In my opinion - right now the Miz's upcoming Wrestlemania appearance is more irrelevant than Jack Swagger's involvement. His rant at the end of last night's RAW was lousy.

They are doing an amazing job of building the Miz-Cena-Rock angle. I think I actually heard some pop last night for Miz which is awesome because, well, he is awesome. I'm hoping maybe this is more than just a tease at Cena's turn. Maybe we will see the real thing at WM

I thought The Miz's promo to close out RAW was one of the best he's delivered yet. It's just too bad that he always looks like a mad 12-year-old when he's trying to be vicious. The People's Elbow was a nice tough. Can't wait to see how Rock responds.

The Stone Cold bit was perfect. I loved the second stunner on JBL.

Snooki? Really? Really??

I think even Cena fans had to be happy when Miz jumped him, that was just droning on & on with very little positive reaction from the crowd. About the only thing that got a laugh and rise from them was the "I Bring It Via Satellite" shirt.

Also Kev curious if you had a take on this, ultimately he did get on the mic to do the "If you want me to sign this contract..." thing, but it seems like Austin got the same treatment HBK did a few weeks ago where he came to the ring and really wasn't given a chance to address the home crowd....HBK didn't even get a word in.

As soon as Cole said, 'the person who signs their name on this contract will be the guest referee,' it was obvious Austin would come out to sign it. Great to see one of the best heel's ever in JBL return for the night!

Oh, and Pearl necklace.... wow, that was very risky! But as an old school fan of the Attitude era i loved it!! I assume that reference would go ove rthe head of the kids anyway!

That was a great show by the WWE - with SCSA as the highlight, imo. 2 things I didn't like - Morrison losing and Cena stooping to the pearl necklace comment. I know he had to be a little edgy to keep up with the Rock, but he's overdoing the sophomoric humor and embarrassing himself. I thought he did a good job up until then.

Wrestlemania is shaping up to be the first ppv I buy in years, but I feel Raw has been too promo heavy lately. Also just look at the diva's being trotted out as to why nobody cares. Bella twins in the title picture? Hell, Eve holding it? Meh..

Do you think Sheamus will wind up on Smackdown with Ziggler moving over to Raw? Maybe even as a face as Wade Barrett alluded to in a previous interview.

Does Mr. Cole speak for WWE management? Was his rant the vocalized thoughts of Mr. McMahon?
It is a shame that week after week this extremely talented group of women are given 2 or 3 minute matches, no lead in storylines, no respect from jerks like Cole, or the fans of WWE wrestling who obviously do not appreciate nor understand what real pro women's wrestling is all about. But despite all these slights, and verbal assaults the WWE Divas endure and it is to their credit that they perform to the very best of their capacities. Well done ladies on this the 100th Anniversary of International Womens day. Keep fighting, keep winning and keep ignoring the likes of Mr. Cole.

So, The Undertaker vs. HHH is No Holds Barred. I guess now neither one has to worry about being pinned clean and this opens the door for HHH to take the sledge hammer to The Undertaker's skull and it's all legal. Contrary to those who believe Taker will never lose at Mania, I think this stipulation has opened the door for a HHH victory.

HHH has never really had a true Wresltemania moment, and it's time for Taker ot share some of the glory the streak has brought him all these years.

Kevin,

I was actually thinking Sheamus will lose next week and "quit" Raw, showing up on Smackdown in a few weeks. The move could be a good one, as he seems to be in a rut on Raw and Smackdown needs another heel, with Ziggler jumping ship. Thoughts?

High speed fast-forward was developed because of the Miz. A true mid-carder at best, the Miz's push is the biggest reason I seldom watch WWE programming anymore.

Props to Sunny!

The Miz is AWESOME. :D
I'm so glad that Dolph is back. :D

That was the best ending to RAW in a while. I have no doubt Sheamus will lose and go to Smackdown- basically switching places with Dolph Ziggler. He needs to go back to being a bad-ass or eventually becoming a face. JBL's expressions are still priceless. I was hoping to hear more from Austin. I had mixed feelings about Cole interrupting the divas match; was creative yet disrespective. R Truth still sucks.

I don't really....really.....really like The Miz, but he has been doing pretty good promos and the attacks he has done on Cena are classic big time Heel heat moves and makes him look legit....even if he still might not be.

Cena vs. Rock...get it over with already. The stupid cheesy grins on Cena's face when making a "joke" is the reason why I hate him. He thinks he is funny when he's not. His stupid rhymes have no emotion to them, and when Cena does deliver any emotion it is so over the top it is actually funny then. The Rock's promos have always been something he's done well.

As for the Otunga vs. Orton match...talk about making Otunga look terrible. Here Orton was beaten up by four guys backstage, was knocked out, dragged to the ring, comes to, has a match in which he is being destroyed, then in one move he takes out Otunga. I don't agree with that at all. Orton isn't superman...that is Kane(according to Booker T.).

Vicki looked like she dropped even more weight, but that doesn't mean I want to see her in the ring versus Trish. Based on their in ring skills, that interference should come in real fast.

Kevin, what I find interesting is that Cena keeps calling The Rock out for not appearing at the recent Raw shows, but Rock is retired, right? The Rock did over 5 years of turning up on every Raw and House Show like Cena, and even appearing on Smackdown all the time aswel. Something Cena does not do.

Cena=corny......It's a shame that people aren't buying into the Miz more, he's been stepping up his game on the mic in a big way. Unfortunately, you could hear crickets in the arena during his great promo. And again....eating my shitzu? FAIL

Is it just me, or is the WWE becoming un-PG real fast? Alcohol, cursing, girls making out (the Snooki promo), Cena's reference to a pearl necklace...

Cena's promo was a bit lame, I think he's getting old.

Agree with the comment about Miz looking like an angry 12 year old. They could play on that though maybe. Make him a bit (more) psycho... it works in horror movies...

The Miz a legitimate Wrestlemania main eventer?

Really?

Let's see how The Miz does on the mike when he is face to face with The Rock.

The close-up shots of The Miz reminded me of Vince the Sham-Wow guy - only far less threatening.

The Miz must have incriminating photos of the McMahon family because there's no other explanation for The Miz's present status with the company. He is to the WWE what Tommy Dreamer is to TNA. Well, perhaps that's not quite fair. I mean Dreamer has actual wrestling talent.

The Miz needs a beard.

The crowd seemed to be really dead for much of Cena's promo. I did like the shirt he held up though, but still, that was pretty bad overall. Miz at the end was great, and The People's elbow was a very nice touch. I think Miz has done much better than Cena in the build-up between Rock and the two of them.

>>>It was announced that the Undertaker-Triple H match will be no holds barred, which should add to the drama and entertainment value of the contest. …

Unfortunately, neither guy will end up bleeding buckets - unless they pull and Hitman, Austin or a Flair and break the rules which is pretty unlikely. How many times did Vince bleed in the no holds barred matches? Ans. - Every Time.

s it just me, or is the WWE becoming un-PG real fast? Alcohol, cursing, girls making out (the Snooki promo), Cena's reference to a pearl necklace...

Cena's promo was a bit lame, I think he's getting old.

Agree with the comment about Miz looking like an angry 12 year old. They could play on that though maybe. Make him a bit (more) psycho... it works in horror movies...

Posted by: Leo | March 8, 2011 4:44 PM
-----------------------

The PG label isn't as restrictive as people make it out to be. Yes, it does limit you in terms of things like blood, overt sexuality, and pervasive language, but most of the changes WWE has made were self-imposed (and many, like restricting chair shots to the head, were necessary). Smackdown has been rated PG since its inception.

I agree with you completely on the Cena promo, the t-shirt was hilarious, but the rest of the promo was most what is quickly becoming the Cena trifecta: gay joke, masturbation joke, poop joke. It's disappointing because Cena is capable of so much more on the mic and shouldn't be stuck with horrible material like this so frequently.

The Miz needs a beard? Like Katie Holmes?

Kidding. Nice job, Kevin. I agree with all of your points. To me, and I'm a huge Edge fan, both heels Del Rio and the Miz deserve to win at Wrestlemania, but that seems like a long shot.

RESPONSE FROM KE: Great line about Katie Holmes!

As for Cole burying the Divas, I think this will continue and eventually lead to the debut of Awesome Kong, who will come out and give an Implant Buster to Michael Cole.

So after watching the Stone Cold Stunner last night on RAW, got a different stunner today...Brian Kendrick was on the Price is Right!
Kev, if you didn't see this, watch the clips. he goes crazy when he got out of contestants row. I really wonder how many people knew who he was.

I've said it more than once, and this may be hypocritical, but I would prefer blood over the sexuality. The Snooki promo was too much for me. If WWE is going to bend the PG rules, then choose violence over sex...hypocritical, I know.

JBL's promo was outstanding!!

While Rock and Cena had great opening promos, their second promos seemed way too forced. Cena's lame jokes were horrible, and the rap was nice the first time but was really boring. These two need a face-to-face soon or it could hurt the hype.

I've always will say this about Miz.He's all mic work and that's it.His ring work is lousy.

People bash Orton and Cena for their 'lack of moves" yet Miz has only 4 basic moves in his arsenal.

He needs to learn facials and psychology from Orton.

Kevin, who would you rather see as ref. Stone Cold, or JBL?

RESPONSE FROM KE: Austin.

I severely dislike Cena, and his latest crap with the Rock have made me hate him more. The women's matches aren't what they used to be. Trish was an awesome champ, It's too bad women like Natalya and Beth Phoenix have to take a back seat to horrible performers like Michelle McCool and Layla. The Womens division is a joke. Thanks Michael Cole for publicly acknowledging it.

John Morrison, meet Shelton Benjamin.

I didn't get the Katie Holmes joke, then I looked it up... and I never knew the word beard had that other meaning. Ya learn something new every day.

Although I agree that they should just admit the two have met before, technically the last time they met at Wrestlemania Undertaker was doing his American Badass biker gimmick and wasn't the 'pure' Undertaker with the 10 gallon hat, etc. (Though they did keep adding The Undertaker to the end of his The American Badass moniker).

The People's Elbow? It's now The Awesome Elbow.

A much better match for Morrison will be a fatal 4 way with SHemus, Daniel Brian and Ziggler for the US title. I'd hate to see Morrison wasted on the match you suggested. Plus I want the US title (or the intercontiental) to be meaningful at a major PPV again.

The WWE is going to have a hard time developing the next generation of stars if they keep burying these mid card guys -- DH Smith, R Truth, Otunga, Mason Ryan, Morrison, Kingston ... to build up people who are already over.

Michael Cole also did his best to further diminish the women's division, which is already marginalized by WWE creative team.

Cole has really trashed the in ring talent over the past several months. When he gets his long awaited comeuppance at Wrestlemania, in a throwaway match with Lawler, it will hardly compensate for the extensive damage he has done.

RESPONSE FROM KE: One thing to keep in mind is that Cole is being directed on what to say. These aren't his opinions. They are his character's opinions and they are words put into his mouth by writers and Vince McMahon.

After The Miz clobbered Cena from behind I hoped he would make some reference to Cena's catchphrase.

I think the Miz is doing his best to go over as menacing but he just looks too damn goofy for it. I'll definitely give him points for his promo but something in it just prevented me from taking it entirely seriously. Also, He needs a new finisher. Any time I've seen the skull crushing finale it's seemed a bit sloppy for a move, especially one that requires the person to be standing. However, kudos to the Miz for grabbing back some of that spotlight that had moved off him. He has the championship and should do what he can to keep the focus on him.

As for Cena I think he's doing the best he can as he's forced to tone down for the kiddies. His remarks at the beginning of the promo where he said stuff like fudge bolgna were great because I think it let him wink to the smart fans that he's much rather not be held back while it would have entertained the kiddies.

Austin was good I guess but it just kind of blurs with past appearances since he retired. They make a big deal about him coming, he shows up, interrupts someone, gives them a stunner then drinks some beer and maybe utters a catchphrase. Yes, that's what made him huge in part but at this point I'd like a little variety.

Also, loved the JBL appearance especially given the history he had with Cole when they were announcing on Smackdown and Cole was a face. It made JBL's praise make that much more sense now that Cole is a raving lunatic.

I really want the women's (sorry diva's) division to be revamped. As nice as having eye candy is, I would much rather have women who can wrestle. I think there was a point a few years ago when Finlay started training a lot of them and there was a marked improvement in the division. Maybe they need to go back to something like that. Instead of doing all those photo shoots for the website, get them trained and let them have great matches. A lot of the women working for WWE right now could do it given the chance.

I still don't get how Orton is a face or even a tweener. The fact that he punts people in the head and 'injures' them then shows no remorse to me is pure heel. Maybe it's a throwback to attitude when a lot of the more heel traits were cheered but I don't remember any of the biggest stars relying on the "i'm injuring people all the time" schtick. Also, I'm not a huge fan of Orton's faces. I get that he's trying to be intense but sometimes I think he tries to hard and he comes off a bit cartoonish.

You need to add a tweet button at the end of the article so I can share this on twitter :)

Great article nevertheless, the Miz is really establishing himself as a superstar which is great to see..

Not too happy about Sn00ki appearing though, not a great fit to the WWE.

I really enjoyed the segment where Austin became the special referee for the Cole vs. Lawler and the breakdown that Cole had after.

When Cole interrupted the Divas match arrogantly, I actually got a bit peeved not because I like the match but because of his display of arrogance. Bravo, Cole. You've definitely become a terrific heel.

The WWE isn't ignoring the previous HHH vs Taker WM match on their website though:

http://wwe.mylaunchpad.com.my/shows/wrestlemania/matches/17056556/preview/

You probably have Joey Styles to thank for that...

Wow what a RAW..On a interesting note, the night when Austin and JBL made their return, the biggest pop and heat of the night went to Randy Orton and Vickie Guerrero.

Kev don't worry The Rock will make one more appearance b4 Mania and that will be on the WWE title match contract signing show. What the WWE is trying to do now is to try and elevate the feud between Cena and The Miz. And I like the fact The Miz ain't siding with either Cena or Rock.Let's not forget that Rock is the past,Cena the present and Miz is the future hence he should not be burried by Rock/Cena confrontations... Cena will have to forget Rock for a little while over the next couple of weeks and focus on his actual match @ WM.We should not forget that the WWE title match is supposed to be the most important deal of the night.I don't see Rock showing up next week either, my bet is that he will appear on the March 28th episode of Raw and there will be a good frontation between Cena, Rock and The Miz.So Guys hold your breath!

I think Morrison and Ziggler with ladies @ WM will be a waste of these talents. They could be involved in a more significant match such as the No 1 contender for the WWE title.

The Miz does need a beard, though not in that way (though great comment about Katie Holmes).....he just looks like a child most of the time. He is very talented, and it would be shame to see him fall out of the picture because fans couldn't take him seriously.

The beard helped to turn CM Punk into an awesome heel, best in the company IMO right now, and The Miz could use that last addition to his persona to get the heat he deserves. Everything else works.

Cena has me switching over, he is truly awful. The fact he makes money for the company in merchandise is the only reason he hasn't been released IMO, as in-ring pales in comparison to guys like Orton, Punk, etc, and his promos stink more than Rikishi's thong.

The Divas also have me changing channel, and it's time women's wrestling was put to bed (oo-er). WWE has some talented female wrestlers, but they never get the TV time, for example Awesome Kong and Gail Kim. Kelly Kelly I could watch play chess all day, but she can't wrestle and is merely eye candy. If I want to watch scantily clad women pretend catfight, I will watch another type of channel. If Vince insists on Divas, at least give air-time to the ones with actual talent, rather than just looks.

I can't believe I'm saying this but I'm actually starting to like the MIZ. Although he hit the Peeps Elbow facing the wrong way.

The Cena-Rock I bring it shirt was the best.

Morrison's lack of elevation is puzzling to me.

No MITB at Mania = another disappointment = same a Sting not being in the WWE for Mania.

All Diva's action is pathetic. Good for the crowd for cheering that it was over.

Austin was much needed and JBL was the perfect victim.

Orton is looking a little to strong for my taste.

Yeah R Truth is TNA bound.

HBK how is he going to be involved in this Taker/HHH match? I think in some way, shape, or form he may indeed cost his best friend or Taker the match.

What is a Pearl Necklace?

"It was announced that the Undertaker-Triple H match will be no holds barred"

Wrestlers still use holds? No, serious, it's not a logical stipulation any more. No DQ makes more sense but even that doesn't have a lot of meaning. Who gets DQ'ed these days?

Watching Cena's "knockout" on Rock, my friends and I were pretty confused. First, to give the devil his due, what Cena said about Rock not being in person was legitimate. While I'm uncertain on whose shoulders that particular decision lies, I'll give Cena that point. And I liked the shirt quite a bit. That, though, is where positive feelings for it end. Once again, Cena comes out and seems mildly irritated when it's so obvious he's trying to seem intense. Once again, we get sophomoric at best jokes that show that apparently Cena's sex ed was a bit lacking. Someone should explain the mechanics of the "pearl necklace" to him. Although, they do say the biggest homophobes are the ones who have the most stuff hidden in their closets, so who knows what's going on there. I'm pretty sick of the verbal back-and-forth. But that could just be Cena.

I was really impressed by Miz. As I said immediately after, that's how you cut a promo against the Rock. I'll admit that the Cena/Miz/Rock angle is threatening to make me forget that it's all scripted.

Am I alone in thinking that Cole's sniveling would have been far better presented as being picked up by the other guy's mic (Josh something, isn't it?)? Aside from that, Cole is really on my last nerve. He's too over the top, but not in the way that King was an over-the-top pervert in the attitude er. He's over the top in the way a freshman drama student is over-the-top. He seems to feel that the only way to be a heel is if he stops just short of shouting, "I am a bad guy. I am being annoying on purpose."

Speaking of heel, did you notice the guy in the front room with the "HEEL" shirt. I loved that.

It was good to see Stone Cold back. I'm glad his appearance won't be a one-time thing. His tweets following Raw were suggestive of a pre-Mania return. I'll take as much of him as I can get. As a side note, who was pitching him those beers? They had a pretty good arm.

In all due respect to International Women's day, have you seen the Divas division lately? If they can get through five minutes without a potentially career-threatening flub, then it's only because halfway through the match, somebody switched with someone else. There was a time when female wrestlers were wrestlers who just happened to be female. Then the females became sex symbols who could still wrestle. Now, they're sex symbols. There are a few who have an actual talent, but for the most part, they're bikini models who have a rudimentary knowledge of what a female wrestler is supposed to be. I wish we could find a middle ground, but WWE seemingly has mo interest in that. There's a butterfly on their title belt; what more proof of WWE's lack of concern for the division.

It was awesome to see Christian back. Man, if there's one thing TNA got right, it was putting the championship on him.

Great column, as usual.

Was it just me or did some guy try and jump in the ring after Miz attacked Cena?! Production did a good job of not getting it on camera.

RESPONSE FROM KE: Yes. It was obvious by the crowd reaction and camera shot that a fan had jumped the rail. And I agree -- WWE did a nice job of keeping the idiot off camera (although you did see security escorting the guy out in a wide shot).

I'm glad the Miz is getting a chance to hold his own against two of the WWE's better promo guys. I have been saying for a long time that he would be a main event player and I think he is doing an outstanding job of not getting overshadowed by two of wrestling's greats. I'm not sure if the Cena, Rock, Miz angle is PG, but I like it. Just hope the don't go too far.

A comment JR made on his blog was the WWE could build up the Taker HHH match just with their career highlights. I tend to agree. While they should not hide the fact that they met 10 years ago, it doesn't need to be a big part of the story. In the Taker -HBK match last year their previous match was the main focal point of their story line. It's funny how this year, last years HBK Taker match seems to be a big part of the story.

Congrats to Sunny... For those who think she is undeserving because she never was a "wrestler", neither was Bobby "the Brain" Heenan or the Fink. Sunny redefined what the WWE women would have to look like and act like. She was a huge draw for the WWE's website when the internet was just becoming mainstream. Plus, she had a great run at managing multiple champions. She earned it.

I thought this was a very good show. I hated to see Morrison lose but hopefully they'll get him back on track next week. Austin looked like he was having a lot of fun and that was great to see. I was impressed at how good JBL looked. He looked ring ready to me. I could have done without the Seamus match. Seemed like a waste of time but we'll see what the payoff is. Nice job as always Kevin. BTW, great interview with Jericho.

Did anyone else notice all the TNA people being beaten by Austin in the promo vids? I saw him laying into Scott Steiner, Kurt Angle and Eric Bischoff.

Nice subtle dig I thought.

Cheers,

The Morrison thing is easy. He possesses some of the worst mic skills in WWE. Either get him a manager or write into the storyline a reason for him not to talk. And stick the IC belt on him.

Sorry to burst the bubble of all Miz-4-the-win-at-Mania supporters, but Miz getting the upper hand on Cena and having the last laugh as the show goes off the air 3 RAWs in a Row, not to mention cutting a scathing promo on The Rock himself, unfortunately predicates that Miz is being set up as a dastardly villain who will "get what's coming to him" at WrestleMania ... i.e Cena wins.

Yeah I know, sucks, get over it.

Overall I enjoyed Raw. Loved seeing Austin in the ring raising hell (in my head I can still hear Good Ole J.R. "Stunner!! Stunner!!" lol. Now as for Cena's so called Final Knockout?? More like a self tko. I mean I know that Rock will just kill him with a response. I was so happy to see Miz come out and lay Cena out. Not usually a Miz fan but in this case......AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!

Last year on this blog I said it would be a good idea to have HBK beat the undertaker. If anyone should do it then it should've been Shawn, I think it would've added something to both men's careers. Since that didn't happen I hope and assume that no-one will break the streak. Everyone knows HHH has both backstage juice and a huge ego, it'd be a shame to see him be the guy to beat the taker. Don't get me wrong, I like HHH as a character and a wrestler but Paul Levesque is a whole nother deal. I don't really think it'll happen, McMahon (and probably HHH as well) is savy enough to know better. It just worries me a little. I hope HHH can leave his ego at the door for the sake of the business.