illness at this point, with Lindz and I in the early stages of a cold. We got talking about if the wrestlers got boners, so Lindsey looked up the infamous Iron Sheik incident against Hulk Hogan. A huge pop from Wild Wings for the ring breaking. It would've been funny if they had brought all the medical equipment and personnel out, and then just helped the referee. Has John Laurinaitis stolen ADR's gimmick of introducing himself at the beginning of his promos? Lindz suggested Henry had PTSD, which was the reason he was refusing help in getting to the back. *3/4

(8) Alberto Del Rio vs. John Cena: I like how no one even tried to fix the ring before the match. Kurt mentioned the ring started to look like the mat from Bloodsport. I wondered if it was legal for Ricardo Rodriguez to help Del Rio to his feet before he was counted down. Tim and Lindsey discussed Tim's recent break-up and all that went into it. Dra-ma! Gonzo said Del Rio throwing all the stuff on top of Cena backstage reminded him of Cena unleashing the chairs on top of Wade Barrett last year. The whole match seemed to be a game of "Can you top this?" which is what these matches usually turn into. ADR should've just hired Carlito's former bodyguard to stab Cena again. ***

Overall, thumbs-in-the-middle. This PPV was unnecessary, and it felt like it.

We suggest these recent related articles...

PARKS BLOG: With ratings down, WWE Summerslam setting up to be a high-stakes event

SHOW RESULTS - 7/18 WWE NXT in Venice, Fla.: PARKS'S in-person report on Finn Balor vs. Tyler Breeze, Eva Marie, Uhaa Nation, more

PARKS'S TAKE: Looking at storyline possibilities for each MITB Ladder Match participant