By Greg Parks, PWTorch columnist

Raw was airing the day after their biggest PPV of the year; Impact was a taped show that didn't have a chance. The ratings bore that out, as Impact sunk further below the surface, under 0.6. Wrestlemania is over, and so are the excuses for TNA. It's time to see some growth, or they won't be on Mondays at 9pm for long.

1. Shawn Michaels officially hangs'em up. By virtue of his loss at Wrestlemania, Michaels was forced to retire from active competition. Until his big speech at the end of Raw, there was always a possibility something could be done to reverse that. But there was a sense of finality to his address on Monday. It was straight from the heart and emotional; one would expect nothing less from HBK.

2. Jeff Jarrett joins Team Hogan for Lockdown. This was announced at the very end of the show, after Eric Bischoff once again got involved in Jarrett's match. Hogan gave Jarrett another chance, so it's no surprise he'd side with the Hulkster.

3. Orlando Jordan makes bizarre entrance. Being lowered from the ceiling, wrapped in caution tape, crawling around the ring and joining a male and female on a unique talk-show set. People certainly took notice of Jordan's newest gimmick, but fans seem to be split on whether it crossed the line of good taste.

4. Randy Orton and John Cena team up to thwart Batista and Jack Swagger. Orton and Cena have a long, storied history in WWE, and most of that has been as heated rivals. To see them tagging up on Raw was odd, to say the least. This partnership will be interesting to track, along with how WWE handles Orton as a face.

5. Jack Swagger fakes cashing in the MITB. Swagger did only fake it when a referee couldn't make it to the ring in time. He certainly didn't want to waste time taking advantage of his contract, as he ended up successfully cashing it in for the World Title on Smackdown.

6. Eric Young leaps off the top of the steel cage in Impact main event. Who would've thought that in the team of Young, Jeff Hardy and Rob Van Dam, it would be Young hitting the big, noteworthy move of the match? Of course, you can probably tune into Lockdown to see RVD or Hardy perform their acrobatics inside the cage.

7. Miz and Big Show move into feud with the Hart Dynast. Bret Hart helped get the newly-turned face team of the Hart Dynasty off the ground on Raw, thanks to his interaction with The Miz. At least the Dynasty is getting some kind of rub from Bret, though how long he sticks around to help out remains to be seen.

8. Jay Lethal returns to Impact, beats Beer Money 1-on-2. Lethal has only appeared in group shots backstage since Bischoff and Hogan took over on January 4th. He returned in a big way, getting multiple backstage segments and getting to win a short match against Beer Money. His Savage impersonation is still in tact, but the win over Robert Roode and James Storm seems to mean they have plans for him.

9. Legends invade Raw. A Legends Lumberjack match was the first contest on Raw, seeing Christian beat Ted DiBiase. It was good to see some WWE Legends surround the ring, and even partake in a brief brawl during the match, even if it was only what you'd expect out of broken-down 50 or 60 year olds. Nostalgia works in short bursts like this.

10. Bubba The Love Sponge gets paired with The Band. Not sure where this is leading, but the Sponge does get a ton of heel heat. Perhaps TNA was afraid of the Band becoming cool heels again, and Bubba is there to make sure that doesn't happen. Regardless, more Bubba is not a good thing.

Greg Parks has been covering Smackdown for PWTorch.com since January of 2007 and has been a columnist since 2009. Comments, questions and feedback are welcome, and can be sent to g_man9784@yahoo.com.

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