I happen to enjoy many professions in my life. I am a world touring electro DJ, I have been lucky enough to have worked with many talented people across the globe, but I also consider myself a pro wrestling journalist. For the sake of efficiency, every time there is a cable showing of Raw, Smackdown, or Impact, I will write a report on the highlights of each show. Enough explaining lets get down to brass tacks.
CM Punk Intro: You really have to hand it to Punk, only a real heel can have his hometown end up booing him after his promo. This is an instance that shows true showmanship. If you ask me, CM Punk has a huge possibility to take the role of Cerebral Assassin after Triple H retires. Nobody else is as good at the evil mindgames as Punk, and he is in his prime! Another great aspect of the opening segment was having Randy Orton's leg give out while he was attempting to punt Orton. This instills in the audience that there is a tangible possibility that Punk could beat Orton without the aid of the rest of The Nexus.
Edge and Christian Vs. Alberto Del Rio and Brodus Clay: Once again WWE put this former, popular, team together and totally wasted a great nostalgia moment. They didnt come out as a team and didnt do any of the same entertaining poses and quips that made us all love the original incarnation of Edge and Christian. WWE has to realize that having these old teammates be on the same side isnt enough for great television. They need to have some sort of nostalgia factor and WWE failed to do so on it's second chance. I had another problem with how WWE is building this feud. The amount of time that Christian and Edge are spending together, is heavily hinting towards Christian turning on Edge at Mania. Christian's sole purpose at Mania is to be in Edge's corner. If they didnt want Christian to turn on Edge and have him lose the title to Rio, there is no other reason to have them together.
Santino Marella w/ Kane, Big Show, and Vladamir Kozlov Vs. Justin Gabriel and The Corre: After it was announced that these two teams would be battling at Mania was very dissapointing. It may be good for Kozlova and Marella and The Corre, but legends like Big Show and Kane are being lost in the fold with this match. These two vets have proved that they can put on epic matches at Mania and its a shame to put them in such an uninteresting match. Another problem is that The Corre has not been given any huge or interesting storyline and this makes a stable that no one cares about. Wade Barrett is the only person who can come out profiting from this match and thats a shame. On a final note, Kane doing the trumpet is stupid.
Sidebar: Excited to see that my friend, Keri Hilson, will be performing at Mania.
Undertaker/Triple H Encounter: Before this encounter even happened I had chills. These two legendary will go face to face at Mania and every time they get in the ring with each other they put on great television. It is a damn shame that these two icon's careers are nearing their end. We will probably never see performers like these two again. I loved the addition of Shawn Michaels, especially when Michaels asked why HHH can succeed where HBK failed twice. This was a great addition to the story.
I am also glad to see that the WWE didnt go the expected route and have these two hate each other but instead they show the utmost respect, as they should. I really liked the touch of having Shawn Michaels leave the ring, showing that even he doesnt have faith in his best friend HHH. My only concern with this match is that it has been mentioned that Taker is not completely healed yet and I seriously hope that this doesnt effect the potential this match has.
Jack Swagger Vs. Jerry Lawler: This is one of the better feuds that I have seen built up in a long time. It was a great touch to have Lawler beat Swagger but still not able to get at Michael Cole. This makes, the fans yearn for Lawler to get his hands on Cole.
Rock Confronts John Cena and The Miz: I was waiting for this encounter for a long time, but one complaint is that it was way too short. It was only given ten minutes of tv time and I think a lot more could be accomplished if more time was given. This segment was pretty good, good not great, but a lot was riding on this encounter and not give away the impact of these three together for free before Mania. I thought the ending was great where Rock beat Miz but then Cena beat Rock. This is a great buildup for whatever happens with these three. Even though this buildup is great, I feel sorry for Miz. Despite his efforts, he will end up as an afterthought with his own championship match at Mania. I seriously hope that this match turns into a Triple Threat match. Oh well, a guy can dream.
-Well thats the Raw Report. See you guys this thursday for Investigating Impact, then friday for The Smackdown Summary.
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