MagicianCamille

I'm thinking Ace is manipulating Big Show into helping him win his match at OTL. Big Show is already fired so he can't be fired by interfering in the match, and he desperately wants his job back. So Ace wins the match and either hires Big Show back or tells Big Show he's still fired and then we go from there.

How did Rock see the future by referencing a past segment on Raw?

Oh it's not dead...

Of course it is. Lesnar jobbed to Cena clean in his first match back. This was a horrible booking decision by WWE. Especially if Cena was going to take time off anyway. Why not have Lesnar injure Cena to a No Decision or a victory, and then Cena can make a comeback whenever he returns and we can have a hot storyline then? Instead Lesnar's momentum is stopped dead and Cena is taking time off. Nobody benefitted from this.

And just like that, the hype around Brock Lesnar's return is dead in the water. Well done WWE!

Looks like a comedy movie poster.

THe Rock's birthday Raw was one of the worst of all time anyway. I wouldn't have watched a Cena birthday Raw.

Well soon Dean Ambrose will be joining the main roster and that indeed this feud with Mick Foley is going to be used to make him a top star instantly. Just that in the age of the IWC and the internet, even though he may feud with Foley and WWE may expect him to be a top star because of it, it may be tougher to make him a top star right off the bat.

Dean Ambrose is an internet darling, I'm sure he'll be fine lol.

I love the angle they're going with for Cena vs. Brock, as much as I hate the execution. Cena said himself it's all or nothing at WM vs The Rock, and he LOST the match. Now Brock Lesnar is back and declares himself the new face of the company, and Cena is trying to be confident and unfettered but he just freaking lost to Fat Albert in 2012, and Lesnar has had the better of him in all their encounters. Plus, the fans are obviously more into Lesnar than they are Cena (except to boo him).

Of course the issues are 1) they're hotshotting the feud to the very next PPV 2) they're escalating the feud to a stipulation match before it's really began, and this is only being done because we have crappy gimmick PPVs like Extreme Rules in the first place which strangulate creative's options.

My highlights for this Raw (which I actually thought was a pretty good show overall):

CM Punk vs. Mark Henry. This was a REALLY good match, especially for a match involving Mark Henry. It got a lot of time, they really made use of the No DQ no count-out stipulation, and both guys came out looking strong.

DANIEL BRYAN. His hilarious backstage segment with AJ and Kofi PLUS the submission victory over Kingston. My fear is they're building him up just to lose to Sheamus decisively again, but I'm gonna enjoy the ride while it lasts, because Daniel Bryan is VERY entertaining. We already know he's one of the best in the ring, but I think especially since WM, he's been showing what a complete package he is.

Brock Lesnar's interview. Once again I like the angle they're doing, and this interview was dripping with realism. It was just really intriguing. It's a shame the storyline itself isn't being booked a little smarter, but I guess we should reserve judgment until we see what happens at Extreme Rules.

Vince has a new (what's old is new) toy in Brock Lesnar and everything else is kind of falling by the wayside.

It was good story-telling and great drama but far from a great match, in my opinion. The HIAC was completely worthless in the match, as it often has been during the PG era. It's not one I'll be talking about for years ala HBK/Taker I and II. HHH/Taker last year even was far better than this year.

I also feel like the overbooking of the match makes it difficult to take any future Taker opponent seriously. The man kicks out after SCM into a Pedigree, after being beaten and battered with a sledgehammer for several minutes, and I'm supposed to think <insert anyone not named GOD here> could possibly pose a threat? Not likely.

At this point I think Taker vs. Cena in some kind of submission/I Quit match could be the only Taker match-up I'd be able to get invested in.

Wow, I'm surprised some of you guys like Johnny Ace, I'd prefer they bring back HHH as the COO and turn him heel and make him the authority figure.

Well obviously Triple H would be preferable, but he's not on the table. He's apparently only interested in being on TV if it means going over CM Punk, working a feud with his buddies (Kevin Nash) in which he of course goes over, and being a part of the ever-so-overhyped Streak storyline with Undertaker for Wrestlemania for an incredibly unnecessary third time, two years in a row. Now they're calling THAT match the single best match of all time. It's very laughable.

I disagree regarding Johnny Ace. I think he's getting exactly the kind of heat you want for a heel authority figure, and his personality is perfect for the character he's playing. He's absolutely believable as a doofus with a God complex, and according to backstage reports and former wrestler interviews, that's exactly what he actually IS. His stumbling when he talks and his oblivious facial expressions only help get that across, even though they're likely unintentional. I didn't like his Smackdown segment because I felt it wasted time, but it's easy to see why they did it. Most of the show was filler, so they were trying to drag things out.

Aside from the brilliant Piper's Pit segment where Roddy Piper used his amazing, realistic promo style to turn Daniel Bryan's YES!'s into NO!'s, and the great work by Jimmy Hart in his segment, that Smackdown was pretty bad. I really don't understand why they don't try and put on good shows with these live Smackdowns. You'd think they'd use these opportunities to help boost Smackdown and maybe get it moved to a better timeslot or something.

I'm looking forward to the Daniel Bryan/Sheamus 2 of 3 falls match, hopefully they are given the time to put on a great match. I can see AJ getting involved, but I'm not sure they'd switch the title so soon. It is possible though, Austin lost his first world title rather quickly after WM, and with a big face you really want him to be chasing the title more often than holding it.

Daniel Bryan has proved me to these last few weeks he can be a really great heel, so I think keeping him heel is the way to go. Having him manipulate AJ into screwing Sheamus out of the title at Extreme Rules and getting it back on Bryan, and having him continue to cheat and manipulate AJ on his way to another lengthy title reign may actually be the way to go. Bryan is hot right now. Sheamus went cold after the WM booking screw-up. If they want Sheamus to heat back up they have to use Bryan as that conductor. ADR is NOT going to do the trick.

It's good news because divas like the Bellas, Kelly Kelly, and Alicia Fox can't wrestle at all and make the division look like the joke it is.

If they had kept Melina and Gail Kim, those two + Beth Phoenix and Natalya actually make a pretty fantastic core of female wrestlers to work with. Give them some time and look out. Instead we have Beth Phoenix as the Divas champion jobbing to celebrities and the Bellas, and Natalya being made a complete joke of. It is a sad state of affairs in my opinion.

Lesnar legitimately hurting people before he's even wrestled a match. Yep, he's back all right.

That Raw was pretty weak aside from the opening Lesnar segment and the pre-match CM Punk promo. Big drop off from last week.

I've got mixed feelings about having Cena vs Lesnar so soon. On one hand it's obviously important to strike while the iron is hot, but on the other it just feels hotshotted.

Damien Sandow is also being called up as he was given a vignette on Smackdown.

Dean Ambrose is my top pick from FCW to be a star. He's got the confidence as a performer and the natural acting ability to make you believe his character that a lot of the current WWE roster will never be able to possess. Hopefully his size doesn't limit him in the eyes of the brass.

The Rock won! WOW!

Brock Lesnar signing is official? I had heard it was only rumors. If so that's pretty exciting. Obviously Brock is still young and in pretty good shape. I'd love for him to become a mainstay in WWE programming once again, especially with WWE's current lack of stars, but that may be wishful thinking.

Batista is in Miami for other reasons, but I'm certain he's being talked to about a return. I'm not sure if he is interested with his MMA training + his distaste for the PG product. I doubt Batista returns any time soon.

So WM is tomorrow. Predictions time:

CM Punk def. Chris Jericho to retain WWE Title - clean victory

Sheamus def. Daniel Bryan for World Heavyweight Championship - clean victory

Undertaker def. Triple H - will be a clean finish IMO

John Cena def. The Rock - totally clean, no heel turn. Sadly.

Randy Orton def. Kane - clean, some predictable rko from the top rope or onto a chair type finish

Team Johnny def.Team Teddy - I can see a swerve coming with who will actually be in control after WM

Big Show def. Cody Rhodes - I can't see this ending any other way with how the story has progressed. I am looking forward to a possible Sheamus/Cody feud down the road however. I would prefer Big Show in a midcard role than dominating the main event anyway.

Kelly Kelly & Maria def. Beth and Eve

Face domination yes, but I really don't see these matches going any other way. I'm hoping for SOME type of swerve in the Cena/Rock and HHH/Taker matches, I just don't believe one is coming.

I think Orton should have been added to the WHC match. Would have definitely given the match some much needed interest and star power.

Definitely. I still can't believe they didn't go this route. They had a month before WM to build Orton into the match and instead they go with a random Kane feud. I guess they want Orton to have another WM victory moment and that would go against the obvious plan of Sheamus winning the world title at WM. It's a shame because having Orton in the match would 1) make Sheamus' victory seem bigger and more impressive and 2) plant the seeds for a Sheamus-Orton WHC feud with the option of pulling the trigger on an Orton heel turn.

This Orton-Barrett feud has become like a cold war with all these injuries.

Rocky's promo before Cena came out was pretty weak. Blatantly trying to get things to trend on twitter does not a good promo make.

His line about wrestlers like Stone Cold never needing anyone else to fight for him was good, but overall their entire exchange was completely blown out of the water by the epic Punk/Jericho exchange from earlier in the night. The Bret Hart mention and "Did you invent Canada?" was just golden.

Punk/Jericho's match is going to be 3rd in terms of importance, but I can easily seeing it being the best in terms of entertainment, storyline build, and of course, pure wrestling.

Rocky's statements are pretty ignorant of how the business works. Look at Alberto Del Rio, he's never been any semblance of over and they've booked him to win a Royal Rumble, wrestle for the WHC at WM, win the WWE title twice, main event multiple PPVs. WWE doesn't book and push guys based on their overness or how hard they try alone. WWE is more than happy to force down your throat who THEY want to force down your throat, instead of who you actually want to see, or who actually works hard all year.

Couldn't imagine the revolt if Rock got penned in for next year's WM too without actually working throughout the year.

You must really like RVD JO, I would consider seeing RVD at a WWE show a bad omen.