PWTorch Specialists Roundtable Question - At this point in the WrestleMania 28 build-up, do you think WM28 is on pace to draw more or fewer PPV buys than WM27 (1.06 million buys)? Or, is it too early to tell?

Ben Tucker, PWTorch TV specialist

Cena vs. Rock beats Cena vs. Miz by a mile, and, because of the one match, it'll almost definitely outsell Mania 27. Sure, The Rock was at Mania last time around, but this match has not only been hyped for a year, it's between two of the biggest stars ever. Not only that, but Miz looked painfully weak this time last year- the real reason people bought the show was for Cena vs. Rock. Now, they have it for real.

Plus, with a potentially solid undercard, Triple H vs. Undertaker in a match that will probably catch viewers's attentions, especially if HBK refs the match, and multiple potentially classic matches (Punk vs. Jericho) that can satiate the hardcore fan base, it seems like this year's Mania may be the total package. Will Mania 28 beat Mania 27 in PPV buys? Most definitely. (Read Tucker's Instant Reaction after each week's Raw, Smackdown, and Impact.)

Justin James, PWTorch contributor

Right now, I’d say that WM28 is on track to draw fewer buys than WM27...far fewer. WWE can blame The Miz for poor Survivor Series buyrate all they want, but the fact is, The Rock is not the draw he was a year ago. He has been both over-exposed and underutilized. Meanwhile, The Triple H–Undertaker match may have some high drama to it, but, really, who wants to see two old, out-of-shape guys pretending to be on the top of their game? The mid-card is in shambles - a U.S. champion absent from TV this week, an Intercontinental Champion who hasn’t faced a credible opponent in months, and a Royal Rumble winner who, by all logic, should have had three or four championship matches in the last six months based on his Win/Loss record. Randy Orton has now proven that, as the “face of Smackdown,” he was less of a draw than a "midget wizard" (Daniel Bryan), a guy who hadn’t sniffed the main event consistently in a 15-year career (Mark Henry), and a guy who is in a major title drought despite being in endless championship scenarios (Big Show).

The overall decline in PPV numbers is telling a sorry story for WWE; regardless of the cause, WWE is increasingly unable to get consumers to open their wallets for PPVs. The most telling piece of the puzzle is the declining numbers in Raw’s second hour week after week after week. This is a very unusual thing for Raw, and WWE should be concerned by it. Not only is it a sign of the overall weakness of the product, but, just as importantly, the main events and end of shows are a primary driver for the hard sell on PPVs. If they can’t keep viewers around for that sell, they can’t sell the PPV. (Read James's NXT and Superstars reports each week.)

Anthony Beckingham, PWTorch reviewer

It's probably too early to really tell, but I imagine WM XXVIII will outdraw last year's, not for any artistic reason or more engaging storylines, but purely on the basis that The Rock is going to wrestle again. I'm glad they're using that main event as an excuse to experiment with other talent on the card, such as giving Sheamus the World Title match, as I predicted.

Undertaker's match may draw many people back after how good last year's bout was, and the potential quality of a Punk vs. Jericho match is enticing. But, in terms of mainstream draw and those extra 700,000 people who buy WrestleMania, it's all about The Rock. Those people won't have been watching Raw most of this year to realize how poorly he's been booked. (Read Beckingham's regular Shimmer DVD reviews.)

Mike Cupach, PWTorch contributor

From where WWE is today, knowing the top two matches on the card (Rock vs. Cena, Undertaker vs. Triple H), I think WWE is on pace to do 1.06 million buys. Last year's card didn’t set the world on fire and was missing that must-see, attraction match. That is where Rock vs. Cena comes in. Survivor Series match not withstanding, people are interested in seeing him return to the ring for one more match, and in my opinion, Rock and Cena have been given a good story to sell the match on (beyond the idea of Rock's first singles match in eight years).

As for Undertaker vs. Triple H, I’m sure there will be some stipulations to the match to make it more interesting that last year's match and that will sell some people on the show. As for the rest of the card, there will be people who will want to buy the show to see Punk try to outshine the two main events and to see some spot matches with show-stealing potential. All in all, I believe WrestleMania is looking up this year. (Read Cupach's alt. perspective review of WWE Smackdown each week.)

Check back for Part 3 on Friday!

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