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The post-Elimination Chamber episode of WWE Raw turned out to be a roller-coaster ride. With plenty of Wrestlemania 28 implications, Raw was intriguing from the start to the finish. Here are the top 10 talking points of the show.
1. The opening segment involving Cena and that Hoeski (errr, sorry Eve) was something different. So, John Cena emerges out from this mix as the good guy. Its Eve’s turn to embrace the hate. Eve’s portrayal was flawless. But it was dragged too much. It would’ve been better, if this segment was cut short by a little. John Cena coming out of this angle is a must if he has got to focus on the Rock. His usage of the term ‘two dirty bitches’ describing Eve and The Rock, will certainly evoke an equally harsh response form The Rock.
Eve sobbing inside the ring
2. ‘The World’s strongest man’ Mark Henry and The Great White Sheamus were involved in a highly physical battle which ended up with the Great White picking up the victory. It would have been better if we had Daniel Bryan coming out to have a confrontation with Sheamus. But it didn’t happen. Hopefully, it will be made possible on Smackdown.
3. The mix and match tag-team of Kofi Kingston and R-Truth defeated the WWE Tag-team Champions Primo and Epico cleanly. The champions were buried courtesy of some bad booking. This victory is pointless unless they are going to give an extended run for Kofi and Truth as a tag-team.
4. Teddy Long’s challenge to David Otunga fizzled out as Otunga convincingly beat Smackdown’s Ezekiel Jackson in a singles match. With this victory, Otunga’s long losing streak comes to an end. There’s something fishy about him being on TV every week. He may well get a push very soon. He has a great physique, but his in-ring skills still need work.
5. Undertaker – Triple h confrontation was epic. A hell in a cell match at Wrestlemania is what we will witness on April 1. Both Undertaker and Triple H have been the masters of this sort of a match. It will be fitting to battle it out for the final time in a Hell in a Cell match. But with 5 more weeks to go, there may be alterations to this stipulation. Undertaker’s references to Shawn Michaels and the corresponding response from Triple H will be the point of discussion when Shawn Michaels is on Raw in the coming weeks. The creative team has done a great job in infusing interest into a match which will happen for the 3rd time at Wrestlemania. The live crowd too got into the act on several occasions during this confrontation.
Undertaker called Triple H a coward during their confrontation
6. The world heavyweight champion Daniel Bryan forced Santino Marella to submit to his La-Belle lock in quick time. But Santino isn’t the right opponent for Bryan at this point of time. When his Wrestlemania opponent Sheamus is beating a giant in Mark Henry, Bryan needs to look stronger by beating worthy competitors much larger in size.
7. John Cena addressed The Rock ahead of The Rock’s return on Raw, next week. He categorically attacked Dwayne, the movie star rather than Rock, the wrestler. All the points put forth by him were valid and made some sense. I was really pulled into this segment and liked it to the core.
8. Ten men battle royal to determine the #1 contender for the WWE Championship was a great match. Chris Jericho emerging as the winner was expected. The involvement of Smackdown stars to determine the #1 contender for a Raw Championship has started rumors about unification of the brands which is being widely discussed by the WWE Universe. Even the talks of same general manager for Raw and Smackdown indicate their intentions to end the brand extension.
No.1 contender match: 10 man battle royal participants
9. Wade Barrett getting injured due to a bad spot in this match was unfortunate. With a dislocated elbow, he is sure to miss the big Wrestlemania payday as he will be out for more than 8 weeks. Dolph Ziggler was lucky to escape without any major injuries because he was the one who had the biggest impact upon landing from the Big Show’s throw.
10. CM Punk on commentary during the battle royal was awesome. He did a great job, and took potshots at Cole in every available opporturnity. In the end, the staredown between him and Jericho was a indicator of the times ahead.
CM Punk and Chris Jericho had a staredown after Jericho won the match
