My WWE WrestleMania XXVIII Recap

Sheamus defeated Daniel Bryan (c) in just 00.18 to win the World Heavyweight Championship after applying a swift Brogue Kick. Boy, where to start here. What an absolutely disastrous start to the years biggest event. A match for the World Heavyweight Championship, the companies second most prestigious title, on the grandest stage and it ends in just 18 seconds? Needless to say most fans reacted very poorly to this, especially considering one of WWE's top talents in Bryan was completely wasted here.

I have nothing against Sheamus winning the title, his run over the last few months as a face has been a success and been well received by most crowds, and he's a wrestler of the future. It's just the fact that both he and Bryan were treated like this. Loosing the title this quickly could also damper the heelish, egotistical persona Bryan has developed since winning it. Anyway, on we go...   

Backstage John Laurinaitis gave a pep talk to his team, claiming that if they won it'd be up there with the great 'Mania moments, such as Austin refusing to submit to Bret Hart and Hulk Hogan bodyslamming Andre. Slight exaggeration there Johnny.   

Kane defeated Randy Orton in a surprisingly fair contest. The bout started off a little drab, with disgruntled parts of the crowd still chanting "Yes!" in support of Daniel Bryan, but fortunately picked up in quality in the final third as Orton picked up the pace.   The crowd also reacted very well to Orton's attempt to punt 'The Big Red Monster'. For the finish Kane Chokeslammed Orton form the top rope in an effective and believable pinfall victory.  

In a shameless backstage segment to promote the show 'Deadliest Catch' (can you believe they'd advertise a show like this at WrestleMania?) Santino Marella and Mick Foley attempted to break open king crabs with Captain Jake, or whatever his name was. The only part which saved it was the well received appearance and trademark "Damn!" of Ron Simmons.  

Big Show defeated Cody Rhodes (c) to win the Intercontinental Title. The actual bout was okay, by Show's standards anyway. But the wrong man completely won here. Show, unlike the talented Rhodes, has no major future in WWE, Rhodes should've retained here, even with a tainted win he should've won. He's the one going places, not Big Show. Or at least Cody should've dropped the belt to another younger wrestler. At least Rhodes managed to look fairly competitive here against the challenger which was a minor plus I suppose.  

Kelly Kelly and Maria Menounos predictably defeated Beth Phoenix and Eve in a mediocre tag team match, which is probably a big compliment to the Divas division nowadays. Unfortunately guest celebrity Menounos couldn't live up to Snooki's surprisingly entertaining performance and effort at last years 'Mania and rather amusingly elicited chants of "Let's go skid mark!" after obtaining a brown stain on her trousers.  Maria picked up the win with a roll up pin on Phoenix. The fact that this contest went on longer than the World title on was a joke, and at the fan's expense. 

Before the Hell in a Cell match Jim Ross was wisely brought out to guest commentate and even Michael Cole, who usually belittles JR every chance he gets at the order of Vince McMahon, shook his hand and admitted that it wouldn't be WrestleMania without JR. Undertaker also revealed his shaven head for the first time on television, which received a warm reaction from the crowd in Miami. 

The Undertaker defeated Triple H in the Hell in a Cell Match. Well I can safely say that this match up is without a doubt the most dramatic and intense of the year so far, although it'll take something special to outdo it. Both men managed to top their superb bout last year on the big stage and went all out to provide another exciting and 'Mania calibre match. Taker and Triple H both went back and fourth through spells of dominance over the other man, with Shawn Michaels torn between the two.

HBK also deserves a hell of a lot of credit here for his part in the match. He acted brilliantly and provided even more drama as his emotions clearly surfaced as he officiated. Without Michaels the match would've still been tremendous, but with him it just added even more. The near finishes were also executed perfectly, such as 'The Game' almost submitting to Taker's gogoplata like last year and a Sweet Chin Music followed by a Pedigree to 'The Dead Man' for perhaps the finest near fall for Undertaker at a WrestleMania ever.  

Undertaker gained the one-two-three after Tombstone Piledriving Triple H.   

Backstage we had to witness a missable and dull segment with Heath Slater trying to convince Flo Rida to let him perform with him on stage. Rida eventually had enough and pushed Slater into the wall.

Team Johnny defeated Team Teddy in a match that ranged in quality. Dolph Ziggler and Kofi Kingston kicked it off with some decent exchanges. Unfortunately Khali entered the fray and slowed down and dulled the bout. Booker probably received the biggest reaction for a tag as he entered and tangled with McIntyre and looked to have quite a lot of fun in there. Ryder, Kingston and Truth later performed simultaneous flips to the opposing team on the outside, which looked great and was the highlight of the match. It also conveniently removed most wrestlers for the finish. 

Marella almost pinned Miz for a nice near fall after a Cobra that was thwarted by Ziggler. For the ending Ryder was distracted the villainous Eve, which caused him to receive a Skull Crushing Finale from Miz for the victory for Team Johnny. So he finally redeemed himself after weeks of loosing on Raw and SmackDown.

Afterwards Eve then low blowed a confused Ryder and left. This storyline with Eve has really ruined Ryder's former momentum and credibility. At least on the plus side it's made Eve ten times more interesting, to capitalise on this I'd have her manage a major heel. Maybe her and Miz could link up? He could use it and it would gather some red hot heat for them both.

Backstage Laurinaitis warned CM Punk that he wanted a "wrestling match" between him and Jericho, not a brawl, so he added a stipulation that if Punk got disqualified he would loose the WWE Championship. Laurinaitis' new reign has begun, expect a lot of this kind of thing. 

CM Punk (c) defeated Chris Jericho to retain his WWE Championship in a fine effort by both wrestlers. Both men here went back and fourth with nice counters and effective near finishes, along with some crisp action. Jericho would convert a top rope hurricarana attempt into the Walls Of Jericho to a big pop from the fans as Punk would later on also reverse Jericho and lock on the Anaconda Vice to a strong reception. They went toe to toe until Punk eventually forced Y2J to tap to the Anaconda Vice. 

Both wrestlers here, who clearly take real pride in what they do, wanted to steal the show with this match and almost did. It also certainly exceeded my expectations, and I'm a huge fan of both men. They should both be extremely proud of their work here.

In a bizarre segment Brodus Clay came out and introduced his 'Momma', along with the rest of her Bridge Club and performed a dance routine. It was just odd, I'm not sure if it was entertaining or a waste of time to be honest. All I do know is that this guy needs a real feud, I've had enough of his same old routine now. Maybe he could face another powerhouse like Kane?   

Then came the main event of the evening. And a match that has had just about every single wrestling fan debating fiercely. 

The Rock defeated John Cena in the match billed as 'Once In A Lifetime'. The action was decent enough as both men traded moves, although not technically brilliant the bout created an absolutely exhilarating atmosphere. With every STFU, Sharpshooter, AA and Rock Bottom the crowd jumped out of their seats to witness if that was the move that would determine the victor in this huge match up. 

In the end it was The Rock that would gain the surprise win after applying a Rock Bottom out of nowhere. Although I disagree with the victor, as Cena will be around far more than Rocky after the event, it was a fitting and exciting finish to the contest, I can't argue that. Although saying Cena winning would've made more sense isn't necessarily true. I mean, it's not like one clean loss in a blue moon for him will hurt his status, he's still going to be the top guy in the company. Plus Rock's win was always going to prove more popular in his home of Miami. And there will more than likely be a rematch at some point anyway where Cena can even the score with 'The People's Champ'. Maybe at the rumoured SummerSlam appearance or next years 'Mania.   

Overall it was a very memorable and exciting WrestleMania, and one that has seemed to have gone down well with most fans. Unfortunately the first four matches could've easily been taken from a Raw and were definitely not 'Mania calibre bouts, and the treatment of Bryan was inexcusable. On the other hand we witnessed three very special matches that I'm sure we'll all remember for a very, very long time to come.

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 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 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 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 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.

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. 

My WWE SmackDown, February 21st 2012 Recap

The World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan started things off by accusing all the fans of doubting his chances of ever main eventing WrestleMania. He then went on to claim that he'll spoil Sheamus's WrestleMania moment when he defeats him on the big stage, along with CM Punk that night.

Former NXT Pro to Bryan The Miz then joined the champ and confessed to allegedly always believing that he would one day be a World Title holder. He added that they should at some point even form a tag team, but The Miz was then interrupted by the Royal Rumble winner Sheamus. 'The Great White' congratulated Bryan also, but for being an "arse" instead. He also added that after Mania people wil no longer be congratulating him, but saying that he got exactly what he deserved. Bryan retaliated by hitting him with a cheap shot and legging it. This left Miz and Sheamus to brawl, which then led to a match up between the two.

Sheamus defeated The Miz in an average bout, not terrible but pretty forgettable really. On commentary they spoke about Miz not having a place at WrestleMania yet, and to be honest I'm struggling to figure out where he'll feature at the moment.       

Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger defeated Kofi Kingston and R-Truth in an entertaining tag match, with the action rarely letting up. Ziggler grabbed the winning pin after poking Kingston in the eyes when the referee wasn't looking and then applying the Zig Zag. I can see all four of these men in the Money in the Bank Match at Mania.  

The Great Khali defeated Drew McIntyre in a worthless squash match. I'm just waiting for the awful Khali to once again disappear from WWE television.  

Mark Henry won via count out versus Big Show after Show gave chase to Cody Rhodes during the bout. Up until that point the match had been the usual mediocre, boring and slow-paced match up these two provide us with. Just like we had to endure last year. The only relatively entertaining part was when Rhodes made his way out and mocked Big Show for his Mania record and presented a VT of when he lost at WrestleMania 21 against Akebono in a Sumo Match.  

I'm quite surprised they're going with a Rhodes vs Big Show feud which will predictably lead to a match on the big stage. I really thought they'd go with a Goldust versus Cody bout, it'd certainly be a better match and have a better build up.

David Otunga defeated Ezekiel Jackson in another average contest between the two. Although I'll give Otunga some credit he has looked fairly more competent in the ring over the last few months. I'm guessing both wrestlers will probably both be involved in a Teddy Long versus John Laurinaitis match at WrestleMania.  

CM Punk defeated Daniel Bryan in another awesome and technically sound match up, where Bryan methodically worked on Punk's arm. It's quite a rare thing to see in WWE when a wrestler will work down a body part in a match. As Bryan decided he'd had enough and wanted to leave during the bout, his forthcoming opponent Sheamus decided to throw him back into the ring where Punk then got the one-two-three. But then Laurinaitis showed up and demanded that the match be restarted after Sheamus's interference.   

Daniel Bryan then defeated CM Punk after pinning him while holding onto the ropes, which Laurinaitis at ringside had no quarrel with. Teddy Long then arrived and demanded that the match be restarted once again. 

Finally, CM Punk versus Daniel Bryan ended in a no contest after both men had each other down for the three count. It was a blistering back and fourth contest between them and although the three endings may seem a little TNA-esque, at least it didn't put down any of the two deserving World Champions. 

Overall SmackDown wasn't anything special really, with mostly average to drab match ups on the card. The only real saviour of the show was the brilliant three main events between the champs. 

My WWE Raw, February 20th 2012 Recap

Backstage Eve told the Bellas how she'd just used Zach Ryder to get people talking about her. She also claimed how she was going to do the same to John Cena, but unfortunately for her he'd overheard the whole thing. 

Eve tried to explain herself in the ring to Cena, claiming she was just "joking around,"and that she never meant what she said. Cena then told her that she should wait forThe Rock instead since they're both "disingenuous, egomaniacal," and  "scandalous bitches." Which certainly got a reaction from the crowd in attendance, I thought it was an awesome line too. Eve attempted to kiss Cena who rejected her, just before he left he added that "I'm disease free and I'd like to keep it that way." Wow, this is certainly a Cena I'm enjoying a lot more in this promo. The Cena with some attitude once again.  

Sheamus defeated Mark Henry in a passable match up, which is always an achievement with Henry involved. Now I'll admit that I was a little unsure at first about the World Heavyweight Championship Match at WrestleMania between Daniel Bryan and Sheamus, but I'm definitely coming around to the idea. And the push Sheamus has been receiving the last couple of months has been a very smart move on WWE's part. They need to encourage the fans to get into the up and coming talent.   

Backstage Teddy Long and John Laurinaitis argued once again over which man would be better to run both Raw and SmackDown. I can see this leading to a tag team match at Mania involving Christian, Mark Henry and Alberto Del Rio taking on a team of Long's choosing to determine the new GM of both brands. Teddy Long also claimed that David Otunga couldn't beat anyone on the SmackDown roster, so they set up a match for Otunga to face Long's choice of wrestler from the blue brand.    

Kofi Kingston and R-Truth defeated Epico and Primo in a decent enough tag team bout, although not as good as the Tag Team Champions usual match ups. As much as I like to see Kofi being pushed more (with his talents he thoroughly deserves it) I would've like to have seen the champions grab a win here on a rare Raw appearance. It would've really helped solidify their status as champions that bit more.

Ron Simmons was announced as the next inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame. I'm guessing 'The Macho Man' Randy Savage will also be quite soon.

David Otunga defeated Ezekiel Jackson in an average match up. What else did you expect? 

The Undertaker entered the ring and admitted that it had been a "living hell" relieving the beating he'd received from Triple H at last years WrestleMania. He added that he wanted to end the uncertainty and that's why he challenged 'The Game' to another match at Mania, but was shocked when he turned him down. He also claimed that the Apocalypse of their era of pro wrestling was coming, that it was far bigger then either of them.

Triple H joined Taker but was quickly cut off by 'The Dead Man' who said it was "pitiful"all the excuses the COO had come up with to not have a rematch at WrestleMania. Triple H again explained that it would be bad for business if Undertaker was gone, but Taker then asked if he was worried if he'd be gone after the match, or if Triple H would be. 'The Game' claimed that in order to defeat Taker he would have to take him out and end him, and suggested that this was what Undertaker really was after. As Triple H went o leave Undertaker said that "You can put any spin you want on this, but at the end of the day when you look in the mirror, all you'll see is a coward." But 'The Cerebral Assassin' didn't fall into Undertaker's lure.  

As Triple went to once again leave, 'The Dead Man' theorised that he didn't want to face him again because he knows he can't do what his good friend Shawn Michaels also couldn't do, because he knows Shawn was always better then him. Triple H, now at boiling point, said it was nothing to do with Michaels, that he can do what HBK couldn't and end The Undertaker once and for all. So Triple then accepted the match offer at WrestleMania, but under the condition that they compete in a Hell in a Cell Match. Taker accepted.

The segment involving these two was once again solid, and a very surprising announcement with Hell in a Cell. I for one really enjoyed their match at Mania last year anyway and was happy for a rematch, unlike a lot of fans, so hopefully this awesome announcement will bring them around too. Should be a brilliant match up.

Daniel Bryan once again called himself the fans "role model" after yet another title defence at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view before his match with Marella.

Daniel Bryan defeated Santino Marella in a surprisingly short match where Bryan forced Marella to tap to the LeBell Lock. After the reaction Marella received in the Chamber match, and even getting down to the last two in it, I'm confused as to why he'd suddenly be put down like this already. At least it was to Bryan who's going into a World Title match at WrestleMania.    

The Bella Twins defeated Kelly Kelly and Aksana in a drab and forgettable Divas bout, where was the actual champ Beth Phoenix who could really make use of the air time leading into Mania?

John Cena announced that The Rock will be addressing him on next weeks Raw. He also went on to have a pop at 'The People's Champ', claiming that he has his own little entourage of goons, that he's no longer a champion of the people since going into movies. He added "This is the part where I'm supposed to say that I look forward to WrestleMania because I personally respect The Rock. I don't." An honest Cena who doesn't suck up to everyone? I'm much preferring this. He went on to say that after The Rock's done next week he should "kick it back to Hollywood," since that's what he'll be doing anyway. 

Cena also stated that the thing that helps him sleep at night is that, unlike The Rock, he never left the WWE and the fans and that the only reason Rocky came back was to promote Fast Five and his Twitter account. He also stated that the best part about their match will be the Monday after when The Rock's back on a movie set laughing at his stunt double.

This was for me without a doubt one of the best promos of Cena's career. The raw honesty and blistering attack on The Rock was executed perfectly by him. You can tell it's something he believes in too which only made it stronger. Why can't we have this much, much more entertaining Cena around more often?     

Chris Jericho predictably won the Battle Royal to determine the number one contender to CM Punk's WWE Championship at WrestleMania. The actual match itself was okay, Santino managed to eliminate both Wade Barrett and R-Truth in quick succesion causing a big cheer for him. So is he being pushed or not? I'm confused. Unfortunately Barrett landed on his arm awkwardly afte he went out, The Wrestling Observer is reporting that Wade Barrett is believed to have suffered a dislocated elbow. Barrett was taken to a Minneapolis hospital after the RAW main event. 

After the match CM Punk, who'd been providing commentary (which is always worth a listen) entered the ring and extended his hand to Jericho. But Y2J turned him down and left the ring. This should be an interesting build up to their match on the big stage.

Overall Raw was a quite entertaining show, but more for the promos and build up to WrestleMania matches then the actual action inside the ring. I imagine tomorrow night on the live SmackDown we'll have the reverse, especially with CM Punk versus Daniel Bryan in the main event, which should be another superb contest between the two World champions.  

My WWE Raw, February 6th 2012 recap

Triple H kicked off Raw by confirming that last week he had indeed come out to fireJohn Laurinaitis. He also revealed that the WWE Board were going over a proposal from Laurinaitis himself, so while they were discussing that 'The Game' was unable to terminate him just yet. He then discussed the return of The Undertaker last week, and admitted that whenever he has entered the ring with him he has been "truly humbled"by his presence. But last week he said that there was "no rush up my spine, there was no butterflies in my stomach. I wasn't in awe, and I wasn't humbled to stand in front of him." And added that he felt sorry and bad for Taker, after what he put him through in their great match at WrestleMania last year he didn't want to put him through that again. He said that he wanted to remember  Undertaker in a different light and presented a highlight reel of some of 'The Deadman's' greatest moments.
Triple H carried on to explain that he was declining Taker's challenge of a WrestleMania rematch because he wanted him to remembered as a dominant force, not someone being stretchered out and weakened. As he was about to then leave, the lights darkened and a VT of The Undertaker sitting on a throne, watching back their match from WrestleMania 27 played. Taker explained that he didn't want to be remembered that way, and that the win meant nothing. He needs the rematch for "vengeance." It was a brilliantly executed segment, especially the superb VT with Undertaker. I realise that their match wasn't exactly well received by everyone, but I for one loved it and will very much welcome their inevitable rematch in Miami on April 1st.  
Big Show defeated Daniel Bryan via count out in an average and forgettable match, which was predictably a big step down from Bryan's awesome contest with CM Punk on last week's Raw. The finish came after Big Show almost collided with Bryan's girlfriend AJ once again on the outside, but managed to halt himself in time. A distraught Daniel Bryan then dragged AJ away with him for safety.
On the mic the World Heavyweight Champion then once again berated the Big Show, questioning his manhood and calling him a "freak," and added that this was proof that Show's run into AJ on SmackDown was on purpose. He also claimed that nothing would change and that he would still be the World champion after their Elimination Chamber match.    
David Otunga praised his current boss John Laurinaitis and pleaded to the Board of Directors to not fire him. Shortly after, via message from COO Triple H, Otunga was booked in a match with Sheamus.
Sheamus defeated David Otunga in a mediocre bout, which was understandably dominated for the most part by the Royal Rumble winner Sheamus.
Chris Jericho entered the ring and claimed that since his return he has made every other wrestler in the company "obsolete" since every other man and woman on the show is just a "Chris Jericho wannabe." He also congratulated himself on manipulating everyone without even uttering a single word, and claimed to have "trolled all of you."That was a nice line I thought. He went on to explain that The Miz had stolen his suited up look and his talking slowly routine form him, and Kofi Kingston with his impressive moves, R-Truth with his "What's up?" Being a copy of Jericho's old catchphrase "Shut the hell up!" Dolph Ziggler being accompanied by Vickie Guerrero, just like he was accompanied by Stephanie McMahon at WrestleMania 18.
Then he got to the WWE Champion, CM Punk. Who he claimed was the worst of them all. Who was, in Jericho's opinion, unoriginal and a liar claiming to be the best in the World when he "certainly is not." Y2J explained that it was his legacy to be the very best at everything he does, and that he'd come back to reclaim what is his.
Then, sure enough CM Punk interrupted Jericho but simply dropped the mic from his hand and held up the WWE Championship and left. It was a nice segment involving Punk and Jericho, and has only got me even more excited about a match between the two at Mania.
The Great Khali and Randy Orton defeated Cody Rhodes and Wade Barrett in an moderate tag team match, unfortunately let down by the practically worthless Khali. Who I'm personally quite gutted to see back in the company, taking away valuable time from real up and coming talent. After the bout Orton RKO'd Khali after there were some words exchanged between the two due to forced tags during the match.    
Tamina, Kelly Kelly, Eve and Alicia Fox defeated Natalya, the Bella Twins and Beth Phoenix in the usual forgettable Divas tag team match up. Tamina pinned one of the Bellas (I can't be asked to remember who) for the victory after a Superfly Splash. Looks like she'll be challenging Beth for the title next. Then hopefully Kharma at WrestleMania perhaps? 
Backstage John Laurinaitis informed Triple H that Shawn Michaels will be on Raw next week, and also suggested an Ambulance Match between John Cena and Kane at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. Triple H liked the idea and booked the match up. 
Chris Jericho bested CM Punk, The Miz, R-Truth, Dolph Ziggler and Kofi Kingstonin an entertaining Six-Pack Challenge to earn the very last entrance in the WWE Championship Elimination Chamber bout. The match up started a little all over the place but once the action was concentrated on a smaller number of individuals in the ring the quality really picked up. At least there was one exciting match on the show. Jericho dragged CM Punk out of the ring after he had GTS'd Ziggler and then grabbed the one-two-three for himself.  
During the match up R-Truth also landed badly on the back of his head after a flipping frontward dive from the tope rope to the outside. The latest word from Joey Styles on Twitter is that he's fine thankfully. 
Backstage Kane admitted to a terrified Eve of being afraid of himself for the first time, being in the state of mind that he's in.   

WWE breaks WrestleMania ticket sale record

WWE Press Release:

STAMFORD, Conn., Nov 07, 2011- WWE announced today that first day ticket sales for WrestleMania XXVIII in Miami resulted in a record gross of $6.3 million, shattering the previous first day record of $4.8 million for the 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania.

Tickets went on sale this past Saturday, November 5 for WrestleMania XXVIII, which takes place Sunday, April 1, 2012 from Sun Life Stadium in Miami. The main event will feature The Rock(R) challenging John Cena(R) in the most highly anticipated main event ever in sports entertainment history. The event will be broadcast on pay-per-view and viewed in more than 100 countries.

"We are thrilled that WrestleMania XXVIII has already made WWE history in such dramatic fashion," said John Saboor, Senior Vice President of Special Events for WWE. "Coming off the momentum of last year's record breaking event in Atlanta, we fully anticipate that this year's WrestleMania in Miami will be our largest and most successful ever."