Batista went on a bit of a rant today on Twitter, criticizing WWE fans for their inability to differentiate between “show” and “reality.” Here are his tweets on the matter:
Ive always considered myself a WWE fan first and foremost but Im completely confused Y some fans cant differentiate between SHOW and REALITY
When the Shield debuted over a year ago, Roman Reigns was like the shadowy muscle of the group. He was the least featured member of the trio. He was given few lines during their promos. Yet he was always there to deliver a devastating spear or triple powerbomb when needed.
With the rich indy wrestling history of both Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose, it is no surprise that they were expected to carry most of the load during the early days of the stable. After all, Roman Reigns was a former football player and started wrestling in 2010, whereas both Ambrose and Rollins had been wrestling since the early 2000’s.
Reigns does have a rich family history though, as he is a member of the famous Anoa’i family that includes past superstars such as Yokozuna, Rikishi, and The Rock, so it is not like he was a complete stranger to the world of wrestling.
After his dominating performance at last year’s Survivor Series, it seemed obvious that there were big plans for Roman Reigns.
A little over a year ago, it appeared that Dean Ambrose was the member being groomed for a breakout solo career. He was considered the de facto of the group and is the only member of the group to win a solo title while Rollins and Reigns shared the Tag Team Championships.
Something changed last fall, however, and it appeared that Reigns was the one gaining momentum in the Shield after Ambrose seemed enter a lull. Coincidentally enough, it was as soon as Rollins and Reigns lost their championships that his push began. The first hint that he was going to be a breakout star was at last year’s Survivor Series, where he was the sole survivor and dominated the competition, eliminating four opponents during the contest.
Reigns later eliminated the most competitors in Royal Rumble history during the 2014 contest and he has not looked back since. With the Shield now entering into a program with the newly reformed Evolution, there are reports that the ultimate goal of the feud is to set up a matchup between Triple H and Roman Reigns at this year’s SummerSlam. The reports make one wonder: is Roman Reigns ready for a massive solo push?
Batista is expected to take some time off following the WWE Extreme Rules event on May 4th. “The Animal” is not currently advertised for any of the WWE live events following that show, including WWE RAW the next night in Albany, New York. Additionally, he is not advertised for the big European tour that begins in May.
As we reported when Batista first re-signed with the company, he was expected to take time off to do some promotional work for Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” film that he is featured in. However, that movie doesn’t open until August 1st.
The following news and notes were revealed during this week’s edition of WWE RAW, which took place on Monday night in Birmingham, Alabama.
– Next week on RAW, the rest of the WWE Intercontinental Championship number one contender tournament will take place. Advancing in first round matches on Monday night were Rob Van Dam, Cesaro, Sheamus and Bad News Barrett. Squaring off next week in the semi-finals will be RVD vs. Cesaro and Sheamus vs. Bad News Barrett.
– Taking place on this week’s edition of WWE Main Event, which airs live on the WWE Network on Tuesday night, will be Big Show vs. Jack Swagger.
– Announced for the upcoming WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view, which takes place on May 4th at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey, is John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt in a steel cage match.
– Confirmed as the main event of this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown, which will be taped on Tuesday night and airs Friday night on SyFy, is “The Animal” Batista vs. Sheamus.
– Finally, it was announced that on next week’s edition of WWE RAW, the returning Daniel Bryan will square off against Kane, who is returning as a masked Superstar.
A few months ago, CM Punk walked out on WWE. That’s the catchy, grabby headline, anyway. In reality, he walked out on his fans. WWE will be fine without him. They have seen the best of all-time come and go and they continue to be a multi-billion dollar conglomerate.
When Punk first left, most of the attention was on the behind-the-scenes happenings of a business arrangement gone wrong. Everyone was focused on the story behind what led to his departure. As a fan, which I remain first and foremost, my initial reaction was more along the lines of, “damn, that sucks.” No more CM Punk pipe bombs? No more “Best in the World” in-ring performances?
When the “Chicago Made” Superstar first delivered his infamous “pipe bomb” promo in June of 2011, I fell back in love with the sport I have had a passion for since childhood. At the time, I was growing sweet on this new love of mine known as mixed-martial-arts. Pro wrestling became too PG. It was too geared for children.
CM Punk changed all of that.
After hearing of his promo, I checked it out on YouTube. From then on, my television was tuned into the USA Network every single Monday night. The key segment I looked forward to each week was one that featured Punk with a microphone in his hand. He never failed to deliver the type of entertainment that I had missed for so many years.
Eventually everyone in the pro wrestling business gets burned out. As of right now, I hold out hope that Punk will regain his passion for the business in the same way that he helped me regain mine. I fully expect to hear Living Colour’s “Cult Of Personality” again one day.
But what if I don’t?
After all of the focus on the answer to the question, “what happened?” died down, the attention now seems to be on ole’ Phil Brooks himself. After all of of those who cried “work” realized as the Chicago RAW came and went, the big WrestleMania XXX event came and went, and we still haven’t seen “The Best in the World” on our television sets, it seems like the reality is finally setting in.
He isn’t coming back. Not anytime soon, at least.
So what does this tell us as fans? Punk couldn’t work out an arrangement that would see him remain as an active WWE performer? In a time where many top-level Superstars are managing to secure special part-time contracts with limited dates and tons of dough, you mean to tell me that both sides couldn’t figure something out?
The job of a promoter is to deliver the matches and performers that people want to see. Clearly people want to see CM Punk in WWE. Having said that, how is it possible that Vince McMahon couldn’t come to some kind of arrangement to deliver Punk in Chicago, or in New Orleans?
Something isn’t right here.
I obviously don’t know Vince McMahon on a personal level, but I think it’s safe to say that his reputation as a guy who will bury the hatchet with people is well known. His reputation as a guy who delivers what people want to see is at the least above average. Knowing that, you would have to assume that he made every effort possible to get Punk back in the mix.
It didn’t happen.
The question now becomes, what is it that CM Punk wants? Based on behind-the-scenes rumblings, it seemed that Punk wanted a guaranteed spot in the main event of WrestleMania. Since he walked out, it seems as though anything short of that wasn’t good enough.
WWE doesn’t suffer, it’s the fans that suffer. Especially CM Punk fans. WWE fans will still find something to enjoy on Monday and Friday nights. WWE will be just fine. CM Punk fans, however, are screwed.
Unless you’re a fan of Mike Maron or Talking Dead, you’re not going to have the chance to see your favorite performer on television.
After reading a lot of feedback across a variety of platforms, I am noticing a trend. No longer are fans saying “screw WWE for not giving Punk what he wants.” The mood seems to be more along the lines of “what the hell, Punk, why aren’t you coming back?”
Listen, we don’t know what happens behind closed doors. It’s unfair to say with any kind of real certainty that the blame lies on this person or that person. But the bottom line is this: they need to figure out something that appeases both sides. The bottom line is WWE needs to deliver CM Punk. At the same time, CM Punk needs to figure out a way to get back in the mix. If he’s burnt out, that’s one thing. Take some time off, rest up, heal up, and get back in there. If he’s done, he’s done. But from all accounts, that’s not what happened. What happened, as best I can tell, is Punk didn’t get his way, so he up and left.
If Punk does come back, and shoots directly into the main event picture, does that make him a hypocrite? Isn’t that exactly what bothered Punk in the first place? Guys coming in and walking directly into main event spots? How is coming back and getting direct access to the top spot any different than what The Rock did? Or Brock Lesnar? Or Batista?
It’s not.
I’m an enormous CM Punk fan. For selfish reasons, I don’t care what happened. I don’t care what it takes to get him back. I just want it to happen. It’s up to WWE and Phil Brooks to find out a way to make that happen. Everything else is irrelevant.
I spoke about catchy, grabby headlines. I look forward to the day I can put a headline on an article that reads, “CM Punk Returns To WWE.”
I look forward to more pipe bombs.
I look forward to seeing more of “The Best in the World.”
As many expected, WrestleMania XXX turned out to be a memorable and newsworthy event on Sunday night. A number of legendary moments took place, titles changed hands and surprises unfolded throughout the evening. Below is a quick rundown of some of the notable moments from the show.
The show opened up with a “WrestleMania Moment” type segment, as Hulk Hogan, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and The Rock shared the ring for a promo segment.
The Undertaker’s legendary undefeated streak was broken. Undertaker lost via F-5 to Brock Lesnar, making his new WrestleMania record 21-1.
Daniel Bryan finally had his “big moment,” as he defeated Triple H in the opening match on the pay-per-view and would go on to defeat Randy Orton and Batista in the main event to become the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion.
The Real Americans broke up during the WWE Tag-Team Championship match on the WrestleMania XXX pre-show. After The Usos retained their titles, last eliminating The Real Americans, Cesaro ignored the orders of his manager Zeb Colter and attacked Jack Swagger.
Additionally, Cesaro pulled off an upset by winning the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal. He last eliminated The Big Show in what will go down as his first true “WrestleMania Moment” when he body slammed the giant — with ease — over the top rope.
Batista recently spoke with The Washington Post to promote WrestleMania XXX. Here are some highlights of what he said about:
Returning as a Babyface: “They told me that I was going to come back and be this huge babyface. I said, ‘no, it’s not going to work.’ They said, ‘no way, they’re dying for you to come back.’ I said, ‘that’s going to last two minutes, just watch.’ And sure enough it did.”
Fans Hijacking Shows: “They used to want to interact with the show,” Bautista says. “But now the crowd almost wants to be the show. Well, if you wanna bethe show, take your a– to wrestling school, just like I did, just like everybody else here who is busting their a– and actually become part of the show! Don’t just sit in the audience and try to randomly steal the show.”
Here we are the Raw before WrestleMania XXX. The go home show of all go home shows. Did Raw deliver? Check out our YES! and NO!
Brock Lesnar Finally F5’s after circling the ring 10 times. NO!
The Undertaker & Brock Lesnar The Undertaker comes out and cuts seeming the same promo he has each week he’s had a mic. Out pops Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman, eventually Brock circles the ring seemingly a dozen times, before the obligatory Paul Heyman distraction where he slips in with a chair, to distract The Undertaker enough so that Brock can “sneak” in and get his hands on The Dead Man.
I had such high hopes for this program, but I must tell you, I’ve been less than impressed. Paul Heyman cut an amazing promo a few weeks back simultaneously putting over The Streak, and why Brock Lesnar would break it (Undertakers age, wear and tear). Since then this has been a lackluster build for me. Am I really to believe that a huge man like Brock Lesnar is THAT afraid to get into the ring? I can buy into some trepidation, but this was ridiculous. NO!
Alberto Del Rio takes it to Big E. Good Match YES!
Big E. vs. Alberto Del Rio I thought Big E and Alberto Del Rio put on a great match, with several near falls and a clean Del Rio win. Of course why they constantly beat a champion, I’ll never understand. Does anyone remember when they actually had in-ring introductions for a Big E intercontinental championship match? That being said, YES!
Summer Rae vs. Natalya I liked how a clip was shown from this past weeks Total Diva’s and there was a match to tie things in. I suppose that’s the one thing we lack when it is seemingly all the Total Divas ganging up on AJ who didn’t want to be on the show. However, the conflict was clearly 100% manufactured, and if there was any ounce of reality to Total Divas before this, there isn’t now. YES!
The Authority implying that Daniel Bryan is a “Flavor Of The Day” like Fandango was last year.
The Authority’s Farewell To The “Yes!” Movement, Batista, Randy Orton Triple H and Stephanie come out and cut a brutally honest promo that blurts the lines between story line and reality. They made some interesting arguments about people wanting to be on a bandwagon, and support a cause. This brought out chants of CM Punk, Yes, and others including boring. After a Stephanie McMahon narrated promo about Triple H always beating the “Flavor of the Day” including Booker T, Chris Jericho, RVD, Kurt Angle and Jeff Hardy, Out comes BOOtista, and Orton. Pretty much the same song and dance. Objectively I think this was a good Heel Triple H Promo. But I’m exhausted from these Authority promos, and Batista and Orton coming out in succession. I’m tired from Daniel Bryan not getting anywhere in the stratosphere of equal mic time. By itself this was good, but after weeks of this, I’m over it. So I say NO!
The Usos & Los Matadores vs. The Real Americans & Ryback and Curtis Axel
This is basically the Pre-Show match with two teams combined. Less reason to get excited about the match itself. After an incredible year of tag-teams in the WWE in 2013, everything that I have enjoyed up to this point has vanished. Cody Rhodes and GoldDust were the hottest Tag Team attraction in WWE last year, they should have been in the tag-team titles mix, or facing each other, in a brother vs brother match that has been rumored for two years. The USO’s have been in line to win the Tag Titles since July of 13. What better way to elevate those titles then have them win it at WrestleMania XXX against the Outlaws? So another match, similar to what we will see on the small big stage, and I fear that The Uso’s who should retain this, may not possibly, so that a title change gets a reaction, or creates some sort of moment. NO!
Backstage Segment: The Shield & Roman Reigns vs. Kane I enjoyed this backstage segment from The Shield, they seemed like a cohesive unit here, and I hope to see more of this at WrestleMania. Could The Shield stay together for a while longer? Many thought the match would be all three members of The Shield in a triple thread at this years WrestleMania. I would dislike it to see someone like Dean Ambrose accidentally or deliberately cause a loss for the team. I’d like to see The Shield show their dominance over the last two years. YES!
View Page 2 to find out more YES and NO from WWE RAW
The following are highlights of a new Boston Herald interview with Chris Jericho:
On his WrestleMania XXX status: “I’m not a part of it and I won’t be a part of it. And it was my choice to sit out this year.”
On the reason he decided not to return: “If I’m going to be at WrestleMania, it’s going to be in a position that I can sink my teeth into, a position that I think is significant enough for somebody of Y2J’s experience level and notoriety. Looking at the card this year and you see everybody who came back — Brock Lesnar and Undertaker are back, Triple H is back, Batista is back, and it’s the ascension of Daniel Bryan — how many spots are there available for Jericho at this point in time?”
On the CM Punk situation: “Everyone’s asking, ‘Where is CM Punk?’ Punk had enough of whatever was going on, and none of us really know whatever it was, and he left. And that’s your only choice.”
The following are highlights of a recent Chad Dukes Wrestling Show WrestleMania Spectacular interview with Batista:
On his return to WWE: “I left for very specific reasons and the reasons were because there were certain opportunities I wasn’t getting when I was with the company, and we were so locked down and I mean when you’re under contract with them you’re pretty much limited to the things, you can do. You really can’t do anything else in the company without their say so and they weren’t…certain guys were getting opportunities that I wasn’t getting and I wasn’t real cool with that. So I left to accomplish certain things, and I felt like once I accomplished them, I always wanted to come back. At the end of the day I love professional wrestling. I really, I really do, man. So it’s not like I never planned to come back, I wanted to come back sooner. It’s just that you know it took me longer to accomplish certain things that I really want to accomplish. I didn’t want to be working and do one movie a year. It’s just I was out there auditioning and stuff, these were the jobs I was getting, and once I landed it, you know the Marvel deals, I felt like I accomplished everything I wanted to and then some. We didn’t come back and demand a lot of money you know I didn’t say, ‘I’m not doing house shows I’m only doing Monday Night Raw.’ I mean I said, ‘I’ll do Smackdown, I’ll do house shows.'”
On being selective with film roles: “I got offered a lot of roles, coming out of wrestling, on stuff that was going straight to DVD and it wasn’t the stuff that I want to do and I really wanted like, really good projects. I really, I really had a passion for acting and I really wanted to become a better actor. So I passed up on a lot of that stuff and held out for like better roles, and stuff that will put me in the next to guys were really established actors, so I could kinda learn from, so it wasn’t easy man. I got out there and pounded the pavement.”
On his heat with Daniel Bryan fans possibly coming from a 2011 tweet: “For some reason I think people thought that I didn’t like Daniel Bryan or I had this personal thing. I said a comment, I had one comment about him when he first won the world heavyweight championship and I was like, I was in shock and I said, “Okay.” Because I just didn’t get it. The reason I didn’t get it because it was too soon and that’s my personal opinion. I felt it was way too soon and they did that constantly over and over. I thought they, they just slap the title on people like, way too fast. It’s like, I think sometimes that they used the title, I might get a little grief for saying it, sometimes I think they use the title to get guys over. I thought it just, they did it, it was premature. I never had a problem with him being you know, World Heavyweight Champion, I just thought that they did it way too fast.
You can’t convince me that some body else was a bigger supporter of Daniel Bryan cause I mean that was years ago, before everybody was you know on his jock, when they wanted me to job him out, and I was like, “Hell no.” He’s just too good. He had been coming around for years and I could never figure out why they didn’t give him a job, but he had come out and they wanted me to work a match with him, and squash him and I was like, “No, not gonna happen.” He’s way too good man, we could have a good match, and we did. I mean we gave ‘em a version of what they wanted, but we gave ‘em a hell of a match. It looked like a competitive match. When at the time it’s not with what they wanted.”
On current WWE Superstar who are impressing him: “I love Bray Wyatt. I love him. I love that whole gimmick, that whole Wyatt Family gimmick, but Bray I think he’s gonna be a huge star. I get caught up in this guy, man. When I watch him he’s one of those guys. He’s another guy, I mean he doesn’t look like a stud. He’s not a statue of a man, but he is athletic as you can get, that kid can move man. He is agile, he is a stud man. That kid is as an athlete. He gets when he cuts a promo, you just get sucked in man. He is hypnotizing. When I talk to him like personal, on a personal level, he’s one of those kids who’s not afraid to learn, he has no ego. He’s still learning and he knows he’s still learning and he’s not afraid to ask questions, and I think that’s why he’s going to be so good. Cause he’s this good right now and he still wants to learn. I love the whole Shield gimmick, everyone’s real focused on Roman, and I think he’s definitely going to be a huge star, but Dean Ambrose to me, he’s the star of that.”
– Batista recently spoke to radio station DC 101 in Washington, D.C. for a WrestleMania XXX promotional interview. Regarding the locker room atmosphere in WWE these days, Batista said, “Being back in it and seeing that the guys are young and hungry, it gives me a great outlook on the business. And there’s a lot of talent in there, it’s stuff that I didn’t see before I actually came back. It’s good, it’s a good vibe.”
You can listen to the audio of the interview at this link.
– DC 101 also spoke to soon-to-be WWE Hall Of Famer Amy “Lita” Dumas about her upcoming induction. “It’s not about titles, it’s just more about impact and things that you’ve done to shape how we’re viewed going forward are things that women that are aspiring to wrestle or make an impact in the business,” said Lita. “Kind of just things to look at or keep in mind.”
You can listen to the audio of that interview at this link.
The following is a non-spoiler match listing for this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown. For complete spoiler results, click ahead to page two.
– Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose vs. Drew McIntyre & Jinder Mahal
– Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose vs. Ryback & Curtis Axel
– Damien Sandow vs. Sin Cara
– Goldust vs. Fandango
– Batista vs. Sheamus
– The Bella Twins vs. AJ Lee & Tamina Snuka
– Jack Swagger vs. Jimmy Uso
– The Miz vs. Mark Henry
– Bray Wyatt vs. Big Show
For complete spoiler results for this week’s WWE SmackDown, click ahead to page two …
Following their debut at the 2012 Survivor Series, Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, and Roman Reigns, collectively known as the Shield, quickly became one of the most dominant and influential stables in recent memory.
The group primarily acted as heels throughout their successful run, although they were frequently cheered as well. In particular, Roman Reigns would frequently receive huge pops from the crowd, as seen during his breakthrough performances at the 2013 Survivor Series and 2014 Royal Rumble.
After attacking Director of Operations Kane, the group officially turned babyface and the crowd has been eating it up in recent weeks, with their celebration following their beat down of Ryback and Curtis Axel on this past week’s RAW serving as evidence of the group’s popularity.
After a tumultuous few weeks, the Shield appears to be reunited, but for how long can the Hounds of Justice keep their respective egos in check?
The group now seems to be reunited and stronger than ever after there was serious tension between the Hounds of Justice. So why did the WWE decide to turn the Shield face after it seemed they would dissolve just a few weeks prior?
The Wyatt Effect
One of the primary reasons the Shield were forced to turn face was the emergence of the Wyatt Family. There is only so much room on the roster for stables, and the Wyatt Family are without a doubt the predominant heel group on the roster today.
With the Wyatt Family serving as the main heel stable on the roster and essentially adopting the same M.O. as the Shield (appearing out of nowhere to savagely destroy unsuspecting foes), it only makes sense that creative would not want two stables acting in a similar manner, even if their gimmicks are stark contrasts of one another.
– With almost all of the key wrestlers on the WWE roster figured into the main card at WrestleMania XXX, it looks as though whatever matches they plan on adding to the two hour pre-show will be comprised of NXT talent.
– Current online betting odds for WrestleMania XXX, which at this point don’t mean a whole lot past educated guessing until the “smart money” comes in during the day of the show, have Daniel Bryan as the favorite to end the show as WWE World Heavyweight Champion at -270. This means if you bet $270, you clear $100 profit, making Bryan basically a near three-to-one favorite to walk out of the show as champion. Randy Orton is +400 to end the show as champion, Batista is +250 and Triple H is +1500.
Other odds for the show include Undertaker as a 60-to-1 favorite over Brock Lesnar, Daniel Bryan as a 27-to-1 favorite over Triple H and Bray Wyatt at -350 (a little over three-to-one) over John Cena.
– It was confirmed on Monday’s edition of WWE RAW from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York that at next week’s RAW, the main event will be WWE World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton one-on-one against “The Animal” Batista.
– Speaking of Batista, he wrote the following on Twitter during RAW about his jeans being ripped.
Thank God I wore my good underwear tonight! They weren't even my tight jeans!! Shades of the Deacon…
Triple H has words with BOOTista and Randy Orton, in the opening Segment YES!
In-Ring Segment: Triple H, BOOtista and Randy Orton Raw started off with Triple H in the middle of the ring, blaming the WWE Universe, for the events leading to the match between Triple H & Daniel Bryan at Wrestlemania. He said he had no chocie but has too end the #YesMovment. Out comes Batista, followed by Randy Orton. I really enjoyed the back and forth between all three. With Batista caling Randy Orton a “paper champion” and Orton saying if Batista was the big deal he was supposed to be they wouldn’t have gone on to cheer for Daniel Bryan.
Triple H tried to make his exit, Batista stopped him and said he has to fix things. That’s when Triple H went off on Batista, saying he hated when Part-Time movie stars come back and think they know how to run the business. Triple H also called out Orton, for being technically gifted, but still needs his hand held to win the match.
Triple H then annoucned a bombshell that if he wins the match between him and Daniel Bryan, he will enter the triple threat match at WrestleMania XXX, and win it to become WWE World Heavyweight Champion.
I thought this was a great segment, and I like that now Triple H has a shot to be in the Main Event at WrestleMania. That gives people some doubt that Daniel Bryan could lose his match between him and Triple H, which he wont. I like the direction this story is going in, as we are two Raw’s from Mania! YES!
Sheamus wins on St Patrick’s Day. NO!
Bad News Barrett & Hornswoggle Obligatory Hornswaggle segment for St Patrick’s day. Followed by an unfunny and predictable Bad News Barrett segment. Yawn. Someone tell me why Barrett is not wrestling, is he injured? NO!
Sheamus vs. Titus O’Neil Gimmick Match, the aforementioned Hornswaggle gets involved and becomes a chess piece. Christian on commentary was the bright spot. He attacks after the match, which also was predictable, I didn’t hate the attack though, but overall for me the segment was a NO!
The Usos vs. The Real Americans
Sold match, looks like The Real Americans are back as a cohesive unit. This win by The Real Americans I’m assuming will lead to their involvement in a 4-way tag match at WrestleMania. Perhaps on the grandest stage of them all, we will finally see Cesaro snap on Jack Swagger and swing him many many times. YES!
John Cena and Bray Wyatt, let’s hope the match lives up to the hype. YES!
John Cena & Bray Wyatt Promo Segment Obviously we won’t know until WrestleMania XXX if these two will have a good or great match. For all we know they could have an amazing match. But I have to say I really enjoy Bray Wyatt’s promo work here. John Cena is John Cena, I could do with out the comedy. His act is getting stale, and he is in need for a change, a big change. I think this this program is a good fit for both superstars, of course I would rather have seen The Shield vs The Wyatts, but since that ship has sailed, I’m enjoying what I see. YES!
Randy Orton vs Daniel Bryan……Part 20. YES!
Randy Orton vs. Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton have good matches with each other, I enjoyed this one as well. Batista came down to take it to Orton, followed by Daniel Bryan sending Batista out of the ring with the Knee. This was a great live illustration to show what “could” happen at WrestleMania XXX. Batista power bombing Orton Afterwords got a decent pop. I have to say, seems a fair amount of heat on BOOtista is melting away, now that Daniel Bryan has the potential to headline with him and Orton at WrestleMania XXX YES!
Paul could sell a ketchup Popsicle to a woman wearing white gloves. YES!
Segment: Paul Heyman
Paul Heyman is a master wordsmith. He is perfect for someone like Brock Lesnar, who’s mic skills aren’t as sharp. I love the story they are telling here, acknowledging The Undertaker is getting older and it has been getting harder the last few years for him to win decisively. YES!
Interesting observation, did you notice how CM Punk didn’t exist on the promo they showed? Would have made great sense to use him, after all, The Undertaker beat CM Punk last year at WrestleMania 29 and, Brock Lesnar went on to beat CM Punk at SummerSlam. But no, he is erased.
View Page 2 to find out more YES and NO from WWE RAW
The following is a list of the current merchandise sellers at the arenas in WWE.
1. John Cena
2. Daniel Bryan
3. CM Punk (down on the list because he’s been off TV and hasn’t been at the arenas)
4. Batista
5. Sheamus
6. Hulk Hogan
7. Randy Orton
8. Brock Lesnar
On the official WWE website, the list of top merchandise sellers is as follows:
1. John Cena
2. CM Punk
3. Daniel Bryan
4. Hulk Hogan
5. The Shield
6. Steve Austin
7. Brock Lesnar
8. Undertaker
9. Randy Orton
Notably absent from the list are Sin Cara and Rey Mysterio, both of whom have been among the top merchandise movers, especially Mysterio, who has been in the top tier list for several years.
According to an internal list that was just made in WWE, the company is projecting the following five guys to be the top Superstars, in order, going forward after WrestleMania XXX in April.
1. John Cena
2. Daniel Bryan
3. Randy Orton
4. Sheamus
5. Roman Reigns
Many found it interesting that both Sheamus came in at number two, and that Batista was not on the list at all. In the case of Sheamus, many point to the fact that Triple H has been very high on him for quite a while.
It should be noted, by the way, that this is a list of the guys they feel will be in those positions several months down the line, as opposed to where they are today. Obviously when they get to that point, things will likely have changed many times, but this is the list that the company just recently made.
Hulk Hogan’s WrestleMania XXX Announcement, John Cena & The Wyatt Family Hulk Hogan starts the show announcing an Andre The Giant memorial 30 man Battle Royal at WrestleMania XXX in New Orleans. Battle Royals have happened before at WrestleMania, with Andre The Giant winning the first ever Battle Royal at WrestleMania II. At Wrestlemania IV Bret Hart and Bad News Brown, both heels at the time agreed to share the trophy, well for a few moments. And who could forget the 19 man Gimmick Battle Royal at WrestleMania X-Seven. I don’t think anyone was expecting this, and at first I thought, the idea seemed silly, but this will get alot of talent on the card, and could be interesting to watch.
John Cena came out to have a Raw moment with The Hulkster. Dislike Cena all you want, he has been the top guy in WWE for the last 10 years. Buff Bagwell, made a ridiculous comment, that John Cena isn’t a Stone Cold Steve Austin, or a Rock, and that HE could have been John Cena, if he was pushed like Cena has been. That’s the most idiotic thing I’ve ever heard in my life. Cena is a true star, and any way you slice it this was a Raw moment, to see Cena posing down with the Babe Ruth of professional wrestling.
Bray Wyatt doing his thing as John Cena and the legendary Hulk Hogan YES!
I enjoyed the Wyatt involvement, the challenge was issued by Cena, for a match at WrestleMania, Wyatt would later accept. Prior to the Royal Rumble, when the heavy rumor was John Cena vs Bray Wyatt, I was scratching my head. After months of excellent build up of Bray and the Wyatt Family, I can honestly tell you, I’m excited to see this match, and love the Wyatt Family. YES!
John Cena vs. Erick Rowan Short match, between Cena and Rowan, with Rowan having the upper hand for a good portion of the match, Cena wins with a surprise pin. I’m not sure why he was so shocked. Hulk Hogan in Cena’s corner, makes me wonder if this will foreshadow some physical Hogan involvement in the match at WrestleMania XXX. YES!
The Authority Address Daniel Bryan I’m a huge Vince McMahon fan, I loved watching Vince McMahon verbally and sometimes even physically battle Stone Cold Steve Austin, back in the Attitude Era. Perhaps because I’m so over the last 7 months of beating Daniel Bryan to the ground, I just can’t stand Stephanie McMahon and Triple H as The Authority. When I say that, I don’t mean, “I can’t wait to see Daniel Bryan get his hands on Triple H.” I just can’t stand the way either of them are, at all. Stephanie does all the talking in this segment, demanding Daniel Bryan apologize or face severe consequences. NO!
Cessaro griping a bit too tight for Jack Swagger YES!
Big E. vs. Jack Swagger / Real Americans Break-Up Tease # 395 This match was basically a filler to highlight the inevitable break up of Cesaro and Swagger. It’s a shame that Big E has been pushed to the back in all this, I had high hopes that the Intercontinental Title would finally get more prestige. That being said I am enjoying the break up of The Real Americans, because Cesaro is going to be a break out star. YES!
In-Ring Segment: The Undertaker & Paul Heyman This segment was pure brilliance, Paul Heyman with two amazing weeks in a row of fantastic promos. Playing the Chicago crowd expertly. Tying CM Punk’s departure into not being able to defeat The Undertaker, was a genius concept. I like how the story is now centered around Paul Heyman trying to get his revenge on The Undertaker. This could also set the stage for another CM Punk Undertaker encounter if he ever comes back and returns his ball. I’m cautiously optimistic for the Brock vs Taker match at WrestleMania XXX. YES!
View Page 2 to find out more YES and NO from WWE RAW
The following are highlights of a recent interview with Alberto Del Rio:
On carrying the legacy of his wrestling family: “It’s a big responsibility to carry on this tradition of wrestling in my family. I had great people showing me, teaching me, and now I’m in the WWE.”
On fans cheering him over Batista: “That night, I was the favorite for all of them. That wasn’t the plan for the self-declared ‘bad guy’ of the movie. I was doing everything to get a boo from the crowd. I was destroying Batista that night, kicking and punching him, taking him to the limit, but the WWE universe cheers who they like.”
On not being a typical Mexican high-flying type wrestler: “When I came to the WWE, I remember people saying ‘Alberto is the biggest Mexican we’ve ever seen.’ As long as the Latin audience keeps supporting the WWE, the WWE will support the Latin audience.”
After taking over Monday’s WWE RAW show with “The Yes! Movement,” Daniel Bryan got Triple H to agree to two huge demands relating to WrestleMania XXX.
First up, “The Game” agreed to compete in a one-on-one match against Bryan, and second, he got HHH to agree that if he beats him, he gets added to the WWE World Heavyweight Championship mani event at WrestleMania. So, if Bryan beats HHH, the WrestleMania XXX main event will be switched to Randy Orton vs. Batista vs. Daniel Bryan for the title.
– Gerald Brisco attended the Big 10 amateur Wrestling championships over the weekend to scout talent for WWE.
– Hornswoggle will be attending tonight’s Muppets movie premiere at the El Capitan in Hollywood, CA. Hornswoggle has a cameo in the film as a Russian prisoner. The Muppets are rumored to be returning to WWE RAW later this month to promote the movie.
– As reported over the weekend, Batista got into a physical altercation with a fan at WWE’s live event from Winnipeg. The fan in question was local DJ Cam Carson, who has since apologized on Twitter. He’s indicated that he ight have had too much to drink prior to the WWE live event, so this appears to be a legitimate issue.
One concerned mother tweeted him, “My children got trampled on tonight because of the incident.” He replied, “I hope the kids are okay. Didn’t mean for anyone to get hurt. My apologies to them.”
Another fan in attendance said his encounter with Batista was the highlight of the night. Carson replied, “Getting some major heat over the incident. Glad you enjoyed it.”