My WrestleMania XXIX Predictions

Photo credit: WWE.com

Pre-Show Intercontinental Championship Match - Wade Barrett (c) versus The Miz:

I'm not expecting anything outstanding here but these two should provide an enjoyable pre-opener to get things going, with respective efforts from each man. Like most I feel pushing this to the pre-show position was an unfair choice, especially considering the mixed tag made it onto the card, these two deserved to be on the main show and the IC Title could certainly use the attention. But as for the winner I'm going with Miz, he's fallen short too often over the last few months involving the IC and US straps and a title change will grab people's attention just before the event kicks off.

Winner: The Miz

8-Person Mixed Tag Team Match - Tons of Funk and The Funkadactyls (Brodus Clay, Tensai, Cameron and Naomi) versus Team Rhodes Scholars and The Bella Twins (Damien Sandow, Cody Rhodes, Nikki Bella and Brie Bella):

Oh boy, I'm trying to stay neutral and optimistic here so let me just say that considering some of the talent here this might not be so terrible, in fact it might actually be a fairly fun watch, but don't quote me on that. This is meant to be a feel good outing just for some laughs so I expect Tons of Funk to win and give us a little dance afterwards, and a toilet break too.

Winners: Tons of Funk and The Funkadactyls

Mark Henry versus Ryback:

Should be a typical big man versus big man encounter, in other words drab. Sorry but I'm struggling to find any interest in this bout at all, my prediction for worst match of the night. I'm going with Ryback for the victory due to his string of losses on pay-per-view lately.

Winner: Ryback

Chris Jericho versus Fandango:

I'm actually quite looking forward to this one, Vince is obviously high on Mr. Fan...dan...goooo (I had to) and I don't see past him winning on his in-ring debut, a loss would be senseless to me. Should have some good action too. 

Winner: Fandango

WWE Tag Team Championships Match - Team Hell No (Kane and Daniel Bryan) versus Dolph Ziggler and Big E Langston:

I think this one could succeed expectations and be a highly enjoyable tag contest, looking at the talent involved it's hard to imagine this won't be entertaining, and I'm actually quite relieved that the tag titles are being defended on the grand stage. I'm going with Team Hell No to retain simply due to my suspicions that Ziggler will cash in his Money in the Bank contract very soon (but just not tonight like most are anticipating) and it'd be a waste having him hold the tag strap also.  

Winners: Team Hell No

6-Man Tag Team Match - Sheamus, Randy Orton and The Big Show versus The Shield (Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose):

To be honest I've found the build up to this one pretty tiresome, we all knew Big Show would eventually join Orton and Sheamus, and we've just seen Shield doing the same things over and over. But forgetting the poor build up I optimistic about the quality of the bout, especially considering Shield's stellar outings so far. I'm also going with the same trio to come out victorious, I see no reason for them to loose their unbeaten streak here against a make shift unit.

Winners: The Shield

World Heavyweight Championship Match - Alberto Del Rio (c) versus Jack Swagger:

I'm predicting a solid title clash, but nothing out of this world. I've actually very much enjoyed the build up to it too, granted it's lost steam but I'm still grateful for Swagger's push. As for the winner I'm going with Del Rio. To be fair it could go either way and I'm still not sure as I'm even typing this, but Del Rio would make more sense if Ziggler is going to cash in in the near future.

Winner: Alberto Del Rio 

No Holds Barred Match - Brock Lesnar versus Triple H:

Lesnar's had some terrific matches since returning and I expect no less tonight in what should be an extremely dramatic and intense affair. Adding the no holds barred stipulation was a smart move and these two should excel with it. I can't see past Triple H to win here, with his career on the line and to even the odds with his rival, but I also can't help but see a twist happening here tonight, we'll see. I would give this my prediction for match of the night if it wasn't for the next contest...

Winner: Triple H 

The Undertaker versus CM Punk:

Here we go! Now I'm not going to beat around the bush, Taker's going to win here, so that's that. But this should be a great contest nonetheless, with an intriguing and top build up leading into the event. Expect good things. 

Winner: The Undertaker

WWE Championship Match - The Rock (c) versus John Cena:

And then there's the main event, 'Twice in a lifetime' as it were, the rematch not many fans were even interested in. But looking past that I think it should be a fair main event, and although I can see it being superior to their effort last year I don't see it being worthy of it's spot and build up. But hopefully I'm proven wrong. Oh, and Cena to even the odds and obtain the title to lead into a rematch at Extreme Rules.

Winner: John Cena

Well hopefully you all enjoy the show, granted the build up hasn't been outstanding but looking at the majority of the card I think it should be a strong and memorable 'Mania on the whole. I just hope Cesaro turns up on the way. 

My WWE Raw, 11th March 2013 Recap

The Undertaker pays respect to the late William Moody. Photo credit: WWE.com

The show started with a nice tribute to  William 'Paul Bearer' Moody, with The Undertaker coming out afterwards and doing his trademark routine in the ring with Moody's urn. CM Punk then interrupted things, which understandably generated some real heat for him from the fans. Punk claimed that while to Bearer will always have known the perfect 20-0 WrestleMania streak, everyone else will know the 20-1 record after he defeats him on the grand stage. It was an interesting start to the show.

During the break a furious Kane then attempted to chokeslam Punk off of the stage, but Punk managed to escape and legged it.  

Big Show versus Seth Rollins soon ended in a disqualification when Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns helped out their Shield teammate by beating down Show, who managed to make a brief comeback but was then taken down by a spear by Reigns and a triple powerbomb.  

An upset CM Punk stormed into Vickie Guerrero's office and demanded something be done about Kane's actions, so she decided to put him in a No Disqualification match against the 'Big Red Monster'. Punk was not amused.

Dolph Ziggler pinned Daniel Bryan in a solid encounter. As expected, these two wrestlers who clearly take pride in their work both gave great efforts here, providing an exciting match with nicely executed back and fourth action. For the finish Bryan had the No Lock on Ziggler, but a distraction from AJ Lee and Big E Langston pulling Ziggler towards the ropes soon put an end to that. Ziggler then countered another No Lock and quickly applied a Zig Zag for the one-two-three.

In his trademark segment, Fandango once again refuse to compete due to his name being pronounced to a poor standard. He also called Brodus Clay and Tensai an "abomination" with their poor dancing skills. 

Team Rhodes Scholars performed their own amusing rendition of the New Age Outlaws intro promo, which was actually well executed by both men. Road Dogg and Billy Gunn then joined them and did the original version before their following match up. But as the tag bout begun Brock Lesnar, accompanied by Paul Heyman, walked out and took out Triple H's fellow DX members with an F5 a piece.

Paul Heyman went on to explain that Lesnar could do whatever he pleased, evidenced by him breaking Shawn Michael's arm and breaking Vince McMahon's hip. He also added that Lesnar accepted Triple H's challenge for a match at WrestleMania, but only if they got to name the stipulations after the COO had signed the contract.

Mark Henry beat Kofi Kingston in a fair outing. Rather than the usual squash matches involving Henry, we at least got a bit of offense from Kofi here to make it a bit more engaging. 

Ryback bested Heath Slater in a brief squash match. Afterwards fellow 3MB member Drew McIntyre tried his luck to take out Ryback, but failed miserably. Henry watched on from the stage, then marched to the ring and had a contest with Ryaback on who could dish out more damage to the fallen McIntyre.

Alberto Del Rio defeated Antonio Cesaro in a highly enjoyable contest. Two of WWE's most consistent performers once again delivered here, each giving worthy efforts and providing stellar wrestling.

We were then shown a nicely produced Rock versus Cena promo for 'Mania, and as someone that has little interest in their rematch even I have to admit that it peaked my interest.

Sheamus and Randy Orton beat Team Rhodes Scholars (Damien Sandow & Cody Rhodes) in a decent enough tag bout. While there was nothing particularly exceptional I can't fault the displays of any of the four men, they put on a largely fun match to watch. Afterwards The Shield appeared and attacked Sheamus and Orton.

Wade Barrett soon interrupted Chris Jericho's Highlight Reel with special guest The Miz, and stated that his latest starring role in 'The Marine 3' was nothing compared to his in 'Dead Man Down'. After some more bickering between him and Miz (it really wasn't great) Y2J interjected and warned Barrett that he might have to take the Intercontinental Title from him.

Brad Maddox then joined them and booked Jericho versus Miz to determine the number one contender to the IC strap. The segment was quite painful to watch, even Jericho wasn't on great form. I also couldn't quite tell if Maddox was purposely being awkward here or not, I'm hoping he was because I'm a fan, he's got plenty of charisma and is always one of my highlights of a show when providing guest commentary. 

Chris Jericho versus The Miz ended in a DQ after Barrett started brawling with both men. The contest itself had been quite pedestrian, and certainly not up to the quality of Jericho's more recent outings since returning. After attacking them, Y2J and Miz then turned things around and took out Barrett.

Jack Swagger bested Sin Cara in a passable match up. While the action was decent enough, it wasn't the most remarkable or memorable affair. Afterwards Del Rio ran down to stop Swagger as he refused to let go of the Patriot Lock on Sin Cara and chased him off. 

Kane pinned CM Punk in the No Disqualification main event. It was an enjoyable enough match, both men looked good. It just failed to really get me excited at any point, but I can't fault the displays given. I did however have a big gripe with Kane winning, Punk has lost recently to The Rock and Cena so WWE should be doing everything they can to make him a more believable contender to 'Taker's streak. Kane gained the victory after applying a chokeslam when Undertaker's bong hit and distracted Punk.

Afterwards as Kane and 'Taker both posed with respect to Paul Bearer, CM Punk cracked Kane multiple times with Bearer's urn and made a quick getaway when 'The Deadman' made his way to the ring, mocking The Undertaker's pose on the stage. I'm hoping we get a bit more of the down to earth, 'Bad Ass' 'Taker in the lead up to their match to add a bit more depth to the feud.

Overall it was a fair, if unremarkable Raw. The highlights for me were the Ziggler versus Bryan and Cesaro versus Del Rio bouts, which were both very solid, the Heyman and Lesnar segment and the nice William Moody tribute package. The main event was also a decent enough watch, and The Rock versus Cena VT was well executed. Unfortunately the rest of the show failed to engage me much at all. 

My WWE SmackDown, 8th March 2013 Recap

Del Rio applies a double knee backbreaker to Ziggler in their terrific bout. Photo credit: WWE.com

Zeb Colter, who'd accompanied Jack Swagger, claimed that secretly every American in attendance held the same values as them that they're tired of all the immigrants coming into their country and taking what's theirs. The World Champion Alberto Del Rio then joined them and presented quite an amusing VT of himself and Ricardo Rodriguez mocking the two in a parody of one of their YouTube videos. Del Rio's character and interest have risen so much since turning face.

Team Hell No (Daniel Bryan & Kane) defeated 3MB (Drew McIntyre & Heath Slater) in a fair tag bout. The action was solid enough for the most part, but a few slightly sloppy moments and lack of real excitement let it down a bit. Are we still going to maybe get that Kane versus Bryan match at WrestleMania? Here's hoping so.

Ryback pinned Damien Sandow in an average contest. There was nothing exceptional or that engaging to be found here unfortunately. That may sound a bit harsh considering neither man was bad by any means, they just failed to produce anything memorable. 

Alberto Del Rio beat Dolph Ziggler in an exciting back and fourth encounter. Both men gave terrific efforts here, with an especially entertaining final few minutes to the bout. What a contrast to the previous match up this was, with refreshing wrestling that stood out. 

Mark Henry beat Yoshi Tatsu in a brief squash match. Afterwards we were shown Henry and Ryback have a face off backstage, hopefully their match won't be too long at 'Mania, I can see it dragging a bit.

Tamina pinned Kaitlyn in a short and forgettable affair. During the match Layla (who'd said she'd accompany Kaitlyn to give her tips, which Josh Matthews rightly called a bit daft considering she's the Divas Champion) was struck by Tamina so she attempted to get some payback, but as the referee held her back this allowed Tamina to gain the upper hand and finish off Kaitlyn for the one-two-three. Seems a Triple Threat for the Divas strap is on the cards for WrestleMania I guess.

Once again Fandango refused to compete due to his name being announced poorly to his standards, this time by Lilian Garcia. Oh Lilian, you have to breathe in the A's, honestly...

Big Show versus Sheamus ended in a No Contest after The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns) ran down. While it was a decent bout on the whole, admittedly it started off a bit slow and drab, but as with their World Title series they began to gel and worked well together, building up some excitement and fun sequences. While their encounters are never technically amazing, I can't help but get drawn in and just have fun watching them. 

As The Shield began beating on Sheamus (Show was KO'd after receiving a Brogue Kick on the apron) Randy Orton ran down and tried to help out but fell victim to the numbers, that was until Show woke up and helped chase off the trio after they took him out on this week's Raw. Show then took advantage of the distraction and KO'd Sheamus with a punch, in turn Orton then RKO'd the giant.

Overall it was a fair, if unremarkable show. The highlights were the great Del Rio versus Ziggler match, main event, Del Rio and Rodriguez's parody video and best of all (for me personally) Brad Maddox on guest commentary, the guy has plenty of charisma and genuinely makes me chuckle, which is more than I can say for most commentators in WWE today. Unfortunately the rest of SmackDown you could skip and not really miss much, which is pretty poor for a show heading into WrestleMania.   

My WWE Raw, 4th March 2013 Recap

The Deadman stares off with his future 'Mania opponent. Photo credit: WWE.com

The special edition 'Old School' Raw started off with The Undertaker himself walking out and simply raising his arms in front of the WrestleMania XXIX logo, looks like we'll be seeing him in five weeks time at the big event then.

CM Punk, accompanied by Paul Heyman, came out and blamed the fans for him not main eventing WrestleMania and claimed that there was no point even attending the event if he wasn't in the top spot on the card. But he then went on to challenge 'Taker to a match on said event to end his streak and take it away from all the fans in spite.

Randy Orton, Sheamus and Big Show then joined Punk and each staked their claim to face 'The Deadman' on the big stage. So to settle things Vickie Guerrero announced a Fatal Four Way between them all to determine who'll face 'Taker next month. It was a decent enough start to the show.  

Ryback pinned Antonio Cesaro in a passable outing. It was certainly watchable, with standard stellar work from Cesaro and a fair display from Ryback. Afterwards Mark Henry and Ryback stared off as he came out for his following match up. Guess we'll be seeing these two face off at 'Mania then, can't say I'm too hyped for that one myself.

Mark Henry beat Zack Ryder in a brief squash match. Not much more to add here to be honest.

Before his bout The Miz introduced Ric Flair, who was joining him in his corner. 'Naitch' predictably received a healthy reaction from the fans.

The Miz defeated Dolph Ziggler in a worthy enough effort from both men. Not either man's finest contest but it wasn't bad, a fun enough watch. Flair attempted to take out big E Langston at ringside after striking Miz, but failed as the big man simply stood there, which I was personally quite relieved at since it would've looked foolish having the far older Flair take out a much younger, bigger and tougher man.

Miz won via submission using the Figure Four Leglock (what else?), what has happened for Ziggler to deserve this? I've said it before but he should be having everything done to elevate him and make him a believable World Champion when he finally cashes in, but tapping out to Miz (who's lost numerous times to Cesaro as of late on PPV) is just making things worse for the 'Show Off'. Ziggler deserves far better treatment.

John Cena shortly interrupted The Rock's promo on arriving in Buffalo and his excitement for WrestleMania, and spoke about how worthless he felt after loosing to Rocky last year after claiming to everyone that he was going to be victorious. He also added that their WWE Championship match was his chance at redemption after all that.

'The People's Champ' told Cena that he wanted to face him because he knew how much it all meant to him, how much drive he had, but claimed that his own determination succeeded that. Cena retorted by explaining how he'd accomplished everything in WWE, except beat The Rock, who amusingly gave us a Lance Armstrong quote and told Cena that he was "full of crap" just like him. For me that was his best line since his return. I enjoyed the segment myself, it made a refreshing change having Cena take it seriously rather than with a goofy grin as he did with quite a few of their promos last year, it added to the intensity. 

Less than a minute into his match with Jim Duggan, Jack Swagger took him out with his own two by four, along with Sgt Slaughter and Dusty Rhodes. I was just relieved we didn't have to endure an actual match involving Duggan.

Team Hell No (Daniel Bryan & Kane) bested the Prime Time Players (Darren Young & Titus O'Neil) in a largely enjoyable tag bout. All four men gave decent displays and provided a fun watch. Afterwards the 'Million Dollar Man' Ted DiBiase stuck a one-hundred dollar bill down Young's mouth, which Bryan snuck back to take for himself.

Tensai and Brodus Clay beat 3MB (Drew McIntyre and Heath Slater) in an extremely brief contest with Tensai applying a quick roll up pin for the one-two-three. Afterwards the Honky Tonk Man began to celebrate with the victors but was interrupted by Slater, so he decided to crack his guitar over his head.

Fandango once again refused to make his in-ring debut against Kofi Kingston after announcer Justin Roberts didn't manage to announce his name to his high standards.

Triple H explained that after supposedly retiring from the ring last year, he still kept up his training in the gym every day and was just waiting secretly for an excuse to get back into the squared circle, and Brock Lesnar gave it to him when he took out his Father-in-law Vince McMahon a few weeks ago. He went on to then challenge Lesnar to an official fight at 'Mania. I'm personally quite looking forward to their match myself, should be a dramatic one.

Alberto Del Rio defeated Wade Barrett in an enjoyable encounter. Del Rio is on great form at the moment for me, and he carried it on here with a solid performance. Barrett also worked well and gave a worthy display. Not an outstanding match by any means but still above average.  

The New Age Outlaws, Billy Gunn and Road Dogg beat Epico and Primo in a largely average tag contest. The action was never great but fortunately the nostalgic element and passable work from the NAO was enough to make it worth a watch if you're a fan.

Just before the main event Mae Young celebrated her incredible 90th birthday, but it was soon spoilt when CM Punk and Heyman walked through and straight to the ring. What a git, eh? 

CM Punk bested Randy Orton, Sheamus and Big Show in a solid enough Fatal Four Way main event to earn a match with The Undertaker at WrestleMania. All four men used their time well here and predictably managed to each get in their signature maneuvers in turn. While not as exciting as I was maybe hoping for, I can't fault any of their displays. Afterwards 'Taker made an appearance and faced Punk from the stage. It's on! I'm expecting a very high standard from their encounter on the grand stage.

While most of the show was decent enough, there was no one part that was exceptional or that exciting for me, which was quite disappointing. My highlights were the Cena Rock promo, main event and Triple H segment. On the whole a watchable Raw with nice progressions for WrestleMania, but nothing special. 

My WWE SmackDown, 22nd February 2013 Recap

Del Rio strikes with a nice aerial kick. Photo credit: WWE.com

World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio kicked off the show by responding to his WrestleMania opponent Jack Swagger's claims that immigrants like himself are ruining the USA, and reminded him that it was also immigrants that helped build the country in the first place. He also went on to challenge Swagger to come out and face him man to man.

But instead Randy Orton joined him and accused Swagger of taking away his chance at main eventing 'Mania in the Elimination Chamber match last Sunday, going on to state that he wanted some retribution. So GM Booker T granted 'The Viper' his match with Swagger and also booked Del Rio versus Barrett for that night.

Sheamus pinned Damien Sandow in a decent outing. Both men gave worthy efforts here and provided solid wrestling throughout, nothing spectacular but it made for a fun watch.

Before her following match, Kaitlyn complimented Cody Rhode's moustache backstage, which he graciously accepted. Could a face turn be in Cody's near future?

Kaitlyn and Layla bested Tamina and Aksana in a mediocre tag bout. Layla was the only standout performer here for me, the rest of the match was quite messy and average.

Backstage Zeb Colter, accompanying Swagger, warned Wade Barrett to stay out of their way and do them a favour by going back to England, classing him as another immigrant taking a job from an American.

Jack Swagger defeated Randy Orton in a mostly stellar contest. While not exactly an edge of your seat bout, it still has solid action from both men who looked crisp in the ring.

Swagger gained the win after catching Orton with a thumb to the eye and applying a quick roll up pin for the one-two-three, much like the one he used on 'The Viper' to win the Elimination Chamber. Considering he's going to WrestleMania to contest for the World Title I would've thought Swagger might have beaten Orton cleanly here. 'The Viper' looked frustrated afterwards, here's hoping his rumoured heel turn is coming up soon.

The Miz beat Cody Rhodes in a fair match up. In keeping with the trend of the previous singles bouts of the show, the wrestling was solid enough but not necessarily that exciting. Quite a forgettable one this really. Miz forced Rhodes to tap to the Figure Four Leglock for the win. 

Alberto Del Rio defeated Wade Barrett in an enjoyable main event. Definitely the top match of the night, with nice displays from both men and finally something a bit livelier on an otherwise unremarkable show. Swagger viewed the match from the stage and made his way down to face off with Del Rio from the outside of the ring afterwards. They of course did the obligatory pointing and staring at the WrestleMania sign looming over them.

Overall it was a pretty pedestrian show for the majority. Most bouts were fine but not massively engaging, much like the only promo we received at the start. Fortunately the livelier main event redeemed it a bit, but this was still a poor offering for a show in the WrestleMania season. Rather than repeating two ten-minute segments from Raw they could've added in some Mark Henry, Jericho, Team Hell No or Big Show at least, just something to add some interest (that's not a dig at any of those talents either). 

My WWE Raw, 18th February 2013 Recap

Behold the brand new WWE Championship belt. About damn time! Photo credit: WWE.com

John Cena started things off by talking about how WrestleMania XXVIIII was now taking shape, with him versus The Rock and Swagger versus Del Rio now official after the Elimination Chamber. CM Punk then joined Cena and reminded him that he has never beaten him and claimed that it was luck that he won the Royal Rumble and didn't deserve the spot at 'Mania. He also added that he couldn't win the big one against Rocky.

To settle things and shut Punk up, Cena then challenged him to a match to prove he was superior, with the winner going on to face The Rock for the title on the big stage. Punk agreed, but wanted to postpone it until next week when he was more prepared.

During an interview Sheamus and Ryback began arguing over their loss to The Shield the previous night until Chris Jericho then split them up and reminded them that it wasn't each other that they were really mad at. Y2J also suggested a six-man match that night pitting them three against Shield, which they were all for.

Mark Henry pinned Sin Cara in a brief and forgettable bout, with fair action but nothing special. As Henry continued the attack after the bell rung, The Great Khali made his way down, only for Henry to leave the ring and walk away. I'm praying they don't book a match between the two at 'Mania, please!

The Miz defeated Antonio Cesaro in a No Disqualification match. It was a fair effort from both men, but a little disappointing considering how rarely we get No DQ match ups on television, I would've thought they'd make more of the opportunity and we'd maybe get a bit more excitement.  

In a VT Zeb Colter spoke about how letting in too many people outside of the US into the country has drained it. Jack Swagger was also there, reminding us of their slogan "We, the people." As I've already said I'm intrigued with this storyline, it's something a bit edgier and sets up Swagger's feud with Del Rio perfectly. 

Backstage Daniel Bryan informed tag partner Kane that he didn't feel comfortable teaming with him soon after attacking him in the Elimination Chamber, and asked that he doen't accompany him to his singles match later. Randy Orton then also appeared and told Kane that since going to group therapy and hugging it out with people he wasn't so intimidating and compared him to Barney the Dinosaur.  

Alberto Del Rio bested Dolph Ziggler in a solid outing. Both men as standard for them looked good in the ring and put in more than worthy displays, with stellar wrestling throughout.

Afterwards Ziggler's associate Big E Langston clobbered Del Rio and applied a Big Ending. Dolph then decided to cash in his MITB contract, but Ricardo Rodriguez had other ideas and legged it with the briefcase, accidentally dropping it on the ramp as he did so. As the 'Show Off' then retrieved the contract Del Rio recovered and cracked him with an enzuigiri.

Wade Barrett announced that he will be starring in the new WWE produced film Dead Man Down, then presented the trailer. Afterwards Sheamus appeared on the big screen and mocked Barrett for barely having a role in the film at all. Wade was not amused that Sheamus had cut his time short.

Brodus Clay, Tensai and Naomi beat Epico, Primo and Rosa Mendes in a fun enough mixed-tag contest. This was wisely kept short, which certainly benefitted all involved and kept the pace and interest up, any longer and it would've dragged.

In a State of the Union Address, Zeb Colter thanked the founding fathers for creating the bill of rights, allowing him to voice his opinions freely. He then continued to bash the illegal immigrants in America that use the medical care, education and take their jobs. He also added that at WrestleMania Swagger will defeat Del Rio to capture the World Title and help reclaim America, claiming that the champion was only in the USA to reap the rewards. 

Jack Swagger bested Daniel Bryan in an enjoyable encounter. Both men gave fine efforts as they went move for move, counter for counter. As part of his new signature routine, Swagger worked on Bryan's leg until eventually latching on the Patriot Lock for the submission victory.

Vickie Guerrero, with Paul Heyman in the ring, announced Brad Maddox as her new assistant. As Heyman was about to leave Vince McMahon then appeared on the big screen and reminded him that last week he'd agreed to do anything to add the certain stipulations to The Rock versus CM Punk match at EC. McMahon went on to inform Heyman that he would be returning that favour next week when they "are gonna have a fight."

The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns) beat Ryback, Sheamus and Chris Jericho in a largely entertaining six-man tag bout. While not as exciting as their previous six-man match the night before, it was still a lively encounter and yet another very good display from The Shield trio.

Damien Sandow spoke about how dear President's Day was to him, claiming that his ancestors had been aiding them for many years. As he then aggressively started his following bout with Kofi Kingston, R-Truth made his return and took him out. I can't say I'm that bothered by his return.

Randy Orton pinned Kane in a passable affair. Unfortunately while the wrestling was solid enough, I just failed to get interested here and found the match quite drab on the whole. Orton managed to get in an RKO for the one-two-three after Daniel Bryan once again distracted his tag partner and cost him the match.

The Rock came out to an entrance preceded by an impressive marching band performance as part of his celebration. He then went on to admit that eight years ago the spinning WWE Championship title belt may have worked, but he personally felt that a prestigious strap shouldn't look like a toy and then introduced the brand new WWE Championship belt. While it looks more professional, it also looks a bit plain for my liking, but that's just my opinion.

As the WWE Champion was about to then admit who he'd rather face at 'Mania, John Cena came out and stood cockily on the stage, but shortly after CM Punk then took him out with the old WWE Title strap and threw it away, stating that he was after the brand new one. 

Overall I felt it was a decent enough Raw, with the final segment, Shield six-man tag bout, Del Rio versus Ziggler, and anything involving Swagger being the highlights. Not the best offering from the red brand as of late but it still made nice strides towards WrestleMania, with the next couple of weeks most likely settling the card for the supershow in April.  

My WWE Raw, 11th February 2013 Recap

CM Punk stands proud with his mentor Heyman. Photo credit: WWE.com

Paul Heyman started things off by announcing that this was the last anyone would see of him in WWE, claiming that the McMahons would take out their revenge for him on CM Punk instead and he would rather leave before that happened. Unfortunately the majority of the largely clueless crowd continued to boo Heyman even when he spoke about making ECW the product it would be best remembered as.

CM Punk soon joined his mentor and said that he didn't have to leave, but Heyman told him to let him go. After some more convincing though, Heyman eventually agreed that he should be in Punk's corner on Sunday at Elimination Chamber and the two hugged. It was a decent start to the show, you know that Heyman is always going to be solid on the mic.

Mark Henry beat The Great Khali in a mediocre and forgettable contest. As expected both men slowly clobbered each other until Henry World's Strongest Slammed his opponent for the one-two-three. He then continued to smash Hornswaggle into the mat with the same finishing maneuver. 

Backstage Chris Jericho asked GM Booker T for a spot in the Elimination Chamber, so Booker agreed to put him in a match up with Daniel Bryan to earn a spot.

In Vickie Guerrero's office, Paul Heyman convinced Vince McMahon to add a stipulation to The Rock versus CM Punk where if 'The People's Champ' was counted out or disqualified he would be stripped of the WWE Championship.

Chris Jericho pinned Daniel Bryan in an exciting back and fourth bout. Both men worked tremendously together as they each put in great efforts to be proud of. With similar styles it was hardly surprise how well this turned out, with constant counters and effective near fall and submission attempts. Jericho managed to score the winning pin after a Codebreaker out of nowhere.

John Cena, Ryback and Sheamus bested 3MB ( Heath Slater, Drew McIntyre and Jinder Mahal) in a six-man squash match. Each man on the winning side took their turn to make their opponents look worthless (much like the match itself) and then all applied their finishers for the finale. You can go ahead and fast forward this one. Afterwards all three men on the winning side each spoke about how they'll get their revenge on The Shield this Sunday. 

After mocking him backstage for having paint spilt on him from Del Rio on last Friday's SmackDown, Big Show KO'd Alex Riley and Yoshi Tatsu, then also KO'd Matt Stryker (unfortunately not for real) as he was about to interview him in the ring. After pacing around furiously, Show then left without saying a word.

Jack Swagger pinned Zack Ryder in a fair encounter. While unremarkable, it wasn't bad, and each man gave a worthy enough display with the time allocated.

Afterwards Zeb Colter (who'd accompanied Swagger, and no I'd never heard of him before this either)  then accused America of changing too much due to people immigrating from other countries. I certainly wasn't expecting that, but I have to say that I think this could be the start of something very interesting with Swagger. I just hope that WWE don't restrain him and Colter too much, if left to become quite controversial with these promos Swagger could become a terrific heel. And how perfectly suited would this be in a feud with Del Rio?

Dolph Ziggler demanded that Booker put him into the Elimination Chamber match to stop Jericho from winning it and going on to 'Mania. Booker decided to give 'The Show Off' a chance by competing against Kane for the last spot.

The Miz won via DQ versus Cody Rhodes in a passable outing. The match was never exceptional or particularly engaging but both men were competent enough. The disqualification came when Antonio Cesaro (who'd provided guest commentary) attacked Miz and then impressively swung him numerous times into the barricade. Expect a rematch at Elimination Chamber over the US Title.

Tensai and Brodus Clay beat Primo and Epico in an average tag bout. Tensai and Clay incorporated some of their usual bad dance moves and celebrated afterwards by (you guessed it!) dancing. 

The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns) came out and demanded Cena, Sheamus and Ryback to "come and get us!" after their words for them earlier. They then called Cena a failure, claiming that the standard he set has brought about people like Sheamus and Ryback, that he doesn't have to ever answer to his actions. The mic work of Rollins and Ambrose here completely eclipsed that of their three opponents on Sunday from earlier, you could actually believe in their hate and aggression towards their foes.

The lights then went out and once they came back up Cena, Ryback and Sheamus began brawling with The Shield, eventually going out into the crowd and chasing them off. Should be a decent enough match at Elimination Chamber between them, although not a touch on the superb TLC match from December I imagine. Unfortunately with Cena dded to the equation I worry for the treatment of the trio too, Cena only tends to bury up and coming talent like them, never enhance.

Damien Sandow berated the typical country music found in Tennessee,  the current destination. As usual he was quite amusing.

Alberto Del Rio defeated Damien Sandow in a brief but enjoyable outing that deserved more time in my opinion. Del Rio was on good form in the ring as usual, and Sandow also put in a fair display. Afterwards the World Champion stated that Big Show's earlier promo of saying nothing at all was the best of his career, agreeing that the time for talking was over and that he was heading to WrestleMania XXVIIII with his strap.

Before his following match up, Wade Barrett was attacked backstage by rival Bo Dallas, who the Englishman had beaten from behind on SmackDown a few weeks ago. Nevertheless the Intercontinental Champion went on to pin Kofi Kingston after the break in a worthy effort by both men.

Unfortunately like most matches that night though it never really grabbed your attention, but I can't complain about the action they provided. Considering Barrett's attack beforehand this also made Kofi look particularly weak, I guess his push towards the end of last year was another half hearted attempt by the bookers to enhance him. I can't see it ever happening for Kofi unfortunately.

Kane pinned Dolph Ziggler in a bout that ranged from decent to passable. Unfortunately a few sloppy moments hindered the match a bit, which is out of character for the two talents.

WWE Champion The Rock came out and told the story of how he and his family moved to Nasville in 1987, and at the age of fifteen bought a car from a crackhead in a bar, only to realise it was stolen so he dumped it in a car park. The moral of the story was that you have to take control of your life, which is what he did at age twenty-four when he had his first match in the WWF. It was a decent enough promo from the champ.

CM Punk and Paul Heyman then joined Rocky, with the champ warning them that he's going to "beat your punk ass this Sunday." Punk then ran into the ring and the two began going back and fourth. As Rock was about to then hit the People's Elbow, Heyman pulled his leg which led to Punk applying the GTS and walking away with the strap he felt he'd never lost.  

It was a largely average Raw for me this week, with a lot of forgettable matches and unremarkable promos. To be fair the Jericho versus Bryan encounter, Heyman's work on the mic, Punk and The Rock tussling and the possible interesting direction Swagger and Coulter may be taking gave the show something to remember, so at least there were a few exceptional parts. Bit disappointing though after the last couple of weeks efforts. 

The Undertaker not appearing at WrestleMania 29?

Photo credit: WWE.com

Posted by: Ben Kerin of WrestlingNewsSource.com on Oct 24 2012

Source: PWInsider.com

'The Undertaker's "end of an era" match from this year's WrestleMania against Triple H may really have been the end for a big time WrestleMania match featuring The Deadman. PWInsider.com is reporting that The Undertaker is not in good shape and the hip replacement he had a few years ago is badly damaged which has left him back at square one with the possibility of more surgical work down the line. Currently he is seeing specialists in New York but he is so beat up now that WWE has been flying the doctors to his home in Texas instead.

WWE would like to use Taker at January Royal Rumble, as a surprise entrant and perform a few memorable spot before being eliminated but that is far from being set in stone. As it stands there are no plans for Taker to work WrestleMania 29 and he may choose to skip the event however, WWE will make room for him should he wish to wrestle.'

If given the choice I, along with most other fans, would much rather see Taker at WrestleMania than the Royal Rumble. But of course if he's in as bad a shape as their saying then I don't believe it's worth risking his poor condition for either event. But if he is than I'd personally like to see him maybe win the Rumble match and go on to WrestleMania to obtain the World Title and retire there and then.