By Greg Parks, PWTorch columnist

WWE recently released the line-up for the Royal Rumble lead-in episode of Raw, one that is being billed as “Raw Reunion” from Dallas. Perhaps not-so-coincidentally, the former main arena in Dallas was once known as Reunion Arena. Anyway, among those who have been advertised for this show are Shawn Michaels, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, and Hulk Hogan.

Usually, the lead-in show is the final hard-sell for the PPV the following Sunday. Is this an indication that any number of these legends and Hall-of-Famers will be involved at the Rumble, perhaps as surprise entrants in the match itself? Or is just another gimmick to sell fans on the idea of sitting through all three hours of Raw?

This advertising comes on the heels of WWE garnering a year-low total viewership number. Obviously, the advertising and calls to talent were made before the rating came out on Tuesday, but still, it’s somewhat of a sign of desperation on WWE’s part.

The go-home show was once sacred, but now, with PPVs mattering less and less and it all being about WWE Network buys, perhaps WWE thinks they don’t need that hard final push anymore. Plus, the Royal Rumble pretty much sells itself as a match. Add in Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena III as the other top bout and WWE probably feels they’ve already set things up nicely as far as stirring interest for the show.

Still, I can’t help but wonder what this “Raw Reunion” is all about. It feels somewhat like a repackaging of the “Old School” concept episodes of Raw, a concept that worked quite well at first. How many Legends are added to the show will tell us just how serious WWE is about selling the Rumble vs. selling only this episode of Raw.

Other Thoughts: I don’t think the addition of Matt Striker to the New Japan English PPV on January 4, calling the action alongside Jim Ross, has excited many folks. It would’ve been nice had Global Force Wrestling found someone without WWE ties to pair with Ross so it doesn’t seem like a WWE announcer reunion. That said, Striker is a pretty good student of the game and I think he may do well in this environment... C.M. Punk’s performance on Fox Sports 1 last week showed that WWE should have allowed him more mainstream media opportunities. He comes across very well-spoken, humorous, and outgoing. Of course, we did see some of his personality that could grate on people, too, but I think Punk would’ve been fine had he been used more as an ambassador for WWE, especially during his time as champion...

Ring of Honor has announced that newly-signed Alberto Del Rio will be facing Christopher Daniels and A.C.H. in his first two matches upon his debut with the company. Now broken free from the staid WWE style, it’ll be interesting to see how much Del Rio opens up his offensive repertoire…Smackdown being live last night did feel more special than the taped show that usually airs on Friday night. I don’t know that it was more newsworthy than we usually see in its normal timeslot, and one of the reasons I wouldn’t advocate for a live Smackdown on Tuesdays is because most people need a breather and aren’t ready to jump into two hours of Smackdown a day after three hours of Raw. If you missed the episode, my report on the show was posted last night on PWTorch.com... Overall, I liked Impact Wrestling’s re-branding and new logo. It’s a long time coming, and it’s a good start for a company looking to stack positives at this point.

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