We are one day removed from the Elimination Chamber PPV, welcome to A RAW Opinion, I’m Joe and like I do every week, I take you through this weeks episode of WWE Raw and give you my opinions on each segment, then at the end, I pretty much sum up the show as a whole.
Eve is talking to Brie and Nikki backstage, they ask how Zack is, saying they felt bad for him, Eve started laughing and said she was never friends with Zack, she was just using him, just like she’s using Cena, she turned around and Cena was standing there, Cena walked off without saying a word to her.
John Cena comes out to the ring, Eve comes out with fake tears, wanting to explain to Cena what happened. Cena cuts her off, says she drank some skank juice and called her a Hoskie. Eve tried to grab him, Cena told her he’s disease free and wants to keep it that way. I loved John Cena in this segment, I want this Cena EVERY WEEK, that was AWESOME!
Sheamus in the ring next, his opponent is Mark Henry. Sheamus gets the win after hitting the Brogue Kick, pretty decent match. I still don’t like baby face Sheamus.
John Laurinaitis is backstage talking to David Otunga, Teddy Long comes in and they talk about both shows having one General Manager, John Laurinaitis books a 10 man battle royal for tonight, with the winner taking on CM Punk at WrestleMania.
R Truth coming down to the ring next for a tag team match, his tag partner Kofi Kingston, they’re taking on Primo and Epico. Kofi and Truth get the win, Rosa distracted Kofi, Primo went for the backstabber but Kofi reversed it and hit trouble in paradise. I really hope they don’t give Kofi and Truth the tag titles. Not another thrown together team.
Up next, the next inductee into the WWE Hall Of Fame. The next inductee is, Ron Simmons! Great choice, I’m glad he’s in.
Jericho is backstage crying about how It’s unfair that he never got eliminated from the Chamber match and still lost, he said tonight is “the end of the world as you know it” Yes… Again.
David Otunga out to the ring with John Laurinaitis, his opponent is Ezekiel Jackson, being accompanied by Teddy Long. Otunga gets the win, boring match.
The Undertakers feet are shown walking backstage, he’ll be heading to the ring next. Should be interesting to see what he’s got in terms of hair.
The Undertaker comes out from the back, he has a hood over his head but I don’t see much hair, if any… He says for nearly a year every moment of every day he has relived the memory of the beating he took from Triple H, it has been a living hell, not a physical hell, a hell of uncertainty, an uncertainty he can no longer bare. He says they are at an Apocalypse of the Era Of Wrestling. He calls out Triple H, telling him he can lie to Shawn but he can’t lie to him, he says Triple H will look him in the eyes. Triple H comes out he started talking and Taker told him to shut up, he can save the pity because he doesn’t need it, he says Triple H is pitiful for all the excuses he’s making him. Triple H says Taker isn’t asking Triple H for revenge, of redemption, he’s asking Triple H to “end it” and he’s not going to do it. Taker calls Triple H a coward. Triple H gets in the ring angry, he calms down and says he knows what Taker is trying to do, it won’t work, and the answer is still no. Taker says he knows the real reason, It’s because Triple H knows he can’t do what Shawn couldn’t do, and that Shawn has always been better then him. Triple H takes off his coat and tie and heads back to the ring. Triple H yells at him, he says he can do what Shawn couldn’t, and he knows it and Taker knows it, Triple H finally accepts the match. Triple H demands it be inside Hell In A Cell! Taker has a slight grin on his face, he pats Triple H’s shoulder and leaves the ring. He gets to the top of the ramp and looks back at Triple H, he turns back around and goes behind the curtain. GREAT segment!
Daniel Bryan in the ring, he talks about still being the World Heavyweight Champion, he gets interrupted by his opponent for tonight, Santino… Match is over quick, Daniel Bryan gets the win with the LaBell Lock.
Kelly Kelly and Aksana taking on The Bella Twins. Bellas win a quick match after pulling the switcheroo, and a face buster on Aksana.
John Cena on his way back out to the ring, to address The Rock. He runs down how The Rock isn’t The Rock anymore, he’s just Dwayne, he talks about how Rock has become a prima donna. Cena roasted Rock the entire time. That segment was GOLD! Absolutely amazing stuff, like I said earlier, I want THIS John Cena EVERY WEEK!!
CM Punk comes out wearing wrestling gear and a blazer, getting set to do commentary for the battle royal up next. The participants in this are Cody Rhodes, R Truth, Dolph Ziggler, Wade Barrett, Great Khali, The Miz, Kofi Kingston, Santino, Big Show, Chris Jericho. Khali gone first, we come back from commercial and I’m surprised there were no other eliminations during the break, Miz is gone next, Barrett eliminated next, followed by R Truth, Ziggler out next, Big show threw him at Barrett and Truth, Ziggler and Barrett look really hurt after that, Barrett a possible broken arm… Kofi out next. Final four are Cody, Big Show, Santino and Jericho. Santino eliminated, Cody eliminated, down to Jericho and Show, Show gets eliminated by Jericho, with help from an already eliminated Cody, Jericho wins. CM Punk VS Chris Jericho at WrestleMania.
The show ends with CM Punk getting inside the ring, and offering his hand to Jericho, Jericho backs away and leaves the ring refusing to shake it.
Overall I enjoyed the show tonight, I thought it did a great job in getting people psyched for WrestleMania, It’s no secret I’m not a fan of John Cena, but tonight, he was absolutely amazing on that microphone, and for the first time I can’t wait to see his match with Dwayne at WrestleMania, I’m finally psyched for it.
I really hope Ziggler and Barrett are alright, Barrett had his arm stabilized and was able to walk off on his own, I didn’t see if Dolph was carried out on a stretcher or was able to walk off.
I give this weeks Raw a 4/5 stars, I really thought it did a good job of hyping up WrestleMania and most of the matches were decent.
I hope you liked this weeks column, thanks for reading, leave your comments and let us know what you thought about not only the show but the column as well.
Ringsidehustle.com 
I see Cena(no pun intended) as a cool-headed, nice guy that takes quite a bit before he gets mad. But when he does…Ouch! Hope Wade’s okay. Last thing I saw was Jericho asking somebody “What happened to Wade?”.
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From what I read it was a dislocated elbow, sucks. Especially this close to Mania. Cena was amazing last night, if THAT John Cena showed up every week I would cheer for him.
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I thought RAW was much better last night as compared to the previous month or so. Enjoyed watching a lot more.
A few complaints, though:
-Eve turning so soon is such a waste. Look at past romance storylines (or any good story for that matter; they’re not played out within a week.
-I liked the HHH/Taker segment, but every time HHH says that they’re the last of an era, I can’t help but to hear, “we’re the last of the really good wrestlers; these other guys on the roster are sh!t.”
-Cena bringing out his tough guy voice, and saying now he’s serious about his feud with Rock… It’s only been a year.
I agree with Capt. about him having to be pushed to a limit, but it’s so annoying, and does come off as phony. Still not sure who I’ll be pulling for come WM Sunday, because when it comes down to it, Cena is right.
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RAW was pretty good this week. Best in weeks IMO. Only downside for me was with Eve’s heel turn, like J has stated.
Agreed also on that Capt. I know he could always be like this but this is edgier John Cena whom WWE are afraid to use.
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Yeah raw was pretty good although, I would prefer Undertaker wrestling someone else at wrestlemania
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I thought this first but if it’s a HIAC match then it should be epic.
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I was excited about HIAC for two seconds. When was the last great HIAC match? 2008? The matches were better when the structure was a lot smaller and when there was blood. PG means no blood and the big HIAC means no one will be falling off of the cell. I’m more interested in seeing how they will have a HIAC match outdoors.
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Great write-up as always!
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If Show turns heel to face Shaq at WM, I wonder if Wade will come back as a face to get revenge on the heel Show.
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I thought Raw was fantastic. HHH delivered once again and it must be noted that his promos have been outstanding for the past two weeks. I know most of us IWC types consider guys like Punk, Rock, and Jericho to be promo masters, but HHH has really come through thus far in his program. The Hell in the Cell announcement literally sent chills up my spine (and that’s saying alot when you consider how much WWE has killed the cell concept over the last few years)!!!
Cena must also be given credit for cutting his best promo in months. This was finally the type of Cena that fans have been clamoring for since he was the “Doctor of Thuganomics”. He spoke with a conviction and passion that has been lacking in his promos for far too long. It also helped that he kept things serious and didn’t resort to his usually B-level comedy and cheesy one liners.
And then you finally had the official beginning of the Punk-Jericho build for Mania. I can’t wait to see how this plays out. Overall, I felt this was a very strong edition of Raw.
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The John Cena segment in the beginning was maybe the best Cena segment I have ever seen. When it ended I was like, “What just happened? Did I just enjoy a Cena segment?” It was awesome.
I didn’t like his promo near the end of RAW. I’m tired of hearing the same “I’m more loyal than The Rock” bullshit promo all the time. Cena stayed in the WWE because it’s his only option. It’s not like Cena is turning down offers to be in Hollywood movies….the offers aren’t coming. Cena stays in the WWE because where else is he going to go? As for The Rock, what was there left to prove? The Rock accomplished everything he wanted to accomplish in the WWE and becoming an actor was another challenge. Would I like to see The Rock on RAW every week? Of course but some of The Rock is better than nothing. The Rock has made more WWE appearances than Stone Cold and Shawn Michaels in the last 12 months and yet no one is attacking those guys for not being on WWE TV more often. And where is Edge? I know he’s hurt but what is stopping him from having an on-screen role? Why does Edge get a pass?
I can’t say anything bad about The Rock because I love him (pause). I bought his new DVD and his Just Bring It DVD this morning and I saw his new movie last weekend.
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Your comment to my reply up above. Yes, this is exactly what I was saying about the Chamber matches the other day, in a PG environment a lot of drama is taken away without blood etc..
This next few weeks will be the Cena everyone wants to see.
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“Your comment to my reply up above. ”
Do you mean “My reply to your comment up above”? This is the second time I noticed you speaking like Yoda…lol.
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Yes, I’ve been so drained out last few days. My whole routine is completely sideways. Monday, I got up at 7AM. Left my house at 7 for 8 hours. Had studying to do for another 2 hours. Brought my dog for a long ass walk. Then I lifted some weights, did push-ups, worked out. I finally watched the EC PPV after that. Went on the IWC after PPV was over. Slept between 3-4AM. Woke up at 7:30AM this morning and nearly the same routine today, exchange the PPV with RAW.
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Sounds rough. You gonna watch Smackdown? I wish I was there…only two hours from my house. I would have loved to see Punk vs. Bryan II. I hope the Rockford crowd is Chicago-ish tonight.
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I’m going offline now but getting up at 7AM to watch it. I would stay up just for that match but I’m too tired. Chicago was probably the best crowd last year at MITB.
Anyway, I’ll ttyl!
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This is the first time I’ve had any kind of interest in Cena whatsoever since the Nexus angle. I’m actually excited to see how bad Rock will lash back. Cena seemed like he was speaking from the heart.
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They finally gave Cena his balls back and about damn time! Even his accent has got back to a more harsh Boston accent that he had when he first came in.
I still don’t know how all that Kane/Eve/Prof Woo Woo crap got Cena to this point. I’m assuming hate was embraced but maybe only slightly?! Either way, if this is the Cena that goes into the next few weeks of the hard sell for WM then I’m all for it.
It’s one thing to dress like a 8 year old kid but he’s been talking like one for years now too. On Raw I suddenly remembered why Cena got SO over in the first place.
The rest of the show was really enjoyable. Loved the HHH/Taker segment – although those dicks in the crowd ‘whatting’ Taker need to be taken outside and have their heads repeatedly shoved into Brodus Clay’s singlet after he’s had a 3 hour work out. So disrespectful and uncalled for. THAT’S TAKER DAMN IT, SHOW SOME RESPECT!!
The main event battle royal was actually more entertaining that the Royal Rumble. Although the injuries were horrible and it’s such a damn shame that Barrett could be out for WM.
Really good review of the show buddy!
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Theres definitely legit heat between Rocky and Cena and that just makes the feud even better. I have always respected Cena after he turned away from that ridiculous rapper gimmick.
With that gimmick I used to detest his character but now he has to be one of the hardest workers in the WWE, and unlike the 80’s and 90’s where top talents in wrestling companies were complete douches to younger talent, Cena genuinely seems like he enjoys helping out the younger talent as he is a strong company man.
The WWE really need to take a strong look at how to develop their womens division and tag team division because they have the talent to do so but just clearly cant be bothered.
Most people seemingly loved the Taker/HHH segment, me not so much, the reasoning behind it all in my opinion is pretty laughable. Jist of it being HHH wouldnt take him on because of business and him needing to protect the industry and now because of the Shawn is better thatn you comment, HHH has cried.
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Raw was good but I liked Eve’s turn. God only knows we need a good heel Diva, let’s face it Beth is as interesting as paint drying on a wall. Saying “Get Out Of My Ring” was cool but quickly got old. Wrestling wise, of course Beth is better but I like Eve more. Eve is far more interesting. I just wish that Cena hadn’t have overheard Eve stating her plans because it would have been a lot more interesting to see Eve’s plan in action.
HHH/Undertaker still bored me. How WWE went about setting up the match, IMO, sucked. One week HHH says he has no intention of challenging Taker because he KNOWS he will beat him. WHAT?! That was the idea all along. Then the next week we have Taker throwing a line to HHH whereby he says HHH isn’t as good as Michaels therefore he couldn’t do beat him. So what? Since when was it a competition between HHH and Michaels to see who was the better wrestler, did we not already have that sort of storyline between the two? So Taker says this and HHH says, yeah you know what I will face you blah blah blah but only in a Hell in a Cell. So one week, no match because HHH knows he will beat Taker, next week a match is on simply because Taker goated HHH into it and HHH decides that it NEEDS to be a Hell In A Cell. Well why the hell does it need to be a HIAC when HHH said he could beat Taker in a 1 on 1 match? Is it meant to be because he’s HHH and he needs to give the industry the best or most interesting matches? The storyline just seems backwards to me. Wasn’t the incentive to beat Taker enough for the forever ruthless HHH? When HHH refused the match it was like WWE taking HHH’s balls and squeezing the life outta them.
John Cena was great on Raw. I really can’t wait to see Rock’s reply tomorrow night. I’ve always always always been a bigger Rock supporter but recently with the news of him being a drama queen backstage and the fact that Cena is right in everything he says about The Rock I’m starting to question who I’m supporting. Do I support Cena who I have a shit load of respect for or do I support The Rock simply because I’ve always liked him? I’ll be torn, I just hope they go out at WM and tear the roof of the building… Oops, there is no roof.
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