Backlash is almost upon us, and the G5 panel discuss the card thus far - will it outshine WrestleMania? Does it even need to try very hard?

"The Animal" Batista is back, storming to the side of his old friend (and sometimes foe) Triple H. We take a look at the impact his return has had.

This week we're joined by Survivor and TNA star, Johnny Fairplay. Johnny appeared as a guest commentator for IPW at the Christchurch and Wellington Armageddon shows this year, and we welcome him onto the panel as our special guest this week.

1) What are your thoughts on the Backlash card for this year? Will this be better than WrestleMania XXV? Are you expecting significant pay-offs?

Johnny:
Backlash is a throwaway ppv and this year is no different. This will NOT be better than WrestleMania and it shouldn't be. We should get Orton with the belt following the ppv, but only because HHH would do the job three times in a row at 'Mania. It also wouldn't be a bad idea to get the other belt off Cena and on Edge to have a champ on both shows.

Kirsty:
Not much on there so far. I'm a bit confused as to what's happening with the WWE Championship after Triple H's "no DQ's, no count-outs, no titles" rant on SmackDown. Are we still getting a 6-man tag? Is the title on the line? Will these questions have been answered by the time this is published? Probably.

Looking forward to Jeff vs. Matt II. After Matt was drafted I feared the Hardy feud had come to an abrupt end; I'm glad to see this is not the case. Here's hoping they improve on their WrestleMania match.

Simon:
Well I'm looking forward to it, Cena and Edge go hard and will be better off without Big Show and the triple threat stipulation. Matt and Jeff will be fab - their stretcher match on a recent SmackDown episode was fun. And though I'm not too psyched about the six-man-tag it is at least something different. I couldn't have been more underwhelmed by WrestleMania so I reckon this could be okay.

Dion:
I love Backlash. Loose ends tied up from 'Mania are always welcomed, and I think the three World Championship matches should be great. Definitely a number of other matches of interest in there, but no, it will not be better than WrestleMania.

Matt:
Bring on the gimmick matches! One of the things that defined the Attitude era (my favourite time!) was that it was thick with gimmick matches, and I think mixing up cards with “entertainingly brutal” stipulations spices them up no end.

The only match I’m not too fussed about is the Triple Threat which, I think will only serve to dilute the Triple H/Orton feud (if the 'Mania result wasn’t dud enough) and will do little for Orton and DiBiase in the long run (Cody is probably just happy to be booked!).

I’m liking DiBiase in singles and he needs to step out, and soon!

I think it will be better than 'Mania (if not just because Kid Rock isn’t on the card). Pretty sad when a 'Mania seems like a dress rehearsal but I think, as long as the general vibe in the locker room was that 'Mania was a stinker, and the wrong needs a righting, then hopefully all involved will pull out all stops and redeem themselves.

Dayna:
Well seeing as I was at WrestleMania XXV I can't see how it could be better, but I always enjoy Backlash so I'm looking forward to a good show. Not sure about any pay-offs though.

Troy:
Well, it wouldn't take much to outdo the premature 25th anniversary of WrestleMania, would it? It's a low bar that's been set, and Backlash'd do well if it managed to scrape the top of its bonny little head on it.

I expect some spring cleaning in the world title department, but not much else.

David:
It'll have to struggle to be worse than WrestleMania. In all honesty, 'Mania wasn't as bad as I first thought it was, but I'm expecting big things from Backlash. Last Man Standing might very well be my favourite gimmick match so Cena vs. Edge should be off the hook! Hopefully Randy Orton gets his hands on the WWE title, too.

2) A lot of wrestlers get the heave-ho when they least expect it but fans are not surprised. Who stands out for you as the most unlucky and/or unlikely in recent times to be told the equivalent of "creative has nothing for you" when you personally expected/predicted big things from that player given the chance?

Johnny:
I wouldn't be surprised to see both The Brian Kendrick and Hurricane Helms to both get "wished well in their future endeavors" in the next couple of months. Also Jesse Dalton of Biscuits and Gravy is definitely on borrowed time!

Kirsty:
Definitely Victoria. The way she was used leading up to her release was just criminal. I don't know if it counts since she asked for the release herself, but I'm sure she wouldn't have (going by what she said in her blog) had she been used properly. They took one of the greatest women's wrestlers of modern times and turned her into joke.

Otherwise, I was surprised to see Ken Doane, aka Kenny Dykstra, let go. I don't think his potential was even minimally tapped.

Simon:
There's always a few - I don't know why they don't keep the roster/s leaner; everyone is interchangeable between the brands but I agree that Victoria was a waste and could have provided more as a teacher/mentor and as a serious in-ring worker. But she released herself - obviously due to those frustrations. I can't see a lot of the current younger names lasting for too long, and The Brian Kendrick is basically treading water. There's been no real reason for Hurricane Helms to come back and Dolph Ziggler??

Dion:
I too was thinking the other day that Brian Kendrick must be close to being on his way out. And possibly Tommy Dreamer, as well. I don't think he has much "drawing power" nowadays, and I'm not sure how many fans are buying into the last ECW Original. I was surprised that Manu was shown the door so quickly after becoming a part of Legacy.

Matt:
The use of Jericho at the moment still bothers me. The dude is money, has paid his dues, and deserves to be in the championship mix. Don’t get me wrong, the legends saga was entertaining, but I’d expect better use of him in the upper echelons of the E.

I know Lashley probably left due to reasons “other than creative” (yeah… creative peeing in the cup!) but I’m still surprised WWE didn’t stick it out with him as he was building to be quite the talent. They might kick themselves now that TNA has a hold of him… but then again, isn’t that where all the “wellness” casualties end up? One less death on the WWE roster down the line, I guess they've surmised?

Dayna:
I don't know that I expected big things from him but I did like Trevor Murdoch, thought he was different from the typical vanilla wrestler's churned out these days. He was good in the ring, good on the mic and I was disappointed to see him go.

Troy:
Hmm... nobody. Maybe nothing surprises me anymore. Kennedy's on borrowed time, though.

David:
Elijah Burke's the first name that comes to my mind. He had in ring skills, no doubt, and he wasn't half bad on the microphone, whether cutting promos or stepping into a commentary position on a few episodes of ECW. I was also a big fan of Kenny Dykstra's before he got shipped back to OVW and then released. Thanks a lot, DX.

3) You have to pick one wrestler that would explain your infatuation with wrestling at any one given time. You have about 4 sentences you are allowed to write to explain why they are so important and why they sum up YOUR interest in wrestling. You are doing this for a non-believer. What wrestler do you pick? And what do you write?

Johnny:
Roddy Piper was the greatest heel in the history of wrestling. He had promo skills that have rarely, if ever, been matched by any other wrestler. Flair was great but he essentially said the same thing every interview. Roddy would improvise and be totally believable in what he said to even the biggest opponent. All the while backing it up with a move-set consisting of the punch, the kick and the eye rake. No one in the history of the business created more genuine hatred than Roddy in his heyday. I also named my daughter Piper as a result!

Kirsty:
I know that everyone's expecting me to say Bret Hart, and to be honest his was the first name that popped into my mind, but on reflection I'd have to say Hulk Hogan. On equal footing is The Rock and Stone Cold, but since we have to pick just one, I'd have to go with the Hulkster because he was the guy that turned wrestling on it's head and helped it give birth to "sports entertainment." He looked incredible - he was amazingly distinctive - with absolutely untouchable mike skills and bucketloads of charisma. He proved himself absolutely when he turned heel; not only was the idea of the Hulkster as a bad guy unthinkable, but actually pulling it off seemed impossible and yet - he did it. He rode the crest of pro-wrestling as it washed into the mainstream consciousness, dominating the two biggest promotions of the 20th century with the craze of Hulkamania. His wrestling skills were limited but he made the most of his repertoire, and what he lacked in technical expertise he made up for with stellar storytelling abilities and ring psychology, an unerring talent for reading the crowd and playing to it. He was always the most dominant presence of any ring he stood in.

Simon:
I could never begin to explain what was so special about seeing George "The Animal" Steele - but he really was special. Here was a guy with all over hair except for on his head, a green tongue, a penchant for eating turnbuckles (literally) and a soft-toy that he carried, and licked, called "Mine". This was not something to ever find in boxing, MMA, bare-knuckling brawling, or for that matter the movies. And yet it is something that could only come from a combination of all of that.

Dion:
The Rock had it all. The ability to hold 20,000 people in the palm of his hand with his athleticism, his charisma and his "mic work". He was a truly magnetic performer. Fans couldn't help but be drawn in whenever The Rock was on screen, and his mainstream media success proves further what a talent he is.

Matt:
Mick Foley was an ordinary dude, from an ordinary background, who grew up watching and wanting to be a professional wrestler and who persevered with attaining his dream.

In a long journey to the top he had two thirds of his ear ripped off, eight concussions, two broken noses, broken jaw, dislocated left shoulder, fractured left shoulder, broken left thumb, five broken ribs, bruised kidneys, broken toe, blown his knee, torn his ab muscles, broken his wrist, herniated two discs in his spinal column, separated his right shoulder, broken his cheekbone, had his teeth smashed out and received no fewer than 400 stitches (and counting) but he never gave up and always gave his all for the entertainment of others.

In 2000, his body broken, he retired at the age of 34, yet was unable to stay away from the business he loved so much and, as part of an elongated comeback, this week captured the TNA world title around about ten years since his last major title.

Professional wrestling is a sport of dreams and there are hundreds of stories like Mick Foley's to explore, to inspire, to entertain and to serve as examples of the amazing ability of human beings to do absolutely insane shit in the name of entertaining the masses and blaze their trails in history!

Dayna:
Editor's note: Since Dayna left this one out, she will of course be stripped naked, covered with honey and flung into a pit of bears.

Troy:
Take a completely unbelievable character, like a dead-zombie-ghoul-type. Now watch him wow audiences for twenty years, and though he mightn't have made the unbelievable believable, he made it extremely entertaining. That's the Undertaker. That's pro wrestling.

David:
Kurt Angle. He's the total package when it comes to wrestling, combining aspects from its sporting side (as a legitimate Olympic gold medallist) with the entertainment side flawlessly. He's been wrestling match of the year contenders since I first started watching wrestling in late 2000, and can have an entire arena hanging off his every word when he's on the microphone. Intensity, Integrity, Intelligence - it's more than just a gimmick.

4) What were your thoughts on the WWE's most recent draft shake up? Good results? Indifferent? Were you particularly disappointed one key change didn't happen? Did you think it was all pretty obvious and straight forward?

Johnny:
Seemed to be one of the most meaningless drafts thus far. With the declining number of affiliates in the US for MyNetwork TV (the carrier of SmackDown in the US), it seemed logical that most of the talent would be moved to RAW. Also the move of Mysterio to SmackDown was logical as MyNetwork TV has a large Hispanic base in the US. And Rey on RAW was a failed experiment at best. I was disappointed in the split of Miz and Morrison but was not surprised.

Kirsty:
Well, for purely selfish reasons I'm glad to see Trips drafted to RAW, because I'm keen to see him live in July - IF he makes the trip out here. On the flip side I was disappointed to see Jericho shift to SmackDown because I was very much looking forward to seeing him.

I guess I thought Edge would head the way of RAW, but since he's not, I'm wondering if the angle with Vickie is now concluded and will be quite relieved if that's the case, as I reckon they have squeezed all they can out of that.

I don't think the draft was anything very earthshaking. I much preferred the way they did it in 2005, teasing it out over several weeks, making a bigger deal out of it.

Simon:
Meh. They move them all around as it suits anyway... so... what's the point? I am pleased Morrison's going solo - I expect Miz to get his marching orders soon enough. And that'll be good too.

Dion:
Indifferent to be honest. I was just hoping Cena or HBK wouldn't get drafted to SmackDown so that we can see them (hopefully) down here in July!

Matt:
I think they’re ready for a unified title, and having both world champs on the one roster would make it easy peasy to do! Break down the “brand” walls some more, and get back to open slather between wrestlers across the rosters? This would certainly give Creative a little more freedom.

Dayna:
I think most of the pics were fairly obvious, no real "WOW" picks, but they should mix things up again on the shows and that's always nice.

Troy:
Triple H went to RAW, so I got what I wanted. The breakup of Miz and Morrison was imminent, so I'm not too bothered. Overall, probably the safest and most logical draft yet. That doesn't make it exciting, though. Only a blind man couldn't have called these.

David:
Looking at it objectively, ECW got screwed while SmackDown didn't do much better. From the perspective of someone who's very much looking forward to seeing the RAW Superstars at the Vector Arena later this year though, it was awesome. John Cena, Triple H and Shawn Michaels all on the same brand? Yes please! I was hoping Maria might get shifted during the supplemental draft though...

5) 12 Rounds is not rating well. Do you think it's good or bad? Or are you indifferent to seeing it? And how do you think it rates against other WWE films?

Johnny:
I don't expect a lot in terms of substance when it comes to WWE Films. Most revenue from any of these ventures is more long term by way of DVD sales and rentals. With that being the business model, 12 Rounds will be as successful as initially planned, but about 6 months down the road.

Kirsty:
I haven't seen it yet. I want to see it, but not badly enough to warrant forking out for the cinema, 'cause it's just too bloody expensive these days, especially since we have a kick-arse home entertainment system. So I'll be waiting till it comes out on DVD, and yes, I'm looking forward to that.

It really wouldn't take much to top The Marine, although The Condemned wasn't toooooo bad... and we won't even go there with See No Evil.

Simon:
It was a silly bit of fun - and so far that is more than WWE Films have been able to create. Johnny is right in that it doesn't matter how these films do at the box-office so much as they make their return on DVD. I really don't know why they don't just make straight-to-DVD films their focus; the audience base is there - have some fun with it. 12 Rounds probably suffered from being released in a year that has seen The Wrestler - which will be the only film with a wrestling connection that needs to be made (and seen) anytime soon...

Dion:
I really enjoyed the film. I thought it and The Condemned are the two best movies to come out of WWE Films. You'd think with the massive support the E has worldwide, and the mainstream media attention Cena has gotten over the years, that the film would be doing well at the box office.

Matt:
You’re talking to a guy who won’t waste money on The Marine, even though it is in the budget bins of most DVD retailers and Two Dollar Shops... ain’t no way I’m splurging $16.50 AUS on seeing Cena on the big screen!

Dayna:
I'm indifferent to seeing it, and as I haven't seen it, I can't rate it.

Troy:
I can't let an action flick go without seeing it, but I'm not really excited about it. Kinda sums up how I feel about WWE Films in general.

David:
I haven't been to see it yet, 'cause I haven't found anyone to accompany me to the movies (e-mail if you're interested!) but I'm looking forward to eventually watching it. I liked The Marine and The Condemned, so I imagine it'll be enjoyable enough. Who cares about ratings, anyway?