A few weeks ago I spent the large bulk of an article complaining that because we could all see the main WrestleMania matches coming from a mile away, it was ruining any real chance to get invested in anything leading up to Mania. And while that kind of thinking still holds up when you look at things such as the most recent Rumble match, this week’s Raw gave two big examples as to how this doesn’t always have to be the case.
Example #1: Triple H comes back, for Brock.
Of the two big repeat matches that we all knew were going to inevitably be forced to watch this year, this one was probably the one that I was less excited about. Everything about the SummerSlam match between these two felt off to me. From the buildup involving multiple lawsuits, to the eventual in ring action, this whole feud never seemed to click between these two. At least with Rock and Cena, there was some pretty impressive mic work pulled off by both parties when it came to the buildup last year. Here, the promo work did nothing to get me excited about the match the first time around, and there was no reason for me to get excited about this whole thing starting up again. But then the opener for Monday happened.
It was probably the smartest idea to not have either of the guys say anything. The idea that there was no time for promos before attacking actually works for this feud and these guys. There will be plenty of promo time in the coming weeks, and if all is good, this will be handled for the most part by Paul Heyman and Vince McMahon, leaving the actual in ring action to these two guys. Despite having known that this match will be on the card for ages now, for the first time, I’m actually excited to watch the buildup. You can milk several weeks out of the handlers of these two guys struggle to keep them from killing each other before their mania match. And the fact that the talking part will most likely be going to other people, makes it all the better.
Example #2: Dat Match
I have watched the final match from this weeks Raw three times now, in its completion. And I honestly think that with two PPVs already in 2013, the current match of the year is still this free one from an episode of Raw. There’s no point in going through the match moment by moment, when you can very easily find it, to watch again, which, by the way, you should totally do. The point is this, at no point before the bell rang to start the match, did I think for a second that CM Punk would be winning that match. I didn’t know how he would lose, and thought maybe some outside shenanigans would be to blame. Perhaps The Undertaker would come out to kick-start that feud that we’re assuming is planned. The point is that before the match even began, we knew how it was going to end, but the thing is, in this case, it didn’t matter. These two were able to put on a match where even knowing the outcome in your head, could still captivate you with it’s pacing, and it’s move set.
Of course we can’t get through an entire article without complaining a little bit (thanks Blair) and for this match here is the one complaint. It does nothing for Cena Vs. The Rock. In fact this match probably makes me less excited to see the main event of Mania that I was before, because it is very likely it won’t live up to this. Where the encounter between Brock and Triple H made me excited to see the Mania match that this feud will eventually lead to, Cena and Punk did the exact opposite. I’m now longing for a match that I know has no chance (in hell) of being anywhere on the card of WrestleMania 29. I guess it’s time to start making my fantasy card for WrestleMania 30.
