Brock Lesnar rumored for WrestleMania 28

Posted by: Ben Kerin of WrestlingNewsSource.com on Mar 30 2012

Source: PWInsider.com

Former WWE Superstar Brock Lesnar is in negotiations with WWE to appear at Sunday’s WrestleMania 28 pay-per-view event at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, Florida according to PWInsider.com. The odds of the three-time WWE Champion appearing at show are ‘more than 50/50.’

Lesnar quit WWE in March 2004 to pursue a career in the National League Football, which was short-lived. Following a brief fling in New Japan Wrestling, he stepped away from the professional wrestling industry entirely in 2006 to pursue a career in mixed martial arts. He captured the UFC Heavyweight Championship from Randy Couture on November 15, 2008, then avenged his loss to Mir at UFC 100 to become the Undisputed Champion. He lost the strap two years later to Cain Velasquez at UFC 121. Lesnar announced his intentions to retire from mixed martial arts following a subsequent loss to Alistair Overeem in December 2010, which prompted speculation of a return to WWE.

An writer for the Associated Press wrote in his article on Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson that if WWE wants to squeeze another potential blockbuster buy rate out of The Great One, the last man standing to get the headline match would be the return of Lesnar.

“I’m not saying a thing,” said a laughing, grinning Johnson with his eyebrow raised after being asked about the possible encounter. “I didn’t say anything.”

Now that would certainly make an already huge event even bigger. Not too sure how believable this is though, I personally reckon they're saving Lesnar for next year myself. 

My Impact Wrestling, March 29th 2012 Recap

TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Roode, surrounded by a team of police officers, entered the ring and informed all the fans that had demanded he be fired from TNA that they could all "kiss my World Championship ass." He went on to claim that Impact would be nothing without him, really? He also bragged that he'd won the "war" with Sting after he'd stepped down as Impact Wrestling GM last week. 

Concerning his opponent at Lockdown, James Storm, Roode claimed that the police surrounding him were for Storm's own protection from himself. Sure enough James Storm then joined the champ and questioned his masculinity after Roode had laid his hands on TNA president Dixie Carter. Storm's rant was short lived though as Bully Ray then struck him from behind, but as any good babyface does 'The Cowboy' made a comeback and scared off Roode and Bully. Storm also challenged both men to a Handicap match, which they accepted.   

Velvet Sky defeated Madison Rayne in a surprisingly decent effort by both women. Although the match wasn't far above average for the Knockouts Division it was still fairly entertaining at moments. Afterwards Sky challenged the Knockouts Champion Gail Kim to a rematch she never received after loosing the title.       

We were then shown footage form earlier in the day of Dixie Carter and Hulk Hogan discussing their past in the company and whether or not Hogan should take over as General Manager of the show. In conclusion Hogan promised Carter that he'd think about it. It was a boring segment and went on for longer then was really necessary. 

X Division Champion Austin Aries came out and in a sudden face turn confronted Bully Ray on the mic regarding his attack on him and three other X Division wrestlers last week. He then offered James Storm a offer to be his tag team partner that night so he could exact some revenge on Ray. Although it was still a signature solid promo from Aries, some of the crowd were still unsure how to take him since he was still coming off as a bit obnoxious. Saying that, I think a face turn could be the way forward for the champ in the company.

Matt Morgan versus Crimson ended in a double count out. The actual bout had been a surprisingly fair contest between the two, with the crowd really eating it up. I was expecting a real bore here, but to be fair both men seemed really up for this as they went back and fourth. After the bell rang they continued brawling, which eventually led backstage, although we never got to see what happened next, which was odd.  

Mr. Anderson defeated Jeff Hardy in an entertaining match up. Both men went back and fourth with their signature maneuvers at a quick pace. Hardy especially got the crowd going here. For the finish Anderson got the pin on Hardy after Kurt Angle had low blowed the 'Charismatic Enigma' and he applied a Mic Check.    

Eric Bischoff claimed on the mic how amazing a man he was, and how many of his own targets he'd accomplished during his career in pro wrestling. One of those targets being Sting being removed as GM and also the removal of his son Garett from the wrestling business. And with that he called out Garett to the ring and offered him the chance to walk away or to face Gunner one on one at Lockdown. Garett snatched the mic and accepted the challenge, conforming that he wasn't going anywhere, unfortunately for the fans.  

James Storm and Austin Aries defeated Bully Ray and Bobby Roode in a super main event tag team match. The action throughout was well executed, with Aries being the start performer of the bout for me and really winning over the fans with his skill in the ring. Aries also made a red hot tag to Storm who avoided an attempt by Roode to spit beer in his face and Last Call Superkicked Bully for the one-two-three. Now this is how a main event is done. Solid match form start to finish, and you know it's a success when all the talent involved are elevated.  

Dixie Carter called out Hogan to find out whether or not he'll accept the GM position, but Hogan told her that "I have already closed the book on this part of my life." With that Sting, along with members of the TNA roster, came out to convince Hogan to take the position. 'The Stinger' succeeded and Hulk took it, like there was ever any doubt?   

My WWE Raw, March 27th 2012 Recap

Daniel Bryan and Kane defeated Randy Orton and Sheamus in a fair to average tag team contest. For the most part the action was decent enough, there were just a few niggles here and there, such as Sheamus and Kane's time on the ring together which looked a little awkward, and also Kane's feeble chokeslam at the end to Sheamus which was not convincing as a finisher to the bout.

Michael Cole announced that he would be the official commentator for Team Laurinaitis this sunday at WrestleMania, whatever that means. 

Santino Marella defeated David Otunga in a mediocre and forgettable match up that only existed to promote the Team Long versus Team Laurinaitis match this Sunday. It's a shame because they could've actually had an entertaining bout with some of the other members of the teams. Afterwards Long, assisted by Santino, pushed over Laurinaitis. The Miz then raced down and took out Santino, thereby earning himself a place on Team Johnny.  

Kelly Kelly defeated Eve in a rather poor bout. Now, I don't like to be one of those wrestling fans that just likes to bash a performer constantly, but Kelly Kelly really did look like a novice here, I mean even more than usual. What's her excuse after all these years of experience? She just really doesn't deserve a place in the ring, never mind WrestleMania. 

Before CM Punk's match up, Chris Jericho once again appeared on the big screen and reminded him of his sister and father's issues, but this time he also brought up the fact that Punk's parents married after he was born, making him, as Jericho put it, "a bastard." It definitely wasn't as strong a promo as we've had from Jericho in recent weeks.

CM Punk versus Christian ended in a no contest after Punk viciously took out Christian after a series of elbows and slams into the announce desk. The WWE Champion also clamped on an Anaconda Vice on 'Captain Charisma' for an extended period. It was nice to see the more aggressive Punk in action here, definitely a nice set up for his match with Jericho in Miami.    

Brodus Clay defeated Curt Hawkings in one of the 'Funkosaruses' usual routine squash bouts. I'm getting seriously bored of this now. 

Big Show defeated Epico in a squash match filled with Show's signature powerhouse moves. The tag team champs are too talented to be squandered like this. Afterwards Cody Rhodes came out and once again aggravated Show by reminding him of his poor record at 'Mania. I still believe a Rhodes versus Goldust match would've been far, far superior. 

Backstage in an interview CM Punk delivered a superb speech where he set the record straight regarding Jericho's accusations of his family. As far as I'm concerned their feud has been a success all round so far.

Mark Henry defeated The Great Khali in a match that was fortunately kept short. In an attempt to get some revenge John Laurinaitis then threw Teddy Long into the ring and into Henry's mercy. After both teams then made their way out and fought, Booker raced to Long's aid and took out the 'World's Strongest Man' with his trademark Scissors Kick. Teddy then thanked Booker and asked him to join his team, an offer which Booker accepted gladly.

The Rock spoke about the demand of his return after his match at WrestleMania XX back in 2004. He explained that he knew after WrestleMania 27 last year when he Rock Bottomed John Cena that he would step into the ring once again to face him. He went on to admit that Cena had become the "heartbeat" of the WWE, a major star in the business. Cena soon then joined 'The Great One' and spoke about the long list of critics he'd garnered over the years, but also mentioned the emotion he evokes every single time he walks out to the ring, which is very true.    

Cena claimed that people can bash him as much as they want but he will continue to "rise above, and I win," which is an admirable quality of his I'll admit. He added that those same people will witness him beating The Rock this Sunday. He also shared an interesting fact that he'd now been a longer active member of the WWE roster then Rocky, I had no idea. Cena went on to say that after WrestleMania The Rock will go back to the film industry while he'll return to the ring as always, and he (I believe) honestly said that he'd be damed if 'The People's Champ' would come in a visitor "and take my life from me." It was yet another superb and blisteringly honest promo by Cena. I just hope he can keep up this great form after 'Mania.

The Rock told Cena that he had to beat him on Sunday to become the greatest of all time on a professional level, but "on a personal level, I just don't like you." Which again was another statement in this segment that I believe is very true.

This was probably the best promo these two men have had together, and that's saying something. You can believe in the tension and heat between the two and that should only add to what will be a special match up on Sunday. A lot of fans, like Cena and CM Punk plus others in WWE I'm sure , have criticised The Rock on his very temporary 'return' to the company, but he's also going to help build up plenty of business for WWE come this Sunday. And I dare any of those critics who'll be watching to not get excited when Rock's music hits in Miami and him and Cena are finally (pun intended) face to face in the ring together for what will be an electrifying match. I for one cannot wait for April 1st.

I should be putting up my predictions for the huge card this week, but as for what I think will be the best match at 'Mania? I'm going with either CM Punk versus Jericho or Triple H versus The Undertaker. Plus the bout I just mentioned above should be pretty fun too.

My WWE SmackDown, March 23rd 2012 Recap

Daniel Bryan came to the ring and asked his girlfriend AJ what it's like "to be in love with a World Champion?" The smitten AJ went on to describe how great the experience was of being with him, even being prompted by the man himself to say what great "lover" he was. Shortly after the number one contender to Bryan's title Sheamus joined the lovebirds and called Bryan a "snivelling little coward," and went on to claim how he will be victorious at WrestleMania.    

Mark Henry defeated R-Truth in a drab contest, so usual stuff for Henry.

Backstage Zach Ryder convinced Teddy Long to add him and The Great Khali to his team at 'Mania. They're both logical choices for the team, even though I'm not a fan of Khali.

AJ defeated Brie Bella in a mediocre match up. As much as I like AJ, and the fact that she actually stands out from the rest of the Divas, she hasn't shown an awful lot of improvement in the ring to me. Afterwards Brie attempted to get a cheer going for team Teddy Long.

Zach Ryder defeated Jack Swagger in a decent enough bout between the two. The win came after Swagger was distracted by Hornswaggle at ringside, who'd been terrorising Vickie, and Ryder capitilised with a Rough Ryder for the one-two-three. 

Big Show won via disqualification versus Kane when Cody Rhodes ran in and struck him before running off into the crowd. The actual match had been nothing particularly special, pretty average really, with a slow pace (understandably) and signature power moves by both men. Afterwards Randy Orton also decided to pay Kane a visit and RKO'd him.   

Brodus Clay defeated Heath Slater in one of his usual squash matches, although I'll give Clay some credit he has seemed to have added a few new moves in there. I'd add him to Team Long if I had the choice, it'd make sense to me. And maybe that could lead on to a real feud between him and possibly Henry afterwards? He needs something like that for his character to advance a bit anyway, the act is getting stale now.

The Great Khali defeated Dolph Ziggler via count out in what was another rather drab and mediocre match for the night. Ziggler put in a decent enough effort but there's only really so much you can get back from Khali in the ring.

Sheamus and CM Punk defeated The Miz and Daniel Bryan in an entertaining and solid main event tag team match. All four wrestlers looked good and put on a great display here, which begs the question why aren't there more matches like this at the moment? You'd think there would be considering it's WrestleMania season.  

Overall SmackDown was a bit disappointing, with the action in the ring being largely average. Fortunately Bryan and AJ's segment at the start and the main event match saved the show a bit.   

My Impact Wrestling, March 22nd 2012 Recap

Dixie Carter came out to the ring and spoke about how Bobby Roode had now gone too far after his actions at Victory Road, and was about to announce the actions she was going to take against the World Champion until Sting then joined her. 'Stinger' explained that he believed that firing Roode would be giving him the easy way out, and also claimed that his role as GM of Impact Wrestling just wasn't working for him so he'd made the decision to take some time off and come back as a full time wrestler. I personally much preferred Sting in the role of GM of Impact as apposed to active wrestler. 

He went on to announce Hulk Hogan as his successor as General Manager, someone who he humorously claimed could "take the company to the top," maybe he was talking about a different Hogan?  

A Fatal Four Way between Austin Aries (c), Zema Ion, Kid Kash and Anthony Nese for the X Division Championship ended in a no contest after Bully Ray ran in and attacked all four men. Up until that point the match up had been quite exciting, with plenty of nice aerial attacks from all four participants.     

Eric Young and ODB (c) defeated Rosita and Sarita to defend their TNA Knockout Tag Team Titles in an average contest. EY performed his usual comedy routine while the female performers put in an okay effort. I personally wouldn't have minded seeing Rosita and Sarita as the champs, I feel they have a lot more to show regarding their in ring ability then they are currently.   

Backstage Matt Morgan attacked his former tag partner Crimson after his abandonment at Victory Road during their match up for the titles. I really hope this feud will be short lived.

James Storm vented off in the ring, telling us things that bothered him. He went on to then claim that at Lockdown he will be victorious in his Steel Cage match with Roode and walk out the World Champion and then decided to call out the man himself.

But instead of Roode making his way out, his Legal Adviser William Kelly did and explained that the World Champion will be remaining in his home in Canada until further notice dut to "an unsafe working environment." He added that Christopher Daniels and Kazarian had been in contact and wanted to face Storm, so given the choice 'The Cowboy' decided to fight both of them on Impact. The number one contender decided to send a message back to Roode in the form of a Last Call Superkick to Mr. Kelly, much to the crowds delight.        

Kurt Angle's 3-Minute Challenge versus Garrett Bischoff ended in a disqualification after Gunner ran in and they both attacked Garrett. The bout itself had been surprisingly heated, and Bischoff did look a bit more competent in-between the ropes, although he clearly still has a fair bit to work on. The beat down was soon halted after Jeff Hardy raced in to Garrett's aid. 

Samoa Joe and Magnus (c) defeated Hernandez and Anarquia to defend the TNA Tag Team Titles. The contest started off rather averagely but fortunately picked up in quality towards the end as Joe got back into some nice action after an oddly mediocre start to the match for him.  

James Storm defeated Kazarian and Christopher Daniels in a fairly short and disappointing Handicap Match. Don't get me wrong it wasn't bad, it was just considering the talent involved I expected a lot more from the bout, and this really didn't do any favours for Kaz or the 'Fallen Angel'.    

Sting tried to convince Dixie Carter in the ring that Hogan could be trusted since he cut Eric Bischoff out of his life after Bound For Glory last year. Carter accepted Sting's choice of successor and out came 'The Hulkster'. The fans in attendance certainly seemed pleased with the choice, but then most TNA fans are easily impressed. 

My WWE Raw, March 19th 2012 Recap

A stern faced CM Punk came out and and reminded everyone about Chris Jericho's words about his alcoholic father last week and stated that no one who's been dealt a card like that in life shouldn't believe that hey can't still be destined for greatness, which was a great sentiment. He went on to explain that his Dad worked hard to then overcome his addiction later on in life and that he is "proud of my Father" and proud of being straight edge. It was a terrific and heartfeltly given speech by Punk.

Chris Jericho then appeared on the big screen and apologised for his words on his Dad last week and admitted that he was out of line. But then spoke about Punk's sister and her apparent history with drug abuse. He carried on to once again claim that it was Punk's destiny to begin drinking eventually. It was an even better promo then last weeks and certainly adds more hype to what should be a great match at WrestleMania.

Before Big Show's following match, Cody Rhodes once again presented a video package of Show's most embarrassing moments at 'Mania, it was just the same as we'd already seen recently, nothing new.

Kane defeated Big Show in a brief and forgettable match after Rhodes distracted Show from ringside. Afterwards the Intercontinental Champion handcuffed Big Show to the ropes and began beating on him whilst wearing boxing gloves as a tribute to Floyd Mayweather.     

David Otunga defeated Santino Marella in a mediocre bout after Marella was distracted by Laurinaitis throwing his phone into the ring, allowing Otunga to capitalise. After the match Long punched Laurinaitis in the face and legged it with Marella.

The Rock spoke outside in the streets of Philadelphia about his childhood memories of WrestleMania and his own when he wrestled in the event, but claimed that he now had to beat John Cena to become the "greatest of all time."   

Daniel Bryan defeated Zach Ryder in a fairly short but decent match up. It's a shame they weren't allocated some more time, unfortunately I didn't ahve the same feelings about the next match.

John Cena defeated Mark Henry in the return of Cena's old 'play dead then make a heroic comeback' routine. The bout was dragged on for too long for my liking and unfortunately took away from Cena's strong work on the mic as of late. Afterwards The Rock came down to the ring, Rock Bottomed Henry and left. 

We were then shown footage from the show 'Extra' where unfortunately a match at WrestleMania was instigated pitting Kelly Kelly and Maria Menounos against Eve and Beth Phoenix, I was really hoping the rumours were true that after Karma wouldn't be appearing they'd decided to drop a Divas match from 'Mania. Or they could've began a feud with Natalya and Phoenix a while back with them turning on each other leading to a decent match in Miami. 

The Miz compared his situation of going from main eventing last years 'Mania to not even having a match this year on the card to King Kong Bundy's from WrestleMania 2 and 3 (when Bundy went from main eventing 2 to significantly dropping down the card at 3). Miz decided to have an open challenge to prove he deserved to be on Laurinaitis' team on April 1st.

Sheamus answered the challenge and defeated The Miz in an enjoyable enough contest. I know I've said it before but to me it doesn't make sense having The Miz in a loosing streak storyline like this, he deserves to be on the card in Miami.   

When interviewed regarding his match up with Kane at WrestleMania, Randy Orton simply reminded us of the beating he gave Kane last Summer that forced the 'Monster' to shake his hand and stated that he has the upper hand going into their match.

Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger defeated Kofi Kingston and R-Truth in an average to decent tag team bout. Afterwards Vickie Guerrero and Aksana began a heated argument and started brawling in the ring until they were separated. 

Shawn Michaels admitted that, regarding the Undertaker versus Triple H match that he'll be refereeing, it's pretty cool to be holding the end of an era in his hands. Before he could say much more 'The Dead Man' interrupted HBK and came to the ring, the same then happened with Triple H interrupting Taker. 'The Game' explained that this feud wasn't about Michaels but just about the two of them. He went on to say how it was poetic that it'll all end in a Hell in a Cell match, a match which has meant so much to both men. 

The Undertaker questioned whether Triple H was really willing to put everything on the line in their match up, to which the 'Cerebral Assassin' said that he was, and he will. Before Taker then went to leave, he claimed that he was right in his previous statement from before and that Michaels is better then Triple H. Which left HBK with a slight grin as Raw ended, nice touch.   

My TNA Victory Road 2012 Recap

Before his match up Bully Ray came to the ring and announced himself "the talk of the wrestling world" due to him taking the pay-per-view hostage. This was because he demanded that his match with James Storm later that night to be changed into a number one contenders match to the TNA World Heavyweight Title. James Storm joined Ray and said that he never had to waste the peoples time and he gave him that number one contenders match right there and then.

James Storm defeated Bully Ray in a very brief bout after Ray sipped some of Storm's beer and then received a Last Call Superkick for the one-two-three. I think this could have been quite a decent match if they'd given it a bit more time.  

Austin Aries (c) defeated Zema Ion to retain his X Division Championship in a thrilling and all round solid match up. Both men went back and fourth with their impressive display of moves throughout and Ion had a nice near fall towards the end after spraying Aries in the face with his hair spray, which also blinded Aries for the remainder of the bout. Before the match Aries stated that it doesn't matter where he appears on the card it's always the main event. On another night, he would've maybe been right, but tonight there was a special match to come involving an Olympic Gold Medallist and the 'Charismatic Enigma'.

Magnus and Samoa Joe (c) defeated Matt Morgan and Crimson to retain the TNA Tag Team Titles. The majority of the match was quite dull with the average Crimson involved, it at least picked up a bit in excitement once Joe got into the action and picked up the pace. After arguing throughout the tag bout, Crimson eventually had enough and speared his partner Morgan, leaving him to be finished off and pinned by Magnus and Joe. Well at least we won't have to watch them as a tag team any more, but unfortunately this also means we'll have to endure them going into a singles feud.

Robbie E opened up his first ever 'Robbie E Invitational' for the TNA Television Title to any fan in the crowd. But after much deliberation Robbie decided to cancel the invitational and start posing with his manager/bodyguard Robbie T until Devon made his way through the crowd and accepted the challenge.

Devon defeated Robbie E (c) to win the TNA Television Title in a rather short but action packed contest. The win was very well received with the fans and Devon did look pretty decent between the ropes, with a fast pace and solid maneuvers.

Gail Kim (c) defeated Madison Rayne to retain her TNA Knockouts Championship in quite an average bout that played before a largely indifferent crowd. And I don't blame the fans there, with the build up to the match it was never made clear who you were really meant to be cheering on. Now the action wasn't bad, in fact Rayne's moves looked better then they maybe ever have, it just didn't draw you in like every title match should.      

AJ Styles and Mr. Anderson defeated Kazarian and Christopher Daniels in a solid tag team contest that started off a little drab but certainly pulled you in with a blistering finish. Styles and Daniels were the top performers of the match up with a good effort by both wrestlers, Kaz and Anderson also looked decent. 

Kurt Angle defeated Jeff Hardy in a thrilling match up that even exceeded my expectations. Both men put on a superb display, with plenty of effective near falls and crisp action. If you only watch one match from this pay-per-view (although not sure why you would) then watch this one. 

Bobby Roode defeated Sting in a surprisingly engrossing No Holds Barred match. I can't remember the last performance from 'The Stinger' that was this entertaining, he gave a great effort here and deserved the fans applaud. Fortunately there weren't too many weapons used in the bout either (which is what I usually expect from a TNA in these kinds of contests) I believe that may have tainted it a bit and taken away from the enjoyable wrestling on display. Roode gained the winning pin after Sting accidentally knocked himself out on a steel chair he was unaware was there as he applied a Scorpion Death Drop.

Afterwards the World champ threw the referee out of the ring, dragged Dixie Carter (who'd been at ringside) in and forced her to look at the beaten Sting. As he then prepared to strike 'Stinger' with a steel chair 'The Icon' made a comeback, but this was short lived as Roode managed to KO Sting with the chair and tape his hands to the ropes. Dixie pleaded with him to stop as Roode almost struck her with the chair, but instead he just left with the World title. It was an effective finish, but also a bit absurd, as if no one would come to a defenseless woman like Dixie's aid?   

Overall Victory Road was a bit of a mixed bag, but was fortunately saved by a few matches which definitely gave the fans their money's worth and a very memorable one in Angle versus Hardy.

My WWE SmackDown, March 16th 2012 Recap

Christian made his welcome return, along with the Peep Show, to SmackDown and explained the stipulation for the Team Laurinaitis versus Team Long match at WrestleMania. He then introduced his guests John Laurinaitis, accompanied by David Otunga, and Teddy Long, accompanied by Aksana. 'Captain Charisma' then gave both team leaders the opportunity to convince him why he should join their team at WrestleMania. Teddy Long simply said that on his watch Christian wouldn't get his "one more match" for the World title, but he'd have to earn it. Laurinaitis claimed that he would give Christian that opportunity at the World title. 

As if there was any doubt, Christian officially announced that he was joining 'Team Johnny' . Long responded by booking Otunga against the newest member to his team, Kofi Kingston.

Kofi Kingston defeated David Otunga in an average bout that had its fair share of ringside distractions, including Christian pulling on Kingston's leg and Long and Laurinaitis arguing. To be fair though Otunga did yet again show more improvement in the ring. 

AJ defeated Nikki Bella in a mediocre match up. Afterwards Bryan still hilariously celebrated in his usual over the top style.

Cody Rhodes defeated The Great Khali in a match that actually surpassed my expectations, thanks to Rhodes' effort, but was still only really average at best.

An extremely tanned Randy Orton came to the ring and queried Kane's choice in attacking him lately, considering unlike John Cena he has no problem embracing hate, then called out the 'Big Red Monster'. Kane answered Orton's call and revealed that after a Street Fight they'd had on SmackDown last Summer, where afterwards Kane shook hands with Orton, he realised he'd become a "wretched human being" and declared that that person had now been replaced by a new monster. Orton had had enough and demanded Kane come to the ring to finish things, but Kane decided that they should do it at WrestleMania instead so he could "demise" Orton on the biggest stage of them all. All Kane's reasons for attacking Orton and wanting to face him at 'Mania just all sounded a bit too phoney and lazy an excuse to me.   

Big Show defeated Drew McIntyre in a forgettable and average bout, I can imagine me saying the same after Show's encounter with Rhodes in Miami too, nothing against Cody.

Mark Henry defeated Yoshi Tatsu in a squash match, which will most likely be undone after he's made to look pathetic against Cena on next weeks Raw.

Chris Jericho claimed that he was right about what he'd said about CM Punk and his alcoholic father on this weeks Raw, and also called him a fraud. He went on to say that his claims of being the best in the World will be proven when he beats Punk at 'Mania, and after he does he'll take a nice long sip of a cocktail. It was another interesting promo from Jericho and the talk of Punk's personal life, much like back in ROH, is definitely adding intrigue to this rivalry.

Chris Jericho defeated Sheamus via count out after Daniel Bryan double kicked him at ringside. The actual bout had been a decent back and fourth contest between the two number one contenders and the ending was a fitting one that made sense. The match definitely stood out above the other mostly average to drab ones on the show. Afterwards an infuriated Sheamus chased off Bryan and Brogue Kicked Jericho.

Overall it was a pretty mediocre broadcast, with only a few moments that were really worth watching, which is strange for the show that normally has the most quality on display each week. 

My Impact Wrestling, March 15th 2012 Recap

James Storm started off Impact by addressing the TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Roode, claiming that he would exact revenge and win back the World title at Lockdown against his former tag team partner, he also warned him that he's going to "give you the ass whippin' of your life." Storm's mic skills really have come a long way in the last couple of years, I'd say he's certainly one of the best in the company at promos now. 

Shortly after Bully Ray joined 'The Cowboy' and reminded him about formerly kicking a steel chair into his head, Storm retorted by also reminding Ray that he defeated him to become number one contender to the World title. After some more exchanged words Storm made it clear he wanted to fight Bully right there before their match at Victory Road, but instead 'Calfzilla' informed Storm that he would be fighting Gunner that night, who made his way out and began brawling with Storm until they were separated. 

Madison Rayne defeated Velvet Sky in an average Knockouts contest after scoring a roll up pin while pulling on Sky's tights for the one-two-three.

Crimson defeated Samoa Joe in a decent to bit of a drab affair. Crimson grabbed the win after Morgan distracted Joe at ringside and quickly applied a spear to the 'Samoan Submission Machine'. It's a smart move on the booking teams part to turn Morgan and Crimson heel and the Tag Team Champs face. It was obvious even as bad guys that Joe and Magnus were a more popular team with the fans, due to having more charisma and ability in the ring.      

Austin Aries came out to celebrate becoming the longest reigning X Division Champion of all time, and preceded to present a montage of his reign as champ. The charismatic Zema Ion joined AA and claimed that last week in their bout he embarrassed the champion and proved that he wasn't as smart as he thought he was, he also warned him that the same thing that happened to Jesse Sorensen could happen to him on Sunday. Aries admitted that he admired Ion's bravado and his attempt to prove that he had "hair on his nuts" and decided to let him do the toast. Zema complimented the title reign but informed 'A Double' that it will come to an end at his hands and then threw a glass of champagne in the champ's face., which prompted him to throw Ion out of the ring.

Backstage Eric Young and ODB decided that they'd get married in the ring on Impact. Was there ever any doubt?   

Gail Kim defeated Mickie James in a solid match up involving the two best Knockouts and female workers in the company in my opinion. My only gripe was that the finish, where Kim struck James with her title belt while the ref wasn't looking, you could see coming from a mile way. 

During a video package there was then an audio fault with delayed sound which carried on through to the following match. You wouldn't hear of this happening in WWE would you? 

Mr. Anderson defeated Christopher Daniels in a surprisingly entertaining bout, with a good effort by both men. During the match Taz, in his usual wisdom, comically commented that the chubby looking Anderson's "body looks good, definitely in-shape." It's like TNA has it's very own Jerry Lawler.

Kurt Angle's 5-minute challenge versus Garrett Bischoff ended in a draw after the Olympic Gold Medallist failed to defeat Garrett in time. The actual bout had been rather dull, with a few signature impressive maneuvers from Angle. Afterwards Kurt attacked the referee and Garrett in frustration until Jeff Hardy came to his rescue.

James Storm defeated Gunner in a forgettable but okay contest. Not really any more to add to be honest.

After the contract signing between Roode and Sting for their No Holds Barred match at Victory Road, the World Champion reminisced about the time he won the World title. He went on to theorise that Sting had a personal vendetta against him because he was "jealous" since he'd now passed his prime while Roode was just hitting his. He also accused 'The Stinger' of stealing the spotlight from the younger wrestlers and claimed that he should've left the business "a long, long time ago." 

Sting then decided to toss the table and chair over and spread face paint onto him and Roode, then beat on the champion until Roode fled from the ring. 

My WWE Raw, March 12th 2012 Recap

John Cena started off Raw with a live rapping performance as a throwback to his old 'Thuganomics' persona, in full old-school garb, which provoked a mixed response from the crowd as he made his way out, but he soon turned them around after an entertaining rap about The Rock. These promos with this more attitude driven Cena over the past few weeks have been a vast improvement over his usual material.  

Sheamus defeated Dolph Ziggler in an average to decent contest. The action was largely solid throughout but a few periods were just a little boring I felt. While the match was taking place the World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan and girlfriend AJ watched on from a box in the arena, where they were briefly interviewed by Josh Matthews until Bryan had enough and asked him to leave.

Before the following mixed tag match could commence, John Laurinaitis decided to alter it and instead make it a handicap match. 

Mark Henry and David Otunga defeated Santino Marella in a Handicap match. The bout was fortunately short and only served to build up the forthcoming Team Laurinaitis versus Team Long match at WrestleMania. During the match up Teddy Long once again pushed over Laurinaitis after a heated argument.

After the bout Otunga and Henry carried on the assault on Marella until Kofi Kingston came to his aid, but was unfortunately also taken out by the duo, the same then happened to R-Truth. Laurinaitis entered the ring and officially announced Mark Henry as a member of his team.

Backstage The Miz asked John Laurinaitis when he was going to name him a member of his team at WrestleMania, Laurinaitis simply said that if he won his match against CM Punk that night he'd be in the team. 

Brodus Clay defeated Jinder Mahal in one of his usual squash matches. So after all this time off TV to improve the persona and his in ring skills, he's still doing the same routine? What was the point? 

Shawn Michaels recapped the talk between him and Triple H on last weeks Raw and then called out the man he has yet spoken to so far in the lead up to this coming 'Mania, The Undertaker. Michaels confronted 'The Dead Man' about the rumours backstage about him being a failure, a looser and not being able to get the job done against Taker. undertaker asked if these were not his words, but maybe his good friend Triple H's.

Undertaker carried on to admit that whether he wins or looses on the grand stage in Miami, he can live with the consequences, but he couldn't accept Michaels sticking his ego into the match up as special referee. He also warned HBK that if he interferes and the outcome isn't "pure" then there will be "hell to pay." Michaels said that he found it ironic and he was the man who could count Taker's shoulders and make him the looser who couldn't get the job done, and still be the man who could end the streak. Taker warned that if Michaels didn't do the right thing then he would "end" him. HBK patted him on the arm before leaving.  

As Michaels made his way down the ramp, Triple H was there to greet him. 'The Game' then simply signalled to Taker the DX chop. it was yet another interesting segment in the build up to what should be a tremendous Hell in a Cell match and what is a believable and intriguing feud. But it just makes me wish that they put this much thought and effort into all the storylines in WWE. 

CM Punk defeated The Miz in a well rounded and enjoyable contest, thereby ruling Miz out of Laurinaitis' team at 'Mania. Afterwards Chris Jericho congratulated Punk on the big screen and also revealed that he discovered a deep, dark secret of his that week. That secret being that the reason Punk is straight edge is due to his father being an alcoholic, which is true. Jericho also theorised that Punk's biggest fear is ending up like his father, and that he plans to drive Punk to drinking alcohol by beating him at WrestleMania and taking away everything that's important to him, thereby leaving him a "broken man." A distraught Punk left the ring without saying anything.

It was an effective and quite powerful segment, especially cutting so close to home for Punk, much like some of his promos back in ROH regarding the same subject. Certainly the best interaction between both men so far in my opinion.

Randy Orton defeated Jack Swagger in a solid bout that was surprisingly competitive considering Swagger's status on the roster as of late. After the match Kane's signature fire and red lighting appeared to intimidate Orton but there was no sign of 'The Big Red Monster'.  

The Rock mocked Cena's alter ego from earlier on, claiming that it was a fake him and the real him that we usually see is like "if Vanilla Ice had banged a Teletubby." He then performed his own rendition of Jailhouse Rock, along with the guitar, altering the lyrics to again joke about Cena, his Mum and his fans. He ended the show with another of his own renditions but this time with Queens' We Will Rock You. It was quite a humorous segment and certainly got the Cleveland crowd excited. 

My WWE SmackDown, March 9th 2012 Recap

SmackDown General Manager for the night John Laurinaitis started off the show by announcing a Steel Cage Match for the United States Championship. Not a bad start 'Mr. Excitement'. 

Santino Marella (c) defeated Jack Swagger in a Steel Cage Match to retain the United States Championship. It was a more entertaining match then I was expecting and quite decent overall, it certainly gave the US Title some much needed exposure. It was also ten times better then Swagger and Marella's awful match on Monday which was hindered by way too much going on outside of the match. For the finish Vickie Guerrero accidentally slammed the door in Swagger's face thinking it was Marella behind her, allowing the champ to crawl out of the cage.  

Backstage Teddy Long pleaded with Laurinaitis not to go through the proposed Kane versus Aksana match. Laurinaitis made a deal that if Long beats him in a match that night then Aksana will have to face Kane. What a git, eh? 

Drew McIntyre announced that although he'd been fired the week before, Laurinaitis was giving him another chance to keep his job if he won against his mystery opponent. This then cued the Great Khali to make his way to the ring, but David Otunga then asked Khali to exit the ring and announced Hornswaggle as McIntyre's real opponent. Booker on commentary claimed correctly that "the ratings are about to plummet right now."    

Drew McIntyre defeated Hornswaggle in a predictably worthless bout that only served to explain Drew getting his job back on the blue brand. Afterwards Khali entered the ring and took out McIntyre, why is the useless Khali still around again?

Mark Henry defeated Ezekiel Jackson in a brief and quite drab match up.

Teddy Long refused to lay down for Laurinaitis in their match up so Laurinaitis called Kane down to the ring to face Aksana, but he didn't make it as Randy Orton attacked him from behind. As a livid Laurinaitis screamed at Orton, Long snuck in a roll up pin and beat Laurinaitis. All the while this segment took place we had to endure the absolutely awful acting skills of Aksana. She brings nothing to the table except her looks for WWE, why they promoted her from NXT I don't know. 

R-Truth and Kofi Kingston defeated Epico and Primo in a decent enough tag team match, although not as entertaining as the match ups involving Air Boom from last year.  I was hoping Kofi may start building up his singles career once again but it looks like he's entering the tag team division once again, which means he's at least adding some more interest to it along with R-Truth.  

Michael Cole introduced World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan and his WrestleMania opponent Sheamus for an exclusive interview. Cole first asked both men how luck had played a part in their careers in WWE. Bryan claimed he hadn't had any luck at all and his success was due to his skill and knowledge in the ring, which was a very honest answer. Sheamus said that he'd made in own luck in working his way back to the top, and felt lucky to just be wrestling in the company. In one of the funniest moments I can remember in WWE, Bryan then took the mic away from AJ's mouth as she was talking to Sheamus and said "AJ, shut up," it was priceless.

Sheamus ended the interview by stating that at WrestleMania Bryan's luck will run out as he's going to win the World Heavyweight Championship. I am quite looking forward to their match more and more, their encounters last year over the US Title were entertaining and now they'll be battling on the big stage over a World Title which should be even better. My only gripe with their feud so far is that it doesn't have much depth to it, there's no real storyline happening with them like you normally get for a World title match at 'Mania, like with CM Punk and Jericho.

Randy Orton, Sheamus and Big Show defeated The Miz, Cody Rhodes and Daniel Bryan in a solid and action packed main event. The crowd were especially into it once 'The Viper' entered the ring and finally scored the winning pin over Miz after applying an RKO. 

Afterwards Kane began attacking Orton as payback. Their brawl travelled through the crowd as SmackDown came to an end.

My Impact Wrestling, March 8th 2012 Recap

After being presented with a VT of Garrett Bischoff's journey in TNA over the last couple of months and a clip of him arriving at the arena, admitting that the target on his back "just got bigger" after refusing to heed Ric Flair's words last week and quit pro wrestling. Eric Bischoff then in the ring announced that he had earlier asked Sting for a tag team match that night between Gunner and a partner of his choosing versus his son Garrett and a partner of his choosing in a bid "to hopefully put an end to this saga." 

Bischoff also thanked Flair for his previous warnings, and threats to Garrett to leave the business. He then went on to talk about Garrett's mystery partner when Kurt Angle joined them and volunteered to tag with Gunner, the main reason being that he "hated" Garrett for the way he'd disrespected his father.

In a funny moment backstage Eric Young confronted a deranged Sting, who was talking to himself in front of the mirror. Sting agreed to give Young's girlfriend ODB a Knockouts Tag Team Title shot with Eric as her partner. 

Eric Young and ODB defeated Gail Kim and Madison Rayne (c) to win the TNA Knockout Tag Team Championship. The bout itself was largely average, with some comedy moments involving Young, including the finish where after being knocked out by Rayne (she struck Eric with the championship belt) Young then fell on top of Kim for the one-two-three.  

After the match Young got sown on one knee and proposed to ODB, much to the crowds delight. But instead of saying yes ODB instead grabbed the ring and proposed to Eric, who said "yes."

Zema Ion won via disqualification versus Austin Aries in an X Division Championship match. The bout had been entertaining enough, with a typical display of impressive moves by both men. It was unfortunately a little short, which was a shame since it really deserved more time, unlike the tag team title match from earlier in the show. Aries was disqualified after using Ion's hair spray against him in front of the referee. 

A mysterious man in a suit that had been shown entering the building earlier was then shown questioning Velvet Sky about the disappearance of Abyss. He was claiming to be his brother, although it should be quite obvious who he really is, right people?

Bully Ray bragged on the mic about kicking a steel chair into James Storm's head on last weeks Impact. He also added that he deserves to be the number one contender to the TNA World Heavyweight Title, and demanded that Sting come out and make him such. 'The Stinger' sure enough came out and gave Bully a match with Bobby Roode, after also complimenting his calves and saying that "no one does bully like you," but the match was a non title one. 

Bully Ray versus Bobby Roode ended as a no contest after James Storm chased away Bully and Last Call Superkicked Roode, which was a very nice way to set up Storm's match with Bully Ray at Victory Road and also Bobby Roode at Lockdown. Smart booking there by TNA, which I don't get to say very much.

The actual match up was heated and had moments of excitement towards the end after a bit of an unremarkable start. At least Bully Ray was kept safe here by not being pinned by Roode too.

Crimson and Matt Morgan defeated Robbie E and Robbie T in a passable tag team contest, which isn't bad considering my expectations for the match.

This is a time when TNA should be building up their future competition for the Tag Team Champions Samoa Joe and Magnus, although maybe they're just thinking of using Crimson and Morgan until Chris Sabin returns and we'll have what should be a very entertaining series between the Motor City Machine Guns and the champs.

As AJ Styles reminisced in the ring about his memories in the company, since TNA is approaching its tenth anniversary, Christopher Daniels interrupted him and explained that he'd left AJ as a friend so that he could further his career and put himself first, the same thing he'd encouraged Kazarian to do. Kaz theorised that the reason Styles has had so many friends turn their backs on him is his own fault. Styes then introduced the returning Mr. Anderson, who helped AJ take out Daniels and Kazarian. Anderson's return felt a bit underwhelming, and to be honest I haven't really missed him that much personally.

Jeff Hardy and Garrett Bischoff defeated Kurt Angle and Gunner in a mainly solid main event match. The strongest parts of action were definitely the periods with Hardy and Angle in the ring. Unfortunately Garrett still looked out of his depth, which I'm betting is annoying even more guys in the locker room who feel they rightfully deserve that spot in the main event (and I don't blame them) not Garrett who's been handed it due to his Dad. Here's hoping he does improve and earns that spot in the near future. 

Update on Del Rio's return

Originally posted by Caylon Knox on the The Wrestling Observer Newsletter: 

“Former two-time WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio has been medically cleared to compete after recovering from his recent groin injury, and there is a possibility that Del Rio will be brought back as a member of Team Laurinaitis in the ongoing battle between John Laurinaitis and SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long.”

It makes sense to get him involved in the storyline, although I would’ve rather seen Del Rio maybe face Orton at WrestleMania myself. 

Brand new ROH Bryan Danielson DVD

Ring of Honour have released a new two-disc DVD set with highlights of Bryan Danielson's (Daniel Bryan) decorated career in ROH. It's available to buy here and below are the content listings an further details for the set.     

"One of the founding fathers of Ring of Honor, Bryan Danielson fought to earn his reputation as one of the best wrestlers in the world from day one and helped put ROH on the wrestling map. Crisp technical wrestling, vicious submissions, and fierce strikes are just some of the hallmarks Danielson brings to the table every time he enters the squared circle. It was those attributes that eventually brought him to the ROH World Title and helped establish a reign that will forever stand tall in ROH’s history books. 

With battles against AJ Styles, CM Punk, Austin Aries, Jushin Liger & Jay Briscoe, amongst many others, this 2-Disc set is a look at 13 of the best matches from the early years of Bryan Danielson's ROH career.  From his “Epic Encounter” with Paul London to the beginning stages of Bryan’s historic ROH World Championship run, these matches are part of what define him as an ROH Legend. This is Bryan Danielson, this is wrestling, this is The American Dragon…

Disc 1

1. vs. Paul London...The Epic Encounter 4/12/03

2. vs. AJ Styles...Main Event Spectacles 11/1/03

3. vs. Jay Briscoe...Final Battle 2003 12/27/03

4. vs. CM Punk...ROH Reborn Stage 1 4/23/04

5. vs. Aries (Final Fall- SOTF 2004)...Survival of the Fittest 2004 6/24/04

6. vs. Austin Aries (2 Out Of 3 Falls)...Testing The Limit 8/7/04

Disc 2

7. vs. Samoa Joe (ROH World Title Match)...Midnight Express Reunion 10/2/04

8. vs. Jushin Liger...Weekend of Thunder Night 1 11/5/04

9. Bryan Danielson & Low Ki vs. Jushin Liger & Samoa Joe...Weekend of Thunder Night 2 11/6/04

10. vs. Homicide (Steel Cage Match)...Final Showdown 5/13/05

11. vs. James Gibson (ROH World Title Match)...Glory By Honor IV 9/17/05

12. vs. Christopher Daniels...A Night of Tribute 11/19/05

13. vs. Naomichi Marufuji...Final Battle 2005 12/17/05"

My WWE Raw, March 5th 2012 Recap

'The Heartbreak Kid' Shawn Michaels kicked off Raw and asked his good friend Triple H to explain to him why he changed his mind and decided to face The Undertaker at WrestleMania. He also referred to 'The Game' as an "oak" for ignoring his harsh words the last time their paths crossed on Raw.

Shawn, after presenting the footage of Triple H accepting Taker's challenge, expressed his disappointment that it was 'The Dead Man' claiming that Michaels was better then him that had upset him so much that he accepted the match at 'Mania. Triple H responded by explaining that this was not the reason he's facing Taker in Miami, it was because he was tired of people to referring to Michaels as a "failure" and a "looser" who couldn't the job done which drove him to want to end The Undertaker.

As Shawn left he also revealed that he will be the Special Referee for the Hell in a Cell match on April 1st. Should add another interesting twist to the match. The segment was yet again another strong one by both men, although maybe not as good as their previous encounter.  

Santino Marella defeated Jack Swagger (c) to win the United States Championship in a poor and crowded match up. During the bout John Laurinaitis and David Otunga made their way out, even though Teddy Long was in charge of Raw for the night. Long, accompanied by Aksana and Kofi Kingston also joined them and began fighting on the outside. After the match Long ordered security to escort Laurinaitis and Otunga out of the building.

Well Swagger really gained a lot from that title reign, eh? How pointless.

The Rock on the big screen at the Boston Harbour compared Cena to the British in America many years ago which brought about the American Revolution (see, you also learn a bit of history in here too!) he also started to present various John Cena merchandise and start tossing them into the harbour. It was an entertaining and quite funny segment with 'The Great One' as he went through all the tacky merchandise. 

Eve defeated Alicia Fox in a mediocre Divas bout that was fortunately kept short. Afterwards Zach Ryder made his return and claimed that he was glad that they never "hooked up" since he believed in "broskis before hoeskis." It was a bit of a drab line to mark his come back with. Backstage Eve chased after Ryder and kissed him, leaving Ryder with a goofily happy expression on his face. This isn't really doing anything at all for his character, just making him look pathetic enough to fool for Eve's tricks once again. 

We were show a VT of John Cena in the empty arena earlier in the day where he spoke about the grandeur and significance of WrestleMania and his match with The Rock. He also added how no one remembers second place, and that's why he has to defeat Rocky in his own backyard at Miami on the grandest stage of them all.  

Chris Jericho and Daniel Bryan defeated CM Punk and Sheamus in a decent enough tag team bout. The majority of it was solid and it had an exciting finish, it just felt like a little bit of a let down considering the talent involved. Not to say it was bad of course.

The Rock again gave us another history lesson regarding the American Revolution, this time saying that if Cena had been there then the British would've won since people would have been sick of Cena just like "they're sick of you now." It was another amusing promo from Rocky.

Before Big Show's following match, Cody Rhodes presented another embarrassing WrestleMania with him. This time it was WrestleMania X8 where Show wasn't in action but instead eating at WWE's old restaurant in Times Square.

Big Show defeated The Miz in a short and forgettable bout, which only further buried Miz's career. That's right, instead of pushing the man who main evented 'Mania last year  they're pushing the overweight and average (at best) Big Show.   

Kane defeated R-Truth in a brief but okay match up. After the bout Randy Orton decided to exact revenge on Kane and applied a bit of a sloppy RKO on him.

John Cena revealed on the mic that at at WrestleMania he wants to face the real Rock, not the second best one who he'd apparently shook up the previous week. So with that he called out 'The People's Champ' to find out who he'd be up against in four weeks. The Rock confronted Cena and confirmed that he has "never been more confident" heading into their match. All the while The Rock was giving this serious promo, Cena had this infuriating goofy smile on his face, like he didn't have a care in the world and The Rock's words were a joke. If I were Vince I'd have some serious words for him after that mockery. At least his promos of recent weeks have been an improvement on his usual sucking up to the fans ones we get from him. 

After Rock left Cena admitted that if he lost their match up then he looses "everything" he's worked for in the last ten years, which just sounds like a ridiculous statement to me. He then celebrated with the fans and his family at ringside in his hometown. 

Overall it was a largely average Raw, with no particularly outstanding contests in the ring, which is poor for a show of this standard. Fortunately the promos of The Rock, Triple H and Michaels were able to save it a bit. 

My WWE SmackDown, March 2nd 2012 Recap

Royal Rumble winner Sheamus started things off by saying how excited he was about main eventing WrestleMania and facing Daniel Bryan for the World Heavyweight Title. 'The Great White' also admitted that Bryan, since winning the World title has reminded him of himself back when he first won the WWE Championship, when he was "wrapped up in my own ego." But Sheamus explained that Bryan just needed someone to "knock his block off" and set him straight, which he was more then happy to do on April 1st in Miami. 

Vickie Guerrero and Dolph Ziggler then interrupted the number one contender, with Ziggler claiming that no one was actually interested in Sheamus' story. After some more back and fourth between the three, Teddy Long joined them and announced that Ziggler will be facing Sheamus right there and then. It wasn't a bad segment to start the show.

Sheamus defeated Dolph Ziggler in a decent contest. It had a bit of a drab start but gained excitement towards the final third of the bout. There was also a nice near fall when Jack Swagger raced in, only to be Brogue Kicked by Sheamus, seizing the chance Ziggler then leg drop bulldogged Sheamus for the close pinfall.

Santino Marella defeated Heath Slater in a short comedy match. I'm still predicting that Santino and David Otunga will be involved in some sort of team match betweenTeddy Long and John Laurinaitis at WrestleMania to determine a new GM for both Raw and SmackDown.   

Backstage Natalya confronted Eve about her treatment of Zach Ryder and how wrong it was. Unfortunately Natalya is also still being reduced to the unflattering farting gimmick, she deserves better.

Eve defeated Natalya in an acceptable Divas match up with a roll up pin. Maybe we'll see a mixed tag team match at WrestleMania with Eve and someone versus Ryder and Natalya? WWE would be daft not to capitalise on the heat Eve is receiving right now.   

Cody Rhodes claimed that he saved Big Show from being embarrassed at WrestleMania when he helped eliminated him from a battle royal on Raw a few weeks ago to see who would face CM Punk on the big stage, due to Show's poor record at 'Mania. Big Show soon interrupted the Intercontinental Champion, scaring him off into the crowd. Show warned Rhodes that if he wouldn't come to him, then he'd have to go to Rhodes. But Teddy Long halted him and official booked Cody Rhodes versus Big Show for WrestleMania with the intercontinental Championship on the line. I'm so relieved that they're putting the title on the line, I was worried they'd diminish it again like they did when they didn't bother having it on the line between Rhodes and Orton during their feud last year. Like it wasn't worth putting on the line.

Big Show defeated Mark Henry in an average and, as usual with these two, slow paced bout. Although there was a nice near fall (another one for the night) after Mark Henry applied the World's Strongest Slam to Show.

Backstage Teddy Long, finally having enough of his loosing streak, warned Drew McIntyre that if he lost his match coming up he would be fired.   

Justin Gabriel defeated Drew McIntyre in a short and quite forgettable match, which I found odd since it was Drew's final chance, they could've certainly added some more drama to it considering the stipulation. Afterwards Teddy Long confirmed that Drew was indeed fired. 

Daniel Bryan won via count out versus Randy Orton in what had been a heated and solid main event match. Both men went back and fourth, with 'The Viper' obtaining most of the offense during it. It's a shame we couldn't have had more time allocated to the match. 

During the match Kane had made his way out and began brawling with Orton after the ten count had been made. 'The Big Red Monster' eventually gained the upper hand and Chokeslammed Orton in the ring. He then grabbed a mic and said "Welcome back Randy, welcome back." Well I guess we know who Orton will face at WrestleMania, although I was personally hoping for Del Rio instead.

Backstage Laurinaitis, impressed with Kane's display, planned a match for next weeks SmackDown between Kane and Teddy Long's mistress (or whatever), Aksana. What a heel, eh?