Alex Riley will come back to referee the Cole vs. Lawler match. The way Cole sucks up to the Miz, it would be the perfect redemption for Riley to screw over Cole so Lawler wins. No doubt, J.R. will be in Lawler's corner!

HHH back on tv = snoozeville. If I wanted to watch people get buried constantly, I'd dust off the ol' VCR and pop in some old WCW tapes of the NWO days. I find it hilariously awful that HHH managed to be back for only 2 weeks and has completely buried an entire roster. What a joke.

It's funny now that even though I was watching Raw, I was waiting for Del Rio to come out. I thought the same thing about Triple H promo, he basically insulted all. Shawn's promo was interesting because he basically said he's cheering for Triple H, but kind of want him to lose. If he is in anyway involved in the match, it would make the match that much more interesting. Every week I keep waiting for Kong to come out. I thought for sure when Eve became champion, it was so Kong could get the belt from her.

It was definitely not a typical MNR. The show was more about who is the biggest star than anything else - certainly not about who is the best in-ring performer. Actual wrestling seemed... irrelevant.

The Rock speech was powerful but... I thought he came across as too serious - to the point that I no longer found him entertaining. Cena did ok, but his over-reliance on the gay jokes is making him look childish.

Orton has definitely fallen a notch in the hierarchy, and I think there's going to end up with a lot of fans rooting for Punk. And I love how this is supposed to be a kid friendly show - while Orton talks graphically about how he wants to kick Punk so hard in the head that he has to be hooked up to a life support machine for the rest of his life. Wonderful - that's the guy the little kids are cheering for? God forbid any of the divas show any skin.

I think everyone is thinking the same thing about The Rock, I can believe he would respond to John Cena by video, it was kind of embarresing to watch the people screaming at a monitor, this was a very important promo after the way John Cena buried The Rock last week.

Everytime The Rock has gone up against the other top Legendary Wrestlers the fans have always turned on him, which is a big part of why he left wrestling to begin with. People booed him against Austin, They booed him against Hogan, and now it looks like he's quickly going the same way with Cena.

If I were The Rock, I would do wrestlemania and then pack my bags and get the hell out, He's not gonna want any part of what Cena and WWE fans have in store for him.

You're spot on, we all know that Taker is never losing at WM, but that just makes his match this year less appealing. I warrant that his last two WM matches have been real spectacles, but i'm just fed up of him. Wrestling has always had an element of predictability about it, but it can surprise you at times, and thats why we love it. But with taker at WM we all KNOW whats gonna happen; even when he's getting a beatdown he'll just rustle up the whole deadman schtick and that'll be that. His actual ability is about as diverse as Cena's (who can at least deliver some entertaining spots due to his strength), and he's doing himself no favours physically by sticking around. I'm hoping that in 14 months time he'll have left us and just moved on. It's time to pass the torch and let the real entertainers shine such as John Morrison, The Miz and who knows who else because we don't get to see them enough. Mark, it's time to jog on mate, bow out gracefully with a 20-0 record.

I also thought the Rock looked weaker coming in via satellite, and that it took him just too darn long to say what he was going to say. At one point near the end of his promo, they cut to a scene of him on the titantron, and from what we could see of the audience, only about half were paying attention.

RESPONSE FROM KE: I noticed that, too.

Last week, I noted that The Miz was an afterthought in the war of words between The Rock and Cena. It is interesting how the WWE announce crew used the word "afterthought" with regard to The Miz throughout the broadcast.

During his promo, Miz noted how he called out The Rock and how The Rock didn't reply. It's simple. The Miz doesn't matter and attacking Daniel Bryan from behind for the umpteenth time isn't going to change that.Unless The Miz takes out both Cena and The Rock in convincing style he will be to The Rock and Cena what John Anderson was to Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter.

As for Sheamus there had better be a face turn in this for him.

Why is the WWE hyping the Taker-Triple H match as if the two have never faced each other at Wrestlemania?

I actually liked the fact that the Orton-McGillicutty match was competitive. How often do you have two third-generation wrestlers competing against each other in a singles match?

Michael Cole is the number two heel in the WWE. So who will be the guest referee in the Cole-Lawler match? The number one heel in the WWE - Vickie Guerrero.

In being away from the game for as long as he has, the Rock has certainly lost a step or two in the promo department. His first one back (two weeks ago) wasn't bad, but that may have had a little extra sheen on it because he had been gone for so long. Last night's promo, though, was just yawn inducing.

And what was Rock's title belt display doing with a World's Heavyweight Championship on it? He was never, evvvvvvvvvvvver World's Heavywright Champion.

RESPONSE FROM KE: After WWE bought WCW, Rock won the WCW title (the big gold belt) twice.

I agree with The Rock-Cena-Miz battle, however it seems that the Miz-Cena battle is a little overshadowed by The Rock. I feel that Sheamus does not at all look like a former WWE Champion, especially when he just lost to Mark Henry who is no slouch but hes not a former champ, and then to Evan Bourne. I thought I read somewhere that Triple H thought the world of Sheamus, that is why I do not understand why he is being left to job

I failed to be very surprised at HHH's promo and beatdown of Sheamus. I wasn't too thrilled to see him last week.. and it's for reasons like this I wasn't. Bad night for promo's though.. Cena's wasn't very good either :/.

Michael Cole was pretty great though! And CM Punk using Randy Ortons full name was genious haha and The Rock was pretty good too though it's just not the same when he's not there live.

I think the diva's battle royal was the longest match of the night prior to the main event... talk about putting things in perspective haha.

Perhaps I'm playing devil's advocate here, but do you think there is perhaps a small chance that the Rock was kept off live TV on purpose to garner further attention to this feud? Cena's Twitter shows all kinds of fan reactions to that end, suggesting that even "Cena-haters" will fall in line with what he said about the Rock's dedication. That, to me, is supposed to further signal the tension between "everyone's beloved Rock" and "Cena's truth". I think it effectively spotlights both of them while furthering the angle, and I wouldn't be surprised if Rocky gets his share of boos at WM.

Perhaps this is all an elaborate "ruse" to get us to like Cena...hahaha...

I live in Buffalo and notice that every time the WWE makes a stop here, the show really needs help. The rock's promo was probably the only good part of the show.

I am tired of the PG WWE. I really miss the attitude era.

Riley will be the guest referee, hence the reason he lost to Cena. It opens Riley up for another role at Wrestlemania.

Cena should use your ironic/iconic wordplay in a rap response!

Honestly unless The Rock was responding in person, the back & forth with Cena just doesn't work. I remember very well when the fans turned on him, the pivotal moment when he did his "signature" via satellite appearance at what I believe was the Raw 10th Anniversary show when you could tell he & WWE really had NO clue that he'd get booed as they kept the arena audio on during his segment.

As much as I loved seeing him again on Raw, and applauded his rant against Cena, he needs to accept that its all or nothing with WWF/E fans, and he can't even pull the "legend" occasional 1-off appearances like Hogan, Austin, & HBK either. When Hogan shows up he at least does a match. Fans accept that Austin gave his body to the sport and simply can't get in the ring anymore. Fans accept that after a lengthy career complete with coming back from a career threatening injury that HBK has earned retirement. With The Rock they see someone THEY made a star and when it happened he took off & never looked back. He makes it very clear that he won't wrestle again, so fans are immediately hesitant to trust him when he says he's never leaving them again, cause he's already got one foot out the door while he says it. He shouldn't worry about it though because no one blames him for choosing to get a few million bucks working maybe 4-5 months a year watching stunt guys take all the hits instead of slaving 250+ days on the road taking a beating for not even 1/4 the same money, no one resents that. They resent that he wants to still be "The Rock" without actually having to BE The Rock. I know he says there is no comparison to that feeling he gets when he enters an arena to thousands of screaming fans, but he needs to accept that you either love it enough to make it your life or you don't. He can't have the best of both worlds, he's either The Rock or Dwayne Johnson, can't be both.

You're right about The Rock appearing live. I think by him repeating that he will confront Cena sooner than anyone thinks, that it's probable The Rock will be at the next Raw. If not, then interest in The Rock's WM appearance may lessen.

This was a great episode of "Raw." A lot of Superstars cut great promos, but I think Randy Orton's was the best. It only lasted about a minute and a half, but Orton was especially vicious and viper-like.

Totally agree ... if the Rock is going to be "live" via satellite, Cena will destroy him in this verbal tennis match. I do hope the WWE allows Cena to rant and rave as a thug. I'm not into rap at all, but Cena ripped the Rock apart 2 weeks ago and last nite the return fire wasn't what I was expecting. It was weak to be quite honest.

Kevin, what do you think of The Miz repeatedly saying to Michael Cole "Shut up Cole" Weren't they supposed to be friends

RESPONSE FROM KE: I liked it. To me it showed that Cole may worship Miz, but Miz doesn't really care that much about Cole.

Kevin, how do you feel about John Cena's homophobic jokes? I feel that as the company's top babyface, he should not be making these remarks because he is telling the kids that look up to him that it is ok to act so narrow-minded.

RESPONSE FROM KE: I can see your point.

Typical HHH burying everyone. He totally devalued the rest of the Wrestlemania card, which is a major no-no. HHH-Taker is not as built up as Miz-Cena with Rock involved, Del Rio-Edge, or even Cole-Lawler (the best angle they have going right now). Triple H is a fantastic wrestler, but the way he puts down others (see Cena, Booker T, Kane, the list goes on) makes you wonder why he'll never have the respect of Edge, Jericho, Rock, and (to his credit) John Cena. The guy only puts his friends and himself over.

Only one problem with this year's Wrestlemania and that is predictability.

Alberto Del Rio is likely beating Edge - which I have no problem with, so John Cena basking in his glory as the victorious babyface at the end of the night holds NO APPEAL! I'm sure it will be a great match, but if that is all that happens, it doesn't justify WM being more expensive than the other PPV's. I'm hanging on to the hope that the Miz will win (even though he's so fun to Boo) but if WWE thinks that our lives will become meaningless if the badguy celebrating at WM, then have Miz win, then have the Rock lay the Smackdown on Cena,and while the Rock is basking in his Glory, challenge Cena to a match at SummerSlam. Babyface gets Glory, Miz keeps belt. Happy WWE Universe.

I'm a HUGE Undertaker fan, but have been SICK of the streak storyline for about 5 years now. I know it's a safe bet that WWE plans to have him go 20 - 0 and retire, but he needs to get beaten this year so that next year - likely his last match - will be more exciting.

Can't work out who I'm rooting for between Punk and Orton, because both guys have their characters down to a fine art, but a safe bet is on Orton.

If Morrison doesn't win the MITB, I riot. If he does win, and cashes it in in a cheap way, I riot. UNLESS - Miz beats Cena then Morrison cashes it in and have HIM as the babyface basking in his glory at the end of the night! That is if the Rock doesn't agree to a match with Cena later on.

Wow, I could earn GREAT money if I were on the WWE creative team.... : ) Plus I could be their chiropractor....

Kevin, I have been following wrestling for a while and it seems you really know your stuff. I honestly think you would do much better than some of the creative team currently in WWE.

Last night Triple H stated when the Undertaker's streak dies, he dies. I know you don't see the Undertaker ever losing at Wrestlemania, but do you think it's possible that someone (maybe John Cena or someone of that calibur) were to defeat him, he would actually leave? I mean, the Undertaker certainly won't be around for too much longer and I believe that if his streak were to end, so does his character. Any thoughts on that possibility?

Cory,

One of the staples of the underling character is that they are usually treated terribly by the people they live to serve, usually in cases where the power figure feels embarrassed and needs to take it out on someone. Think Smithers to Mr. Burns.

Ten months on the shelf clearly hasn't lessened HHH's biggest talent, burying anyone and everyone. In 10 minutes, he buried every other wrestler in the company and every other match at WM. On top of that, not only did he destroy Sheamus, they didn't even acknowledge that he was the one who 'injured' HHH. It was simply Hunter destroys random wrestler who dared to enter the ring. So much for that new talent initiative.

Clearly Miz can't compete with Rock or Cena in the star department, but they could at least have Cena take him as a serious threat. He screws Cena out of the tag titles, and this week Cena didn't care. Speaking of Cena, it's nice to see that he didn't use up all his gay jokes last week. On top of that, his cage match with Alex Riley was terrible. The Rock's promo wasn't nearly as good as the one two weeks ago but still showed that his second-tier work outshines pretty much everyone else's best stuff. It was clearly missing something with him not being there live, but the already unenthusiastic crowd was completely deflated by the announcement that he wasn't going to be there live right before his promo. As I said before, they had to do something to keep him from destroying Cena on the mic, perhaps this is part of it. Still, I couldn't overlook that he told Cena he'd be there to see him sooner rather than later. I don't see him being there next week on a show already featuring a returning Stone Cold, but I'm sure the WWE dangled that carrot to try to spike the ratings anyway.

Speaking of the crowd, they weren't into much last night, and it's not hard to see why. They came to see wrestling and got Raw is promo.

Let's face it, there is nothing that Triple H said in his promo that's not true. He and the Undertaker don't have any more challenges left in the locker room. That's why the Sheamus fued didn't matter and Nexus / Wade Barrett fued doesn't matter for The Undertaker. If that's all either man has left to fight, then it's time for both to move on. Triple H is right, that the streak is all The Undertaker has left, and any fued the WWE can come up with for him now is meaningless. This may be the last great fued The Undertaker ever has.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I just don't see Triple H losing to The Undertaker. Not after he beat Shawn Michaels two straight times. Beating Triple H would suggest that Taker is greater than both Michaels and Triple H, and keeping the streak alive just to keep it alive is not worth elevating Taker over both Michaels and Triple H. I think it was a bit of a stretch for Taker to beat Mr. Wrestlemania two times in a row any how, but now to tarnish the legacy of DX and beat Triple H too. I can't see it. Losing would not hurt the Undertaker's legacy, but Triple H losing would hurt both Michael's and Triple H's.

Triple H will have to bring out the sledge hammer and cheat to beat The Undertaker, and he will. And keep in mind that Triple H has already lost to Taker at Wrestlemania. I don't think Triple H's ego will allow him to lose twice at Wrestlemania to Taker. I see Triple H using his power to pull rank on Taker and becoming the one man who stopped the streak. Triple H has never really had a true Wrestlemania moment, and I think it finally comes in Atlanta. If he doesn't win, Triple H said he would die trying, so as an out for not winning, I can see him taking some huge risky bump, causing some serious injury enabling Taker to win and Triple H being carried out on a stretcher.

The Undertaker will lose at Wrestlemania at his retirement match.

It's a good thing that Vince Russo isn't in the WWE. He would probably put a Get Smart Movie Reunion together at Wrestlemania and think it is a good idea.

The Miz is the closest thing the WWE has to the Rock. It's only a matter of time before everyone is cheering the Miz.

You keep talking about The Rock receiving backlash at Wrestlemania, yet the only person who is getting booed even more now is Cena. Maybe WWE are holding off Cena and Rock face to face because they know that Rock would destroy Cena's one dimensional promos. I feel most sorry for The Miz, who is an afterthought.

The Undertaker will defeat Triple H at mania and I think it will occur as a result of a referee bump.Afterwards Shawn Michaels will come down to the ring appearing as a cheerleader for Triple H, only to Sweet Chin music him. Then Taker grabs the win.Shawn's motive would be that he was frustated because he came so close to ending Taker's streak and could not.As Shawn stated on last evening,he is rooting for Hunter, but does not know how he would feel if Triple H would somehow end the streak.

The Orton-Punk fued has truly taken on a new dynamic.I believe that the one Nexus member who will remain in Punk's corner at Mania is Mason Ryan.This is because he is being built up as a Powerhouse.I see this fued going beyond "the Show of Shows".

Last, but not least, the Cena-Rock-Miz storyline will end in a major swerve which will result in the miz losing the WWE title.Cena and Rock will utimately end up on the same page.This will be symbollic of the Mike TysoN-De-Generation X merger( supposed) prio to Wrestlemania XIV. Then, Tyson turned on Shawn and counted his shoulders down for the 1-2-3. All of the rap-offs and war of words is a hoax.Rock will serve as Special Enforcer or Guest Referee and mark my words, we will have a new champion.

What are your thoughts , Kevin?

So, I was wondering if anyone had considered the possibility of Vickie Guerrero being the Special Referee in the Lawler/Cole match. Cole did say he would "do what he could' to get her job back. And no matter what, she draws major heat, so she would get the proper "reaction" at 'Mania.

And man, with the way Triple H buried everyone, you'd think maybe HE was an Undertaker!

That was a pretty boring Raw for this close to Wrestlemania.

not that I'm some huge Triple H supporter, but whom exactly is he unfairly burying? Also cause I believe his point was that he & Taker are the last of the golden era still in the company, which they are. I think we can stop treating the fact that ratings have taken a dive & arenas don't get as loud as they used to be as a taboo subject. Its great they're working really hard to put over younger talent, but it was almost entirely because Triple H and Taker got hurt while HBK retired and Jericho took another break. Plus the payoff for the two young stars they have put over has ended up just being the latest attempts at putting over Cena (barrett & in a month The Miz). So its fine for Cena to quietly bury the talent but not ok for Triple H to mention that he & Undertaker are basically the last of the mohicans?

Riley was under a personal services contract with the Miz. He no longer works for the Miz, but I bet the Raw GM signs Riley next week to a Raw contract.

The WWE does have a problem. They have to keep Rock and Cena apart till Mania. This story is hot now, but doing the switch till Mania is going to turn the audience against Rock (unless thats what WWE wants, Heel Rock at Mania)

Oh, and Who Did Sheamus and Jack Swagger upset backstage?

Im happy to see HHH back but thought his beatdown of Seamus was a little forced.

With rumors of HHH wanting to bow out of ring activities, his match with the Undertaker wont seem quite as exciting. Will the Undertaker ever loose at Wrestlemania? Ive read where he stated he doesn't want to go his whole career undefeated at Wrestlemantia and actually overshadow the event, but we know the WWE entertainers don't always get what they want.

The rock is nothing more than a big hypocrite. He's not back to promote a movie? Everyone knows fast 5 is coming up.... duh.
He's not ever going away? Translation: i might appear every 3-6 months to give a tired old promo and lick at the mic while spewing out "if you smell what the rock is cooking".

Worst part about his comeback is he's turned me into a Cena fan and there's no way i'll forgive him for that lol Cena is alot of things but he's also one of the most hard working guys out there. He's always there for the kids, always there for his fans. I honestly believe Cena means every single word he says when he talks about his fans. rock is so unbelievable it's not even funny. Rock speaking to his fans feels like he's reading froma cue card.

This past monday was pathetic. Rock bringing his dad and grandad into the promo as to why he doesn't like Cena. John wasn't trash talking Cena's family. He's just sick and tired of hearing the same bs we've all heard for years.
Rock had to make it personal to get his fans even more on his side.

Just wait when more fans catch on that he's not really back. Rocky sucks chant will be resurrected and it will be louder than ever. Rock really wants to impress and show he's the peoples champion? I dare him to admit to the fans how much he's going to be around. Then we will see how popular he truly is.

Well, I do agree that it was seeming quite ironic for Rock to cut that promo by satellite. It seemed hypocrite but whatever, that factor struck me since last week when Cena said that in his rap promo (btw, wtf that he didn't continue with some rap).
Anyways, WWE is playing with fire as Rock might lost much heat before WM.

Speaking of which, I do hope that next week's segment involves Austin as well as Cena and Rock. That could be epic even if Miz will be Mr.Invisible then.

Btw, I love the tweeting idea that Miz did during the Steel Match. You'd laugh but I'll almost believe that Riley could pull an upset since this match didn't require pinfall.

The stipulation of Orton-Punk got my interest even more.

I don't understand why Swagger is involved with the Lawler-Cole match. I don't remember any time that Swagger was mentioned by Cole...It seems low on build-up as if they just needed someone who will not be on the WM card this year.

Speaking of WM matches Kev, with there be a MITB this year for the mid-carders!

I like the growing charisma of The Miz and I agree with the statement that he is "the closest to The Rock". I think Miz needs to retain his title @ WM. A victory for The Miz will elevate him even further and Cena can carry on whining about "The Rock's interference blah blah blah." The reality is that The Rock is better than Cena in every way and that's the bottom line.

I hope Morrison wins the MITB ladder match since he is the best performer in the WWE at the moment and goes on to have a solid feud with The Miz for WWE title. They certainly proved to us they can give us good matches and I think they can have a pretty decent feud based on who is the better man considering their past. Miz is certainly the more charismatic while Morrison is the better performer. One thing I would like to see is for the WWE to bring Morrison’s cockiness back. If Morrison can find his cockiness back, plus his looks and Ring abilities he will become a hot prospect for the WWE title meanwhile Miz tricks and even bigger cockiness will make this feud one of the most compelling feuds in WWE for a long while.

The reason y HHH dares to bury everyone else is because he’s an egomaniac who doesn't understand that he's past his prime and this is a new generation. He's not relevant anymore and just needs to move on. People like HHH stopped great talents from turning into big stars while people like HBK and Rock come and promote younger guys yet HHH comes and whines about lack of quality in the roster...How Ironic is that? Credit must be given to The Rock for accepting to feud with Cena based on a true life story. He is risking a lot in the feud... yet in the process he’s allowing Cena to get a rub off of his glory in the WWE history

And Kev, please stop being biased towards Cena. The guy is good but not great. He doesn't belong in the league of The Hogans, The Rocks, Austins and HBKs

I would like to see Miz beats CENA no matter how and retain his WWE title then come out brag about what HHH, HBK and so many others failed to achieve and that is beat Cena one-on-one for the WWE title @ WM. Proclaim himself as the hottest super star in the WWE only to be interrupted by "Mr MITB" John Morrison to kick off the feud of the new generation...That what I would call "AWESOME"

Obviously in just over two minutes (2.2) you cannot take anything that the WWE Divas did as serious. It is now time for the Bella Twins to prevail and capture the Diva belt from Eve. In fact it is past time for the performances that Eve has been doing and all of this sets up hopefully Gail Kim to take that Diva belt away from the Bellas which will hasten their bringing in Awesome Kong to get retribution. Of course looming over all of this is that the WWE will be making numerous mid level and low level firings after WM, but then that is another topic for another day. As long as WWE relies on the talentless Bella Twins and ignores qualified wrestlers like Ms. Kim .. can we take any of this that seriously, and the answer to that is .. hell no. :)

Im sorry but the backlash the rock is getting to me seems ridiculous at best. Rock has owned cena twice and cena's promo last week was beyond awful, all he did was call rock gay about 7x and say he doesn't show up to give back to the fans. Rock gave you everything he had between 97-02 and that's not enough, cena will never leave because hollywood doesn't want him and neither does the rap industry. What rock gave you monday was a histroy lesson on his love for the business, it just a shame people couldn't figure that out because in todays society toilet humor is easier to identify with.

Shameful. Wow! Next up jobbing to SD Jones....

HHH. Same old stuff please go away.

The Rock: Not buying wah tyou're cooking

Cena: Go back to thugonomics. Your Barney routine is painful

Miz: he's growing on me. Glad he's by himself now.

Cole: Annoying as hell. Either be an announcer and call the damn action or go away. JR coul tel la story. Cole just plain sucks.

HBK: Yeah he may be the ref or he may cost HHH the match and set up a return engagement HBK v HHH at Summer Slam and he retires HHH.

HHH was correct about one thing there is nothing left for him or Taker to accomplish so go away but in stye.

Who is the guest referee that is going to make Michael Cole over?

Will the raw general manager reveal himself at wrestlemania or are we constantly going to feel like that the computer is going to self destruct after this message ala mission impossible.

Its always great to see Triple H bury the roster. But he keeps forgetting his main claim to fame. Having the biggest nose on the roster.

The more the Rock talks about cena, the more I dont want to see the Miz. Why is that?

Back to the Lawler/ Cole match (are they that desparate for a match????) will lawler have anyone in his corner?

The last time there was an awesome match in buffalo, Muhammed Hassan went through the stage. Remember that one? And whatever happened to him anyways?

Kev,

You forgot to mention just how terrible Eve was on commentary, although I guess that's nothing new.

Andy

RESPONSE FROM KE: You are right on both counts.

The "war" between Rock and Cena is a set-up. At 'Mania, Rock will help Cena win his match against the MIz, then they'll be all buddy-buddy afterwards.

Jess,

The Rock can cut a better promo than Cena half asleep thro a TV. There is no comparison between the 2. Ask Cena to cut a 10 min promo thro a TV and keep it interesting?.People boo the hell out of him even with him standing in the ring!!

Rock made it personal? He just made fun of fruity pebbles initially. Cena is the one who made it personal with the Rock after the Rock destroyed his cartoon character on screen persona..fruity pebbles. lol

Have fun listening to the Cena suck chants as usual every week.

Kev, did the whole Rock promo seem off to you? Do you think that maybe not only was he not there live, the satellite wasn't even live...it was all prerecorded?

RESPONSE FROM KE: I'm pretty sure it was pre-recorded.

I think everyone needs to stop the whining. The IWC constantly wants to remind us that wrestling today is and never will be as good as it was in 1997-2002. Yet we have The Rock, HBK, Undertaker, and HHH all involved in major story lines headed into Wrestlemania in 2011. Plus, Stone Cold will be live on Raw next week. It seems as if the WWE can't make people happy, no matter what they do.

Sure, The Rock's promo would have been better if he was in front of a live crowd...but it wasn't. No one is complaining that HBK's remarks were not in a WWE ring on RAW. If people stop and think for a second they might actually realize that what is going on now in the WWE is actually pretty cool.

All the big names of the Attitude Era are involved in Wrestlemania and there are fresh faces in the main event title pictures. The Miz going into WM as WWE champion is huge if you look at the future of the company. The "twitter picture" was a great way to connect with fans in their homes as RAW was actually taking place. That was truly innovative and will most likely be used again. There is hope of an entertaining future in the WWE.

Even though the Rock's "no show" was a bit disappointing, I don't think the guy should be criticized for not being involved enough. He has been more visible and interactive to WWE fans in the last 2 weeks than he has in 7 years. Stop wishing for more and be happy that he and the legends like HBK, Stone Cold, and Taker are still willing to entertain you and the "millions".

Rocky keeps mentioning he's "The People's Champ" a lot. I smell a swerve coming on.

Just looking at the comments here and watching MNR last night... the in-ring performing doesn't seem to matter any more. Everyone's focusing on who talks best and has the best facial expressions. Personally, I'd just rather see good matches.

Monday night reminded me of all the conspiracy theories in HHH's hayday run. It may not be the best promo for the business, but he's not wrong. I don't see how Taker gets to too many more Manias for the exact reason HHH mentioned. There is probably one more with Cena and then maybe the Miz after that, but someone has to be on his level to keep in compelling. Remember all the yawns when it was rumored to be Wade Barrett?

I thought the Miz was the better of the three too, but his promo was still "heel 101" with not much creativity. He displayed more character later on in more subtle ways, but they should turn him loose a little like he's back on the Dirt Sheet. You found out all you need to know about their confidence in The Rock's satellite promo when they had to use the lighting ques for the "millions" bit. It could have all been on purpose though like some people said. Isn't this version of his music the heel version from one of his other returns? This whole thing has helped keep Cena from a forced turn and could have been done this way solely for that purpose.

I also think the beat down for Sheamus was the blow-off to their feud. I'd much rather see that than Sheamus getting in the way of the HHH/Taker build-up. Also, Sheamus has done less with the KOTR than Regal did and Regal was suspended.

A-Ri desserved to lose his match anyway. The putz went for Cena who was distracted by The Miz on the far corner of the cage rather than just walking out the door. So awkward when moments like that happen.

@ Patrick Johnson (about Cole)

Actually, JR seems to like Michael Cole. Here's what he said about Cole on his blog:

"No one in WWE has done a better job of developing a new persona than has Michael Cole over the past few months. His goal was to get people to see another side of him, he does have an outgoing personality, and to dislike him enough to want to see someone kick his butt. Cole has succeeded in that task. Does Cole rub me the wrong way on TV more often than not? Absolutely. He can be a tool."

I think people try too hard to compare Michael Cole to JR. JR was one of the best (if not the best) announcers to ever call a wrestling show. Cole can't come near that, but that doesn't mean he's a bad announcer. And the heel turn for Cole has been very impressive (IMHO).

I don't think people should be to bent out of shape about Sheamus' slump. Don't forget that the Miz lost how many times in a row this past fall to Daniel Bryan, only to become WWE champion a month later and not lose a title match 4-5 months.

Is it a fair point to note that the WWE does not have enough baby-face title contenders compared to heals?

Smackdown: Del Rio (Heel), Wade Barret (Heel), Dolph Ziggler (Heel), Kane (Heel), Edge (BF)

Raw: Miz (Heel), Sheamus (Heel), CM Punk (Heel), Cena (BF), Orton (BF),

I don't consider Kingston or Morrison to be title contenders yet. They are great wrestlers but just aren't interesting enough.

First thing I thought when I saw Shawn Michaels promo was that he's gonna screw over HHH just as he's about to win at WM. It's a way to put HHH over while maintaining the streak. Probably the closest we could get to making everyone happy. At the same time I worry that HHH's ego will get in the way and he actually will beat the streak. At this point I don't think they should end it and am fairly certain they won't.

Also, that long awaited Cena turn may come at WM I would think if they can play it right. Really what better place than Wrestlemania for the top face to turn heel? Especially when he's dealing with the Rock. Depending on which way the crowd goes they might back away from this but I think if after all this time we were gonna turn Cena, WM is the best time to do it.

I'm glad to see you picked up on the two big issues to stem from this week's Raw, Eck, both Triple H and The Rock.

When i first heard Triple H starting to justify why he's going after Taker i thought it quite a good idea but the further it went, the more he unnecessarily bury the entire roster.
Sadly it's not uncommon for Triple H to sandbag everyone in order to talk himself up, which is one of the reasons why i'll never hold in the same esteem i hold guys like Flair and Hart, guys who were always willing to make others look good and largely always happy to put anyone over.

As for The Rock, as soon as i saw he was phoning it in, as such, i fast-forwarded through his entire promo.
As a massive fan of the business in the late 90's early 00's i marked out massively when he appeared on Raw a few weeks ago but the fact he couldn't be bothered appearing live at the show only a matter of a month from the big dance shows a real lack of commitment and shows up his words from Raw a few weeks ago.

*Pretty sure after Cena wins the strap back at Mania that The Rock does a run in. Rock Bottom. People's Elbow on Cena. Rocky celebrates. Roll Credits.

*Predictable but what else csn they really do here. And I'm thinking The Rock will get a huge pop by dusting off the old elbow drop.

*Also I always enjoyed Triple H but let's face it does anyone else think Taker is going to job to him at Mania? Never. And this is why The Game has to bury everyone on the roster and come off as invinicible by destroying Sheamus.

*John Morrison should have more to due with the Mania card. As should Sheamus. How about a Hair vs. Hair ladder match between them? I'm still not tired of that feud and that would be a great way to wrap it up. And having the ladder involved would give JoMo a chance to have some big spots.

Kevin Eck, you have no clue do you? That's not the WWE WHC belt in The Rock's display case...it's the WCW belt that he won after WWF (at the time) bought WCW. It was this WCW belt that The Rock won and it is that belt that is on display.

Do your research, the belts have the same basic overall design/shape.

RESPONSE FROM KE: Isn't that exactly what I said?