This recap and analysis of WWE’s Monday Night Raw are the personal opinions of the writer. The author of this article is a former promoter, writer, and referee in the wrestling industry. You won’t find analysis as accurate as this anywhere else on the internet.
WWE Monday Night Raw Results 3/12/12
Jerry “The King” Lawler is in the ring to start the show. He puts over the rap and rock concert that will happen later on. The Rock will sing, and John Cena will rap. He introduces John Cena. Cena comes out to his old “thuganomics” theme and is dressed like it’s 2004. He’s wearing his throw back yo boy garbage. He starts rapping right away. I’m not really sure how I’m supposed to recap a rap concert. I’ve never had to or wanted to do that before. He calls The Rock a GI Joke…and it rhymed with something. Because apparently that’s what this rap thing does…it rhymes. In rhyming fashion he says The Rock had surgery on his boobies, and that he’s getting a Cleveland steamer. Apparently it’s tradition for the crowd to say “oooooooh” after each line. I don’t get it. Cena says he’s gonna put his nuts in The Rock’s face and has a prop bag of nuts. Yes Cena brought a prop. And the segment ends. Pretty short actually. That wasn’t worth a week full of promos. Word Life and #thuganomics are trending on Twitter.
Vickie Guerrero comes out. She says daylight savings time should be illegal. Why so? Because it denies the world an extra hour of seeing Dolph Ziggler! Gag. Ziggler makes his way to the ring.
Dolph Ziggler w/ Vickie Guerrero vs. Sheamus- Sheamus attempts to tie up to start, but Ziggler spins out of it and show boats. Ziggler breaks the second tie up with an elbow to the back. Sheamus wrestles him to the ground and rubs his forearm in his face. Back to their feet, Sheamus uses a shoulder block. Ziggler gets up but he’s met with a headlock takedown. The pace is pretty slow so far. Ziggler gets up, pushes Sheamus into the ropes, reverses an Irish Whip, but is hit with another shoulder block. Ziggler attempts to roll to the outside but he’s caught over the ropes. Sheamus goes for his chest pounds but Ziggler gets free. That takes us to our first commercial break of the night. Interesting that there wasn’t a break between the Cena segment and this match. That gives you an idea of how short the Cena segment was. Dr. of Thuganomics, Dolph Ziggler, Vickie Guerrero, and Billy Gunn are trending on Twitter. Why Billy Gunn? Because people think Ziggler is ripping off Gunn with his look and pink tights.
Back from commercial Billy Gunn…errr Ziggler is in an arm lock. After he gets up we get a couple of reversed Irish Whips followed by Ziggler being hip tossed over the top rope. Vickie distracts Sheamus as Ziggler comes from behind with a clothesline. Very nasty spot as Ziggler tosses Sheamus into the announce table pretty hard. Sheamus flips upside down and goes back first into it. Not really sure how that psychologically makes sense seeing how Ziggler is the smaller guy, but at least it looked cool. That was more of a big man throwing a cruiserweight kind of spot. Ziggler throws him back in the ring and uses a chin lock. At this point the cameras travel to a sky box where Daniel Bryan is with AJ. Josh Matthews asks Bryan if he was rude on Smackdown when he told AJ to shut up. AJ says that he’s not rude to her. Bryan tells people to leave their relationship alone. Why won’t AJ just turn heel? I know it will get Bryan more heat to abuse a little woman, but it would probably be more entertaining if she turned heel and was actually with him. I know she played a spoiled princess gimmick in FCW, so it would work.
Back down to the ring where Sheamus takes control. He face plants Ziggler off the ropes for a two count. Ziggler goes to the top rope for an axe handle but hes caught on Sheamus’ back. He goes for his new finisher, but Ziggler rolls down in a pin attempt. Sheamus stands straight up from the pin and attempts the move, but he doesn’t have full control of Ziggler. So he has to slam him instead of using the maneuver. It looked bad. Ziggler kicks out, reverses an Irish Whip, and hits a Billy Gunn “Fame Asser.” Two count. When they both get up Sheamus hits a random Brogue Kick for the win. Daniel Bryan looks angry in the skybox. AJ is in a daze and didn’t realize she was on camera. She looked pretty bored. Mediocre match overall. I hope that’s not the end of Daniel Bryan tonight. Speaking of…Daniel Bryan is trending on Twitter. Yes yes yes yes yes.
Michael Cole announces the General Manager Wrestlemania match. Each General Manager will have a team of 6 guys. The winning GM will take over as GM of both brands. Those of you who follow this article know that I called this many many many weeks ago. The proof is on previous articles.
John Laurinaitis comes down to the ring. He is on commentary. There is supposed to be a mixed tag match. Santino and Aksana come out for their match. Absolutely huge pop for Santino. It surprised me. David Otunga comes down. Laurinaitis grabs the mic and says that he changed his mind. Instead of a mixed tag match it’s now a handicap match. Mark Henry comes out to be Otunga’s partner. Teddy Long comes out to ringside and grabs Aksana off the apron.
United States Champion Santino Marella vs. David Otunga and Mark Henry- David Otunga attacks Santino from behind. Teddy Long and Laurinatis get in each other’s face. Teddy Long pushes Laurinaitis down again. This time he lands over the lap of Michael Cole. Santino hits a hip toss on Otunga. He does a split and a clothesline. Santino goes for the Cobra but he’s knocked down by Mark Henry. Henry tags himself in, hits the World’s Strongest Slam, and pins Santino. The match is over. Henry and Otunga pick Santino up and attempt to double team him. Kofi Kingston runs down for the save. Henry clotheslines Kofi and hits another World’s Strongest Slam. R-Truth comes running down. Otunga meets him at the ropes with some punches. Headbutt by Mark Henry. Otunga hits R-Truth with his finisher. Mark Henry hits Truth with a big splash. Laurinaitis announces Mark Henry as the newest member of his team. Michael Cole says that Otunga is the team captain. Looks like Santino is the captain of the other team.
So it looks like they will take their time to build these tag teams. Which kinda adds a little bit of credibility to the match. I’m sure the actual match will be a quick 5 minute match at Wrestlemania, which is used just to squeeze all of these guys on the card. I was hoping they would add Randy Orton and Kane to this match. I really don’t want to see them have a 1 on 1 match. So as of right now it looks like its Otunga/Henry with 4 more guys vs. Santino/Kofi/Truth with 3 more guys. Alberto Del Rio and Christian will likely be on the heel team seeing how they were involved at the start of this storyline at the Elimination Chamber. Ziggler and Swagger could be the other two. The match better be an elimination match. If it’s not I’ll take a bathroom break when it’s on. Mark Henry is trending on Twitter. That’s the highlight of his life.
An “Extra” Maria Menounos package airs. She interviewed Alicia Fox and The Bella Twins. Yes I had to look up how to spell her name because nobody watches Extra.
Eve Torres and Zack Ryder are in the back. Ryder says that he’s confused. He asks Eve if she’s playing him? She says no and that they should be friends with benefits. She wants to have dinner with him. Zack is excited and he’s in. Beth Phoenix comes up to Eve and says it should be her in that Maria Menounos package. Eve agrees. They ask Ryder to walk away. Beth says it’s great how she pulls Ryder’s strings. She asks Eve if she minds if she does the same. Eve gets angry and says that she does mind. Beth Phoenix looks angry. What’s the point of this? A Beth vs. Eve heel vs. heel feud? That’s not likely. Maybe all of the heel divas will fight over Ryder. Which will really put him over at the end of the storyline. Beth Phoenix is trending on Twitter.
John Laurinaitis in on the phone when The Miz walks up. Miz asks when he’s going to be named to Laurinaitis’ team since he main evented Wrestlemania last year. He brings in the star of Psych James Roday. Yes I had to Google how to spell his name because nobody watches Psych. They talk about how The Miz is the guest star on Psych this week. Laurinaitis says that The Miz has a match and if he wins, he is on the team. Laurinaitis asks James to be the guest ring announcer. James says that he’s going to Finkle it up. Miz asks who his opponent is. Laurinaitis says that it’s CM Punk. Miz is angry. Time for him to job again. James Roday is trending on Twitter.
Jinder Mahal vs. “The Funkasaurus” Brodus Clay- He’s finally back and out of the doghouse. If only The Miz could get to that point. And apparently he’s still the only living breathing Funkasaurus in captivity. That’s fascinating. Clay dances his way down the aisle and into the ring with his dancers. Mahal jumps Clay from behind. He runs at Clay but is hit with a headbutt. T-Bone suplex by Clay. Big splash off the ropes. That’s it. Clay wins. What happened to the “Funk It” finisher? Just a splash now? Well that’s stupid. So was that 2 minute match. After weeks of pushing Mahal on Smackdown, he’s jobs in 2 minutes. So much for Clay actually wrestling a legitimate match. If these matches are going to stay short they need to do something else. How about leaving his music play the whole way through it? Jinder Mahal, Brodus Clay, and #somebodycallmymama are all trending on Twitter.
Some guy named Machine Gun Kelly is sitting at ringside. They acknowledged it, which is the only reason why I did.
Shawn Michaels comes to the ring. I fear that I now have to listen to a half hour promo. He shows the clip of Triple H saying that people call him a failure behind his back. Shawn says that he walks around the locker room and nobody says that to him. This Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels best friend rivalry fails in comparison to Rick vs. Shane from The Walking Dead. Shane was the best. I hate baby faces. So anyways, Shawn Michaels calls out The Undertaker. 12 minutes later The Undertaker is finished his entrance. Shawn said they did something that people will remember forever. Michaels accuses Undertaker of saying things behind his back. Undertaker pretty much says that those are Triple H’s words and not his. So this is pretty much something that you would hear on an elementary school playground. Michaels says that he knows who will win at Wrestlemania. Undertaker tells him to leave his ego out of it. He wants the outcome to be pure. If the outcome isn’t pure there will be hell to pay. Michaels says its ironic that he could be the guy to make him lose. Now this promo is sounding like a bad Alanis Morissette song. You know, the one where she sings about irony, but nothing in the song is actually ironic. I can’t believe I’ve had to Google how to spell Maria Menounos, James Roday, and Alanis Morissette all in one night. Undertaker says something about ending Michaels. He also says that Wrestlemania is April 21st. So he’s 20 days off. Michaels walks out of the ring and past Triple H, who is standing on the ramp. Triple H looks at Undertaker and does the “suck it” sign.
Really??? This is awful. What a joke. Triple H vs. Undertaker is awful. The promos have been awful. The symbolism has been awful. The storyline has been awful. The build has been awful. The idea of needing a gimmick match for The Undertaker’s 20th Wrestlemania match is awful. Please stop building this crap. Just make it happen at Wrestlemania, beat the hell out of each other, tell a good story, and save yourselves. I know the match will be good. Those two epic legends will make sure it will be. But everything else involving it is just plain awful. “Taker” and “The Undertaker” are trending on Twitter.
James Roday comes out. He does the Triple H suck it sign. He does the whole Rock “finally” thing. He makes jokes about being a white guy, the match being for approximately one fall (whatever the hell that means), and The Miz being tan. The crowd booed a little. He put’s The Miz over and gets the crowd to pop when he announces that they are in The Miz’s hometown. Then he announces CM Punk liking shakes, or something like that. Who knows? I really don’t care at this point.
WWE Champion CM Punk vs. The Miz- Tie up to start. Miz goes for a quick roll up. Two count. Nice desperation move. Makes sense given The Miz’s recent mentality. Punk hits some hard kicks in the shins. He runs off the ropes and is hit with a knee to the gut. That takes us to commercial. Figures. I’m kinda moody tonight because I haven’t really seen any wrestling. This was my one chance to see it. Back from break we get an abdominal stretch by Miz. Punk gets out and hits a series of clotheslines. High knee in the corner, followed by a bulldog. He goes for the Go To Sleep, but Miz fights out. Flapjack into the corner and a DDT from the knees by Miz. Miz continues the desperation psychology by freaking out on every near fall. Miz goes to the top rope and misses an axehandle. Punk picks him up for another GTS, buts its countered into a Skull Crushing Finale attempt. Punk rolls through and hooks The Miz in an Anaconda Vice. Miz taps out. Thus progressing his jobber status.
Chris Jericho is on the big screen. He claps for Punk and calls him a fraud. He has a dirty dark secret about CM Punk. He wants to tell people that CM Punk is straight edge because his father is an alcoholic. He says that alcohol is in Punk’s blood. He says the pain of fighting alcohol temptations are the reason why he hides behind a tattoo needle. He says that after Wrestlemania he will make CM Punk drink. And then he will become an alcoholic. He calls Punk’s father a pathetic drunk. Punk walks to the back slowly and the cameras stay with him instead of cutting to break. I kinda wish they would have cut to break. It really wasn’t that dramatic. Ahhhhhhhhhhh. Cmon!!!!!!!!! This feud had way too much potential for this crap. I seriously want to just stop watching Raw for the next few weeks and just skip ahead to Wrestlemania. The matches will be great, but the build is terrible. CM Drunk is trending on Twitter.
The Law Offices of David Otunga promo airs. And it was great. If you have a Twitter, you have a lawyer!! This was easily the best part of Raw tonight. And it was a quick 20 second full screen promo with a cheesy deep promo voice. The fullscreen did include Otunga’s bow tie and coffee mug!
Randy Orton vs. Jack Swagger w/ Vickie Guerrero- Swagger didn’t even get an entrance. Tie up to start. Swagger works Orton to the mat with an arm bar. Orton uses a fireman’s carry to get out. He follows it up with body stomps, a clothesline, and tosses Swagger over the top rope. Orton follows him out and sends Swagger into the steel steps. Orton bounces Swagger’s head off the announce table multiple times. He tosses Swagger back into the ring as we go to commercial. Do those of you in Baltimore remember that awful Extreme Rules Pay Per View that was in Baltimore a few years ago? The one where Jack Swagger defeated Randy Orton clean in a match for the World Heavyweight Championship. Eww. Shad also wrestled JTG in a strap match. To this day that is one of the top 5 lowest rated PPV’s in WWE history.
Back from break swagger tosses Orton into the corner face first. He works the leg and ankle of Orton with numerous holds and stomps. Swagger goes for the Swagger Bomb, but Orton rolls out of the way. Swagger comes back with the ankle lock. Orton rolls to his back and kicks out of it. Swagger goes charging but is tossed to the outside of the apron. Guillotine by Orton dazes Swagger. Orton pulls him to the top rope from the apron and hits a superplex. Michael Cole says “its not often you see Randy doing that” to which I reply every single week….he does it every match Cole!!! Snap powerslam by Orton followed by the hanging DDT off the ropes. RKO from Orton for the win. Decent match. Best of the night by far. Punk and Miz had potential but it was too short. After the match ends an explosion happens and the arena lights turn red. But there isn’t any music. It’s all silence. Kane head games I assume. Instead of establishing that the production crew didn’t know what was predetermined they decided to cut away. Which gave the impression that what Kane just did was planned and known in the production truck. If they would have been confused they would have stayed with it. But because they knew that Kane wasn’t coming out, they cut to a recap video of Cena. I hate bad production. It ruins angles. Not that this angle didn’t already ruin itself or anything. Have I mentioned yet how awful Swagger’s haircut is? It definitely looks like a lego block.
A promo airs showing that Michaels, Triple H, and Undertaker will all be in the same ring next week. We also have to sit through John Cena vs. Mark Henry. Looks like another awful show. The Rock Concert is already trending on Twitter in preparation for the next segment.
The Rock comes to the ring with a guitar. He’s over tonight. Big crowd pop. Looks like the boos last week were only from Cena’s home town crowd. The Rock says tonight’s crowd is the biggest ever in Cleveland. He makes the crowd chant “Cleveland.” Worse than a Mick Foley cheap pop. Rock makes fun of Cena’s yo clothes and calls him Marky Mark. He says that isn’t the real Cena. He said the Cena he knows has come out each week looking like what would happen if Vanilla Ice had sex with a Telletubby. He says Cena likes the tele-tang. He shows a picture on the big screen that shows Vanilla Ice, a teletubby, and John Cena. He says tonight isn’t about rap because Cleveland rocks.
The Rock begins to sing. It’s to the tune of Elvis’ Jailhouse Rock. He calls Cena a jabroni and says Cena has a menstrual clock. He calls Cena an Eminem wannabe. The crowd loves this. They are clapping along. The next verse talks about Cena getting a rectal exam. Now he’s going to sing gossip about Cena and Eve. He says Cena was tugging on her weave. He says Cena was having the time of his life, I guess he didn’t tell her he’s got a wife. He sings divorce lawyers are right up the block. Everytime he sings Cleveland Rocks the crowd shouts it. Next he sings about the day Cena was born. The punch line is that little baby Cena had lady parts. Vanilla Ice and Teletubby are trending on Twitter now. So is #teletang. Hahahahahahahahahahaha.
The Rock takes a break to ask if any men like Cena. The crowd boos. This next song is for anyone who likes him. They will never taste pie, they are a walking virgin, and they are 42. They also dress like Kirk and Spock. The next verse if for the woman who want to get with The Rock. He makes a joke about sleeping with Cena’s mom. “Cena’s mom can barely walk.” He wants the crowd to sing the last song. “We will Rock You.” plays. The Rock sings his own song, with the words on the big screen. He stumbles a little as this song is too fast. He doesn’t get started on time and messes up a few words. After each “we will rock you” phrase he has the crowd chant “Cena sucks.”
Good job overall by The Rock. A full rebound for him. He was highly entertaining as I thought he would be. His songs were funny and are worth Youtubing. The Rock needed this. I think Cena knew that The Rock had to be stronger tonight to build their feud for Wrestlemania. So Cena did a short and sweet rap and let The Rock have the spotlight. Very smart on Cena’s behalf. The Rock getting back to even playing ground just made this feud much better. This is the only feud that has been built the right way heading into Wrestlemania. How about the stuff about Cena cheating on his wife with Eve? That’s a pretty low blow if it’s true. I doubt it’s true, but The Rock said it was. Still a pretty big low blow. As Raw went off the air #RockConcert was the #1 trend worldwide on Twitter. Cleveland Rocks was also trending.
Another disappointing Raw overall. Only The Rock saved it. They are doing an awful job building these Wrestlemania feuds. As I said before, the matches will be good, but the builds are awful. There really isn’t much more to say. This road to Wrestlemania sucks.
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I thought Raw was good. I give it a B+.
My favorite part of the show was Cena’s rap. I had mad nostalgia when he came out to his old Word Life music and was rockin the chain. I immensely enjoyed his rap. Short, to the point, and his words cut like a knife. Very very good stuff. I marked out several times during that promo.
Ziggler deserves better. He looked strong despite his loss, but he deserves better than being stuck in a match at Wrestlemania where he and freaking Aksana have to share air time. Pathetic. LOL at Bryan saying “AJ loves me and the feeling is mutual.” He is the freaking man. Best heel in the company, by far. YES YES YES YES YES.
The only part of the Santino/Otunga/Mark Henry match that was great was when Long pushed Ace over and his big boat shoes were sticking up in the air as he laid in Cole’s lap. That was great.
Happy as heck to see Brodus back. They should put him in the GM match at Mania. He would be a good fit there, I think.
I thought the HBK/Taker segment was aiight. I think they are establishing good depth for this match. I dont know what else to say other than I am enjoying it, which seems to put me in the definite minority for whatever reason. Either way Taker is winning at Mania and I think they are doing a pretty good job at making the wrestling noobs question that.
Ok ok ok onto Punk. I had several reactions after Jericho cut his promo. I would hate it if they turned this into a storyline where Punk gets mad at Jericho, loses at WM, and turns to alcohol. That would suck. But I dont think thats possible b/c Punk wont drink just for storyline purposes. I think the point of this was to make it very personal. Guessing Punk does a similar personal promo on Jericho next week. I think everybody had such high expectations for the build to this match that what is actually happening could never live up to those expecations. I think Punk over sold the drama in the promo, which kinda ruined it a little, but I am intrigued by this and curious to see what Punk says in rebuttal next week.
I dont give a darn about Kane vs Orton. moving on…
The Rock was funny as heck. period. It just went wayyyyyy too long. No need for the 10 minute promo before the actual song and guitar. Rock seems to want to play to the crowd more than actually saying anything relevant. Thats fine, because he is FUNNY. but Cena still wins this week’s battle, in my opinion. Cena 3 Rock 0. Good Raw overall. Thanks for another great read.
Really? I wasn’t that big on Cena’s rap. It was predictable. And I hate the world life Thuganomics rap crap. It was too short and nowhere as good as The Rock’s.
Unfortunately there isn’t much for Ziggler to do right now. Kane stole his/or/Miz’s spot. Either of those two guys should be wrestling Orton. Daniel Bryan is the best! yes yes yes yes. There definitely wasn’t enough of him tonight.
I can’t agree with you on the Teddy Long/Laurinaitis thing. Teddy pushing Laurinaitis every single weak is stale. The whole storyline bores me. I really don’t care who wins. I hope they put Del Rio over in that match. Brodus Clay may end up in that match. I think he and Dude Love should get a tag title shot! How about that for entertainment!
I don’t know what else to say about Undertaker, Triple H either. My only response is…why?
Punk vs. Jericho should have been a social media war. This was the first time they could have done something technologically savy and fresh. They blew that. Another straight edge angle is highly disappointing. I don’t think anyone in the world is happy with the direction of that storyline.
I liked The Rock getting 10 minutes. It was great. Funny. Hilarious at times. I laughed. Good stuff. The Rock wins this week for me because of his massive response. Cena 2 Rock 1.
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Cena’s “rap crap” that you speak of is the only reason fans ever liked him in the first place, and I am no fan of rap. Its the truth though. When he stopped rapping after he won the title in 05, what did people do? They started to boo him again, this time for being the new millenium’s version of Hulk Hogan.
Ziggler really is getting the shaft. He probably would be facing Punk at Mania this year had it not been for Jericho coming back. Either match would be good, but Jericho-Punk looks much better to someone buying a PPV.
Brodus Clay and Dude Love as a tag team = M-O-N-E-Y.
Undertaker vs HHH had to happen. Theres really no one on else on the roster that could believibly pose a threat to him. Great job on WWEs Part to put Undertaker’s streak in doubt with the HBK angle. If Taker wins this year and decides to come back next year, Cena will be the only challenge left for Taker.
I don’t think Cena’s boos had anything to do with the rapping. People liked him on the chase. People like everyone on the chase. Once they win the title and have multiple title reigns they become stale. That’s what happened to Cena.
I like Ziggler but I don’t think he’s as great as a lot of people on here do. I think he’s really good. But he is nowhere near the wrestling ability of Jericho or Bryan. I like The Miz better as a wrestler too. I would like to see him being used better though.
You like the Clay/Dude Love combo? I think it’s a great idea.
Some people do doubt that Undertaker will win. Your right though, that’s what it’s all about. The last thing we want is a predictable match. I do like the idea of it going either way.
I first began watching WWE in 2004 when Cena had his rap gimmick and was kayfabe stabbed by Carlito’s bodyguard, Jesus. I remember Cena rapping about Carlito saying, “The way he walks, the way he talks…spitting out his fruit and vegetables. I’ll kick you so hard you’ll be choking on your testicles.” I loved that gimmick. Cena was fantastic back then. I despise rap music in general, but I loved this gimmick on him. And he owned Rocky last night. It was very notstaligally (is that a word lol) awesome.
Dude Love and Brodus. Ohhhhh heck yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
In regards to the GM storyline, who do you see winning that, Mark? I thing Teddy will win, for some reason. But I hope Im wrong. I am enjoying the Punk/Jericho feud. All I know is what Punk does next Monday will surely be epic based on what he’s been tweeting since last night.
Yes, I have told people about your weekly write-up. I discuss your comments with my friend Adam from the Baltimore Sun’s wrestling column every week. He tends to agree with you…most of the time lol.
I agree. I think he’s funny as a rapper. And I also despise rap music. I don’t think he owned The Rock though. I really do think The Rock was better by far.
Another vote for Brodus and Dude Love!! I’m going to tweet that to Foley right now.
I really don’t want to see Teddy Long on both shows. I don’t wanna see Laurinaitis either. I like Laurinaitis kinda, and I think he has a good gimmick and does a good job, but I still don’t really wanna see him. My guess is that Teddy Long is retiring and Laurinaitis wins. But then again, I’m sure Laurinaitis didn’t plan to be on tv for long since he has a lot of responsibilities. I’ll take team Laurinaitis in the end.
I’m not sure I want Punk vs. Jericho to be a personal rivalry. I want a strong wrestling match, not a brawl. I think both guys are smart enough to put on the wrestling match regardless of how it’s booked. They are both geniuses and know what the people want.
I’d love to debate the Baltimore Sun guy. Set that up for an article on their site!
I agree with you on the chase thing,however the first 4 months of Cenas first title reign he was cheered. The chase is part of it, but only a small part. It wasnt until the Jericho angle leading into SummerSlam 05 that people started to boo him. I remember Jericho bringing up legit points for his beef with Cena and Cena’s only response is that Jericho was “cheap”.
Of course, it didnt help matters that his next big angle after the said Jericho angle that they booked him in 2 non-believable wins agains Kurt Angle who had ran through the roster in the previous two years. Once he stopped rapping and discarded the throwback jerseys, he came across as hokey and childish to the 18-34 male demographic, thus starting the Boos.
I dunno that anyone can really pinpoint when Cena started getting booed. I was at Wrestlemania 21 in 2005 and I was also at the Hall of Fame the day before. The smart marks at the Hall of Fame were booing Cena already. I thought Cena was great because after that Hall of Fame ceremony (after Hogan was inducted) Cena jumped over the barricade on the way out and went into the crowd. I still respect him for being so fan friendly. I was also at that Summerslam you speak of in Washington DC and he was booed by smart marks. There were still pretty loud pops for Cena at that time, and it certainly wasn’t like it is today. But I certainly think what your saying can be attributed to the boos. I just truly think that after the chase it’s still cool to see a guy as champion for a few months. After they run through the roster, like you said, they start to get a little stale. It’s happened to virtually everyone. There were a few years where Cena did the same crap over and over and over and over where the crowd just got sick of him. For the last few years however, he has done some amazing work and I can’t understand why the smart marks haven’t begun to cheer him more. I really liked his feud with Batista, thought the Nexus angle was legendary, and think The Rock angle is even more legendary.
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The only thing I want to respond to is what you are referring to as Cena cheating on his wife with Eve. What Rock was referring to was the night that Eve kissed Cena after he saved her from the ambulance that Kane was driving.
No The Rock said that there was more backstage that wasn’t seen on television. That was the point of it.
This was probably a reciept for Cena commenting on the Rock’s Pectoral Surgery from 99.
So I guess you also believe that the Rock was there when Cena was born, and you also believe that the Rock had sex with Cena’s mom. OK
I watched it again the next day. The Rock wasn’t being serious about that. He kept winking. When I’m writing this column my eyes jump from the tv to the computer, so I missed that.
the rock is better than cena when it comes 2 mic…bt i think d two should stop there stupid promos and start thinking on how 2 make there match d best 1 in history bcaus d match is d most anticipated match in history… For undertaker match, i think shawn micheal will betray triple h. Therefor givin undertaker d win bt d match will b d best match of d night if rocK/CENa doesnt stop dea nonsens promo 2 prepare 4 dat match…. Randy orton should b in long team cos he is d only 1 dat cn def laurinaitis team nd dt match should b elimination match. bt dn kane cn b added 2d team of laurinaitis as wel
Actually they won’t have to do much in their match for it to be good. There will be a lot of pauses and playing to the crowd. But the crowd will be hot and loud the whole time. Undertaker will definitely win…don’t you worry. I hope the GM match is an elimination match also. CM Punk vs. Jericho will easily steal the show.
He’s right. The writers are struggling with story lines. Matches will be great.
Raw has to do something about the set ups. Delivery is everything. WWE is
This should be thWwwe biggest Wrestlemania ever, but each week its the same crap.
Taker and Triple H + Rock n Cena alone make it one of the best Wrestlemanias
Ever. General Hospital has better lead- in story lines. I personally (and maybe the minority)
am tired if hearing the rock run his mouth about 42 year old virgins. I got two kids.
Its unnecessary. And kids , beleive it or not , still watch this stuff. Oh, and how about
this, ‘rock’, maybe wrestle in a match or somthing. He talks the talk, but he only feels he has to walk …once a year. I remember the late great Road Warrior Hawk say
one time, ‘shut up and wrestle’. something all the WWe should adhere to.
Well of course I agree with you because you were agreeing with me! Worst build ups I can ever remember. Great matches with terrible storylines. It’s too late to save them too. Only the in ring performances will save them. I still think it will be one of the best “wrestled” Wrestlemanias ever. Rock vs. Cena will be loud and great. Undertaker and HHH will kill themselves. CM Punk, Jericho, and Daniel Bryan will put on wrestling clinics. The rest of the show will probably be awful, but at least we get 4 good ones.
And goodwill, sorry, but I have to disagree about rock being better on mike.
I think cena is actually betternow. Rock tries to be to cute, and reaches a bit.
(also it doesnt help that I met him once getting on an elevator and he was an a#@)
Until tonite, cena has kept it somewhat clean and entertaining.
I’ve talked in detail about this on my previous blogs. The Rock is more entertaining on the mic and can cut better fun promos. Cena is a better shoot talker. It is because of the generations that they were in.
Bring back piper!
Agreed. Piper wants to have The Rock and Cena in a Piper’s Pit. I see him writing about it on Twitter. However, right now they are filming the “Legend’s House” show for the WWE Network. Piper is on that show. Since he’s living in a house with a bunch of people, and it’s being filmed, I’m not too sure that they would let him leave the taping to travel to Raw.
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Mark……….u r spot on as always…….every other build-up xcept Rock-Cena z turnin’ out 2 b simply awful…………however,dis week was also a testament 2 d fact how indispensable Cena z for d wwe……i can’t remember a single person in d post-attitude era who cud consistently engage d crowd with d mic other than Cena…………..Punk z vry vry gud…..bt he dusn’t really hav d s’punk’ of Cena……………RAW z basically RAC(=Rock And Cena) these days!!!!!!
1 more thing………….i know a lot of people m8 disagree with me bt I’m really sic n tired of Randy Orton…..he was pretty great as a heel bt ever since he turned face,he’s been d same drooling maniacal bastard every damn week……..with absolutely NO mic skills at all.The Miz z a MUCH BETTER package than him on any day…..n luk how dey r treatin’ him………i just hope Miz gets a CM Punk-esque push pretty soon otherwise dey wud b wasting a gr8 talent.
***WISH WRESTLEMANIA WAS THIS SUNDAY***
It’s kinda sad how bad the build ups have been. Cena is a natural on the mic. He has more charisma than anyone in the company. I like Punk’s mic skills the best though. He’s a sarcastic ass and I love it.
Orton is stale. I like his abilities in the ring. The problem isn’t him, it’s the booking. He isn’t being used in a fresh way. They need to come up with something different for him and stop throwing him in random feuds that he eventually goes over in. The Miz is a better package overall. Those two would have been perfect for each other at Wrestlemania. Kane ruins everything.
Rocky is heyday better dan cena,,,,rocky is probably the most popular wwe wrestler of all time,bar none,nt even hogan and austin,leave alone cena,the man is so damn popular,tht even his bad films became box office hits…………
The Rock is one of the most popular guys ever. He is up there with Hogan, Austin, Michaels, Flair, and Undertaker. I’d have to rank Austin and Hogan 1 and 2 in almost every category in the history of WWE. They are the biggest names, the most popular, and had the most charisma. I wouldn’t rank them at the top of wrestling ability though. That would have to be Bret Hart, Chris Jericho, and Daniel Bryan.
I was a big fan of John Cena’s rap because it was so funny when he said his nuts was going to be in the Rock’s face! The Rock’s concert was kinda boring and tiring. John Cena is sooo DAMN fine
That’s interesting. Your the first person that I’ve heard say that The Rock was boring. I thought he was great. Cena was decent, he was just too short. He talks so slow that it doesn’t seem like a talent to me. The Rock can actually play guitar and can actually sing. Anyone can talk slow, rhyme, and wear ridiculous clothing. I can’t agree with you on Cena being fine lol. I don’t know anything about that one. My grandmother thinks so though!
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I don’t understand why Cena’s rap was so short. It was so good! Anyway do you know what word did he use that they bleeped out? The Rock saved the show last night. Punk and Jericho feud is going well as well as The Rock and Cena. I don’t see much hype in Sheamus and Bryan. But I am sure it will be a good match. What’s with Kane anyway? Why the hell is he after Randy now? Isn’t he embarrassed about loosing to Cena? I think Randy should have given a much better match up than feuding with Kane. I don’t think anyone cares about their match at Wrestlemania. Also what about Alberto and Mysterio? Where are they? Are they joining the Long vs Laurinaitis team? Where is Kharma?
Also I can see Brodus Clay leaving the WWE soon, I mean he was suspended because he was feuding with Jobbers in squash matches that didn’t last for a couple of minutes or didn’t require much moves, and yet again he is doing the same when he returned. Hopefully he will start feuding with someone who can stand up to him like Alberto or The Miz.
Yeah it was too short. If The Rock got 13 minutes why didn’t Cena. The cesored word was chicken shit. The Rock did save that show. I think Punk vs. Jericho has so much more potential. Your probably not seeing the Bryan vs. Sheamus hype if you don’t watch Smackdown. Most of that show is dedicated to them. The whole Kane vs. Orton thing was just slopped together. It’s awful. Kane is wasting a spot that should have been Miz’s or Ziggler’s. And Miz/Ziggler should have went over on Orton too. That would have been big for them. Alberto will be back any day now. I expect him to be on team Laurinaitis. He was injured. Mysterio was injured as well. He may also be in that mach on team Long. The original plan for him was to face Sin Cara. But then Sin Cara had a huge injury that is keeping him out until June. Kharma’s baby passed away at birth. So she’s dealing with a lot of personal issues right now and isn’t ready to return full time. They were going to do her vs Phoenix, but that’s scrapped now. I could see them building Phoenix vs. Kharma based on the “dominant diva” storyline. Then after news of Kharma’s personal life broke, they took Beth off tv. Now they brought her back in this new Zack Ryder angle. I’m expecting some sort of Ryder/Eve/Beth/Kelly thing at Mania. Maybe Beth will steal him and it’ll be Ryder/Beth vs. Miz/Eve or something like that. I’m not sure what they are doing there yet.
I don’t see Brodus leaving. He wasn’t suspended. He was just taken off tv because Vince thought he was dangerous. They had RoadDogg working with him. He should be fine now. I wouldn’t be shocked if they did put him in the doghouse again eventually and maybe did let him go. He vs. Alberto would be great.
The worst Raw ever. I am a Cena’s fan and I am sure that he will defeat the great one in Wrestlemania.
I’ve seen many more worse Raws than that in my days. I hope he does beat The Rock, but it’s a toss up.
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i don’t like rock and cena both ……but i do think that cena is farrrr more better than rock …rock is too much showy and phony person …johncena seems real and does entertain far more better than rock…and cena got more mic talent than him..and when rock called cena eminem wannabe …i don’t think it be so…bcoz cena is better rapper than eminem…
That comment was pretty funny. Better than Eminem? Really? I despise rap, but I do like Eminem’s old stuff. That’s funny though. I’m not really a fan of either as well. I’d say John Cena is better on the mic as a shooter, and that The Rock is better on the mic in entertainment value. The Rock probably has more wrestling ability though. Cena is kinda limited in that category. Cena can put on a show, and tell a story as good as the rest of them inside the ring, but The Rock has more technical skill.
i cant agrre with u …..u put rock on top becoz may be he’s ur favourite……but cena is wayyy better than him in every way possible
I’m gonna put this out there. 31 years young, male. I liked Rock when he was the Blue Chipper, lost track of wrestling during the Monday Night Wars, got back into it when Benoit and Guererro were still being built up(and Lita had just started accompanying Essa Rios, so c. 1999? 2001?). I found him entertaining then. I found Cena entertaining too, once he got into the whole rapping gimmick(I didn’t even remember that his first televised match was a near victory over Kurt Angle till I stumbled on it on Youtube the other day!). That being said, Rock was totally outclassed in the “performance” portion of his segment. He basically bastardised Jailhouse Rock, and tried to pad it by making sure the chorus always ended with Cleveland Rocks. He then proceeded to be completely off his timing with Queen’s We Will Rock You. Cena’s rap definitely came off more “natural”.
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