The matches were short, the promos were long, but in the end, every match scheduled for Wrestlemania is being built in a way where the heat and drama are all there.
That’s all you can ask for with Wrestlemania just a week and a half away.
This year’s biggest pay per view is going to be an entertaining one, mainly due to the fact that the WWE are trying their hardest to pull out all the stops on RAW.
The show started off with a bang this week, with Michael Cole poking fun at Jim Ross, before Triple H cut a promo and later Ted DiBiase in half, with a Pedigree through the announce table. At one time, DiBiase was one of the WWE’s promising prospects, but over the past year, he’s been lower mid-carder fodder. That doesn’t appear to be changing anytime soon.
If anyone had something to gain by heading to TNA and playing off of their love of misused WWE talent, DiBiase does.
Things slowed down a bit with a few lukewarm matches and almost hit a standstill when Cole used the ankle lock again on Jerry Lawler. Words cannot describe how bad Cole is in the ring. It should be stated that he’s managed to become an excellent heel in a short amount of time, but it remains to be seen how he’s going to perform competently at Wrestlemania. With so much time dedicated to it over the past few weeks, the WWE has a lot to live up to once the bell rings and these two finally square off.
Focusing on personnel in the company that can actually perform, another Sin Cara vignette aired later in the show, which continues to build him up as one of the most exciting cruiserweights the company has ever had. While the WWE appears to not be using the luchador during Wrestlemania, they are showcasing what he can do in the ring, without giving too much away. When he finally does start appearing on the promotion’s shows, you can bet they’ll be a ton of fanfare.
Speaking of fanfare, The Miz is earning his stripes on the mic the past few weeks and he continued that this week with a promo that proved his arrogance and charisma. With his outlandish ideas of his own ability and the desecration of the WWE title [that’s been desecrated a handful of times over the past decade], The Miz continues to carve his niche in the company as one of its top heels. While the ramifications of altering the look of the belt may piss off hardcore fans, The Miz makes it that much easier to hate him and even easier to root for John Cena.
Even though it’s formulaic in the end, wrestling is all about good guys vs. bad guys and the WWE is making sure both The Miz and Cena are being pushed and given an opportunity to shine, setting up a more than solid Main Event at Wrestlemania that looked lukewarm a month ago.
Matches:
Sheamus vs. Evan Bourne: This match was the complete opposite of their confrontation a month ago. Simply put, Sheamus squashed Bourne with a bicycle kick after Bourne missed his shooting star press finisher. A quick match, but one that proves Sheamus is back on track and in a position to have a great match with Daniel Bryan at Wrestlemania.
Maryse vs. Eve: A sloppy match that could have been better had they had more time and Cole not interrupted the action. Still with no match for Wrestlemania, Eve has quickly become liked by the fans, but isn’t involved in any type of angle right now.
Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel vs. Santino and and Vladimir Kozlov w/ Tamina: Another quick match that The Corre won thanks to interference from Wade Barrett, which allowed Gabriel to use his 450 finisher to secure the victory. Afterward, Big Show and Kane hit the ring and laid out the foursome, building towards what should be an encounter between them at Wrestlemania.
Dolph Ziggler w/ Laycool and Vicki Guerrero vs. John Morrison and Trish Stratus: If it wasn’t for Guerrero and Snooki, these two would be in a situation to have a brilliant match at Wrestlemania. Instead, it’s a mess of a match with a million people involved. Luckily, Laycool and Stratus can do more than hold their own in the ring. On this night, Morrision and Ziggler pushed a solid pace until the RAW GM made it a mixed handicap match. That contest wasn’t nearly the athletic showcase that Ziggler and Morrison could have provided, but it was fun, with Guerrero getting the pin on Morrision after Ziggler hit the zig-zag.
Randy Orton vs. Rey Mysterio: Another quickie that was cut short when CM Punk came on the Titontron and made Orton come backstage. Hitting him in the thigh with a wrench, Punk has the “advantage†going into Wrestlemania. It should also be said that Orton’s wife is the worst thespian since David Arquette.
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