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.

James Caldwell: This is PWTorch assistant editor James Caldwell joined by PWTorch columnist Greg Parks for the Extreme Rules lead-in edition of the weekly TV wrestling chat. Greg, it's a Friday night two days before the PPV, so let's start with some discussion of the big matches at the PPV on Sunday. Brock Lesnar-John Cena - how do you see this match unfolding both in terms of quality/style and outcome?

Greg Parks: I think because of the stipulation, it'll be hard to grade this as far as match quality goes in terms of couching it in the usual star ratings. I'm anticipating a lot of bells and whistles with Lesnar coming out on top. As much as Cena has been losing lately, I just don't see how you can have Lesnar lose this early in his return. Do you?

Caldwell: Yeah, I don't see any way Lesnar loses this one. I go back to what we've talked about recently in the Chat and on the Livecast that I see Cena losing, then pulling a James Storm with the farewell-for-now speech to heal & rest, then he returns in a few months after a period of "self-discovery." Now, I don't know if Cena gets pummeled in a one-sided affair at the PPV or if it feels like The Rock match at Mania where he just let it slip through his fingers, then the frustration of losing eats away at him. That will be interesting to me. Do you also anticipate Cena losing and leaving for a time? And, do you think they're prepared for Cena to take a little time off?

Parks: I think it's likely he leaves for a time because I think if Cena loses, how do you not continue to address his situation with Lesnar? I feel like it's going to be something they revisit down the line, not necessarily soon, so I guess taking some time off could do some good for both WWE and Cena. And not one of those "Cena is fired but is gone for 1-1/2 hours" type deals either. I think WWE will be okay with Cena gone - remember they recently had a PPV where Cena wasn't advertised and the buys didn't do worse, so that's at least some evidence that keeping Cena off TV for a few weeks isn't going to ruin business.

Caldwell: Yeah, I don't think Laurinaitis needs to be involved in whatever story they plan to tell with Cena leaving after Extreme Rules. I really think James Storm's short-term departure is the model - in-ring speech, Hogan isn't doing some sort of "you're the best in the history of the business and we'll see you soon, brother" hyperbole, and the focus is on what's next for the top babyface. We'll see if this all unfolds as such. As for the final hype on Raw, Greg, what did you think of Edge's big speech to Cena in the opening segment, Brock's contract "promo," and Cena and Lesnar not touching in the final segment before the PPV?

Parks: Lot to answer in that one question! Starting with Edge...the promo was fantastic, Edge was fantastic, but if I had to nit-pick, I wish that they had drawn out Cena's losses more and had more weeks in between to really allow the promo to have a greater effect; doing it when he's been in what amounts to a three-week slump just isn't as epic. Brock's contract promo was certainly hit-or-miss; his body language was certainly the highlight. Brock's strength is not the soliloquies that he was asked to perform Monday, but it wasn't terrible. And, with all the contact they've had over the past few weeks, I was fine with them not touching this week.

Caldwell: I figure we could talk Brock-Cena items from a three-hour Raw all night, so I thought I would throw a lot atcha there! I completely agree on the quick turnaround from Mania to Extreme Rules greatly affecting the pacing, which led to an abrupt promo from Edge. They needed at least two or three more weeks of that Cena loss story before Edge came out there and hit Cena upside the head. I think it's funny looking back on Brock's promo - it seemed like in one breath, he was trying to tell himself to focus on body language, and then in the next moment, he was trying to tell himself to focus on his speech. And, he never seemed to be in sync going back and forth between his focus. I did like them not touching, but I felt like the feud peaked with the abrupt pull-a-part two weeks ago (three weeks ago now?!) I just don't think they captured that emotional high on Monday. Part of me thinks they're under 200,000 buys, but I could also see more than 200,000. I'm not sure what to expect from this one, especially involving the UFC aspect. Any other thoughts on the Brock-Cena issue heading to the PPV?

Parks: Yeah, I really have no idea what to expect for buys. You'd think it'd be higher than usual because of Lesnar but also, how many people who bought Mania who don't usually buy PPVs will buy again this month? This is where PPVs being spread out would help...those who like Mania but don't usually buy PPVs would be more apt to buy again if the turnaround wasn't less than a month...if maybe there was another PPV three months after or so.

Caldwell: That's what makes the buys picture so intriguing. It's like two big waves crashing against each other and you just stand back to see what the result is. Big Brock Return vs. Post-Mania Hangover/quick turnaround/tons of people getting their cable bill this week. We'll see there. Greg, let's tackle the other big match from the Raw brand at the PPV - Punk vs. Jericho re-match. Do you think it's a sure-bet Punk retains or does Jericho get a surprise title win?

Parks: I'm actually predicting a Jericho title win. Punk got his nice Chicago moment last summer...not it's time to use the fans to get Jericho over even further as a heel by tormenting Punk, his fans, and his family. But, I guess it really depends on how long Jericho will be around for. Because we don't know, that makes it harder to really predict.

Caldwell: A nice, bold prediction! I like it. I feel like Jericho will be around a few months, so they could have Jericho win, then Punk regains the title next month (or in June), but I really like the idea of Punk keeping the title for a nice, long, uninterrupted reign. Then, it could mean something when Rock, for example, returns and chases the title. Then again, I think Jericho as heel champion with Punk chasing him on TV for a few weeks could help freshen up Raw in the expected absence of Cena. So, I see the benefits of going either way here. As for the final hype on Raw, what did you think of the sobriety test and various segments related to it?

Parks: I liked it, and I guess I'm in the minority on that. I was entertained by Punk faking drunk and I think it advanced the story. I have more on that in my VIP blog post on the PWTorch Forum, but I have enjoyed Jericho doing whatever he can to get under Punk's skin, and the look on his face when he really did think that Punk was actually imbibing. It basically was a look that said, "Holy cow, I was just making this stuff up, but now Punk has proven me to be telling the truth!" They've been doing a nice job and the atmosphere in Chicago should be special for that one.

Caldwell: I felt like it was dragged out too long (the problem with a three-hour Raw) and I just couldn't buy that Jericho's character would think that Punk was actually drunk. I suppose the argument could be made that Jericho is so arrogant and full of himself that he thought he could break Punk and get him to drink, but I feel like Jericho is also smarter than that. The other issue I had was involving the status of the WWE Title in the issue. I think some viewers may have bought the idea that Punk was in jeopardy of being stripped of the title, but I think for the majority of viewers, it was unrealistic to buy into the possibility of Punk being stripped of the title. I don't know - the build-up and execution felt like a reach to me. But, at the end of the day, it all served the story they're trying to tell.

Parks: I think the evidence of seeing Punk drink with the bottle next to him was all he needed and I do think, like you touched on, he's so full of himself that he really believes he could drive Punk to that - remember one of his first promos he cut when he was back, where he insanely accused a bunch of wrestlers of stealing stuff from him, when in reality, it was far from the truth. So it seems to fit his character. As for the WWE Title, Eve's "discovery" of the 12-hour rule was a bit tough to take and it almost felt like, as a heel, she was making it up because it was so out there, but they never referred to it as such. But, yeah, I see where you're coming from on that.

Caldwell: I'm going to caveat into two things real quick - Alex Riley as the backstage snitch on Punk? Where did that come from? And, is Eve now a storytelling mechanism for Those Things WWE Doesn't Acknowledge, But People Often Think About? She introduces the Lumberjills in the Divas Title match on Raw because they're standing around doing nothing and then she asks for everyone to wear nametags at Smackdown. Riley and Eve - what say you?

Parks: Riley was a curious decision, but I wouldn't read much into that. I was surprised they didn't use a heel, though, but I guess by having a babyface do it, it was more believable in the eyes of fans that Punk might actually be drinking. As for Eve...I really don't know. I don't think we need yet ANOTHER heel authority figure, which she is in certain respects. I'm not sure the long-term thinking for the role, or if it is something short-term. But she seems to be doing the lower-level decision making that Laurinaitis can't be bothered to make.

Caldwell: Ah, delegation. Yes. And, she's made to feel she's making really important decisions that really aren't e.g. lumberjills and nametags. That's right on. All right, now that those items are out of the way, let's move on to some of the other semi-big matches on the PPV. Sheamus-Bryan is 2/3 falls, so it's more than likely to go more than 18 seconds. I bet Randy Orton would argue his match with Kane is bigger (going back to his WM28 interviews), and there's Big Show vs. Cody Rhodes with a spin-the-wheel stipulation. What do you see as the outcomes for Smackdown's Big Three matches?

Parks: I like Sheamus to win over Bryan and move on to Del Rio for the next month or two. I await the explosion of angry Internet fans when that happens. Orton's gotta beat Kane to move on from this. It's just been an albatross around his neck. Before tonight, I thought for sure Rhodes would beat Show thanks to Laurinaitis making a stip that would give Rhodes the advantage. With Show using Rhodes's belt on him, I had visions of a strap match. But, with Rhodes jobbing cleanly to Khali, he's gotta win Sunday, right?

Caldwell: I definitely think Sheamus retains, which is why Bryan has been spotlighted so much on TV lately so that he remains relatively strong coming out of his title run and doesn't drop off a cliff once Sheamus moves on to Del Rio. I agree Orton has to win and win pretty strongly if WWE has thoughts of him facing Lesnar at Summerslam. I just wonder about that Jinder Mahal deal. Orton moving on to Mahal isn't exactly a springboard to Lesnar. Then, on Big Show, I see him losing the title in a stipulation match where he doesn't really "lose." I'm with you on a strap match being one of those matches where he could "lose" without really losing. Back to Orton, though, what did you make of his PPV preview interview with Michael Cole and Mahal's involvement on Smackdown?

Parks: If it is a strap match, I don't see how Rhodes wins it, given what we usually see with strap matches where they have to hit four corners. Orton's interview could've been done without Cole, and the involvement of Mahal just seemed a way for him to RKO someone to go over strong at the end of the segment, since he couldn't do it to Cole due to the decree of Laurinaitis.

Caldwell: They could always have a nearly-KO'ed Rhodes touch three corners in the background while hanging on Show's back, then Rhodes thumbs the eye or does something nefarious to scramble to the fourth corner. But, I hear you on it being tough for Rhodes to get a credible win here. Let me throw something at you that Sean Radican and I discussed on the Livecast yesterday - if the Summerslam goal becomes Lesnar-Orton, who do you see as being Orton's next credible opponent on Smackdown (or perhaps Raw if he shifts to Raw) to get some quality wins re-building Orton as a Top Tier Star after sort of slow-dancing with Kane the past two months and floating around on Smackdown the past six months?

Parks: Henry? They could always revisit that since Henry bested Orton last Summer and fall, Orton could one-up Henry this time. Or, maybe Bryan, since he'll need something to do if Sheamus moves on to Del Rio. Or, since we're still under the Supershow concept, he could do something with a heel on Raw.

Caldwell: Henry or Bryan. Hm...very interesting. Bryan doesn't quite have that "main event legacy" to where Orton beating him in a feud would springboard Orton to Lesnar, but Bryan is playing this character so well that it would at least draw something refreshing out of Orton. Henry of course would be the Big Mountain to climb before Lesnar. I like those two picks from Smackdown. Let's go ahead and finish off the PPV card - Miz vs. Santino for the U.S. Title on the pre-show, plus new Divas champ Nikki Bella vs. Phoenix in a re-match from Raw. What do you see from those two matches?

Parks: On Gonzo and the Greg that will be posted tomorrow, I picked Beth to win, but I think I'm leaning toward Nikki winning now, with Kharma destroying her at the PPV or the next night on Raw. Santino vs. Miz...I don't know. I guess Santino? If they wanted to use this as a springboard for a renewed Miz push, I would've expected them to put this on the PPV or on TV where more viewers would see it.

Caldwell: Miz on Superstars...and now on a PPV pre-show...odd. I don't see Miz winning the title meaning much, unless he comes out on the actual PPV and cuts a promo bragging about his title victory, being the most must-see Internet champion of all-time. Of course, being a dig at Ryder, which then leads to a Miz vs. Ryder feud. Booking way, way out in left field here. On the Divas, I'm not sure what to make of this. I could see Nikki retaining, then Kharma capturing the title on Raw before destroying the Bellas on the way out of WWE, but I'd like to see more of a re-build-up for Kharma before she just takes the title. It feels like Beth getting the title re-match is a way of getting her re-match out of the way before WWE moves on to Kharma as the centerpiece, though. So, we'll see how it plays out Sunday and Monday.

Parks: I think a surprise appearance makes sense, especially given how the Bellas were the ones that ran Kharma off when she announced she was pregnant, too. And it would be a nod to her debut when she destroyed Michelle McCool.

Caldwell: Ah, full circle with the Bellas. Great point. All right, Greg, let's touch on some other elements from the three-hour Raw and tonight's Smackdown we haven't talked about in the PPV predictions. On the three-hour Raw, there were several little items not related to the PPV e.g. Jericho-Kofi in the ring, Tensai's latest squash win, a Taco Bell match, Del Rio walking out on fellow heel Rhodes, and the Tag champs losing again. What jumped out at you from those items or any other small item from Raw?

Parks: Hmm. Some of those are probably not even worth spending much time on. Tensai squash win doesn't mean much at this point other than to further cement the seriousness of WWE pushing him, which we knew with his win over Cena. The Taco Bell match reminded me of Subway sponsoring matches and Santino stealing Jerry Lawler's delicious Subway sandwich many moons ago. Tag champs losing I didn't like, but at least they might be doing something with AW.

Caldwell: Oh no, the Jared from Subway series of matches. Yeah, that's so true. What do you make of Dolph Ziggler's standing right now? Is he just stuck in a spot where he's waiting for the right opportunity to move back up or is he permanently on the bench?

Parks: Yeah, I think there are several guys like that. By all accounts, Ziggler did well in his short main event runs, but there are only so many top spots on the card, and right now, they're filled. It doesn't get any easier to get time in that spot when guys like Rock and Brock Lesnar come back.

Caldwell: I think Ziggler continuing to associate with Vickie and Swagger is a double-edged sword - it gives him a permanent spot on the show since Vickie is well-liked in her role, but it also seems to be keeping him in the same spot doing Brodus Clay and Santino matches. I think it's just being patient and waiting for a spot; if WWE ever has a Draft, perhaps moving back to Smackdown to do something with Sheamus would be a good move. We'll see. Anything else on Raw worth breaking down before we look more into Smackdown?

Parks: Nah, let's go to Smackdown. One of the more intriguing questions heading into Extreme Rules is what role A.J. will play in the main event: will she help Bryan or turn on him and help Sheamus? Her only appearance on Smackdown was to hit her friend Kaitlyn when Kaitlyn tried to tell her Bryan was no good for her. A.J. did seem to regret that, so can we read anything into the actions of A.J. this week as far as whose side she'll be on at Extreme Rules?

Caldwell: I'm not convinced she will even appear on the PPV, and rather be part of Bryan's post-title match loss fall-out on TV. But, if she is part of the PPV match, I could see her help Bryan get a fall over Sheamus to "show her loyalty," then I could see her cost Bryan a fall - either on purpose or on accident in the spirit of trying to help Bryan. With WWE, I'm not sure whether to look at this with sophistication - A.J. has been plotting against Bryan all along and just made herself look crazy to cause Bryan to let down his guard - or if it's just a basic storyline of A.J. being blindly loyal to Bryan to the point of insanity and potentially helping or hurting him. What do you think?

Parks: I hadn't even thought about her NOT being involved in the match. I just don't see the point of not having her either turn or stay with Bryan during that match, especially if Bryan takes a step down from the main events after this one; A.J. was so crucial to his main event run, how do you not address that while he's still on top? I guess I could see A.J. trying to help Bryan only to mess up and help Sheamus win.

Caldwell: Yeah, if she's involved, I think the most-likely outcome is A.J. trying to help Bryan, but messing up. Potentially the most intriguing aspect of the match will be the crowd. I expect a pro-Bryan crowd and some anti-Sheamus sentiment, although whatever portion of a casual audience is there will be in favor of Sheamus. I think Sheamus really needs to come out of this looking strong, so I wonder how the crowd will affect the match. How much of a factor do you think the crowd will be?

Parks: It'll almost certainly be pro-Bryan, probably heavily. WWE has to know this, but I don't think it'll play into what they want to do with this feud.

Caldwell: Right. I'm sure WWE will try to ignore it and just tell the story. Elsewhere on Smackdown, Greg, there's some new blood on the show. What did you think of Antonio Cesaro's TV debut match, and the latest from Ryback's squash tour, NXT'ers Titus & D-Young on Smackdown, and Damien Sandow's journey to enlightenment?

Parks: Ryback and Antonio were both impressive; Titus and D-Young not so much; jury is out on Sandow. There are a lot of new guys to digest, and I don't see all of them making it, unfortunately. But, really, it's probably too early to tell without seeing them in (a) long-form matches to see if they can carry their own and tell a story in the ring; and (b) an actual feud or storyline.

Caldwell: I do worry about Ryback with Item (a) and I worry about Claudio with Item (b) because I don't see how this Aksana/Teddy Long deal will work out to benefit Antonio other than making him a basic heel. And, right now, I don't see how Sandow's enlightenment translates to a wrestling ring. It feels kind of mid-'90s on paper where the gimmick/occupation doesn't really match up with telling a story inside a wrestling ring. We'll see, though. WWE and Sandow could make this work well beyond my expectations. Greg, anything else from the Smackdown undercard stand out?

Parks: I think it's just a matter of sorting out the new guys and where they're going to fall in the coming weeks/months that should be interesting to follow.

Caldwell: Agreed. Lots to sort out once the current World Title picture assumedly resolves itself on Sunday and things trickle down from there. All right, Greg, let's talk some Open Fight Night Impact Wrestling 1.0 to close the Chat. I believe you just finished watching the show, so what's fresh on your mind from Thursday's TNA offering?

Parks: It was different, that's for sure. It stood out from the other episodes of Impact, which I assume is what TNA was going for. That said, there's still a lot of tweaking to be done and working out the kinks of the Fight Night concept. Step one: Less Hulk Hogan. He was just brutal, first saying Joe and Magnus were the greatest tag team ever, then a few breaths later, saying they need to "shut up or put up." I mean, my God. Hogan has just been brutal lately on the mic.

Caldwell: That was Strike One for me with this week's show. I don't know if it's supposed to be his character that he's the Crazy Uncle with no filter and he doesn't make any sense, or if he just genuinely has no idea what he's saying. Strike Two was the show turning into the non-wrestler parade with Bischoff, JB, Garett, and more Hogan. Strike Three was the bush league port-a-potty stuff (complete with Garett's awful facials and acting) that was nearly a replica of Bischoff being "fired" in WWE storylines several years ago, except TNA went budget-conscious with a port-a-potty over a dump truck. That brought down what was otherwise a pretty good show when the focus was on full-time wrestlers. If this was whole show was symbolic of TNA removing the non-wrestling garbage from the show (we know Hogan will remain, so can't win every battle), and just letting the wrestlers do their thing telling stories in and out of the ring, then I will accept some pain for future gain.

Parks: The Bischoff stuff was a little bizarre on a few levels: They stopped bleeping Bischoff's name despite the fact that, as far as I know, he's still unable to use that name as part of the Lockdown match stips. And why would Hogan allow so much time for Flair to honor Bischoff, his enemy, much less at the end of the show? Oh, and the poop totally looked like chocolate syrup.

Caldwell: I thought EB was going to accidentally lick his lips from the great taste of chocolate syrup! It was so, so bad. TNA should be embarrassed for presenting that segment on TV. On Hogan, I think his character just has such a big heart - oh, such a big heart - that even Bischoff - despite all of the nasty things he's done to poor TNA - deserves a proper farewell. Yeah...it was a bit much. While I felt the actual wrestling aspect was pretty good for the most part, it was overshadowed by the non-wrestling. So, what stood out to you from the non-Bischoff/Hogan/etc. aspect?

Parks: I guess it still has to do with Hogan, but I thought Anderson and Hardy were the last team to deserve a shot at Joe and Magnus, yet they're the ones who got it. I understand that they wanted to babyface Hogan by having him choose a babyface tag team to face the...heel?...face? team of Joe and Magnus. But if you want to make this Fight Night theme seem legit, you've got to have some rhyme or reason to the on-air booking decisions that are made.

Caldwell: Underlying your comment, Greg, is that you really can't separate Hogan from the rest of the show! His fingerprints were everywhere. Yeah, I think it goes back to Crazy Uncle Hogan - is there supposed to be rhyme & reason to what he thinks/says/does, or he is a complete madman? Kind of like what we debated last week when he placed RVD in the #1 contender match with Anderson and Hardy. Was he trying to screw with Anderson and Hardy or just create a more intriguing main event, #1 contender match? It's like they want from Joker/Madman Sting to Crazy Uncle Hogan. I'll take Teddy Long now, thanks. Elsewhere, there was the Gut Check Challenge with Alex Silva taking a loss to Robbie E. What did you make of the first Gut Check and the way it was presented?

Parks: I thought they explained that there would be three judges. I guess I pictured them at ringside critiquing the wrestler after the match. I don't think that would've been the right way to go, but instead, we got Al Snow to do guest commentary. I assume one other judge was Hogan, but did they mention a third judge and I just missed it?

Caldwell: I was wondering the same thing since Hogan advertised three judges evaluating the Gut Check'ers, then he would have final say on a contract if the guy won his match (or looked good enough, I guess). Yeah, that threw me for a loop, and also made me wonder - again - is Hogan supposed to be crazy making things up or was TNA just really inconsistent from one TV taping to the next? If they do eventually move to a three-judge booth, I'd prefer to see an actual wrestler in one of the judge positions so that it's not just the TNA agents getting their TV time as part of the TNA Club where everyone takes care of each other. Then, there's Kurt Angle, who seems to be showing signs of turning face...are you getting the same vibe, Greg? And, if so, how do you think that affects his singles match with Styles at the PPV?

Parks: Angle vs. Mexican America was strange, but so was Rosita and Sarita being back with Mexican America. I don't really know where that leaves Styles vs. Angle, whether this was just a one-off for Angle or if, like you said, it'll lead to a full face turn.

Caldwell: We shall see on the next set of episodes leading to the PPV. Greg, anything else stand out to you from Impact in-between PPVs?

Parks: It was just a lot to digest, I guess. In fact, I think my column in the next PWTorch Newsletter will be devoted to TNA's first Fight Night.

Caldwell: I think that's very appropriate. I look forward to that. All right, Greg, let's cap 'er off with a preview of Gonzo & The Greg this weekend.

Parks: This weekend on Gonzo & The Greg, should be posted Saturday afternoon: Top Five What-Ifs. We list five business-changing events or decisions and discuss what would happen if that moment or event DIDN'T happen, or if it happened in a different way. We recorded Thursday night, and it was probably one of the most fun discussions we've had on the show.

Caldwell: That leaves a lot of room for discussion, so I'm sure it was quite lively! It's interesting you guys tackled that topic because we received an interesting phone call on Thursday's Livecast on a what-if situation - what if Rock were not around for the past year building to Mania or if he perhaps came back around 3-6 months before Mania to set up the main event with Cena? How different would the past year have been and how different would the current main event scene be post-WM28? I thought that was really intriguing and I may blog about it with my thoughts more fleshed out.

Parks: Yeah, that would've been right up our alley as far as what we discussed. It didn't make any of our top fives, but I think it would make a great blog post, James!

Caldwell: I definitely like the idea! I don't want it to seem like fantasy booking - I called it Alternative Universe Booking on the Livecast - so I have to figure out how to analyze different circumstances and how it may have played out. Hopefully I'll tackle that this coming week! Greg, as always, great Chatting with you, and now we can get some rest before Rounds 4-7 of the NFL Draft, then look ahead to a post-PPV Livecast Sunday night. I'm sure we'll have lots to discuss then.

Parks: I hope so...would hate to have a boring post-show Livecast!

Caldwell: At the very least, I'm sure the PPV crowd will give us an interesting discussion!

Parks: True on that. Good chatting as always, James!

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