Live from Buffalo, New York this is the Raw Deal for episode #1032. Follow me on Twitter @johnreport. This was written live on Monday night.
There were old school WWE graphics for this week’s Raw. Then as the show came on the air, the lights went off, the gong hit and there was The Undertaker in his traditional black outfit to begin the show. Huge reaction to the WWE legend.
Mean Gene Okerlund narrated a video package that mentioned there would be superstars from the past and present as clips of many WWE performers aired.
The old Monday Night Raw theme song played. Undertaker was gone. Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler welcomed us to the show. Cole was wearing an old tan colored blazer while Lawler was in his old red King costume. The old announce table was there too. The old Raw logo was by the entrance and there was no ramp.
CM Punk entered the arena along with Paul Heyman. He complained about not being in the main event of WrestleMania. He blamed the fans for it. Punk said he had no reason to be at WrestleMania, but then after seeing what he just saw he had an idea. Punk challenged The Undertaker at WrestleMania. The crowd loved that idea. Punk talked about his 434 day WWE Title reign and how it was more impressive than 20-0 for the Undertaker at WrestleMania. Punk gave us another number: 20-1. “At WrestleMania I beat the streak – deal with it.”
Randy Orton’s music started up. He mentioned that he’s already beat Punk at WrestleMania and that he faced Undertaker at the show before. Orton talked about being a rookie that came “this close” to beating Undertaker. Orton called himself the most dangerous man in the locker room. Not really. Orton got into the ring. He asked the WWE Universe who they’d rather see face Undertaker at WrestleMania. The crowd cheered. He said Punk’s name and then his – more cheers for Orton’s name of course since he’s the babyface.
Big Show was the next man out as he walked down to the ring. Show questioned why they thought they could beat Undertaker at WrestleMania. He talked about facing Undertaker at WrestleMania in the past (he did in a tag match). Show mentioned that back then he didn’t have his KO Punch. Show said he’s going to knock that 20-0 Undertaker streak right into oblivion.
Promo time continued with Sheamus entering the building. Sheamus mentioned that he’s the only one out of the four that has never faced Undertaker. That’s true because Punk did have a feud with Undertaker in 2009. He claimed that he had what it took to beat the Undertaker because when you have the luck of the Irish on your side anything is possible.
Raw Managing Supervisor Vickie Guerrero stood by the entrance. She put them in a fatal four way. The winner of that match will face The Undertaker at WrestleMania.
Analysis: For those that think facing Undertaker at WrestleMania is more important than a title shot there ya go. That segment made it seem like facing Undertaker was like getting a title shot. It’s fine by me. I just thought they should have done something where Undertaker was in the ring and all of these guys challenged him. At least that way it makes it seem like he’s involved. Having Vickie go out there to book a match on his behalf is a bit weird. Punk’s promo was the best part of that segment.
Later on Raw it’s a Rock/Cena point-counterpoint and also Triple H addresses Brock Lesnar.
(Commercial)
The US Champ Antonio Cesaro was in the ring. We heard a pre-recorded promo of him talking trash about Ryback. Ring announcer Justin Roberts is wearing a baby blue colored suit. That is very old school.
Ryback vs. Antonio Cesaro
Cesaro’s US Title is not on the line. Ryback overpowered him early and hit a delayed suplex. Cesaro was wearing some old school blue tights for this match. Cesaro tried to break free, but then Ryback gave him a Gorilla Press slam. Ryback gave Cesaro a clothesline over the top to the floor. They fought on the apron as Cesaro threw Ryback into the ring post and then gave him a kick that sent him to the floor. Ryback went crashing into the steel barricade, which is old school. No security wall like usual. They went to break with Cesaro in control in the ring. No vintage floor to commercial spot.
(Commercial)
Back from break, Ryback hit a nice back body drop to regain the momentum. He followed that up with a spinebuster. Cesaro caught Ryback with an uppercut. He went for the Neutralizer, but Ryback countered with the Shellshocked for the victory after eight minutes.
Winner: Ryback
Analysis: *1/2 I’m not a fan of Cesaro losing non-title matches as often as he does. It should almost never happen. Ryback was impressive in his victory there. The match wasn’t split up very well because we only saw about one minute of action after the break.
After Ryback beat Cesaro, Mark Henry confronted him. That’s a probable WrestleMania match. They could do a big spot at WM with Ryback hitting his finisher on Mark. Henry just walked by him on his way to the ring.
Mark Henry vs. Zack Ryder
Ryder had some brief offense, but if you sneezed you may have missed it. Henry hit a clothesline early on. He followed it up with the World’s Strongest Slam. The match went about one minute.
Winner: Mark Henry
Analysis: It was a very short squash match. It’s rare to see two matches completed in one segment without a commercial, but that’s why you have a short match in that situation.
There was a brief Fandango video that is similar to what we’ve seen in the past. It said that he premieres on Raw. He was supposed to on Smackdown, but he didn’t like how Matt Striker pronounced his name.
(Commercial)
The Miz and Dolph Ziggler were already in the ring. Ziggler has AJ Lee and Big E Langston in his corner. The Miz introduced somebody to be in his corner. Wooo! Ric Flair! Huge reaction for the Nature Boy as the announcers continue to push the idea of Flair as the mentor of The Miz.
Dolph Ziggler (w/AJ Lee & Big E Langston) vs. The Miz (w/Ric Flair)
It’s the Battle of Cleveland as Ziggler hit Miz with a few chops in the corner. Miz came back with a running high knee followed by a boot to the face. Ziggler got knocked out to the floor. Flair jumped on the apron to do some dancing. They went to break with Ziggler on the floor for the vintage floor to commercial spot. You could say old school. I say vintage.
(Commercial)
Back from break, Ziggler hit a neckbreaker and then Ziggler did a handstand while applying a headlock on Miz. Miz came back with his backbreaker/neckbreaker combo for a two count. Ziggler hit a surprising inside cradle for two. After Miz tried to go after the knee, Ziggler came back with a leaping DDT for two. Ziggler applied the sleeper hold. Miz came back with his corner clothesline. Miz hit a double axehandle. AJ Lee went on the apron, the ref went after her and then Big E knocked Miz down. Flair went after Langston, but his offense didn’t have any impact on Langston. Back in the ring, Miz countered a Ziggler dropkick into the Figure Four, which he applied correctly. Ziggler tapped out to lose. The match went about ten minutes.
Winner: The Miz
Post match, Flair did a face first bump followed by an elbow drop because he’s crazy, old and possibly drunk. Have to love Flair.
Analysis: ** It was okay. They did a decent job of building up the finish although it was nothing that special. It’s a shame that Ziggler has gone from a guy that was a featured player that got a lot of promo time to end 2012 and begin 2013, yet now he loses matches all the time while barely getting a chance to talk. I realize that for this show they just booked it this way since it’s Old School Raw with a babyface feel to it, but I think a guy like Ziggler should go over Miz in this match. Right now I have no idea what Ziggler is doing at WrestleMania and that’s a damn shame because he should be in a high profile match.
Up next is the John Cena point/counterpoint with The Rock.
(Commercial)
Point/Counterpoint with The Rock and John Cena
The building just went crazy as The Rock’s music hit and the WWE Champion made his way down to the ring with the new WWE Title. The ovation for The Rock was very loud as expected. I can definitely get used to the look of the new WWE Title.
The Rock got the crowd fired up by telling a woman at the airport that he didn’t need a jacket. It didn’t matter what her name was. Then The Rock’s plane landed in Buffalo. He said it was cold there and he had icicles on his nipples. But he was okay with it because after ten long years “finally The Rock has come back to Buffalo.” Just as The Rock was about to continue, John Cena’s music started up.
John Cena ran down to the ring because his time is now. He stared at the WrestleMania sign like the good employee that he is. Cena said 34 days until WrestleMania. He couldn’t wait to get out there. Cena talked about how Rock conquered the Attitude Era, conquered Hollywood and now he’s back as the WWE Champion. Cena said Rock doesn’t know what it’s like to fail. Cena mentioned that last year he said he needed to win that match and he failed. He spoke about how it made him feel worthless. Loud “Cena Sucks” chant. He talked about how it made him want to crawl into a hole and go away. Cena mentioned that right after WrestleMania his life was difficult both personally and professionally. That’s a divorce reference. Cena said that Rock was responsible for his collapse, but also for his turnaround. Cena said that it was a shot at redemption. He’s been gifted the second chance to right the biggest wrong of his life. Cena: “I am not throwing this chance away.”
The Rock said he was happy to see that fire and desire out of Cena. Rock said that the one man he wanted to face at WrestleMania was Cena. He knows that what this match means to Cena. Rock claimed that nobody in the locker room has Cena’s passion, fire or will to succeed. Nobody has that…except The Rock. As much as it matters to Cena, it matters so much more to Rock. Rock talked about how his connection with the fans matters to him so much. He said that in 34 days “you ain’t getting redemption jack, you’re getting your ass kicked.”
Cena brought up a quote from a great philosopher Mike Tyson. He mentioned Tyson saying “I’m gonna eat his children.” Cena was joking about that as his inspiring quote. Cena said that Tyson once said that in order to be the greatest one that has ever lived you have to beat everybody. He spoke about how he’s done everything in his career except beat The Rock. “At WrestleMania 29 your time is up. My time is now.” Just like his song. He’s so crafty.
The Rock told him that his time is just getting started. Rock had a quote: “Winning is about heart. You just have to have it in the right place.” He said the man that said that was Lance Armstrong, so Rock said “he was full of crap and so are you.” Haha wow that was good! Cena was confident in saying that he’s going to be the WWE Champion. Rock said that’s the biggest difference between them. Cena thinks he can beat Rock, but Rock KNOWS he can beat him.
Rock: “At WrestleMania 29 in front of the world I will beat you…again. If you smell what The Rock is cooking.” His music hit. That ended the point/counterpoint between the two of them. They had a long stare down with the WrestleMania sign in the background.
Analysis: If you’re wondering that was an 18 minute segment. Cena showed a lot of passion in that promo. I liked it a lot. Rock fired back with strong words of his own. Then they went back and forth a bit with each guy showing a lot of confidence. I’m glad that Cena didn’t bust out his bad comedy because it needed a serious tone. I thought they both did a good job of getting their points across. Could this feud work better if one was a heel? Probably. But I don’t think that’s going to happen. I’m not sure how they are going to handle the next four weeks of Raw before WrestleMania because there’s only so much they can say and do to build up to this match at WrestleMania 29.
(Commercial)
Michael Cole told us that Triple H returns to Raw tonight as well. Returns? He was on last week. Then we got a video of The Undertaker making his entrance at the start of the show. Then he left. Why work more than you have to?
Jack Swagger (w/Zeb Colter) vs. Hacksaw Jim Duggan (w/Sgt. Slaughter & Dusty Rhodes)
Nice reaction for Duggan, Slaughter & Rhodes. Loud “USA” chants. Slaughter & Rhodes work for WWE while Duggan shows up once in a while. Swagger immediately grabbed Duggan’s 2×4. Swagger hit Duggan in the ribs with the board. Then he hit Slaughter in the ribs with the board. Then he hit Rhodes with the 2×4 as well. He hit Slaughter in the back with the 2×4. Once he had them knocked down he applied the Patriot Act ankle lock on Duggan. He stared at the WrestleMania sign after it was over. There wasn’t even a match.
No Match Result
Analysis: I guess that’s a way to avoid putting an old guy in a match. He didn’t have to take any bumps aside from the 2×4 shot to the ribs. The point of the angle was to put over how serious Swagger is heading into his World Title shot at WrestleMania. The crowd hated him, so in that sense it worked.
Backstage, Kane & Daniel Bryan were walking to the ring for their match against the Prime Time Players.
(Commercial)
Backstage, Josh Mathews asked Jack Swagger why he was so disrespectful to the WWE legends. Before he could answer, Alberto Del Rio hit him from behind. Swagger went down, but then he went after Del Rio. Security guys pulled them apart.
Analysis: The babyface attacked the heel from behind? That’s a bit weird. They were separated before anything could happen.
They showed the “Million Dollar Man” Ted Dibiase at ringside watching the match. The reason is because Prime Time Players say “Millions of Dollars” a lot.
Team Hell No (Kane & Daniel Bryan) vs. Prime Time Players (Darren Young & Titus O’Neil)
This is non-title. Bryan hit a dropkick on Young. O’Neil tagged in and dropped Bryan with a hard clothesline. O’Neil gave Young a suplex onto Bryan’s chest. O’Neil missed a charge in the corner as Bryan broke free and brought in Kane. Kane nailed Young with a boot to the face followed by a seated dropkick. Corner clotheslines by Kane and then a sidewalk slam. O’Neil broke up the pin. Bryan took out O’Neil with the flying goat knee off the apron onto the floor. Back in the ring, Kane gave Young a Chokeslam. He covered for the victory after four minutes.
Winners: Kane & Daniel Bryan
Post match, Dibiase put a $100 bill into the mouth of Darren Young, which is what he did when he wrestled. Bryan went back to take the money.
Analysis: *1/2 It was a basic tag match where it didn’t feel like the champs would lose at any point of the match. I thought maybe they would lose to set up a title match at WrestleMania, but that’s not happening. As we would end up seeing, it was more about Dibiase showing that he’s really the man that’s about the millions of dollars.
Backstage, the Honky Tonk Man was shown backstage.
(Commercial)
It’s WrestleMania season, so what does everybody want? To relive their favorite WrestleMania moments. Last year I wrote about every WrestleMania. Every match. I covered it. You can check out my reviews of WrestleMania by clicking right here. You can also find it by clicking on the “WrestleMania Reviews” link on TJRWrestling.com any time you’re there. It was a lot of fun to write them and I hope you enjoy reading them.
Brodus Clay & Tensai made their entrance along with the Funkadactyls, who were dressed as cheerleaders complete with pompoms. The 3MB trio were already in the ring.
Honky Tonk Man was introduced as the greatest Intercontinental Champion of all-time. Cole mentioned he won the IC Title in Buffalo and he held it for 454 days. Heath Slater grabbed the microphone from HTM and told him they’re the singers in WWE. Slater told HTM to go back to Las Vegas with the other Elvis impersonators.
Brodus Clay & Tensai vs. Drew McIntyre & Heath Slater (w/Jinder Mahal)
Tensai rolled up McIntyre for a pinfall victory. The whole “match” lasted about 15 seconds.
Winners: Brodus Clay & Tensai
Post match, Honky Tonk Man called for his music so they could dance together. Heath Slater went into the ring to get in his face. HTM smashed his guitar on Slater’s head to knock him out.
Analysis: Yawn. The problem with writing about Raw live is I can’t fast forward through a segment like that.
Up next it’s Kofi Kingston vs. Fandango, who is making his Raw debut.
(Commercial)
There were clips of Wade Barrett at the premiere of the movie “Dead Man Down” in Los Angeles. We saw some clips of Barrett in the film, but he did not have a major role. It stars Colin Farrell and Terence Howard. It opens in theaters this Friday.
Kofi Kingston was in the ring. Fandango made his entrance. He used to be billed as Johnny Curtis, who was a former NXT winner. He had a dancer with him by the entrance. Fandango said he wouldn’t debut until Justin Roberts pronounced his name properly. He said it as Faaaan-daaaan-goooo. Roberts tried it again. Fandango said that everybody will remember this as the night that we almost got to see the debut of Fandango. Then he left. The crowd booed.
Analysis: On Smackdown we didn’t get his debut because Matt Striker didn’t get his name right in a backstage interview. Now this. So Fandango likes to troll people.
The last 30 minutes of this show were very painful. Up next is Triple H.
(Commercial)
As we hit the top of the third hour of the show, there was a video package of last week’s brawl between Triple H and Brock Lesnar.
Triple H made his entrance in jeans, a t-shirt and a leather jacket. No suit. He’s in fighting gear. The WWE COO got a very big reaction from the crowd. They were probably excited more than normal because the last three segments were pretty awful.
Hunter talked about the last time he was in the ring with a microphone was eight days after Summerslam. He mentioned that he thought he was done that night. He wasn’t sure if he was trying hard to convince himself or convince us. The second that his cast was off from the broken arm he was in the gym training every day. A few months later he thought he was in the best shape he’s been in for years. He was waiting for a reason and then he saw an old man in the hospital that just had hip surgery. He spoke about how his wife and kids were crying beside the old man in the hospital (that would be Vince). He was smiling at that moment because he knew he had a reason to return. When Lesnar came back last week he knew that was his moment. Hunter said they were just getting started.
Hunter stared at the WrestleMania sign. “Five weeks from the big dance. Here we go, Brock. I’m calling you out.” Hunter bragged about how last week he split Lesnar wide open. “WrestleMania let’s finish what we started. You and I. Because I’m back.” He continued: “The Game is back and he’s calling you out for WrestleMania.” He ended it with this: “Are you going to show up and fight or are you just going to sit there and bleed?” The camera was focused in on his face as he finished up with intensity. His music played and he left.
Analysis: Lesnar wasn’t booked for this show, so we’ll get that response next week most likely. This match was heavily rumored for WrestleMania since September. It didn’t surprise me. I doubt the fans in the arena were surprised by it either. It was an effective promo that got the point across. Next time we see Lesnar we’ll see if he responds. Of course he’ll say yes because Triple H busted him open last week, which is why it was smart to have Triple H win that battle a week ago.
(Commercial)
Back from break, there was a video response from The Shield earlier in the day. Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns talked to a handheld promo. Ambrose said Sheamus and Orton have forgotten something. Rollins mentioned that The Shield has yet to be beaten. They are 3-0. Reigns said that Big Show got one cheap shot, but that it will never happen again. They ended it by saying “believe in The Shield.”
Analysis: I’m not sure what they’re doing at WrestleMania yet, but I could see a six man tag match with them against Orton, Sheamus & Show even though Show is a heel right now. I’d prefer it if they don’t turn him face, though.
Alberto Del Rio (w/Ricardo Rodriguez) vs. Wade Barrett
Both are champions. Neither title is on the line. Jack Swagger and Zeb Colter showed up by the entrance to stare at Del Rio with angry faces. Barrett took control early on. They were fighting on the apron when Del Rio applied an armbar on Barrett by yanking it over the top rope. Barrett came back with a hard boot to the face. Following a series of knee strikes, Barrett hit a boot to the face. Barrett missed an elbow drop off the middle rope. Del Rio hit clotheslines followed by a tilt a whirl backbreaker. Side kick by Del Rio got the two count. Barrett tried to comeback, but Del Rio was able to counter him and applied the Cross Armbreaker to win the match via submission after five minutes.
Winner: Alberto Del Rio
Analysis: *1/2 It was another short match in a show that’s been full of them. It’s a shame that Barrett, just like Cesaro, loses as much as he does. These guys are holding titles and they lose non-title matches far too often. I know I say it nearly every week. You know why? Because it happens nearly every week. When they lose their titles it will mean nothing because we see them lose on a consistent basis all the time. As far as Del Rio vs. Swagger goes, this show didn’t do much in terms of advancing that storyline.
This week on Smackdown it’s Alberto Del Rio vs. Dolph Ziggler. Give them 15 minutes and it should be great. If you care about wins and losses then you can pencil in another loss for Ziggler.
(Commercial)
As we returned from break, there was a Zeb Colter promo with Jack Swagger called “Political Correctness.” Zeb complained about people who didn’t use the correct language. He said in Swagger’s America there will always be Americans who stand up for what their forefathers stood for.
Back to the arena…Oh you didn’t know?!?! Your ass better call somebody! It’s the Road Dogg Jesse James and the Bad Ass Billy Gunn. These days Dogg is a backstage agent and Gunn is a trainer at NXT developmental. Road Dogg did their classic spiel about how they’re the five time WWE tag team champions. He even said “Bad Ass” for Billy Gunn. I can remember in the past he would bleep out the “ass” part, so it’s nice that he said it. Gunn said they had two words for anybody not down with that…”suck it.” Their opponents are Primo & Epico, who were already at ringside.
New Age Outlaws (Road Dogg & Billy Gunn) vs. Primo & Epico (w/Rosa Mendes)
Dogg hit his shaky knee drop on Epico early on. Rosa looks wonderful at ringside. Crowd chanted “you still got it” after Dogg did about two moves. Easy to please. Primo distracted Dogg, so Epico got in a cheap shot and they isolated on Dogg. Epico hit an elbow drop slingshot style. Road Dogg broke free to tag in Gunn. Gunn hit a powerslam on Primo for two. Road Dogg took care of Epico, so Gunn hit a Fameasser to get the win on Primo. The match went three minutes.
Winners: New Age Outlaws
Analysis: * A feel good match to make the fans happy. Since the Outlaws are in their 40s they are not that old compared to some of the other legends on the show. They fit in better than most of them. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to give them a bit of a television run in the near future.
There was a video of The Rock’s promo with John Cena from earlier in the night.
(Commercial)
They aired some fan Tout videos about Undertaker returning. This is another time where I wish I had the fast forward button.
By the entrance there were several birthday cakes with the midcard performers standing around it. It said, “Happy 90th Birthday Mae Young.” Mean Gene walked out to introduce the oldest living member of the WWE Hall of Fame…Mae Young. The divas helped Mae walk out there. Everybody was singing “Happy Birthday” to Mae Young. CM Punk’s music hit and he entered the arena along with Paul Heyman. They walked right by the cakes.
Analysis: Awesome heel move. Loved it.
They went to break as CM Punk entered the ring to participate in the main event fatal four way match.
(Commercial)
It’s 34 days until WrestleMania. Four more episodes of Raw. Five more episodes of Smackdown. I went to the last two WrestleManias. I’m not going to this WrestleMania. Maybe next year in New Orleans.
With CM Punk already in the ring, Big Show was the next man to make his entrance. Randy Orton was next and Sheamus was last.
CM Punk (w/Paul Heyman) vs. Big Show vs. Randy Orton vs. Sheamus
Four way rules means all four guys can compete at the same time. First pinfall wins. Show was dominant early, but Orton was able to drive him into the steel post. Orton hit his backbreaker variation on Sheamus in the ring. Punk got a two count and then he went back outside the ring to avoid getting hit. Sheamus hit his Irish Curse backbreaker. Punk slid in for a two count. Orton and Sheamus threw Punk over the top to the floor. Show came back in the ring and punched Orton in the ribs followed by a chop to Sheamus. Why wouldn’t he do a KO Punch there? Because it was time for a commercial. That’s why.
(Commercial)
Back from break, Show and Sheamus were outside the ring lying down. We saw that Orton hit his off the ropes DDT on Show during the break. Punk sent Orton outside the ring. Sheamus came back in with a shoulderblock on Punk. Show came back in the ring with the Final Cut on Sheamus. Punk broke up the pinfall. He went after Show with kicks, but then Show knocked Punk out with the KO Punch. That meant Punk went to the floor as Show worked in the ring with Sheamus. Running knee lift by Sheamus followed by a forearm shot to the head. Show got the advantage again, but he missed a splash off the middle rope. Sheamus impressively connected with the White Noise on Show for a two count. Good nearfall right there.
Sheamus wanted the Brogue Kick, but Orton came back in to give him a powerslam. Show hit the Chokeslam on Orton. Show hit Chokeslam on Sheamus for two. That used to be Show’s finisher. Not anymore. He wanted the KO Punch. Sheamus ducked it and he gave Show a Brogue Kick that sent him out of the ring. Orton with a RKO on Sheamus. Punk slid back in the ring to deliver a roundhouse kick to Orton’s head and then the Go To Sleep. He covered Orton for the victory after 12 minutes.
Winner: CM Punk
Analysis: *** I’m not alone in saying that we expected CM Punk to win that match, but that didn’t hurt it. I liked how they set it up with each guy hitting their finishers in the final sequence. The story of the match was simple with Punk as the intelligent heel that was waiting for the right opportunity to strike and that’s the strategy that got him the victory in the end as well. Show looked dominant. Sheamus showed a lot of fire. Orton continues to look like somebody with no direction because of all the losses he has recently. Is the heel turn coming? It should happen soon.
With CM Punk celebrating in the ring the lights went out…GONG. The music started up. The Undertaker entered the building. He stared at CM Punk from the entrance as Cole mentioned it’s the 20-0 (at WrestleMania) Undertaker versus the longest reigning WWE Champion of the last 25 years in CM Punk. Punk was in the ring staring at him as the flames went off and Undertaker looked on while wearing his long black cloak that he’s famous for. That’s where the show ended.
Analysis: There are four more weeks of Raw before WrestleMania, so there will be plenty of time to properly build up their match. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens.
Three Stars of the Show
1. CM Punk
2. John Cena
3. The Rock
Welcome back Undertaker. Needed to do more to get a star!
The Scoreboard
4.5 out of 10
Last week: 7.5
2013 Average: 5.5
2013 High: 7.5 (February 25)
2013 Low: 3.5 (January 28)
Last 5 Weeks: 7.5, 4.5, 5, 6.5, 3.5
Final Thoughts
It was not a great edition of Raw. It was a feel good show to make the fans happy although for the most part the crowd was pretty quiet during a lot of it. I don’t really blame them, though. The only match worth getting excited about was the main event. Everything else was pretty basic and too short.
If you look at it from the perspective of building to WrestleMania, only the opening segment and main event really added to it in terms of giving us something new. Calling Undertaker “new” is a bit weird, but I mean it in the sense that now we know he’s officially going to be a part of WrestleMania again. It’s nice to see it confirmed.
The promo confrontation between The Rock and John Cena was entertaining. Cena got his point across that he needed this win because after he lost last year he had a rough year. Now he feels revitalized, so his words made a lot of sense. Rock showed a lot of confidence during his promo because he beat Cena last year.
The Triple H promo was fine. However, it’s Lesnar that brings the intensity and excitement to it. I do like badass Triple H better than corporate Triple H, though.
Regarding the legends, I thought Ric Flair was the most effective. Road Dogg and Billy Gunn did a good job too. The rest of them didn’t entertain me that much.
Hopefully next week’s show is better. There was so much filler here.
—————–
My writing is done. Time for some plugs.
Check out the gallery of TJR readers that have answered the call and have pointed at the WrestleMania sign over the last month. We still have a month to go and for you to get your picture added to the collection. From this week’s Buffalo edition of Raw we added contributions from TJR Wrestling writer Marc Fozzie B. (@FozzieMB) and TJR Sports writer Justin C. (@JCWonka). They’re not even sitting together and don’t know eachother, but both are participating because that’s what the sign pointing fun is all about.
That’s all I have for you this week. Keep on visiting TJRWrestling.com for our reviews & columns on a daily basis from our talented staff of writers.
Until next time, thanks for reading.
John Canton – [email protected]
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