Having been exceptionally excited about Wrestlemania XXIX I eagerly watched the last Raw of the Wrestling year to see how the feuds had tied in.
First up for the night was a lengthy Cena promo, which in my opinion wasn't too bad to be fair. His opening line was great, considering the show was in Washington D.C. but he seemed to spend too long just talking and never really finalizing his points. To his credit, and he stated this, there was no childish name calling or any of his usual schtick, but he managed to lose the attention of the crowd as "BORING" chants echoed through the arena.
I also have to say, watching three well established superstars beat the job squad wasn't very interesting. I also found it strange how Randy Orton, The Big Show and Sheamus, all former heels who have had many run ins with each other basically walked through the arena side by side before their match. To me, this didn't give an impression of teamwork and unity, it just looked really strange and forced, as did The Big Show and Orton cheer leading for Sheamus' Brogue Kick. I enjoyed the conflict with The Shield at the end, but chasing them through the crowd and throwing them over the confection stand and out of the building doesn't make The Shield seem like a viable threat, and actually seems detrimental to the angle.
The Dolph Ziggler and Daniel Bryan match was a good match to technically watch, and the out of ring shenanigans make for an nice build up going into the tag match at Mania. This, to me, seems like one of the stronger rivalries the WWE have, and with the quality of the wrestlers the match is bound to be enjoyable, and whatever the outcome it will continue to bring prestige to the Tag Team Titles and will impress the fans.
The Triple H promo. For one, I am a huge fan of Shawn Michaels and seeing him on television again is always a pleasure. I felt his conversation with Triple H was earnest, honest and powerful; thinking about the on screen characters and the off screen duties of Triple H and Brock Lesnar, Shawn is probably right about this being H's life abd Brock only showing up for the money and the chance to beat people up. Paul Heyman's rebuttal was humorous, devious and 100% Heyman. Despite being a high profile rematch, this will be a good match to look out for.
Watching Swagger's promos with Zeb Colter seems very dull; I understand they're the racist heel duo trying to get heat, but they seem a bit like a broken record. Just saying "We the people" and talking about a countries former greatness doesn't push the same buttons it did in the 80's. I also feel that using Zeb Colter and Ricardo Rodriguez as driving forces for this feud detracts from the ability of Swagger and Del Rio and is sadly turning the World Heavyweight Championship into a farcical belt, and the attack on Rio with the crutches didn't seem as menacing as it must have been intended.
After this match we were graced with The Rock's presence (for a change...) and I felt his promo came off weaker than Cena's. In build up to Wrestlemania for the greatest Championship in the company The Rock manages to imply or suggest that he should be running for president. He also pulled out all of the same tricks he normally does; childish insults and cliched token stock phrases; the more I've seen The Rock the more I wish he'd go away - he's rooted in the past and hasn't adapted well or transitioned, simply lived off of nostalgia, and for me this hasn't worked well during his 2012/2013 run and it didn't work here.
Chris Jericho and Antonio Cesaro pulled off a great match, as expected; have to say I am not a fan of the yodeling gimmick though. The interference of Fandango (you better read it right) was very well done, the score cards not only ties in with his gimmick but gives him a real arrogance that could perhaps match Jericho's, and that amazing kick by Jericho added a good amount of fuel to this strong looking feud. Having not seen Fandango in the ring I certainly hope he can live up to having a debut at Wrestlemania, but with Jericho in the match I am virtually certain this will be a solid match.
To close the show we had The Undertaker address CM Punk. I felt that this was done in typical Taker fashion, he is the only man on the roster who can talk of ending lives and claiming souls and be utterly believable. The approach of the Druids was somewhat shocking to me, and seeing Heyman dressed as Paul Bearer and holding the urn was simply brilliant; I do hope Heyman gets into the Hall of Fame one day, even if it's just for his run as CM Punk's friend. The sneak attack by Punk seemed obvious after seeing Heyman standing alone, but watching Punk pour the ashes and wash himself in them was a very nice touch. This is the match I was watching Wrestlemania for anyway, and in the short time it's had Punk has managed to get a lot of heat behind him, for me I think this is going to be Match of the Night.
One more week of waiting and we get to see the show of shows. I know I've missed some things out of this small review, but I believe the Henry/Ryback match will be great, as both are very skilled big men who possess tremedous power which could be used for some brilliant spots. I also didn't mention Punk's promo earlier in the show, but I thought it was great and he is the only person who seems to be callous enough to say; "Undertaker right now is more concerned with Paul Bearer's streak of waking up every single morning and the fact that that's now over; and that's a bad omen for The Undertaker and his streak". As I said above, the Streak match is again THE match to watch this Wrestlemania, and I hope that in a week or so I can write down how amazing it was.
