LIVE Raw thoughts - March 31, 2014

11:06 - Really fun ending to Raw (and the right one, in my view).  And I have to say, I sorta like the differing ways that Orton and Batista are heeling it up and responding to Triple H.  Batista is the angry, entitled asshole.  Orton is the ass kissing, manipulative coward.  It's an effective way to make all four of these guys interesting in their various interactions.

10:55 - Certainly they have to have Bryan appear in this match, right?  I mean, WrestleMania is pretty much built around him and he gets the biggest reaction of the entire roster....they wouldn't be so foolish as to leave him off of the final Raw before WrestleMania, would they?

10:42 - I'm not even sure if Miz is supposed to be good or bad.

10:40 - Man, Piper has had that jacket since forever!

10:25 - Again, not surprised to see Roman Reigns win....but I am surprised that there was SUCH a significant difference between him and the other two Shield members.  I thought we'd more likely see something like 60% Reigns, 30% Rollins, 10% Ambrose.

10:18 - Upon checking out WWE Shop, I came across some pretty cool WWE Championship side plates for WrestleMania.  Another cool way to customize the WWE Championship:

http://shop.wwe.com/WrestleMania-30-WWE-Championship-Replica-Side-Plates/W06771,default,pd.html?dwvar_W06771_color=No%20Color&start=1&cgid=New

10:14 - I'm of course annoyed that AJ lost, but at the VERY least, it was due to some severe outside interference.  But still.

10:10 - I'll be rather disappointed if AJ loses here.

10:02 - I have to admit, the visual of Cena appearing behind them wearing the sheep mask was pretty cool.

9:47 - By the way, I fully expect Roman Reigns to win this poll and assume that Seth Rollins will come in second.  I am, however, extremely interested in seeing the exact numbers.  I think this could be telling.

9:39 - I'm looking at this match right now and wondering if Goldust and Cody Rhodes deserves better than the Andre battle royal.  But the fact of the matter is, unlike last year, there really aren't any guys in specific matches that don't deserve it.  Last year unproven guys like Big E and Fandango got WrestleMania matches while guys like Kofi Kingston, Zack Ryder, and ultimately the Miz did not (and the Bellas were scheduled to have a match while AJ and Kaitlyn were not).  This year, that really isn't the case.

9:05 - Pretty brilliant video, utilizing the names of people that fans have complained about.  Really missed out on using CM Punk, though.

8:59 - I've never watched an episode of How I Met Your Mother in my life, but the Twitter talk got me curious so I decided to see how it ended.  Back on Raw.  Triple H is talking.

8:49 - Good thing that the go-home Raw is focusing on Total Divas, instead of the Divas Championship.

8:29 - It's amazing how much momentum Big E has lost since winning the Intercontinental Championship.  Has the guy had ONE storyline since winning the title?  That's the problem with so many of these midcard wrestlers....they get no storylines.  They'll occasionally "feud" with somebody, but there's really no story behind it.  More times than not, it's that dreadful "challenger beats champion in a non-title match/tag team match" sequence that I detest.  But without a story, there's no real momentum.  Especially when you consider that half of these guys lose just as often as they win.

8:19 - Sounds like the WWE Championship match was booted off of the WrestleMania card and onto the pre-show.

8:15 - Eh, a bit of a lackluster opening.  And honestly, Undertaker didn't even do a great job of selling that F5.  He was rolling around with his eyes open.  Why not sell it like it killed him?  JBL talked about how if Lesnar hits that during the match, it's over.  But that's not the impression I got.  Yeah, Undertaker was beat up....but he still had some fight.  Give people the perception that an F5 ends this match, period.  They didn't get that message across.

8:04 - It's a bit odd, especially considering who he's up against, but is this the least interesting Undertaker WrestleMania match in, like, a decade?

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LIVE The Walking Dead thoughts - Episode 4-16

Be sure to click below for my LIVE thoughts on the season finale of The Walking Dead.  Obviously, spoilers are within.

Continue reading "LIVE The Walking Dead thoughts - Episode 4-16"....

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Legends of Wrestling

So I got a Roku last week and finally got around to setting it up (step one of four requires an HDMI cable....the one thing that isn't included!) and I absolutely love it.  I haven't had a single issue with the WWE Network, and with it now being on my TV instead of my laptop, I decided to browse around a little bit.  One of the things I decided to watch was the 2012 Legends of Wrestling episode discussing factions, which included the rather stacked panel of Mick Foley, Ric Flair, Tazz, and Jim Ross.  One of the interesting -- but not entirely surprising -- aspects of the show was how incredibly anti-nWo Ric Flair was (and, of course, excessively pro-Four Horsemen he was....to the extent that he would come close to arguing with anybody who left them off of their "favorite" list).  What I found particularly interesting was the fact that he went on and on about how nWo was made popular due to the fact that they were put over everybody and ended each show standing tall for two years, whereas the Four Horsemen (and Flair himself) NEVER won -- they always made their opponents look good.  Flair is NOT wrong in this regard, but it is a bit interesting to note that the man he's constantly talking up (Triple H) is just as guilty of that.  Flair referred to Triple H as a Hall of Famer and a man with a Hall of Fame career.  You'll never hear him say that he built that career by standing tall above the his opponents.

Just an observation.

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LIVE Raw thoughts - March 24, 2014

11:09 - I'll admit that I haven't caught Main Event or Smackdown, but have they even bothered explaining WHY these two want to fight each other?  We understand Brock's motivation, but what is Undertaker's?  He's the one who made the challenge.

11:02 - Brock Lesnar's high pitched yell is the worst thing he could possibly do.

10:50 - The Shield is quite possibly my favorite part about WWE right now.  I do think it's strange, though, that Rybaxel is getting the nod for the tag titles instead of the more over and more talented Real Americans.

10:47 - I've said it before and I'll say it again:  I'm thrilled that they've managed to put the spotlight on Seth Rollins.  Another great reason to keep them together -- they've found a formula to make stars out of all three of them.

10:29 - By the way, I think it was Alex Riley on the pre-show but I enjoyed the observation:  As the Shield has evolved, we've seen an evolution of their leadership as well.  Ambrose was the de facto leader when they debuted.  Then, when Roman Reigns experienced his surge of success, he seemed to take over as leader.  Now, we're seeing Seth Rollins take charge.  It's interesting, especially when you consider that the direction of the group varies depending on who is in the leadership role.

10:24 - While totally deserving, Scott Hall is a surprising entrant.  It's just surprising to see him go in before Kevin Nash.  While Hall is undoubtedly the more talented of the two, Nash had experienced more success in each of the promotions they've competed in.  I'd hate to sound skeptical, but I can't help but wonder if the timing of this is that Hall is currently clean and, well, alive.....and in a few years, one of those might not be true?  I have to say....seeing this thin, young, healthy looking Scott Hall is a little depressing, when you consider how he looks now.

Also odd that he's being inducted as Razor Ramon, with his most significant contribution to wrestling history -- the nWo -- being completely overlooked.

10:12 - "Hey, so we have an over Diva who is unique among the rest of the group and sells a bunch of merchandise!  She's also the longest running Divas Champion in history!"  "Let's job her."

10:10 - Fun visual of Cena tied up in the sheep mask.

10:00 - I'll admit I don't know a whole lot about Luke Harper, but this is a surprisingly good match!

9:38 - Remember my blog post about the Shield, which talked about tag teams that are broken up, only to do nothing with them?  See Titus and Darren Young.

9:31 - So wait, Miz is back to being a heel now?  Or is he going to do what he did a few months ago with Michael Strahan and just say he was joking and having fun?

9:27 - Arnold, that's just about the least flattering hairstyle you could possibly have if you have a receding hairline.

9:18 - Oddly, the Goldust/Cody mash up is the one joint theme I really don't like.  The two themes just don't go well together.

9:07 - Relatively inoffensive Triple H promo that actually built up the feud with Daniel Bryan and segued into the title match.  Part of what made it work is that Cole was there to remind the audience that Triple H is the villain, despite Triple H's semi-logical justifications behind his actions.

8:51 - With their black gear, Los Matadores REALLY are wearing El Matador's attire right now.  SEE

8:42 - Scooby Doo was my favorite cartoon growing up.  I'm legitimately excited about this cartoon.

8:34 - Well, I was right about one of the two people eating the pin....but at least the other option got to win the match.  And it WAS a really great match, too.  By the way, am I the only one disappointed with Big E's Intercontinental title reign?  Like, what has he actually done with the championship?  It seemed like it could be the beginning of a push.....but he hasn't really done anything.  He hasn't been dominant.  He hasn't been conniving.  He's just....there.

8:21 - Kinda love the fact that Alberto Del Rio didn't get a televised entrance but Dolph Ziggler did.  Also kinda love the fact that Sheamus and Alberto Del Rio have been relegated to #1 Contender to the Intercontinental Title status.  Don't very much like the fact that Christian or Dolph will probably be eating the pin here.

8:07 - In moderation (and that's an important qualifier) and when she's willing to act like a smarmy heel, the Stephanie McMahon character can work.

7:53 - Against all odds, I actually kinda like the card they're building for WrestleMania.  And I kinda like the character development we're seeing.  So, reluctantly, I allow my LIVE Raw thoughts to return to its usual blog title.  You're on thin ice, buddy, so be careful!  Here's hoping for (another) strong show.

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LIVE The Walking Dead thoughts - Episode 4-15

Be sure to click below for my LIVE thoughts on this week's episode of The Walking Dead.  Obviously, spoilers are within.

Continue reading "LIVE The Walking Dead thoughts - Episode 4-15"....

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The Shield: Why keeping them together is a good thing

One of the biggest news items from this past Raw was the apparent abandonment of the Shield breakup with their equally surprising face turn.  This had a lot of people scratching their heads, but personally, I think this is a great thing.  I had said this in the past during my LIVE Raw reviews, but I've REALLY started getting into the Shield as a unit now that they've all adopted their own looks and personalities.  For example, each person has their own unique spin on the tactical gear look.  Roman Reigns goes shirtless with the vest.  Dean Ambrose abandoned the vest altogether.  And Seth Rollins wears an athletic shirt (whether it's long sleeved or short sleeved) with gloves.  And they all have their own personalities - Reigns is the confident tough guy.  Ambrose is the crooked pot stirrer.  Rollins is the peace keeper that holds it all together.  They even have their own fighting styles, with Reigns being the powerhouse, Ambrose being the dirty fighter, and Rollins being the risk taker.  To have them go their separate ways now would actually hinder their individual growth.  As odd as it may seem, they're growing as individuals BECAUSE they're in a group.  We see three evolutions in one segment.

Perhaps even more importantly, despite WWE's struggle to push new stars....they've done a pretty phenomenal job of keeping the Shield strong for over a year now.  Until EACH member is strong enough to make a go at it alone, we're destined to see Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, and Roman Reigns turn into Justin Gabriel, Heath Slater, and Wade Barrett.

Trust me, I think the apparent reason why this team is being kept together is beyond strange (so the New Age Outlaws can wrestle them?!?!?!), keeping a team together after already building up their separation is not without precedence -- and it's perhaps the greatest tag team success story in WWE's history.  I'm talking, of course, about Edge and Christian.  Prior to WrestleMania 2000, WWE had already started planting the seeds behind Edge and Christian's break up.  Yet, inexplicably, they won the tag team titles at WrestleMania.  And the next night, they rechristened themselves with awesome new characters that turned both of them into massive stars.  The team wouldn't break up for another year or so, and during that time they won more championships than any tag team in the company's history.

And for that reason, keeping the Shield together a little longer might not be a bad thing.

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A Case of the.... Once Upon A Time - Midseason Review

This column is a long time coming, but with Once Upon A Time returning later tonight, I thought I should probably get on this and write my review of what we've seen so far (a whole lot of Neverland, for one).

There are two basic criticisms I've always had of Once Upon A Time, which does remain one of my favorite shows on television:  They don't seem to properly pace themselves with their stories, and they often tell us things instead of showing it.  Let's start with my first point.  In the first season alone, they went through two stories which, I believe anyway, could have carried them for years:  The fairy tale identity of the Sheriff, and the breaking of the curse.  Sheriff Graham, admittedly, probably wasn't a multi-year story, but in one episode they brought attention that we don't know who he is, told us who he is, and killed him off.  Friends of mine who watch the show would legitimately discuss who they thought he might be (my one friend -- a casual viewer at best -- correctly guessed that he was the Huntsman).  And while he was a relatively minor character, he stood out because nobody knew who he was (in promotional material, he appeared as the Sheriff in both "realities") and because we really didn't know his motivations given his feelings for Emma and his relationship with Regina.  But, like I said, they asked, answered, and wrote off the character and the mysteries involving him in one hour.

Likewise, I think they were a little too quick to break the curse.  I actually think they did a great job of building a new story and making the now knowledgeable characters interesting in their new landscape, but that IS a story that could have lasted longer.  Why not make Emma realize the truth, and struggle with having to convince Mary Margaret and David that she's their daughter, even though they're the same age?  Or have Emma struggle with the decision to even tell them that.  Mr. Gold was an immensely interesting character because we wondered if he actually remembered.  When we found out he did, he continued being a great character because he could stir the pot and manipulate situations, because he knew the truth.  Emma could have become a similar character, but on the side of good.  They probably could have continued the curse for another year or at least half of a season, with Emma and Henry now trying to break the curse for everybody.  

Again, I think they've done a great job with the stories they have written, but it feels very rushed.  It's sometimes hard for me to believe that this show is only in the middle of their third season, because so much has already happened.  In three and a half years they've broken the curse, returned to the Enchanted Forest, returned back to Storybrooke, gone to Neverland, returned to Storybrooke, negated the curse, and now returned back to the Enchanted Forest (with Emma and Henry having no memory of the past few years).  To give you perspective, at this point on Lost, we only just discovered what's going on with Desmond's visions and we still don't know what's going on with Jack and the Others at the barracks.  And Sawyer STILL hasn't figured out that Locke's dad is the man who is responsible for his parents' death -- a major character story point that most fans had pieced together and suspected seasons ago.  I'm not saying that Once has to go quite as slowly as Lost, but I think they could pace themselves a bit better.  I only say that because it seems like the show is constantly reinventing itself and, as a result, losing viewers.  These little "mini series stories" (Saving Henry against Pan, going against the Wicked Witch) doesn't seem to be attracting viewers as much as the original premise, which was fairy tale characters we all know and love (with a fun twist) living in a modern world where they don't know who they truly are.  Obviously the series needed to evolve (and I commend them for doing that proactively), but I think they rushed it a bit.

So, what does all of this have to do with the first half of this season?  For one, I think the audience had been trained to expect fast paced story arcs.  Instead, the Neverland story was slow.  Really slow.  For context, Snow and Emma were in the Enchanted Forest for, I believe, 8 episodes.  And those 8 episodes were supplemented by the characters in Storybrooke.  The characters were in Neverland for 10 episodes, and while that doesn't seem significantly more than 8, keep in mind that all expect for one of these episodes exclusively featured the Neverland cast.  And for many of these episodes, not a whole lot happened.  And because of the big reveal they made halfway through the story, we were forced to deal with that whole "we'll tell you, not show you" mentality they've gone with in the past.  We kept getting told that Mr. Gold was powerless against Pan, but we were never shown why (well, we were....and it was an awesome twist, but until then we were just scratching our heads).  Likewise, Regina kept saying stuff like "our magic doesn't work here."  Except when it did.  And I STILL don't quite understand what their limitations were in that regard.

But how about that twist?  It WAS pretty awesome and, in my opinion, really did help create a great deal of interest in the Peter Pan/Neverland story.  It made sense of prior actions and did a fantastic job of setting up Mr. Gold as a heroic and sympathetic character.  And ultimately, that's why I really did enjoy the season thus far....it's done a great job of evolving the characters and getting them to the place they needed to be at.  Shows like Heroes struggled with this....they couldn't allow the characters to evolve from bad to good (or vice versa) and as a result, they floundered and became frustrating.  Sylar would seem like he's turning good, then he's killing an innocent victim.  Then he's giving Claire advice on how to live a happy life.  Then he's killing again.  I'm thankful that Once has resisted this trap -- before the end of the midseason, whenever they turn Mr. Gold or Regina "good," it's always with limitations and a clear set of rules.  Mr. Gold has his loyalties to Bae and Belle.  Regina to Henry.  Everybody else is fair game.  But now they've finally taken that step towards making them genuinely good characters, and honestly it was the right move.  They're edgy characters that, at this point, people want to root for.  And the "flashback" aspect of the series allows them to not abandon their evil ways completely.  They can have their cake and eat it too in ways that Heroes could not.

So, yes, I quite enjoyed the "face turn" moments for Regina, Gold, and Hook, because it felt like the right time.  If you force certain characters to stay on a certain side, you just hamper their growth.  They had spent so much time building sympathy through generous flashbacks and they were doing increasingly selfless things in their current acts that to have them go back to the dark side would have set them back.  And, evident by the introduction of the Wicked Witch, there are certainly enough villainous characters to pull from that the series won't live or die on the idea of Regina being the Evil Queen.  And Regina's return to the light, where she selflessly gave up Henry and gave him and Emma the best gift she could (and the one that would hurt her the most) of happy memories that never involved Storybrooke was a sweet turn.

Hook's pathway to hero didn't involve the same fireworks, it as just a gradual turn that occurred throughout the season.  Motivations notwithstanding, he spent the entire season doing the right thing.  He saved Charming and he helped Henry, despite being the one person who had no relationship with him (ironically, he did it to honor his relationship with Neal....who would be his romantic competition).

And then there's Mr. Gold.  Is he actually dead?  My feeling is.....no.  He's WAY too fun of a character and the fact that all of these stories seem to tie to him makes me question why they would even want to remove him from the series (of course, Mr. Gold being dead and Rumpel appearing in flashbacks is always a possibility).  On top of that, he DOES appear in recent production images alongside the Wicked Witch (which, again, could be a flashback).  But, if he is dead, I'm glad he went out as a hero.  Doing something brave (since he was always called a coward) and selfless (since he was always in it for himself).  And he got to save the two people he loved the most -- his son, and Belle.  But I really do hope he's alive.

So there you have it.  I still wish they would have done a little more explaining through actions (again, what were the limitations of Regina and Gold's magic in Neverland?) but they did a great job of introducing new characters (Ariel!  Tinkerbell!) and they built some fun intrigue for the upcoming new episodes (will Regina and co retain all of their memories in the Enchanted Forest?  How will they acclimate to their familiar surroundings, with their new relationships?  How will this all tie into Oz?)  Like I said, it still remains one of my favorite shows and I'm looking forward to the new episode in an hour.

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Thursday Evening Laugh

One of my friends sent me this video, and it's absolutely hilarious. You don't even need to work in an office to appreciate it -- anybody who has used a public bathroom knows what this is talking about. And I just love the animation -- the guy (with LEGO hands) using the quote symbol and the motion he does when he says "flyby." Watch, laugh, and enjoy:

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LIVE thoughts on a frustrating show produced by a stubborn company - March 3, 2014

11:16 - Wow, I'm legitimately shocked that Punk didn't come out.....especially due to the forecasting done in the main event (unleashing Batista, Orton, Kane, AND Triple H against Bryan).  But I do commend WWE....they did a great job of teasing the fans with the possibility enough that the audience didn't completely devour the show.  If they ignored the elephant in the room, the crowd wouldn't have let ANYTHING pass.  Since they THOUGHT they were in on the joke, they played along to an extent.  And by the time it became obvious they weren't going to get what they wanted, the show was over.

The question remains, though:  If Punk ISN'T returning, what on earth is the plan for the WWE Championship match?  Batista vs. Orton would've been a disaster anyway, but now that it's heel vs. heel, it'll be impossible to do.  If they're not going to put Bryan in the match (and it appears they won't), who else is there?  Cena and Taker are already spoken for....what other legitimate face is there to fill that role, if not Punk?  And if Punk IS returning, why miss the opportunity of that monster reaction he'd get in Chicago?

10:57 - Something big is going to happen to close this show.  We're almost at 11:00 and the Batista/Bryan match still hasn't started.

10:43 - Kinda surprised by the innate negative reaction Cena is getting from this live crowd.  In character terms, he's done nothing but support people like Daniel Bryan.  And in actual match results, he's put him (and Punk) over clean.  And right now, his storyline does nothing to interfere with Punk or Bryan's ascension.  He's pretty much just doing his own thing with an upper midcarder.  Having said that, I do love the way Cena responds to a hostile audience.  Notice he hasn't yelled "Deal with it!" yet?

10:34 - Despite my negative history with Paul Bearer, the man is ABSOLUTELY worthy of a Hall of Fame induction.  A great induction for a great career.

10:27 - So Dolph Ziggler finally gets a win and they film Aaron Paul during the pinfall?

10:23 - Here's hoping the Aaron Paul attachment actually gives Ziggler the win here.  Am I dreaming?

10:06 - Remember when Vince McMahon used to stand on lower ground so that Andre Giant, who was legit 7' tall, would look even larger?  Now you have Stephanie McMahon wearing high heels when she's in the ring with Daniel Bryan.  What happened to trying to make your Superstars larger than life?  Why point out his "weakness"?

10:03 - Don't see many people with their backs to the ring right now.

10:00 - I'm surprised they're not closing the show with this match.

9:51 - So what's the plan?  Feature every Diva but the one that is, ya' know, over?  And the champion.

9:46 - By the way, I've said it before but I don't think it's fair for us to pick and choose which of the audience's chants are fair and which aren't.  Just because we agree with the sentiment doesn't make one right and the other wrong.  Shane Helms, for example, just tweeted "that isn't hijacking it's heckling."  Others are echoing the sentiment -- that Christian/Sheamus was a fine match and didn't deserve that treatment from the fans.  But who are we to make that judgment?  Why is it okay for people to chant for Daniel Bryan during a technically fine Cena/Orton match, but if we do it in a Christian/Sheamus match, it's disrespectful?

9:43 - Is there a more one sided feud than Christian/Sheamus?  I know the general feeling is that Christian is all but gone, but really, what good does this do?  Plus, heel Christian is AWESOME.

9:37 - Raw in Chicago is looking better than WrestleMania.

9:30 - What is with JBL's shots at Christian's physique?  He spends the first five minutes of this match talking about Christian flexing, and then the next portion talking about the size of Christian's pecs.

9:16 - I think WWE is greatly overestimating the audience's interest in this feud.

9:06 - An incredible and thrilling match that really highlighted the Shield, even in defeat.  Each member was spotlighted in a physical and on a character level.  Very intriguing stuff.  Loved the match.

8:53 - How did that landing not destroy Rollins' legs?  By the way, Rollins unfairly gets pigeonholed as the third wheel of the Shield, which is very unfair.  Each guy brings the goods in their own way.  It's nice to see him get some attention and the opportunity to be in the spotlight.

8:50 - I don't know why it took so long for them to start doing the "We're Here" portion of the Wyatt entrance live.

8:44 - It's interesting to see how this match was booked.  Cesaro absolutely dominated that (very brief) match.  I understand they're pushing Cesaro, but that did no favors for Big E.

8:37 - Great win for the Usos and well deserved!  Happy to see this team win the titles.  And my favorite part?  Oddly enough, that JBL called the victory before it actually happened.  How often do we see an announcer say "it's over!" which typically telegraphs a kickout or swerve?  It's good to see somebody say "it's over" and for it to actually end.

8:23 - Stop messing around and just give the titles to the Usos.  Do we REALLY need this extended into WrestleMania?  Like I said, there are a bunch of young, full time guys on the roster who have a lot of potential who are directionless when it comes to WrestleMania.  Why waste a spot on the Outlaws?

8:17 - Mark Henry is such a curious character.  On two separate occasions he has gotten over and found success as a bad ass.  And then within a few weeks of turning face, he becomes complete fodder.

8:08 - I'm guessing they wouldn't bring all of this attention to Punk if he wasn't there.  But Heyman is an interesting avatar.  Punk likely won't be working with him, so why have Heyman be the one to tease the crowd?

8:02 - You had to expect them to troll the Chicago audience like that, although I am a bit surprised they wasted that heat on Paul Heyman.

7:38 - Take note of my slightly more optimistic title.  The question is, what will stand out about tonight's show?  Will it be the surprise return of CM Punk?  Will it be the fans hijacking the show (in quite the organized manner, no less!)?  Will it be a surprisingly well booked show?  Will it be more of what we've seen the past year or so?  Honestly, I don't know.  But I will admit that I'm looking more forward to tonight's show than I have been in a while.  And that's something.

Now, regarding Punk's possible return.  I have to wonder, what happens if he does return?  Does he go up against Triple H -- the supposed man he was originally supposed to fight and the match he apparently did not want to do?  Or do they insert him in the title match, even though there's no real backstory behind that?  It seems unlikely he'd return to face Triple H (especially since they've already started building the Bryan/Triple H match), so the title match seems more likely.  How do they make that work, though?

Honestly, if the company didn't care so much about making sure Triple H has a match, why not do the thing most people want to see and that would make the most storyline sense, and that's Orton vs. Batista vs. Punk vs. Bryan in a title match?  I know that means Triple H won't have a match (but hey, the same will probably be said about Ziggler.  And Kingston.  And Miz.  And Barrett.  And loads of other young, full time talents), so that won't happen.

So....what do you guys think will happen?

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