PWTorch Specialist Roundtable Question 1/24: On Monday's Raw, which did WWE do a better job of - selling the Royal Rumble PPV or hyping next week's Raw (Laurinaitis possibly being "fired" and Triple H's return)?

Ben Tucker, PWTorch specialist

There's no doubt in my mind that WWE sold the Rumble MUCH more than next week's Raw. Raw's only hype for next week consisted of the last segment of the show. While that's what will linger in fans's minds the most after the show, WWE did make sure to give Dolph Ziggler the spotlight as the show went off the air.

The rest of the show was almost all about the Rumble PPV. Each match in its own right received good hype, with multiple segments dedicated to the Rumble match, WWE Title match, and Kane-Cena match, which finally has a major issue that is going to be settled. The Raw hype did get in the way at the end, but, overall, I thought the show in fact did a better job of selling the Rumble than many 2011 PPVs from WWE, ROH, or TNA. (Read Tucker's Instant Reaction after each week's Raw, Impact, and Smackdown.)

Nathan Kyght, PWTorch PPV specialist

I thought that this week's Raw did a very good job of selling viewers on the Royal Rumble. For a lot of fans, the Rumble match itself is their favorite match of the year, and, as long as some intrigue is built for it, it mostly sells itself. WWE aired a nice video package setting up the importance of the match on "The Road To Wrestlemania," and the addition of Chris Jericho is a great touch.

C.M. Punk vs. Dolph Ziggler has been built nicely, and should be excellent in-ring (although giving away Punk finally giving Laurinaitis the GTS was baffling). Cena and Kane is what it is - it should be a decent match, I think, although the build-up has been confusing at times. (Cena hates hate, but Kane loves hate. Thus, Kane disagrees with the-oh, forget it.) Also, Zack Ryder needs Cena to stick up for him. That'll build ya some heat, Zack.

Regardless, this show is about the 30-man Rumble, and I thought the build towards the PPV was very good. As for next week's Raw? I think the "Laurinaitis getting fired" angle is kind of uninteresting and almost certainly not going to happen, and this has got to be Triple H return number 8,012. My guess is that he's mad about something, and doesn't think most of the guys on the roster are any good. (Read Kyght's PPV Evaluation column after each major wrestling PPV.)

Charles Cress, PWTorch Soup specialist

This question confuses me, and I think in my confusion lies the answer. I was under the impression that this Royal Rumble match was a competition between a British guy, an Irish guy, and an Indian guy, who would then afterward walk into a bar together and make a young comedian's day. This, of course, would be after Zack Ryder's ghost fights Kane in outer-space in Exciting Tales #4 on newsstands this January 1964. Oh, and I also thought the main event was C.M. Punk vs. John Laurinaitis. So...they did a great job with all of them! ... I'm kidding. It's a train wreck. But, I'm totally watching. Rumbles are fun. Jets and Sharks, Greasers and Socs! I love it! (Read Cress's Alphabet Soup column after each week's Raw and Smackdown.)

George Chiverton, PWTorch specialist

One has to question where WWE has their priorities right now. Personally, as a massive fan of the Royal Rumble, I believe the match itself needs very little hype and every year I feel slightly patronized that WWE feels obliged to come up with a ridiculous way to get the entire roster in the ring at one point so Cole can drop the "This is what you pay for on Sunday" line.

As for the other matches, I think Punk vs Ziggler sells itself, too. Casual fans want to see Laurinaitis and Ziggles beaten down by Punk and hardcores have been hoping for an extended match between these two exceptional talents for a while now. I feel like Cena-Kane was hyped on Raw by Cena bringing some intensity, Kane standing tall, and Ryder helping make an actual proper heel on WWE's roster. For me, the best push for Sunday came from Jericho. He's been doing great work and this week he gave away just enough to build suspense while maintaining his mystery. So, in my opinion, everything that needed hyping for the Rumble was hyped while the rest was adequately serviced to keep it fresh in potential customers's minds.

As for next Monday, I'm honestly dreading it. I have been loving John Laurinaitis, as I think he's a great heel. Him being potentially "fired" by a COO who will undoubtedly spend 20 minutes reminding everyone why he thinks he's God makes me feel a little bit ill. That's enough time for almost 34 Brodus Clay matches. Enough said. (Read Chiverton's weekly NXT Rankings & Evaluation column every Wednesday.)

[Torch art credit Grant Gould (c) PWTorch.com]

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