The Highlight of the Night
The Top Moments from Raw
Written by Mark Adam Haggerty
When Michael Cole said that Wrestlemania was just 20-nights away, I had to check my calendar to make sure the "Voice of the WWE" hadn't lost his mind. However we are in fact less than three weeks away from the 31st installment of the annual classic, leaving many of us wondering when the build to Santa Clara might begin to feel like the "Road to Wrestlemania." This has been the least exciting Wrestlemania season in the history of the event, with consideration going to �Mania 11 in 1995 as a close runner-up. Maybe it's the availability of the WWE Network or the highly-diluted nature of the current product, but this year just doesn't feel exciting. I thought tonight was an inventive broadcast that was in-no-way short on highlights, but felt just like any other pay-per-view build. My name is Mark Adam Haggerty, with you once again to break down another thunderous three hours of WWE programming. Without further ado, let's get down to business with the Top Five Moments from Monday Night Raw.
5. "The team that loses to us at Wrestlemania will have to prove themselves."
I really enjoyed the stylistic way in which Creative opted to book a majority of tonight's matches. Both the intercontinental title picture and the tag team division were highlighted with interconnecting contests that allowed all participants involved to cross paths. While I think the hot-potato nature of the IC belt is becoming too comical, I'm rather keen on the build relating to whatever might go down in the tag ranks. The entire ordeal began with the New Day taking on the tag team champions, Kidd and Cesaro. Following an upset in the New Day's favor, the Uso's emerged from backstage to accompany Naomi to battle against Natalya. This created a crossroads between the New Day and the Uso's, and also gave the "Masters of the WWE Universe" an excuse to stay visible during Nattie's match. Although the Divas were done, the action was still moving forward with Los Matadores and the innately-over El Torito. There were nothing but upsets from match-to-match as Los Matadores were able to best the Uso's just as the New Day did the champions. What might we see when nine Superstars, two Divas and a miniature bull roll into Santa Clara, California for Wrestlemania? I for one would love to see a four-corners trios bout with all twelve personalities involved, but predict any such equation is going to end up on the preshow.
4. "If you had a soul, then God would look down upon you and spit on it!"
The rivalry between Rusev and John Cena has now heated to an overwhelming boil where Lana was forced to grant Cena his match against the "Bulgarian Brute" at Wrestlemania. Cena warned Rusev that he's grown tired of the anti-American rhetoric, and threatened to get physical if it should continue tonight. After defeating Curtis Axel, Rusev set to berating America once more, telling the citizens in attendance, "If you had a soul, then God would look down upon you and spit on it!" These harsh words were all John Cena needed to hear, and suddenly the battle was back on! I'm not fond of how easy it was for John Cena to put Rusev down with his "STFU" submission maneuver, but did marvel at the intelligent interplay involving both Cena and Lana at ringside. Lana has never appeared fragile since debuting with the WWE down in developmental, and for the first time showed signs of weakness as she begged with John Cena to release the "Pride of the Russian Federation." I thought the cadence in her pleas were well-timed and made for suspenseful television as John Cena refused to relinquish the hold until he had his match at Wrestlemania for the U.S. title.
3. "If Brock Lesnar wants to spend his summer unifying the WWE and UFC titles…"
I've grown somewhat tired of the standard Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar appearances, which generally don't amount to more than Heyman giving a stirring speech while Brock stands idly by with the championship. Tonight was more of the same, but the points pounded in by Paul Heyman were among the most riveting since he took on the responsibility of being the "One behind the One." Many of us weren't sure if we would even see Brock on Raw tonight, especially once word got out about a pre-show meeting amongst talent. But when the music hit and Brock Lesnar appeared wearing the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, a sigh of relief overtook my Kayfabe conscious: "Okay—�Mania is still safe." This is far from the first worked-shoot, however it touched upon severely sensitive issues that have only started to surface in recent weeks. Brock's future with the WWE is still in question as he has yet to sign a contract with Vince McMahon, and reportedly "stormed out" during negotiations just a few weeks ago. Between then and now, Brock has appeared on UFC television, leading pundits to ponder what's next for the Beast? I suggest that Brock is WWE-bound, set to sign another contract as he "works" the sports community with the help of Dana White and Vince McMahon. The Pittsburgh crowd was stunned after hearing Paul Heyman say, "If Brock Lesnar wants to spend his summer unifying the WWE and UFC titles, that's exactly what he's going to do." What's real and what's make-believe are often one in the same, especially in this unpredictable industry. Whether Brock leaves or not, Paul Heyman has made it clear that nobody is going to pull a "Montreal" on Lesnar at �Mania, and if someone does in fact try and "screw" the champ, he'll reserve his right to exact his revenge.
2. "Did you actually think I'd rejoin the Authority—are you CRAZY?"
I've enjoyed the ongoing creative between Randy Orton and Seth Rollins quite a bit. I especially liked the bit just a few weeks ago when Kane and Big Show allowed Rollins to get attacked by Reigns, and Randy responded with, "How could you let him get that close to our boy?" While some argue that this should have started months ago, and Randy might have been better utilized as opposition from the onset, I like the unique relationship between the Viper and the Architect, and hope to see it grow beyond �Mania and into the Spring. Everybody knew that it was just a matter of time before Orton turned the tables on Rollins, but
nobody
knew when to expect it. It certainly seemed inevitable during the "Daily Show" segment last week, and when it didn't happen, some suggested that it might
never
happen. Then tonight's episode of Raw featured a handicap match wherein Seth and Randy would team against Roman Reigns. The match began three minutes to 8PM here on the west coast, leading me to wonder what kind of match we would even get. It became clear what was in store for Seth Rollins once the action got underway. The events succeeding the contest were both vicious and hilarious; Randy Orton chased Seth Rollins from one end of the arena to the other, slowly following behind him as the "Shield Sell Out" struggled to get away. Randy constantly called after him, mocking Mr. Money in the Bank, inquiring, "Did you actually think I would rejoin the Authority? Are you CRAZY? Why would I do that?" He continued until the action spilled back over the barricade and into the ring. Randy finished the job as per usual and Seth Rollins was rolled out of Pittsburgh on a stretcher.
1. "The Man Will Come Around."
For the record—holographic ghosts are ridiculous, but lighting striking inside a building? Not ridiculous. Bray Wyatt appeared twice prior to his in-ring promo, asking the Undertaker to please respond by the end of the show. When no answer would come, the "Eater of Worlds" opted to take his message to the squared-circle. He carried with him the Urn of the Undertaker, and peered inside, seeking to unlock its mysteries. Suddenly, the arena went black, and Bray's alter dedicated to the Urn was replaced by his own memorial rocking chair. The gong struck three times—and the funeral hymn signifying the presence of the Phenom began to play. A bolt of lightning crashed across the arena ceiling and hit the wooden chair, instantly setting it ablaze. The Titantron screen flashed, and the immortal words of Johnny Cash—a musician often associated with the Undertaker—answered Wyatt's haunting question. Will the Undertaker wrestle Bray Wyatt at Wrestlemania? According to the Dead Man, "The man will come around."
This show was very heavy on the promos and video packages building the bounty of bouts announced for March 29th, and didn't provide much in the way of in-ring excitement, other than a few throwaway enhancement exhibitions. What's most troublesome is that the WWE Universe spent half-an-hour listening to R Truth on commentary, but only heard from Paul Heyman, Roman Reigns, and the World Champion Brock Lesnar for a matter of moments. How does the WWE plan to circumvent a main event mutiny at �Mania if they're doing nothing to sell the challenger aside from letting Paul Heyman run him down every week? Was this show entertaining? Yes, without question; Inspiring? Perhaps, thanks to Connor the Crusher; Important? Not whatsoever. The final segment that saw Randy Orton lead Seth Rollins around the arena was the most progressive component of the show, but even that was saturated by weeks-worth of meaningless exposition. I'm not going to go as far as CM Punk and say that I'd rather watch the season finale of "The Walking Dead," but I'm not looking forward to Wrestlemania, and as of this writing, the WWE has 18 days to change my mind.
