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. Ya know, Greg, there might not be an off-season in wrestling, but we have an off-season here at the Chat. We took the week off last week, but we're back in the Chat Lounge this week to talk wrestling here on a Friday night. I just covered Smackdown and I know you're watching right now, so we will save Smackdown for later in the Chat. How about we start with TNA Impact on Thursday night? Open Fight Night, Gut Check, TV Title defense every week. As part of the latest TNA TV Product Reset, what's your reaction to the new items introduced?

Greg Parks: I like the TV Title being defended every week! Other than that, I really think we need to see Gut Check and Fight Night play out before I agree with it or pooh-pooh it. They both really have potential, but will this be another "Top ten rankings" that TNA plays with at first, then gets tired of and throws it aside in a matter of months? So props to TNA for changing things up, but it's all in the presentation.

Caldwell: Oh my, the Top 10 Rankings. That is quite the distant memory. To me, right now, it seems like the latest attempt to create change for the sake of change to create the perception of change. But, the audience hasn't responded based on the ratings the last two weeks. Will they respond next week with a clear theme to next week's show? We'll see. My concern is whether this turns into more TV time for non-wrestlers by making it about the people making decisions rather than the wrestlers inside the ring. But, I'll wait to see how it plays out next week for our first official taste of Open Fight Night. What about Hogan's character, Greg? Is he still a clear babyface with nothing to read into, or is he back to a conniving heel that Dixie and Sting trusted all over again? I cite Exhibit 1 of Hogan inserting RVD in the #1 contender match Thursday night behind Anderson and Hardy's backs. Was it merely a storytelling mechanism or what should we be doing with Hogan's character at this point?

Parks: RVD is a face, so I don't really think inserting him into the match makes Hogan a heel, and it really wasn't played up as such. It would really be a mistake to have Hogan turn heel AGAIN as GM, making Sting and Dixie look that much more like fools. And even if it were to happen, it's too soon in Hogan's reign as GM to go there. So, I think it was more of an innocuous move.

Caldwell: I meant it from the perspective of Hardy and Anderson are faces, so he inserted another challenger in the #1 contender match that made it more difficult for Hardy and Anderson to get the title match they wanted. Does that change how Hogan is viewed?

Parks: Again, I think the fact that RVD was a face negated making it more difficult for Hardy or Anderson to win. If he had put a heel in the match, then I think you'd have a case.

Caldwell: While we're on the topic of non-wrestlers involved in the show, I thought one of the more...interesting...moments of Impact was TNA bleeping Eric Bischoff's name as part of the next layer of his story following the loss at Lockdown. What did you make of how they handled Eric via the bleeping and how Garett Bischoff was spotlighted with A.J., Anderson, and RVD in the ring, and then Ric Flair on-stage?

Parks: The bleeping of Eric's name was a bit silly and makes me think that's why they had that stip in the first place, just so they could make that joke. I guess it was naive of some people to think Eric would be gone AND forgotten, which doesn't seem to be the case. But, now that Garett has vanquished his big bad daddy, where does he go from here? And yes, I thought it was quite sad the things A.J. Styles had to say about Garett.

Caldwell: A.J.'s whole night was sad! Selling for Garett, losing to Angle, a new blackmail angle with Daniels/Kaz as part of an issue that just won't go away or be resolved. It feels like TNA is wasting Styles's prime years with these types of nights. But, with Garett, yeah, does he just move into a feud with Bully Ray or Gunner or...gasp...does he try to break Crimson's faux streak? It's difficult for him to really be involved in a singles feud because he needs other people around him to carry the action. So, that's definitely TBD once the Eric Bischoff business is wrapped up. Circling back to the main event scene, Greg, what did you make of how they handled the Lockdown fall-out with Haircut Roode's victory speech, Storm's farewell-for-now speech, and transitioning to Roode-RVD?

Parks: That's what I was going to ask, "What babyface will carry Garett now?" And breaking Crimson's streak, ho boy, that would be a good one. People would be upset if they thought the streak actually meant anything. As for the main event, I did like Roode's haircut, though I didn't have a problem with his old look. Storm's speech, while well-done, shouldn't have been necessary as he should've won on Sunday. That speech just made him sound like a baby.

Caldwell: Yeah, it's like they were trying to do what John Cena would do if his character sold wins & losses trying to get sympathy on Storm, but I think the issue with Storm goes right back to Lockdown, like you said, when TNA did not have him win the title match. At some point, TNA needs a strong babyface to step up and follow through. If he goes on a "personal journey" to "find himself again," then comes back and wins the title at, say, Bound for Glory in four months, will anyone care? "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. I'm outta here." TNA's babyfaces are generally weak and Storm's character seems like yet another one. So, they'll have some repair work to do coming out of this. As for Roode-RVD, what issue could they draw up here? Roode's opening promo was about vanquishing TNA's heroes, but RVD doesn't exactly fit that. So, where do they go from here?

Parks: I'm not real sure; I think a lot of people see RVD as a step down from Storm, especially since he's been off TV for so long. I assume now the same thing will happen with Storm, at least for the short-term.

Caldwell: It definitely feels that way. It also gives TNA and Storm a better chance to rebound when returns from absence rather than sort of floating around the show. Elsewhere, Greg, the show seemed to be marred by the same finish in four out of five matches. There were also some minor things here and there, but anything else stand out to you from Impact?

Parks: As Maude Flanders would say, "Won't someone please think of the finishes?" I really couldn't believe that we saw the same thing end almost every match. Where's the quality control in that company? Do the agents every talk to each other? It just seemed so minor league.

Caldwell: Quality Control! Perhaps Mr. Park will start that up in the next three months it takes him to find Bully Ray, who was the last man to see Abyss alive. In all seriousness, though, it's a great point. It happens regularly on PPVs and was a glaring issue on Impact. All right, I'm ready to move on to WWE topics. Greg, let's start with Monday's Raw from London. I think the big story was Brock Lesnar's sit-down interview essentially forming a heel BA character based on him not being a character. What did you make of his sit-down interview leading into the contract signing with Cena this Monday on Raw?

Parks: My favorite part was him talking about what would be running down Cena's leg...ya know, piss. Just the way he said it, he framed it for people to assume he meant pee, and then he added it in the end hilariously, I guess in case people weren't catching on to what he was hinting at. Other than that, yeah, great interview. I would've liked to have seen a Lesnar interview with JR asking the questions, but it was easier for WWE to cut it up into soundbytes with the way they did it.

Caldwell: Lesnar was so much more in his element in that interview than standing backstage with Josh Mathews in a regular-WWE-guy interview setting. I thought they went too much into making Lesnar seem like just another guy two Raws ago, then pulled back and made him a stand-out, special star on Raw this week. So, I liked how they handled Lesnar not being there in-person and only having him via video. What do you expect from the contract signing on Raw? Do you think it will be civil to save the physicality for Extreme Rules, will they have another pullapart, will Laurinaitis be involved as "moderator," how do you envision it going down?

Parks: Oh I agree...doing pre-tapes with Lesnar really brings out his attitude more than reading scripted lines in a backstage promo. I see Laurinaitis in the ring in some capacity, I see mic work by both men, and perhaps another pull-apart. I think you want to get across the idea that these guys can't even be in the same ring with each other without locking horns.

Caldwell: It's interesting you say that because Rock and Cena never had a contract signing before WM28 and never really got physical during the WM28 build-up, yet the idea was they couldn't stand to be in the same ring together. So, it's like WWE is taking two different paths with the same issue building to two separate matches. Rock-Cena was supposed to be this "grand, never-again" match/moment, so they wanted to save all of the physicality for April 1, but Cena-Brock is more built on two aggressive guys escalating to becoming even more aggressive at Extreme Rules. It's really interesting to see the two different approaches. And, yes, I'm with you that I think they will get physical again on Raw to fit the tone of the build-up. As for Cena's night on Raw this week, Cena took a loss to Lord Tensai in the main event. What did you make of the main event, and where does Tensai fit into things pre and post-Extreme Rules?

Parks: Tensai could always get involved with Cena after Extreme Rules if Lesnar goes away for a few weeks or gets involved with another wrestler. I think doing a drawn-out Cena vs. Lesnar feud isn't the right move here - do a quick strike, one-month PPV (if you're going to have them go at it at all, which I personally would've held off on), and then have them meet again down the line. WWE is clearly intent on pushing Tensai even though he hasn't gotten over with the live crowds, and I'm fine with that. I haven't been overly impressed by him, but I haven't been turned off either.

Caldwell: I am word-for-word with you on a Cena-Lesnar one-off for now, then Lesnar disappears in May (he'll end up using four or five dates in April anyways) and Cena "comes down" from Mania with a Tensai feud before building back up to something bigger or perhaps re-visiting Lesnar. I could see them meeting again at Summerslam depending on where Cena's journey goes after Extreme Rules, but we can discuss all that next week when he do our PPV predictions. I'm not sold on Tensai yet, but they have some time to figure it out. The other big feud is C.M. Punk vs. Chris Jericho, which included Punk vanquishing Mark Henry in their third straight title match on Raw. What did you make of Punk beating Henry and the follow-up with Jericho taunting Punk via the Pub Cam?

Parks: I was okay with the Punk win and he and Henry have some crazy chemistry. The pub cam I could take or leave...it makes sense to go that direction given the feud, but it's not something that I think adds a whole lot, either. In other words, I guess I'm fine with it.

Caldwell: It felt like maintenance/reinforcement work. The alcoholism aspect is clearly the direction they've decided to go in, so anything related to it is going to be hit/miss or just fine for serving the story. I thought it was interesting how Jericho had to "make a concession" to have a Chicago Street Fight at the PPV in order to receive the title shot. I guess Laurinaitis is a fair, fair man. But, I think Punk-Jericho is right where it should be at this point. The rest of Raw seemed like mid-card comedy and filler, except for a stand-out Daniel Bryan vs. Kofi Kingston match. What stood out to you from the middle of Raw?

Parks: The tag champs got squashed again. That was not so fun. Other than Bryan vs. Kingston, the entire middle of the show was weak, save for maybe the Cena promo depending on your feelings on him. And, no Draft announced for next week's three-hour show! I thought that was a relatively big non-news item to come out of the show, given expectations.

Caldwell: Yeah, and now WWE is left with three hours to fill without a theme! (Although, themes are way over-done in wrestling to fill 52 weeks of TV and 12 months of PPVs.) But, given the circumstances of having a three-hour Raw before a PPV, they should try to differentiate the show from what people are being asked to pay for six days later. We'll see how that looks Monday. But, it looks like they'll push the Draft back to another three-hour Raw. Like we talked about the Livecast yesterday, perhaps until they get to the next chapter of the GM/authority figure situation. But, WWE probably wants to get as much juice out of their big feuds coming out of Mania without a Draft interrupting, so it might make sense to wait for a month or two down the line when Jericho-Punk, Bryan-Sheamus, Orton-Kane, etc. have run their course. Anything else on Raw worth breaking down, Greg?

Parks: What did you think of Tensai's first longer-form match against WWE's top star in John Cena? Do you think he held his own, were you impressed, or did he leave something to be desired?

Caldwell: Eh. It didn't really do much for me and I thought the crowd was as quiet for a Cena match as I've heard in a long time. I think one reason why they may have wanted Tensai in there was to try to make Cena more root-able because the crowd had zero rooting interesting in Tensai. So, it wasn't like the crowd was going nuts for heel D-Bryan when WWE is trying to focus on Cena as a face against heel Lesnar. I think the problem is it created indifference since the crowd didn't care about Tensai and they weren't about to start cheering Cena. It was like a 0/50 crowd instead of one of those 50/50 or 70/30 crowds!

Parks: Yeah, that's not a good thing. Let's move to Smackdown, as I'm watching the main event here. What did you think of the show overall and did it wash the taste of the Legends Smackdown out of your mouth?

Caldwell: Oh, the Legends. I completely forgot about the Legends Show until WWE mentioned it with the Randy Orton/Bob Orton-Kane follow-up early in the show. (Did D-Bryan mention it during his opening promo? I don't recall... and it's only been a few hours since I covered the show!) That Legends show seemed forever ago and instantly forgettable, so I thought it was good that WWE sort of moved along tonight. As for the overall show, it felt like a taped show from overseas, meaning it was kind of there to fill two hours. Ya know, house show material in the middle of a two-week tour that made TV. But, I did like the advancement of the Bryan-A.J. story, especially on A.J.'s side, and I liked the introduction of new talent. I think they're finding the right balance right now, but I still have your concern in-mind from the Livecast that they don't want to bring up the entire FCW roster and overload the audience. Smackdown didn't seem to take any risks this week, but it felt mailed-in at times. What's your impression 9/10 of the way through?

Parks: I just finished, so here's 10/10 of my thoughts: Eh. Main event was good and the opening segment was too (though it feels like WWE may be trying to go overboard to keep Bryan a heel), but like you said, lots of filler. I thought O'Neil and Young's "debut" was rough and I would've rather seen Clay and Santino vs. Camacho and Hunico than going for the easy cheap pop with Hornswoggle. But, hey, two tag matches featuring legitimate tag teams! I guess that's a win.

Caldwell: I think it was another week that reinforced Smackdown's cupboard is bare beyond the top shelf. (Whoa, that's quite the analogy.) It feels like the middle and bottom shelves are really lacking right now, so perhaps Antonio, Sandow, and others can provide a spark. Drew and Heather (I accidentally combined Heath and Slater, but I think we have a new nickname) watching Ryback on a backstage monitor isn't exactly my idea of pushing the brand forward. The thing that was really concerning to me was Alberto Del Rio, who is now officially back on SD. Now, he may still be slightly injured and Big Show is a tough opponent to work with, but the overall character and presentation and in-ring style felt very dated and lacking. This is a guy who was main-eventing PPVs six months ago. What did you think of Del Rio tonight?

Parks: Not much to think, but it's not all his fault as Show isn't the easiest guy to work with, aesthetically speaking. So yeah, combine that with the fact that Del Rio may not be 100 percent healed and the fact that WWE doesn't seem to have anything for him right now unless they plug him into a match with Sheamus after Extreme Rules, and you get what we got tonight.

Caldwell: I forgot he's next in line for a title shot against the World champ. (And, I don't see Bryan regaining the title at the PPV, so it looks like Sheamus-Del Rio is next, as you mentioned.) Staying with Bryan, I'm quite intrigued by what's next for A.J.'s character after she snapped. I wish the announcers would not talk, though, as they ruin the story with their comments, but where do you see this going with A.J.? Does she remain "crazed" or regain her senses and plot against Bryan to use brains over his intimidation/bullying tactics?

Parks: Ideally she uses her brain and doesn't become some crazy stalker girlfriend, but knowing wrestling's history with writing women, the latter is certainly not out of the question. I thought WWE trusted AJ to do a lot of heavy lifting tonight, focusing the first quarter of the show on her and her facial reactions. I think overall she did a nice job, but I am a tad worried about where they go with this character.

Caldwell: Very true that this is WWE, which doesn't exactly have a track record for handling these stories with sophistication, as evidenced by the commentary tonight. By the way, Booker T offered some really odd comments during the show. Actually, they all did, but that's beside the point. One that stood out was Booker telling Khali to "shake it off" without a trace of care in his voice - it seemed so out-of-touch when they were trying to sell the seriousness of the situation with a babyface wrongly attacked by a heel. Sigh. Elsewhere, Greg, what did you think of how WWE introduced Antonio (Claudio Castagnoli) via Aksana in the backstage bit with Teddy Long and Laurinaitis?

Parks: Yeah, I even mentioned Booker's comment in my report, which I just posted to PWTorch.com. The introduction of Antonio was interesting and I'm intrigued to see where they go with it. Aksana and Teddy's story has been stuck in neutral for so long, it was almost like a shock to my system to see them address it here. And poor Teddy just had to stand there and take it!

Caldwell: Teddy/Aksana sure seemed to run its course when Long's team lost at Mania, but I guess they're re-visiting it to go to the next chapter of Aksana's character continuing to be a gold-digger by cozying up to the next person in power, which would be Laurinaitis. We'll see how long Long lasts taking this abuse before stepping up. Maybe Ryder comes back into the picture to right a wrong after he (via Eve) cost Long his job at Mania. Ryder sure isn't doing much right now other than getting beat up by Kane and others. Anything else jump out at you from Smackdown, Greg?

Parks: Not really. This hasn't been a banner few weeks (months?) on Smackdown. The ratings are sliding along with the show quality, aside from a few bright spots like Daniel Bryan. Hopefully things pick up soon.

Caldwell: D-Bryan's character is certainly a beacon of light in the fog as of late. Smackdown feels like it's in a holding pattern, so we'll see if anything happens next week or at the PPV to create a spark going into May. All right, Greg, let's wrap up with a plug for Gonzo & The Greg this weekend. What is this week's Top 5 topic?

Parks: This week, we'll be listing the top five DVDs we think should be made - whether by WWE or someone else. This could include profiles of wrestlers, collections of certain matches, or in-depth discussion of a fad or organization. It's wide open, and it looks like we'll be recording it and posting it Monday afternoon instead of this weekend.

Caldwell: Very timely right before Raw and before DVD Release Tuesday. Very good, Greg. Always good chatting with you and we will chat again on the Livecast this coming Thursday!

Parks: Excellent! Thanks, James!

We suggest these recent related articles...

CALDWELL'S WWE "NXT: HOUSTON" LIVE RESULTS 9/17: Complete "virtual-time" coverage of Balor, Joe, Bayley, more from debut show in Texas

CALDWELL'S LIVE REPORT - 7/12 Lone Star in Houston, Tex.: Alberto El Patron no-shows, Dreamer vs. Hoyt new main event; plus Duggan, Snitsky, Cabana vs. Mahal, Joey Ryan, Rowe vs. Hernandez, Ivellise, Catrina, Houston Carson, one title change, more

CALDWELL: A Top 10 for 10 Years - Hall of Fame, George, Sweet Tea, Studio B, Duke, Three-Pack, and you!