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CALDWELL'S TAKE
CALDWELL & PARKS WEEKLY CHAT 7/13: TNA's PPV follow-up, Aces & Eights potential directions, Thumbs Down Raw, MITB top match predictions

Jul 13, 2012 - 4:41:32 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 TNA Impact from last night before we jump into WWE topics ahead of Money in the Bank this weekend. What did you think of Impact, overall, last night and the fall-out from Destination X?

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Greg Parks: Overall, I like the show. TNA is doing a lot of the little things right right now, from having video packages on Angle and Anderson to set up the BFG Series match, to Magnus plugging his BFG Series house show match, to make it seem more important. Combine that with a great Aries promo (save the Hogan-like "take the next step" stuff), the advancement with Joseph Park perhaps starting to realize he's Abyss, and some decent matches, and that makes for a good show in my mind.

Caldwell: It sounds like I'm a notch or two below where you are on the show. There was just something about last night's show that didn't sit right with me, but it's not like it was Impact 2011 terribleness (unless you count the latest with Cop-Out Claire). It seemed like the crowd was more disconnected than usual and TNA seemed pre-occupied with the DirecTV business that it wasn't their best effort. The Hogan-like "next level" junk in Aries's promo took his first night as champ down a notch for me, but I thought Roode really, really shined with his realization that, yes, Aries is indeed new champ. I agree on the little things being strong like the BFG Series presentation, but even the matches just didn't click for me. I thought it was an off night.

Parks: And, I can tolerate the Claire stuff a little better because at least they're TRYING to tell a long-form story, and there are some performances worth it stuck in this. I really don't like continuing to build the story with big "reveals" or "evidence" like Claire claimed she had against A.J. that proved he was the father, but who knows. They haven't been relying on it as a main event angle as much over the last few weeks, which is a good sign, too.

Caldwell: It's like they're trying to justify its place on the show by trying to throw out a new bombshell every week, but at least it's been shifted out of the top-of-the-second hour or main event slot. As for the main event slot this week, the Aces & Eights group jumped Hogan, then Sting to close the show. Still no indication of who they are, but now there about 10-15 of them. Was there anything new to gleam from their latest appearance?

Parks: One of them looked very much like Luke Gallows running out of Hogan's office. Because we didn't see Hogan get attacked, there will be speculation he's in on it to stick it to his old nemesis Sting, but I don't know that it's where things will end up. I don't think there was more to indicate who was behind the attack, however. And I'm not really sure what this leads to, as I can't imagine Hogan getting back in the ring. Do you see this as a way to put Hogan in a tag match at BFG with Sting and maybe others, or will Hogan "captain" a babyface team, but not wrestle?

Caldwell: As you were offering your thoughts, the possibility popped into my head that Sting will face the "leader" of the thug group with Hogan in his corner at BFG, then Hogan could "show his true colors" aligning with the thugs, as you mentioned could be a possible outcome of this. But, I think the more-likely scenario is what you outlined with Sting, Hogan, and perhaps Devon & Garett Bischoff - based on that backstage segment - facing some members of the group at BFG. Then, whatever they do springboarding off that match will lead to one of those long TNA story arcs for the rest of the year. So, I could see this leading to Hogan climbing back in the ring as part of a tag team. He could also just be captain, but still be part of the advertising for the match. Do you see this leading to some sort of deal where the Aces & Eights tries to "take over TNA" or they just want to be noticed and get roster spots?

Parks: I think it could be a take-over situation, but Lord, please not another Hogan turn. It's been too many already. Just leave him as a babyface. If it's Jarrett, I could see it as a take-over situation, but if it's Eric Bischoff behind it, it could be just to get back into the company. Next week is Open Fight Night, and Hogan suggested Bobby Roode challenge Austin Aries in what I assume will be a non-title match, and if he wins, he'll get a rematch for the title at the next PPV. Did I get that right? What do you think will happen between the two next week?

Caldwell: You never know with Hogan's double-talk, but I took it as Roode has the title re-match at Hardcore Justice, and Roode just gets an immediate chance at non-title redemption on next week's Impact. Next week, I feel like Roode will get himself DQ'ed being so over-zealous to get his hands on Aries and inflict a beating on the new champ, which will re-position Roode as a strong heel and threat to Aries leading into HJ. And, with the rest of the top stars locked into the BFG Series, TNA kind of has to continue with Aries-Roode matches and segments leading into the next PPV. Are you sensing the same thing?

Parks: Yeah, I certainly don't think Aries is going to win cleanly like he did at the PPV next week on Impact. That would really water down Roode's shot at Hardcore Justice: He lost twice to Aries, so who thinks the title will be in jeopardy then? So yeah, I'd definitely expect a non-clean finish to that one. Anything else from Impact worth mentioning this week?

Caldwell: Everything else seemed like basic PPV fall-out and the Knockouts Title match was straightforward with no sense of the title in jeopardy. So, we'll see if Open Fight Night produces a strong show next week. Greg, let's move on to this week's Raw and Money in the Bank hype. There were very strong reactions to Raw Monday night; we were seeing 1.0s and 2.0s and 3.0s for scores. I didn't feel as strongly against the show, but definitely a thumbs down around a 4.0. What did you make of the show and final PPV hype from the Raw brand?

Parks: I thought it was a pretty bad show myself, and I can't disagree with those 1.0s and 2.0s and 3.0s. A 4.0 would be on the higher end of what I'd give it. I think a lot of the frustration relates to Hornswoggle being outed as the anonymous GM, the short matches, and the bogus ending to the big mid-show tag match. There certainly wasn't much to like, aside from Bob Backlund and his pre-match workout in the ring.

Caldwell: I think the Hornswoggle reveal dragged down people's scores a lot, but I was long past the point of caring about that Mystery GM deal that it was more eye-rolling than bothersome. What was bothersome were the items you mentioned like yet another big match having a non-finish and the rushed first hour segments following the A.J./Bryan/Punk segment. Also, WWE dipping back into the "that was so last year" bag for Lawler vs. Cole felt like a time-waster on the PPV hype show. Specific to the PPV, John Cena had a big promo and A.J. continued to plant seeds of doubt on who she might side with in the Punk vs. Bryan match. What did you think of the latest from A.J. and Cena's ra-ra speech?

Parks: I didn't mind Cena's promo because it was once again concentrated on him winning the briefcase or at least stopping Big Show from winning - even though he ALREADY stopped Big Show at the last PPV, a point WWE seems to be skipping over in this whole build. Didn't really know what to make of the latest Punk-Bryan-A.J. drama, other than it's really a toss-up as to who A.J. will side with on Sunday - but I'm assuming that's how WWE wants us to feel. As it relates to Bryan and Punk, how much damage has been done to their characters at least in the short-term by having them seem to kowtow to A.J. (with Punk occasionally doing the right thing and not going too far to appease her)?

Caldwell: The benefit is they're getting a lot of TV time to appear in front of the audience, but the question is whether that's a good thing or a bad thing, as it could be reinforcing some potential negative views that Punk and Bryan aren't tough and can't have a fight without appeasing A.J. I don't think it's *too* damaging at this point, but very close. What I think damaged Punk more than anything right now is Eve's comment that he's being over-shadowed as WWE champion. That line was a bit too truthful for a heel to be saying, I thought. Whether it leads to Punk's character "stepping up" and taking his rightful spot atop WWE remains to be seen, but the only way he might find himself atop WWE again is if Cena enters the title picture. So, it will be interesting to see how this all plays out on Sunday with the title match and Raw MITB match. I know you said on the Livecast yesterday that your soft prediction is a Bryan title victory. Are you sticking to that or do you feel like Punk's reign will continue?

Parks: I'm still sticking to that for now, but I know there's been some speculation that Eve's comments will lead to a heel turn by Punk, whereby he goes after John Cena, jealous of the attention Cena continued to get, and the main events he'd be positioned in, despite Punk being champion. It was probably just an innocuous statement that will go nowhere, but do you see a Punk heel turn as a possibility for a big upcoming storyline?

Caldwell: If that were to materialize, I don't necessarily see it as a Punk heel turn, but rather WWE positioning Punk Fans to cheer for Punk and Cena Fans to cheer for Cena - going for the split crowd. Throw in Cena and Punk's conversation in the locker room last week with Eve's comment this week and I could see WWE building some tension between Cena and Punk to set up a Summerslam main event. Whether that includes Cena winning the MITB briefcase and announcing a cash-in at Summerslam remains to be seen. But, I sense that's the direction. Or, perhaps Bryan wins the title, Cena doesn't win MITB, and Cena and Punk have a straight-up singles match at Summerslam. That would be weird with no title at stake, but it could give WWE a big singles match, plus Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar, plus whatever the WWE Title & World Title matches would end up being. If Bryan does win the title, Greg, do you still see WWE going to Punk vs. Cena at Summerslam, or going a different direction? Or, is it too early to speculate on until we see MITB on Sunday?

Parks: Yeah, it would be too early, because there are so many moving parts as it pertains to both the MITB briefcase and the Bryan vs. Punk match. I see Cena winning MITB so I'm wondering if he could face Bryan or Punk at Summerslam. A Cena vs. Bryan match would certainly be unique, but would WWE want to involve A.J. with Bryan and Cena considering Cena's current marital situation? Punk vs. Cena, as a one-year anniversary to last year's feud, would be good too.

Caldwell: Bryan vs. Cena would be fascinating because Cena "brought back" Bryan at Summerslam two years ago after Bryan was fired for the Nexus choke-out. So, they could play off Bryan's two-year journey if that's the direction they go. Like you said, the big question is whether they want to involve Cena in the A.J. story at this point. As for A.J., do you think her involvement in one of WWE's top storylines grows after MITB, starts to fade off a little, or stays about the same?

Parks: I think it's very possible it stays the same. I think WWE is happy with A.J.'s performance, as evidenced by the fact that her TV time seems to be increasing quite a bit. I'm worried about how this storyline actually "ends" as most peeter out instead of having a satisfactory ending, and where she goes from there. I do feel like she'll be involved with either Bryan or Punk for a while, but maybe not both over the long-term.

Caldwell: Especially if this is the end of Bryan-Punk on Sunday before WWE goes a different direction at Summerslam. Greg, we don't have a new Smackdown episode to cover in the Chat, as you will be covering the final SD before the PPV tonight on PWTorch. But, there were some SD developments on this week's Raw. Most notably, Sin Cara was added to the World Title ladder match and Sheamus and Del Rio continued their feud by having Del Rio…drive off in a car. But, your thoughts on the World Title match and World Title MITB match on Sunday?

Parks: I think Cody Rhodes and Dolph Ziggler have to be two favorites, with Christian on the fringes and Damien Sandow as a dark-horse. As I wrote in one of my blog entries a few weeks ago, this is shaping up to be one of the more interesting MITB matches ever. I think Rhodes wins, but wouldn't be surprised at a Ziggler win. WWE gave Del Rio the opportunity to get a lot of cheap heat on Smackdown last week, so we'll see if that translates to crowd reaction on Sunday. I think Sheamus wins, as Del Rio doesn't seem to be the one who is being set up to bring an end to Sheamus's reign. What say you on these big Smackdown-related MITB matches?

Caldwell: I just don't see any scenario where Del Rio takes the title on Sunday. It wouldn't make sense at this stage with Sheamus building momentum as champ and guys like Randy Orton, Mark Henry, and the SD MITB winner waiting in the wings to set up bigger matches for Sheamus. So, it feels like a two-part attempt to re-build Del Rio, in general, and also make him seem like a short-term threat to Sheamus on Sunday. As for MITB, I have to go with either Ziggler or Rhodes, although Ziggler just had a World Title as a fill-in last month and it feels like there's zero momentum behind Rhodes tonight. That hasn't stopped WWE before - see Jack Swagger at Mania two years ago - but I don't sense it's the right time for Rhodes. So, it does leave the door wide open. Heck, might as well go with Sandow and just go for broke on this on!

Parks: Hey, it could happen. I guess I'll now take the time to plug Gonzo & The Greg for PWTorch VIP members, which will be recorded tomorrow. We'll be listing our top five MITB cash-in moments. There's only ten to choose from, so the rankings will be really intriguing.

Caldwell: Very nice. It sure makes narrowing down the list a much easier task. All right, Greg, anything else before we wrap up today's show?

Parks: I think that does it for me, James. Talk to you when our paths collide again next week!


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