WWE is less than a week away from Wrestlemania 28 and the final Raw on the Road to Wrestlemania begins at 9PM EST. It’s so big that Mark Allen even had to chime in- check out This Week in ‘E – It’s WrestleMania week! now!
I was going to recap the Cena/Rock special before Raw, but it was all video packages and recaps. Both were presently very positively with “out of character” interviews with HHH, Miz and others putting both Cena and Rock over as huge stars.
And I promise to pay better attention to commercial breaks since I missed the Giant Bernard/A-Train video last week.
Randy Orton & Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan & Kane
And we start with Randy Orton, who comes to the ring to his theme music. Then the others. Daniel Bryan and AJ make out before the match. Heels dominate the couple minutes before we take our first
Commercial Break
Settles into a long heat sequence on Randy Orton. Kane beating down Orton and slows it down with a headlock. Hot tag to Sheamus, and he is a house afire. Kane and Orton clear to the floor, Sheamus left with Bryan in the ring. He signals for the Brogue Kick but AJ comes into the ring and gets between Bryan and Sheamus. When the ref clears her out of the ring, Bryan ducks the Brogue Kick. Sheamus runs into Kane on the apron who chokeslams him, and Bryan rolls him up for the pin.
Winners: Bryan/Kane
Cena/Rock video package
Commercial Break
Michael Cole introduces himself as the official commentator of Team Johnny. Laurinaitis comes out on the Raw entrance with Vickie Guerrero, and declares her the official flag bearer. Laurinaitis introduces the captain of Team Johnny, David Otunga. Booker T gets on the mic, and he introduces Teddy Long. Out comes Teddy and he introduces HIS team captain, Santino.
Santino Marella vs. David Otunga
Both have a GM in their corner. Cole and Booker T bicker. They go back and forth with mosty comedy. Otunga takes the huge red “Team Johnny” flag and waves it in the ring. Hornswoggle brings the blue “Team Teddy” flag into the ring, and distracts Otunga. Meanwhile Santino puts on his cobra sock and Otunga turns around right into it, and Santino wins clean after the COBRA.
Winner: Santino
After the match, Teddy and Johnny get into it. Teddy shoves Johnny into Santino for a schoolboy, and Johnny gets super mad and takes off his tie. Santino is winding up to hit him, but The Miz comes down and makes the save for Johnny and hits Santino with a Skull Crunching Finale. Johnny gets on the mic and declares Miz the final man on Team Johnny.
Commercial Break.
Once In A Lifetime – more Cena/Rock videos
HHH/HBK/Undertaker video package
Eve Torres w/Beth Phoenix vs. Kelly Kelly
They are having a match at Wrestlemania also involving Maria Menounos. This gets a surprising amount of time. Finish comes when Eve goes on the top rope for a moonsault, but Kelly moves and rolls her up awkwardly for the pin.
Winner: Kelly
Rock/Cena video
CM Punk is WALKING. He faces Christian – NEXT
Commercial Break
Christian vs. CM Punk
Justin Roberts introduces “The Man Who Refers To Himself as Captain Charisma, Christian.” This should be awesome, probably my two favorite WWE guys. Before the match starts but after CM Punk comes down to his music, Chris Jericho appears on the TitanTron. He recaps the father and sister, and moves on to Punk’s mother. But she is clean – so at least one person in the family isn’t a loser. However, Jericho found that Punk’s parents wedding date happened AFTER Punk’s birth, so by legal definition, Punk is a bastard. Punk looks angry and Christian attacks from behind. Christian continues to attack and the ref tries to pull him off. Punk makes his own comeback, and beats Christian on the floor with the STEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEL steps. He locks in the Anaconda Vice on the floor. The ref tries to break it up. Match never started. More refs come down but Punk cannot be stopped!
Commercial Break
Brodus Clay vs. Curt Hawkins
The only living, breathing Funkasaurus in captivity – Mr. Brodus Clay! Short squash with Clay hitting a gutwrench suplex then a big splash for the pin. He dances afterwards.
Winner: Clay
Rock/Cena video
Commercial Break
The Big Show vs. Primo w/Epico & Rosa Mendes
This seems an awful lot like a squash. And it is. Chokeslam gets the clean pin after about a minute.
Winner: Big Show
Rosa yells at Show from the apron while Epico attacks from behind but Show takes him out too. Cody Rhodes’ music plays, and he comes out on the stage for a promo. He runs down Show’s Wrestlemania record and wants to change “big show” into a verb – students won’t want to “big show” their finals and guys won’t want to “big show” with the ladies at the bar. The stage is set for him to retain the Intercontinental Title on April Fool’s Day.
Commercial Break
Rock/Cena video
Backstage the Bellas are each wearing a different Team shirt – Johnny and Teddy. They argue about their teams, and Zack Ryder comes over. Blue Bella is on his side for Team Teddy and Red Bella mocks him, but Blue Bella defends him. Then he insults Red Bella’s face, which also upsets Blue Bella and they exit. Eve comes over and offers her hotel room for Wrestlemania weekend, something Zack is unable to say no to even though all of Team Teddy was supposed to room together (also weird).
Commercial Break
Mark Henry vs. Great Khali
This is like a match from hell!!! Henry wearing a Team Johnny shirt with John Laurinaitis in his corner, and Khali in a blue Team Teddy shirt with Long in his corner. Match is quick thankfully and Henry gets Khali up for the World’s Strongest Slam and clean pin.
Winner: Henry
After the match Henry yells at Long on the floor, and Johnny tosses Teddy in the ring, then calls down Team Johnny, which now includes Drew McIntyre (replacing Christian, who was injured earlier by Punk). Team Teddy comes down and gets beat up. Finally BOOKER T makes the save from the announce position. Teddy gets on the mic and invites Booker T to be a member of Team Teddy. Booker has only one thing to say to that – NOW CAN YOU DIG THAT SUCKAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.
Cena/Rock video
Commercial Break
The Rock is here! Long ovation and Boots 2 Asses chants. He finally talks and brings up 2004 and his final Wrestlemania (20) at MSG. Since then everyone has asked him – when are you coming back? Rock tells a story about a Hollywood starlet who asked him to “dominate this pie” but only if Rock told her when he was coming back. Turns out it was Betty White. Rock gets a “Finally the Rock has come back to Atlanta”. He continues and stops at times for “Boots 2 Asses” and then a “Fruity Pebbles” chant. Rock continues to talk about John Cena until Cena’s music hits and Cena comes out. Cena cuts a promo talking about the reaction he and the Rock gets, and pauses many times to prompt chants. Cena leads everyone in a “Let’s Go Cena” vs “Cena Sucks” dueling chants. Cena is really good here. Cena talks about people in the past who the crowd turned on, and responded by “turning their backs on the WWE universe” and he’s the only one who has not. He has been here for 10 years, through the good and the bad, and he NEEDS to win at Wrestlemania. Cena gets some of the crowd on his side here. Rock responds that on a professional level, he wants to beat John Cena to say he’s beaten Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin AND John Cena at Wrestlemania. On a personal level, he just doesnt like Cena. They both retort back and forth about winning and kicking the others’ ass, and Cena gets the final word as we fade out at around 15 minutes past the hour.
