Raw 1/4

[ColinBollocks]

This is the first Raw I've thought was a bit weak, during the 'Mania build. I was kind of waiting for something big to happen, but it was quite an uninspired go home show. I guess it's due to it seeming like the previous weeks was just them trying to come up with something to fill a week, rather than building to this show and eventually 'Mania.

 

The Rock/Cena promos had their moments. It is interesting how much Cena is heeling it up (by Cena standards) in the past couple of weeks. With The Rock rumored to be sticking around post-Mania maybe they're going to have the poor bloke lose again, leading to a years worth of frustration finally forcing the ultimate good guy to turn to the dark side (or he cheats).

 

Oddly, the 'main event' match I was least looking forward too a few weeks ago is now the match I want to see the most. I heard the collective gasp by the UKFF when they announced Shawn Michaels was turning up for a pay day, though. At least he was decent, this year. Heyman's promo was bloody good, really sold the story and the feud. I mean this in the gayest way possible; Triple H doesn't half look good, his arms looked huge and that haircut takes five years off him. Phwoar!

 

I wasn't really into Punk/Taker. No idea why, either, they did everything right and Punk tipping the ashes all over Taker was quite something.

 

The noise the audience made when Henry's music played, when Santino was doing his power walk was brilliant. A genuine reaction that made Henry seem like such a bad ass.

[Ross]

I thought it was a pretty weak show overall, especially as a go-home for Mania.

 

The Punk angle was on another level, when I saw 'Bearer' on the stage I just about spat out my coffee. Only in the WWE!

 

I wouldn't say any of the top matches have had great builds but, out of the three, I'd have to say Punk-Taker has piqued my interest. Kind of weird to think they've built the angle off Paul Bearer's death, but it's strangely compelling. Punk's the best heel they've had in years.

[FLips]

I audibly gasped at CM Punk's "Paul Bearer's streak of waking up every morning" line. I still can't decide if it was too far or not.

[IANdrewDiceClay]

I wouldn't say any of the top matches have had great builds but, out of the three, I'd have to say Punk-Taker has piqued my interest. Kind of weird to think they've built the angle off Paul Bearer's death, but it's strangely compelling. Punk's the best heel they've had in years.

Exploiting heart attack victims and the dead makes you compelling now? The Paul Bearer stuff was sickening for me. This whole WrestleMania build has been shite. The build for Punk and Taker has been embarrassing. 1993 level Undertaker stuff. Exploitation angles are the worst, because it exposes wrestling as the tasteless shite it is, and also takes away any believability because you know its a cheap attempt to create interest. There's one bloke who never loses at WrestleMania and another who nobody believes will beat him and to build interest in a match everyone knows who is going to win they build it around a dead bloke? By the rules of wrestling Undertaker is now going to have to beat CM Punk to the point where he's not walking afterwards. A part timer murdering someone who is there all year is counter productive, but he's going to have to do it based on the way this angle has been going. Their job was to make us believe CM Punk had a chance. They didn't do that.

 

Triple H and Brock has been decent. Cena and Rock has been done to death and isn't doing it for me. Mark Henry and Ryback has been the best build up on the whole card, which is pretty mental when you think of the importance of it.

[CleetusVanDamme]

Ugh. Was it too much to ask of WWE to not have one Triple H feud turn into the Shawn Michaels show? It's still the match I'm most looking forward to on the card, but it'll be in spite of this. There's also a very real possibility now that the 'Triple H saves his career' moment is going to end up being a 'The greatest of all time, Shawn Michaels, just saved his best friend's career, then started stripping' moment. Sickening.

 

Also, I laughed at Shawn saying something like "I'm not going to come back, just to tell you can't get get the job done" to Triple H, when that's EXACTLY what he has done before the last two Wrestlemanias!

[Guest]

No one believes streak will end anymore, so instead undertakers match is about him getting his hands on his opponent. Makes me want to see it more than any match where they try and make out like Punk might win, and Punks my favourite full timer. Let's him take a break after mania and return in summer

[TheShowOff]

I want to know what Michael Cole's text message read...

 

And in other news...

 

[IANdrewDiceClay]

No one believes streak will end anymore, so instead undertakers match is about him getting his hands on his opponent. Makes me want to see it more than any match where they try and make out like Punk might win, and Punks my favourite full timer. Let's him take a break after mania and return in summer

You know they could have done that while still making the feud mean something? Punk just went 400-days sneaking wins past the likes of John Cena and even ending Ryback's streak. If they'd have kept him closely linked with the Shield and kept this Paul Bearer shite out of it, they could have easily made you believe he could have ended the streak. To say "nobody believes the streak will end" is wrong. Especially when you look at the last 5 or 6 WrestleMania's where the live crowd totally believed there was a chance his shoulders were staying down for a three count. Its stunning how anyone can think this is the belt thing they could come up with for these two characters?

[Guest]

No one believes streak will end anymore, so instead undertakers match is about him getting his hands on his opponent. Makes me want to see it more than any match where they try and make out like Punk might win, and Punks my favourite full timer. Let's him take a break after mania and return in summer

You know they could have done that while still making the feud mean something? Punk just went 400-days sneaking wins past the likes of John Cena and even ending Ryback's streak. If they'd have kept him closely linked with the Shield and kept this Paul Bearer shite out of it, they could have easily made you believe he could have ended the streak. To say "nobody believes the streak will end" is wrong. Especially when you look at the last 5 or 6 WrestleMania's where the live crowd totally believed there was a chance his shoulders were staying down for a three count. Its stunning how anyone can think this is the belt thing they could come up with for these two characters?

Not saying its the best, but it doesn't offend me, and I am looking forward to see taker destroy punk. So in building interest it's worked for me,.

[Arch Stanton]

It is a shame that they didn't keep The Shield associated with Punk and Heyman. Going in separate directions has hurt both parties, in my opinion. The Shield have lost so much of their heat and are heading to Mania for a mid card six-man tag that is both weaker and less interesting than the one they had at Elimination Chamber and Punk has had to resort to cheap controversy to build heat for his match with Undertaker.

 

They missed a trick by not building a top heel faction around Heyman, with Punk, Lesnar and The Shield all watching each other's backs. CM Punk, with The Shield looming in the shadows, would absolutely be considered to be a plausible threat to the Undertaker's streak.

 

I didn't mind the Bearer exploitation stuff so much the first week, because it kind of made sense with it being a tribute show, but building the whole feud around it feels cheap and any outcome other than Punk getting destroyed will leave a bad taste in the mouth.

[Callum1993]

There has been talk of Punk taking some time off so if Taker does indeed "destroy" him at Mania that will allow him that break.

[zep81]

I wonder what 'creative' had planned for Taker/Punk before Bearer passed away.

[visitor from another forum]

I wonder what 'creative' had planned for Taker/Punk before Bearer passed away.

 

Whatever it was they can`t have much faith in it if they think Punk stealing the Undertakers urn is a better story to go with.

[Ant]

It sounds as if WWE continues to be distasteful with the Paul Bearer stuff.

 

I find it amusing that if there's a lot of protest the same old faces will likely blog about Bearer having sick sense of humour, thus it's fine.

 

Makes no sense when they can, and should, take the moral high ground.

[PSF]

I know the Cena heel turn talk has been done to death, but there's a voice in the back of my head saying that Cena is going to win with a little help from CM Punk.