Chris Shore and Marvin Hermanstyne hang out around the Dot Net water cooler and discuss the topics of the week. Today, they discuss Wrestlemania 26, Shawn Michaels retirement, TNA Impact's 0.6 rating, and NXT.

Shore: What a week we have had, hey Marv? Wrestlemania 26 was a newsworthy show, coupled with the retirement of Shawn Michaels, the dreadful 0.6 rating TNA did this week, and new stipulations on NXT…I'm exhausted! There has been a ton, but let's start with the obvious. I had the opportunity to share my thoughts on Mania in the first ever Dot Net Triple Threat Audio. So I give you free reign here. What did you think of Wrestlemania 26?

Marv: WM 26 was a newsworthy show because we saw the retirement of a legend, a WWE title change that disappointed me and a surprise MITB winner (well to most people). Overall, the show gets a 7 because there were some flaws that I am happy to go over. Number one, Punk and Mysterio wasn't as long and the wrong guy won which was a eye roller because I like this feud on SD. Secondly, the Divas match that I told you would bomb actually did so. If WWE actually listens to me for a change, we wouldn't have to go the bathroom as often. Next, Hunter and Sheamus was a decent match, but AGAIN the wrong guy went over in this match. And lastly, the Atomic Bomb of the show was Bret and Vince. Like the Miz said on Raw this past week, this was glorified 25 on 1 squash match that watered down the overall feud and bored me to tears. Otherwise, everything else on the card was decent. The tag title match, eh...I'm not gonna be brutal today.

Shore: Sounds like you were unhappy about a lot of things on the show. I was a little higher on the show than you. I gave it an 8. Let's talk about what you liked though. Other than Michaels and Undertaker, which we will get to, what was the best part of the show for you?

Marv: Well, the world title match was decent and could have been better if the word spear wasn't used every 0.5 seconds. I would like to see this feud stretch out, but one of these guys will get drafted so the blowoff will be at Extreme Rules. The MITB was a cool match with the numerous spots and I actually enjoyed the match. It wasn’t the best MITB match, but it was entertaining. A lot of people are groaning about the result, but I'm actually happy for Swagger because of my high confidence pick. I got flooded with emails about putting him over Kingston and others and I always reiterate, I don't go with the majority vote. If I did that when it came to wrestling, WWE would be lowering my intelligence. The result should elevate Swagger and hopefully they can push him and don't treat him like a transitional champion.

Shore: I agree with most everything here. I thought the world title match was better than decent. They had to follow that awful Vince vs. Bret match so it was a slow build. By the end though, they were white hot. And the spear through the retaining wall was a nice touch, though I'm sure Jericho's back would disagree. I picked Kofi to win Money in the Bank, but it was more of a guess than anything. I think Swagger winning was good, if very unexpected. Remember, this guy job to Santino Marella like 45 minutes ago so I didn't expect him to be to one the company got behind. He's earned it, no doubt. But it just felt rushed and odd. We will see how it plays out. On the flip side, I want to ask about Vince and Bret for just a moment. This had all the potential in the world and then stunk up the joint. I'm not even sure the Divas match was worse than this. What do you think happened with this match? Where did it go off the rails?

Marv: Both of these guys are a combined 110 years old. Bret being so limited on what he can do and Vince being in his early sixties did us no favors. This match actually went the way I predicted it to. I wasn't high on the match in the first place because the buildup for this was mediocre at best. It became predictable when the zillion and one Harts came out and this was a 12 minute squash match to kill off the Mr. McMahon character.

Shore: Yeah, the Hart family coming out was a dead giveaway. I didn't expect this match to be a classic by any means. But you would think a guy like Bret, who has put on some great matches and understands the psychology of the ring, would have objected to 15 minutes of ass kicking. It just dragged on and on. And then the chair...awful. This, for me, was the single most disappointing part of the show. OK, let's switch gears from that pile of manure to the main event, and the fall out the next night. As everyone knows now, the Undertaker pinned Shawn Michaels--with a jumping tombstone no less--to go to 18-0 at Wrestlemania, and end HBK's career. Shawn left the stage gracefully at the end of Mania, and then came out on Raw to issue his farewell speech. There's two or three things here I want to get your opinion on, so let’s start with this: Did you think Shawn was really going to hang them up?

Marv: Like I mentioned weeks ago, the loser of this match would essentially retire for real. HBK has nothing else to prove in the WWE, he's a shoe in for the HOF and would be in my upper top 10 wrestlers of all time. It’s sad to see him go, but the time is now to relax and focus on the family. I do think his retirement is legit, but then again the word "retirement" looks like an overstatement because guys...cough cough...Ric Flair doesn't know when the hell to go away after that sendoff at Mania 24.

Shore: I have to admit, I never thought he would go out like this. I thought he would announce the date and go to that date and maybe go out with a win. I really did. I'm happy that he went out the way he wanted, but it just goes to show that we don't always know these guys like we think we do. What did you think of his farewell address, and specifically about his, "try my hardest" statement about returning to the ring?

Marv: His speech was sincere and concise which was good for this viewer. He may have an itching to come back when it comes to the "try my hardest", but I sincerely thinks he's done. I would appreciate that he honors the retirement and stop making it a joke. His legacy is already established; don't damage it by making a comeback which is not necessary.

Shore: Last question on this then, does he hurt his legacy by ever coming back, or only if he comes back for an extended run. For example, can he compete in the Royal Rumble, or do a one-off DX match, or something to that extent without damaging his legacy? Or does he have to stay away from wrestling forever to satisfy you?

Marv: Not to sound overly heelish, but if you are going to retire, honor your commitment. I love sports and sports entertainment with a passion but it really grinds my gears when athletes retire and after they get bored at home, they come back and damage their legacy. Nothing wrong with a non-wrestling appearance, but stay the hell away from competing. People can spare me the emails, but that's my personal opinion.

Shore: I think it's fair. I personally wouldn't care if he did two or three more matches somewhere down the road, but I understand why you would. One thing HBK did on his way out the door was completely bury TNA. Everyone tuned into Raw to see HBK's farewell speech and left TNA floundering with a 0.6 rating. I don't think Spike or TNA are going to freak out. Dixie Carter even joked that she was thankful Shawn could only retire once. But a 0.6? That's really bad. This coming week, TNA is starting Impact an hour earlier to keep from going head to head with the NCAA Championship game. Give me your thoughts on the 0.6 and on this earlier time slot.

Marv: This company is in some deep shit if you ask me. A 0.6 rating on a Monday night for any show should be eligible for cancellation. The segments and the suspect booking really has me scratching my head. They’re shoving people who we don't want to see, and the people that are over with the crowds on the regular are treated like another guy on the roster (i.e. RVD and Jeff Hardy). Face it, me and 99.9999999% of people think that Eric Young should be NOWHERE near the main event. Why the hell is this guy getting rammed down our throats every week? Why is The Band trying to do something that was cool 15 years ago? Why was it necessary for a first blood match involving the Knockouts? Why is Beer Money jobbing to freaking Black Machismo? Help me out here with this....

Shore: Yeah...you've come to the wrong guy looking for help on TNA. I can't watch it. I do, but I don't know how. I always walk away from TNA trying to figure out what hit me in the head for two straight hours. You mentioned what I thought were the two biggest problems this week. First, what purpose does a first blood Knockout's match have? Does anyone who really likes women's wrestling think this helps? There were a hundred other gimmick matches that would have been better than that. And why in the blue hell is Eric Young the guy? He's leading RVD and Jeff Hardy? Get out of here! I just don't know about TNA. They go up and down all the time. They need some stability, and quick. Do you think the earlier start time will help this week?

Marv: NO. Point blank, no. The final four will rape the ratings and TNA is going to continue to suffer. This Orlando Jordan angle is really going to be the knockout blow to this show. He's doing an act that makes him look like a Black Lady Gaga and I don't know what the hell Bischoff is thinking endorsing this bullshit. I really want to support this product but I'm ready to throw in the towel if Hogan's cronies keep messing with this show. The Nastys being gone is a start, but there are plenty of guys that need to be future endeavored ASAP. But enough about Crash TV on Spike TV, let’s focus on the first poll results of NXT. What are your overall thoughts on this?

Shore: Obviously, this is a work list. With that said, I think the most shocking thing is that Daniel Bryan is on top of the list. I think that's where he belongs, or at least battling for the top spot with Otunga. But they have played Bryan up as the underdog and have given him a losing record to support that idea. For him to be at the top was a little surprising given his storyline. I think it shows how high they are on Young by putting him last and giving him a storyline. I think six weeks from now is too long to have the first cut. But I also think I love the idea as a whole. It has added a new layer of story to the show, and ultimately makes it better. What about you?

Marv: This list is so atrocious, I don't even know where to start. Tarver should have been the dead weight of the class because he's so freaking garbage. The 1.9 shirts, the T for Turd shirt, and the bland ass personality does nothing for me. And with Daniel Byran being number one with a record equivalent to the New Jersey Nets shows that this list is indeed a work. Otunga being fifth was pathetic because he should have been no lower than three if you ask me. This list is all jumbled up if you ask me and waiting six weeks for a cut is not going to bring in more ratings. Sure the show is beating TNA Impact, but where are they really going with this show? Barrett and Gabriel can be stars, Otunga has the “it” factor and Bryan is the wrestling anchor but what about the other guys? Slater aka Christian Jr. does ZERO for me. The Black John Chaina needs to go right after Tarver. Skip Sheffield seems too redneckish and this show still needs work if you ask me.

Shore: Wow, we really are on opposite sides here. I think the show is fresh and exciting. I can't wait to see where they go each week, and I think most of the guys have real chances. I don't like Slater or Tarver, on that we agree. But I think Darren Young has real potential, and I think his drive to rise from the bottom will allow us to see what he's got. Sheffield is growing on me each week. I'm ambivalent on Justin Gabriel. And everybody else has star written all over them. Maybe not superstar, but solid mid-card guys at worst. What do you think about the winner getting a title shot?

Marv: It’s a good and bad thing. The good is that the winner will have a chance to spotlight at a PPV and could really begin to elevate their career. The bad to this is that it’s a 95 percent chance they will get fed to Cena and will be punished in mid-card hell once they make the main roster. If that's the plan to get fed to Cena, you might as well cancel the show and cut your losses. WWE doesn't need to piss off anymore viewers like they usually do on the regular. The ONLY result that may be a positive to be honest is if Byran wins NXT and beats the Miz to win the United States Championship. Otherwise, everyone else is Cena bait. Thoughts?

Shore: The Bryan/Miz angle intrigues me, but why would Bryan use it on Miz instead of a world champion. You are probably right though with that as the plan. I hope no one leaves this show to be Cena's next five minute squash, but someone probably will. Hopefully it's Tarver. Alright, last question: What do you think about Otunga hosting Raw this coming week? I think it could be a real win and bring some attention to NXT.

Marv: They picked a fine time to make Otunga the guest host when they are basically going against the National Championship game. The show is in Moline which is a couple of hours from Chicago, so he should get the hometown behind him. I want to give him some hope, but the corny ass writers are going to bury him. All Green M & M's??? REALLY? Sigh. If he is his normal self, he should be fine. I'm shocked they didn't ask Jennifer Hudson to join him because it will ensure that the Powell proclaimed "celebrity whore" Bella Twins won't be all over him. But as far as attention to the NXT class, it could help the ratings a bit. Especially if they put Young and Cena together to finally get the on air similarities. It would be better comedy than Hornswoggle...

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