1. That promo was so sugary, babyface John Cena that it SCREAMED heel turn. I don’t remember the last time I’ve heard the crowd 100% against Cena. Sure there’s been 50-50, 75-25 but never 100% against Cena. The only time I truly recall is the one night Punk-fest that was Money In The Bank 2011 from Chicago. I know I’m not the only one hoping that Cena knew how over the top “babyface” that promo was and we will be getting a heel turn but I’m still not certain WWE has the balls to do it.
2. I wasn’t online very much today but I don’t remember HBK being advertised at all for this Raw. Not only that but I clearly remember them saying they didn’t want to bring Michaels into this feud because it was “too predictable”. I don’t know what “those people” were talking about because that promo did more for this match than almost a month of buildup. I LOVED the fact that they didn’t go the same route as Michaels’ retirement match where Triple H said he “can’t” beat The Undertaker. Triple H & Brock Lesnar is MUCH more personal than Undertaker/Shawn Michaels was and having HBK in Triple H’s corner is fantastic (especially since I’ll be in the stadium). This way, if Triple H DOES lose and retire, Shawn is right there for their rightful send off. I’m looking forward to this match, which should be pretty stiff and brutal.
3. I know I shouldn’t like this as much as I did but Ryback hitting Mark Henry with Santino was fantastic. If they were going to do that spot with anyone, I’m glad it was Santino and not Hornswoggle. It was so outrageous it was terrific.
4. Ok let’s lay it all out there: there’s no way CM Punk is winning at WrestleMania. There’s no reason for him to. There’s no payoff & CM Punk isn’t that “young upstart” that would benefit greatly from breaking “The Streak”. But Punk is doing a DAMN good job of planting that seed of doubt in the fans minds. People WANT to see Punk vs Taker because maybe, JUST MAYBE, WWE will take the leap and give Punk the win. He surely is listing all of ways he can win and its a helluva a lot more ways than he can lose. So yes, deep down we all know “The Streak” will not be broken but damn is it a fun ride to be on!
5. They’re trying very hard to gather ANY interest in the World Heavyweight Title match between Alberto Del Rio and Jack Swagger but it just isn’t working. Swagger had just come back to the WWE when he won the title shot and Del Rio had just turned babyface. The fans had no time to emotionally invest into either character and therefore you have a World title program that feels completely flat. Hopefully ‘Mania will be the end of this feud.
6. I am completely shocked that The Rock is going on at the 10 o’clock hour. We’ve already seen Cena, Triple H, Brock Lesnar and now The Rock. Does that mean the WWE really does feel as if CM Punk vs The Undertaker is the true main event of WrestleMania?
7. I don’t understand the “You Can’t Wrestle!” chants. The man hasn’t had a damn match on Raw yet! And if WWE ever promoted NXT when it was on SyFy, these crowds would know Fandango can actually wrestle pretty damn well.
8. So The Miz vs Wade Barrett for the Intercontinental Championship is on the WrestleMania pre-show on YouTube and the 8-person intergender match is on the main show? Wow… Well I guess they had to sneak a bathroom break in there at some point.
9. 10:55 PM and here comes The Undertaker so CM Punk and The Undertaker are truly closing the go-home show for WrestleMania 29. The last time we saw John Cena was 8:15 PM and The Rock (with the WWE Championship) at 10:15 PM. I am truly surprised at this booking.
10. You know all of those fans who have been clamoring for the return of the Attitude Era. That segment is the closest thing you’ll get to it in today’s WWE environment. And STILL some people will denounce the angle completely and said it crossed the line. It was supposed to cross the damn line! No one believes CM Punk is going to beat The Undertaker at WrestleMania so how do you still get those same people to buy the PPV? By pissing them off enough that they want to see CM Punk get his ass kicked by The Undertaker and will pay $60 to see it! I thought the segment was fantastically well done and what a WRESTLING angle should be like. It SHOULD make you want to kill the bad guy yourself and since you can’t, your “hero” will! Sure it was controversial but would you really expect anything less from “pipe bomb” Punk and the man who crucified Stone Cold Steve Austin and “hung” the Big Boss Man from the top of a cage? CM Punk & The Undertaker know what they’re doing, trust them. I know that if I wasn’t going to be at MetLife Stadium, that angle would have convinced me to drop 60 bucks for the PPV.
