Are we really headed to WrestleMania?

I am asking this question, firstly, because it really does not feel like WWE is building for their biggest show of the year; and secondly, because I am not as excited as I usually am around this time of year. In fact, I’m pretty sure I’ve seen WWE promote the location for WrestleMania XXX (the first WrestleMania which should ditch the roman numerals in my opinion) more than they’ve promoted the more recent WrestleMania XXIX.

With this being said, Raw was actually an okay show this week. If you ignore the countless WWE Film trailers, recaps from just minutes before, and the ever-present ad breaks which break up the action so much it’s hard to get involved, there were some decent in-ring action and promos to enjoy.

Rock vs. Cena II, CM Punk vs. ???

Last week we were given a grain of hope that WrestleMania might not leave us all subject to the inevitable regaining of the WWE Championship by John Cena, but all we really got was confirmation of the most overhyped rematch in WrestleMania history. We got a great main event for Raw and the chance to witness what Cena interprets as a Hurricanrana, but mostly we got the sinking feeling that Rock vs. Cena II is actually happening.

This leaves us with two issues; WrestleMania XXIX now needs an actual main event match, and CM Punk is without a WrestleMania opponent (the fact his 440-day reign has not been rewarded with at least the WrestleMania main event is a crime in itself).

The rumour mill known as the dirt sheets is leading many to think it might be up to the Undertaker to give Punk a worthy WrestleMania match, and sadly I think that might be the only choice. He ultimately beat everybody in his path as WWE Champion, and the one superstar he could not overcome is being fed to Cena to reinvigorate his career (because we all need Cena to add more accolades to his list of accomplishments, right?) come WrestleMania. I respect the Undertaker and what he has done at WrestleMania, but I do not see any reason to have him extend the streak to 21-0. Last year was a perfect end to a clearly ageing Undertaker, and I can only see there being one reason to bring him back; to have CM Punk end the streak.

I personally don’t want to see that (I want to see Punk go back to being a fan favourite whilst Cena turns heel, adding a new chapter to their rivalry) but I cannot fathom any other reason for the Deadman to return.

Raw Results

Paul Heyman’s fight against Mr. McMahon degenerated into a brawl between Brock Lesnar and Triple H -- I was all for Heyman attacking McMahon with the crutch as I feel Heyman represented the views of those who want to see a real WrestleMania main event and not Rock vs. Cena II, and the brawl between The Game and Lesnar was actually a great start to Raw. I do not, however, want to see the SummerSlam train wreck repeated at WrestleMania.

Ryback def. Dolph Ziggler following Shell Shocked -- My bellyaching about Dolph’s jobbing to already established stars can be put aside knowing Ziggler vs. Chris Jericho is almost a guarantee for WrestleMania, and this match looked like the start of a build to Ryback vs. Big E Langston.

CM Punk proclaimed himself “God” to the WWE Universe -- If nothing else but bravado, this promo was a precursor to the Undertaker vs. Punk feud I talked about in the bulk of this blog.

Mark Henry def. The Great Khali with the World’s Strongest Slam -- I hope WWE isn’t planning on giving Khali a WrestleMania match, let alone one against a superstar who should be in the World Heavyweight Championship picture in the place of “weed the people” Jack Swagger.

Jack Swagger, Zeb Colter, World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio and Ricardo Rodriguez appeared on “Miz TV” -- My hopes that WWE would drop Swagger from WrestleMania following his headline performance during the week shattered, I’ve decided to take solace in the fact that the build for this match is at least guaranteed some epic promos from Zeb. We might even get a half decent technical match as the curtain jerker in April.

Randy Orton def. U.S. Champion Antonio Cesaro via the RKO -- WWE could make the most of Randy Orton in 2013 if only they would listen to their fans and turn him heel. He wants it, the fans want it, and the fan favourite Orton has become stale… with the exception of the RKO, that is.

Sheamus presented his Oscar snubs -- Somewhere along the line Sheamus just accepted that he isn’t World Heavyweight Champion anymore, and it has led him down a road of random promos and trying to take The Shield’s momentum. This segment was pointless, and a Sheamus/Barrett ‘Mania match would be a repeat of their countless matches throughout 2012.

R-Truth def. Cody Rhodes after a surprise Lie Detector -- I honestly had no idea Truth was gone from WWE…

WWE Tag Team Champions Team Hell No def. The Prime Time Players following a Chokeslam to Darren Young -- This could have been a great match had it not been the victim of Russo-style booking. All I want to see is the Kane vs. Daniel Bryan WrestleMania match.

Sheamus and Randy Orton confronted The Shield -- The flaw of The Shield is simple; there are no three-man factions in WWE for them to feud with. At least there is a chance that The Shield can go over the likes of Orton and Sheamus on the grandest stage. Believe in The Shield!

Jack Swagger def. The Miz using the Patriot Lock -- This was a decent match to break in the final hour of Raw, and gave Swagger some much needed momentum heading to WrestleMania.

John Cena def. CM Punk following an Attitude Adjustment to decide the No. 1 contender for the WWE Championship -- This was a great match. So great, in fact, that I was not left annoyed that Cena is heading to WrestleMania rather than the more deserving Punk. I’m certain that Cena didn’t actually perform a Hurricanrana though; that thing looked more like Punk failing at a Powerbomb.

We’re now six weeks away from WrestleMania, and WWE has managed to waste two of them by having The Rock and John Cena wait to start the much-needed build for their match. After WrestleMania XXVIII was given a year to build and it failed to deliver a memorable feud, WWE needs to handle this year’s rematch as a real rivalry instead of a series of concerts and ‘via satellite’ segments. To get to the point, The Rock needs to fully commit to being WWE Champion otherwise this match has no place on the card at WrestleMania.

I’ll leave you all with these questions; what do you think of the new WWE Championship? And who should CM Punk face at WrestleMania?

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