Monday Night Raw: Green Bay, WI
The past few weeks have featured some great wrestling matches, most of them involving Cesaro and Daniel Bryan, but this week really focused on storytelling. We're officially on the Road to WrestleMania, as no other PPV stands in our way, and all the major matches are coming in to focus.
-Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H
-Randy Orton vs. Batista (vs. Punk…?)
-John Cena vs. Bray Wyat
-Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker
Shocker! All the matches are exactly what we said they would be two months ago. Despite all the "emergency meetings" and plans be "constantly shuffled" because of the fan reaction to Daniel Bryan and Punk walking out, the status quo remains totally untouched.
There was a lot of talk about the WWE Network on Raw this week, but it was warranted, yet not completely overwhelming. With the pre-show and post-show I really am feeling the drain of three-hour Raw. There's no way I'm going to watch random panels discussing things we already know every single week. They're cool shows for those that want them, but I really can't handle more WWE.
Hulk Hogan's time was kept short. That's probably for the best. Honestly, I forgot it had happened by the time the show had ended. The Hulkster got a good reaction, but not as crazy as Rock's return several years ago, and nowhere near the pop that Daniel Bryan gets on a weekly basis. Fans were happy to see him come home, but like me, I think most people are underwealmed by what he has to offer us at this point in his career.
Fans saying that WWE is "tricking them" into wanting Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H at WrestleMania need a swift Brogue to the skull. Just because he's not in the title picture constantly doesn't mean he can't steal the show. There's a story to be told with Triple H. If it's done right it could be much better than Bryan beating Orton in their 100th encounter over the past year. It almost reminds me of Shawn Michaels facing Vince McMahon at WrestleMania. Let it play out. Just because you have one idea doesn't always make it the best.
Undertaker and Brock Lesnar started their program. There was a lot of talk about that match not happening, but now that it's a foregone conclusion I'm getting hyped. Heyman and Punk pulled a great program out of the Deadman last year. Lesnar is a much more physical guy. He's beaten the Undertaker before. You know the streak won't end, especially not for a guy who doesn't need to win, but the actual match should be great. I can't wait for more Paul Heyman promos. He's a lot more confident with Brock than he ever was for Punk, so I'm interested in seeing a different approach to this year's match.
John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt is simple, and I like it. Cena has claimed that anyone who wants to be the face of the company must go through him. The next challenger is Bray Wyatt. Old guard – new guard. Good guy – bad guy. It's a very simple, very classic rivalry that I think ends with a stellar match between the two. There's few people Cena can't work, and Bray keeps getting better every time I see him.
Cesaro is over. They need to turn him quickly, because he's hurting the babyfaces he works with on Raw and Smackdown. They're teasing a split between the Real Americans. I wonder if we'll see Cesaro vs. Swagger at WrestleMania. They shouldn't need more than a few weeks to put that together.
I enjoyed Raw. There was some good wrestling, in particular the lengthy contest between Christian and Sheamus. Fans turned on it early, but they pulled most of them back in by the end. Both are good workers. I hate that fans are giving Sheamus the middle finger. A great example of a solid promo and amazing worker that the internet has ruined. Sometimes I wonder if we aren't holding them back more than the Authority.
