By Chris Newth, PWTorch contributor

What are you most looking forward to on Sunday night when WWE premieres a new PPV titled Over the Limit? The heavily stipulated CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio match? Edge-Orton? How about Cena-Batista III: The Final Showdown? Or maybe nothing? Does something about this PPV lineup feel shallow or is the absence of huge, name-value veterans like Triple H, Undertaker, and Shawn Michaels just throwing off our perception?

With eight matches slated on the card, there should be a little something for everybody. But how exciting was WWE's promotion of Sunday night's event? In truth, it's easy to argue both sides.

The positives: Two feuds will reach their culminations in the third match of the series (Cena-Batista & Punk-Mysterio), Randy Orton's new character direction will be on full display in a match against the man who was too naturally sinister to pull off a babyface run (Edge), Jack Swagger might get the chance to prove himself on a PPV-level stage in a World Hvt. Title matchup, a heavily-pushed Drew McIntyre could shine against the rising star that is Kofi Kingston, you might see a solid tag team bout pitting WWE's two strongest teams against one another, plus a newly refreshed Ted DiBiase goes one-on-one against rival R-Truth, and to top it all off, an unusually intense Divas' Title storyline between Eve and Maryse will hopefully be settled for good.

That's the glass-half-full spin of tomorrow's PPV lineup--the mindset WWE is hoping you'll have.

But to be fair, some could argue that they are mentally exhausted by yet another Cena-Batista match, and they don't feel like investing more money to see the same thing a third time in a row, despite the "I Quit" stipulation. The same exact case could be made for Punk-Mysterio, except at least you know some form of lasting retribution will come of that match: Either Mysterio will be forced to join Punk's Straight Edge Society or CM Punk will be sporting a much shorter hairdo. Plus, even though Big Show can be the most likeable guy in the room, his in-ring style may not complement Jack Swagger's strengths in a way that will be compelling to watch in a main event match.

These are valid concerns. Over the Limit will feature a mixed bag of star combinations, but it seems like it's heading for a solid show that likely won't reach any level of amazement. But who knows? The talent is certainly all right there. It could turn out to be a blockbuster show overall.

As far as the television build-up for this weekend's PPV, WWE showed some impressive strides in the past few weeks, particular with characters like Randy Orton, Ted DiBiase, and Jack Swagger.

Perhaps Raw's newest lead babyface, Randy Orton is experiencing an impressive transformation from a heartless, belligerent heel to a stealthy, streamlined baby face. WWE's live audience is rushing to Orton's side, eager to cheer for someone new who can be a fresh face against the villains of Raw. For years John Cena has been the pure babyface in the company. But after years of the same act, the fans are clamoring for something different.

Cena is beginning to feel like a manufactured face with little depth. Yes, he has a strong moral code and genuine babyface principles, along with superhero-like abilities against opponents. But even superheroes have flaws, disturbing setbacks, crashing failures. Randy Orton is more realistic right now. His transformation from an icy heel to a fan-favorite happened so quickly and required so little that it felt organic. It's ironic that viewers basically forced his turn, much like they did in the exact opposite fashion for Edge, who had to become a heel. And those two will clash tonight on PPV.

Another great transformation on Raw is that of Ted DiBiase, Jr. No matter how you slice it, the Legacy faction only got DiBiase and Rhodes so much rub. They were primarily backup players, forever shadowed by Randy Orton. Now that Legacy has been disbanded and Cody Rhodes has been drafted to Smackdown, it is time for a character shift. Some say that DiBiase's new character is too similar to that of his father's. I completely disagree.

Any person can be money-hungry, and far too many people in the real world wield personal power using their bank accounts. I also think it's a very topical character considering the national hatred of Wall Street and big financial firms--the target of criticism for the economic meltdown of 2008. Greed and the abuse of one's monetary wealth makes for a great heel character. We can tell that many heels in WWE are wealthy, but why can't DiBiase base an entire character around that? Because his dad did? In a way, that makes it better. He was clearly influenced by his father, and that's actually the person he got all his money from. He didn't work for it himself. Even better!

Also, DiBiase is playing the role his way. He can still have things his dad had--boatloads of money, fancy clothes, a personal assistant. But he's more low-key than his father, which adds a new dynamic. I could do without the old Virgil being his new Virgil; that's a little too familiar and implies that he can't use his money to buy off someone different. Perhaps he can buy a small stable of subservient followers and create a faction, making it unnecessary for him to do anything in life beyond participating in matches. Plus, this character distinguishes him from everyone else on the roster. Look at Cody Rhodes right now. Put a birthday hat on him and he'd stand out more than he does at the moment.

And finally, WWE gets partial credit for Jack Swagger's updated gimmick. The All-American American has spent weeks touting his lifelong success at just about everything he does. He's so dislikeable, not because he's talented, but because he flaunts it. The company and Swagger himself get points for providing history, background, and even trophies to prove it. But that isn't developing character; it's developing characterization.

To get to know Jack Swagger as a character, we need to see him doing more. Action, involvement, decision-making, choices--these are things that show us who he really is. But the backstory for his pomposity has been nice nonetheless. The other small complaint is the length of his promos. This goes for other Smackdown segments as well, namely CM Punk's. I'm all for elaborate exposition and lengthy dialogue, but attention spans are being stretched to the max sometimes on WWE TV. Watching one person (or three in Punk's case) spend so much time in one spot chatting away just tends to drag. It's too tempting to change channels or hit fast-forward on the DVR. What other show on TV allows a single scene to run that long?

Wade Keller noted in last week's Smackdown report that Swagger's segment "was meant to be long and try your patience." If that's the case, it's flawed logic to me. Heels can be sinister, arrogant, and menacing without ever venturing into boring territory. That's dangerous ground. The best heels are wildly entertaining to watch. They are compelling, unaware of their flaws, and in-your-face. There may be more laid-back heel personalities that work just as well, but boring viewers with segments that are unquestionably too long is risky.

I guess WWE just has faith that most of their audience will sit through anything they air on their major brands, but a promo should never result in the viewer's mind wandering--it breaks the escapist grasp the show can put on you when you start daydreaming about what you have to do tomorrow in the middle of a CM Punk rant. And that isn't to say that Punk or Swagger can't get so much airtime on Smackdown. Just don't put them on camera for such long stretches rambling about the same subject in the same spot. Change topics, change locations, shoot footage of them interacting with different people in the back. If you want Swagger on the show for a full 20 minutes before he wrestles, do it. But not all at once!

And now that my 20-minute rant is over, I just want to commend WWE for some new character changes that are incredibly effective. For the most part, their TV programming has picked up some steam. As for Over the Limit, that one's your call.

Any questions or comments can be directed to NewthTorch@gmail.com. Feedback is good.

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