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So we have five more weeks until Wrestlemania and a Raw that built things up very well last night. Sure there was the usual “what a waste of time” segments, but for the most part this was a very solid and entertaining show. I thought the show got off to a very good start, and it ended on a positive note. And in between we got a five star match and a new match was booked for the show with an icon taking on a legend. This really was a show that was done so very right. And not that I wasn’t planning on ordering Wrestlemania, but after the show I am even more excited to see as they say the Grand Daddy of them all, Wrestlemania. And before I start you can hear me Saturday nights on From Over The Ropes http://www.webradiowcwp.org. I have a great time talking with the hosts Nick and Max so if you can check it out.

What a different way to start things off then by having John Cena, Triple H and Randy Orton already in the ring for a photo shoot. I would say that is somewhat original. Right before I started the column I read that all three guys snuck in the ring while the lights were out. So imagine what a surprise this was to the Phoenix crowd. And speaking of that crowd, I have to say they were outstanding, I thought they showed a lot of enthusiasm through out the show. But back to the opening. I liked last night’s better than last week’s with these three guys. I got a kick out of Hunter when he was talking to Cena and saying how a lot of fans didn’t appreciate the pedigree that he gave him last week, and with that there were a lot of boos, but then Hunter came back with, but a lot of fans did and this time you heard plenty of cheers. I liked how Hunter didn’t stop with the fans not appreciating what he did to him, and kept it going. I thought it was cool how Cena brought up how Hunter tapped out to him two years ago at Wrestlemania. And Orton getting right in the middle of both faces and bragging worked well too. Now one thing about Randy last night. I don’t know if it’s me, but the guy looked out of it. It was like he wasn’t awake; something I thought was off with Randy. But this was a sharp opening segment with Cena and Hunter teaming up and throwing Orton out of the ring. And then Orton came back and RKO’d both guys. This all played out so well.

After the break, Mr. Kennedy….Kennedy and Orton and a little interaction with Kennedy getting in Randy’s face about winning the MITB match and using that contract at Mania to win the title. He wanted to put Orton on notice that he was going for that title even if Orton wins the match. I thought Kennedy did a good job coming off cocky and Orton responded well to him. Now the first match of the night didn’t do it for me. It was Carlito and Santino vs. Cody Rhodes and Bob Holly. All four worked a nice match but the interest level for me was like at zero, I was too busy listening and watching Lawler trying to get the new Playboy pinup Maria’s attention. I figured this was all a part of the storyline, and of course once The King threw his crowd to get her attention and she left the match to give the crowd back to Lawler you could see as the match was going on that Marella’s was upset as he watched her go to the announce area. And Santino’s lack of focus on the match cost Carlito and Santino the win when Santino took the Alabama slam from Holly, so really this match was all about Maria’s up and coming hype for her Playboy layout.

Then next match was the five star match of the night. It was Chris Jericho vs. Jeff Hardy with Jericho needing a win to be a part of the money in the bank match. I was so glad to see Jericho return last night after not showing up last week on Raw. I got a kick out of him taunting William Regal backstage but more importantly I loved his match with Jeff Hardy. Hardy and Jericho were just outstanding and it goes to show you that when Jericho wrestles guys in his league such as Hardy or even Shawn Michaels you are going to see Jericho at his best. This match was Jericho’s best since his return. And during the match Jericho finally got that fan support that he has been missing since he came back. Jeff Hardy was excellent as he’s been for the last few months and together these guys put on one very terrific match. Okay so the Vince/Hornswoggle angle took another twist last night. So now JBL says that Vince is not the little guy’s father. It was a ruse that came from Vince’s family and that the father is Finlay. Okay so that part was interesting, but the rest was a yawner. Did you notice how the audience napped while Vince talked. It wasn’t until JBL came out with the Finlay announcement that we got some reaction, only for the fans to quiet down almost immediately after the bombshell. After Wrestlemania I really think it’s time for Vince to stay off of TV. He has totally worn out his welcome and I think enough is enough. Did any of you notice that the locker room segment with Cena and Triple H was Deja Vu? It was the same thing that Cena and Shawn Michaels said during one of their backstage segments last year right before Wrestlemania. Man you think that creative could be more CREATIVE. I missed Umaga vs. D.H. Smith, but from what I read it was your typical squash. Okay now, I swear this is so true, I am not just saying this. After the match I thought to myself they really need to move Umaga to Smackdown and I would have a Batista vs. Umaga feud. So last night we have William Regal visiting with the Donny and Marie Osmond of 2008, Kate Lea and her “brother” Paul Burchill. Regal reads a note from Smackdown’s GM, Vickie Guerrero asking for a Raw superstar to take on a Smackdown superstar at Wrestlemania. And Regal picked Umaga. I will bet you that we are going to see Batista vs. Umaga at Mania.
Shawn Michaels vs. Garrison Cade was the next match and I was waiting for JR to tell us that Cade was trained by HBK but he didn’t. The match was good, but this match was the prelude to what was to come and by that I mean Ric Flair coming out and setting up a match with a guy that he loves Shawn Michaels. This was an awesome part of the show and I’ll tell you why. First, you have no idea how I was waiting for this match to happen at Wrestlemania. You have Michaels who really does idolize Flair and Flair who is not only close to Michaels but picked one of the very best in the business to have what could be his last match, but what I also liked was how HBK said he didn’t want to be the one to retire Flair, and Flair looked a little put out that HBK was so sure that Flair was going to lose. This was a cool segment and we might just see some tension build between the Showstopper and Flair, I know I can’t wait to see this thing build each week and have it end at Wrestlemania.
Peter Maivia and Rocky Johnson will be joining Ric Flair in the Hall of Fame. And the Rock will be inducting both of them. Now it’s not often when I’m in agreement with John Cena but in an article from the The Sun Cena has a few choice words about Rock not being so wrestling friendly. I have to say I have felt the same way for a while. You can read Cena’s interview http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/article849554.ece. Okay and finally the main event with Kennedy and Orton taking on Cena and Triple H came off well. What hit me immediately was that last night Hunter was HBK, he was taking most of the abuse and Cena was the guy to come in at the end and clean house. And believe me that is not a knock at Cena at all. I’m just noticing Hunter in a different role this time around. I thought all four did a good job and the thing that really hit me at the end was that Cena pinned Kennedy, but after a stare down with Hunter, Cena was surprised and taken out by the man he pinned, Mr. Kennedy. And there was no Orton in sight. This three way really seems to center around Triple H and Cena, which would be fine if it was a one on one feud. Of course it’s not and I think at least Orton should have had some camera time right before the show ended.
So a really good Raw, and a really excellent build up toward Wrestlemania and now we have Smackdown coming up. By the way I breathed a sigh of relief when it was posted on WWE.com that Smackdown will be on My Network TV in September. I do not get Superstation WGN and I was really worried that there was a chance that Smackdown would go there and that would be it for me. So we have Smackdown coming up and now that Big Show is listed for that show I assume we will get more of the Mayweather/Show feud along with Edge and Taker and I bet Umaga and Batista. I hope Smackdown is much better than what I saw Friday night. I was very disappointed with Friday’s show, and questioning why I bought tickets for the March 11th Smackdown. So hopefully things will improve because of the hype for Mania. The Wrestling Voice is doing a voting process on the top 100 matches of 2007. Anyone is invited to vote and will be allowed access to each of the nominated matches (nearly 250 matches at this point). After the whole list has been finalized from ballots, DVD-sets of the top 100 matches in order will be made and shipped to each person who submits a ballot…for free. This is a highly unique and highly generous offer that requires from you just a simple match nomination (a minimum of one and a maximum of ten), watching some of the matches nominated, and submitting a ballot of your top 100 matches. Basically all you do is watch wrestling, state your opinion, and get free DVDs of all those matches in the process. What more can you ask for? To sign-up for this and get more information, just head on over to http://thewrestlingasylum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=129 which is the official home for this project.
Email lindarobin3@yahoo.com