LAGer

I suppose you're both right. I've always felt that they were reluctant to have anyone built up to John Cena status so as to not steal any of the limelight from their top star and merchandise shifter. Maybe it is a case of not feeling that anyone was close enough to take that mantle. I do think they've created a bit of a problem wherein they've built Cena up so high it's going to be difficult for someone to come in and do the job he's done consistently for such a long time now. Whether they feel that Daniel Bryan is ready to do that remains to be seen, although I'd love it to be the case. It seems a natural progression too with the crowds so hot for Bryan of late and of course the mixed to negative reaction Cena tends to get, especially in 'wrestling cities'. I think he'd garner a lot more respect from a lot of wrestling fans if he was to do something a bit different too, although I do realise that isn't WWE's main objective. I will also be very pissed off if Bryan gets the win and Orton cashes in immediately. Although I'd like to reiterate my earlier point, personally I don't think Cena will turn heel unless in desperate circumstances for WWE.

I agree it would be a great time to turn Cena heel but so would have the feud(s) with the Rock and previous ones with CM Punk for that matter and probably countless other times in the past. It'd be so easy to turn Cena heel as his motive could just be that the fans weren't backing him despite all his efforts to impress them. I just think it's gone too long now and it's only going to happen if things get really desperate.

That was something I was thinking. It might sound a bit daft considering they're less than bit-part players on screen these days, but the behaviour of Vince & Stephanie, belittling the fans etc, was quite heel-ish and I was wondering if Hunter was maybe going to follow down the same road of a power hungry executive. Feared a bit when the Shield came down that they were going to attack Vince and turn face. Can't disagree with anything said about Daniel Bryan. The crowds are going wild for him at the moment and every match he's been involved in has been worth a watch. Monday's six man tag wasn't the best from the Shield but the ending to the matches is always good. I'm hoping that Bryan's current attitude isn't leading to a heel turn either and not another feud with Kane as that's how Hell No started. Interesting what people are saying about Punk-Jericho, I just assumed they'd use this as a way to put Punk over before a big feud with someone else. My initial thought was that I was quite happy to have two quality performers in the ring at the same time but we did see this feud not so long ago. I don't think Brock Lesnar will get involved anytime soon as I think they'll be saving him up for a build-up to Summerslam (if anything) but Curtis Axel may be wedged into the picture to give him a win over a quality performer.

Looks like the Big E/AJ/Dolph group is going to break up soon. Quite happy that Punk-Jericho are fighting, should hopefully have a good match. I'm a bit worried that having this match in his home town, where he'll be treated as a face anyway, that Punk will turn on Paul Heyman. Not that he's bad at it but I love him as a heel. The Shield vs Hell No was an excellent match. The reaction Daniel Bryan got when he got the hot-tag was brilliant and the crowd were so into everything he did (I'm sure his appraisal of Bret Hart earlier in the show helped that a bit). Over the past few months he's been consistently one of the best in-ring performers, along with the Shield, and the fans in most arenas give him the biggest pop of the night. I hope this is not going unnoticed at management level because he's a guy I feel should be in the top bracket of WWE.

Don't know a great deal about McGillicutty/Axel as I've rarely seen NXT but I'm not going to complain about them giving a supposedly competent worker a chance. Only time I've really seen him was at a live event where he lost to William Regal, but he was playing a bit of a comedy character there. If they are so high on him, I wish they could've just put him over Triple H. Even by Triple H collapsing outside the ring and Axel getting the countout victory, instead of just leaving it as the match suddenly ending. Would give Axel, as a heel character, something to cling on to. Maybe he'll start to claim the victory as his next week or something. Overall, I thought Raw was decent in terms of in-ring action. The Big E-Del Rio match wasn't bad, thought Orton vs Swagger was good and the Shield vs Team Hell No & Kofi Kingston was very good. Think we're looking at Kane & Bryan splitting soon, just wondering what direction they'll go in. I think Randy Orton's being built for a run at one of the titles too, most likely the World Heavyweight Title.

<script language='javascript'> </script> I agree it's not really 'extreme' anymore, we're likely to not even see a bit of blood. Still, Extreme Rules was my favourite event of last year with the gimmicks adding to the quality of the matches so hopefully it can achieve the same this time round. Last Man Standing matches used to be quite brutal and hopefully we can get some heavy hitting here. Just please, please don't do the 'tying the big guys legs together' thing again. Other notes from Raw - Guessing Sheamus vs Mark Henry will be a Strap Match as a result of Henry's attack on Sheamus. So is it only chair shots to the head you're not allowed to do anymore? Swagger smacked both Del Rio & Ziggler in the head with the ladder, surely that's just as dangerous. The one on Ziggler looked particularly rough although I'm not decided if that's because Ziggler made it look that way or not.

<script language='javascript'> </script> Just went on after reading this post and got 12 DVDs for about £50. A lot of the ones available are PPVs from the last few years which I wasn't interested in. Not a great deal of Attitude era stuff but there's still some good bargains to be had of course.

<script language='javascript'> </script> I've started to read them now too, love reading back old reviews especially when they're of this quality. Brilliant to refresh your memory about matches you loved or even hated at the time. From the top of my head, loved the Bret Hart - Roddy Piper match - in my mind that's one that really made me realise how good Hart was and Piper done a great job in helping to get him over with the crowd. Hogan's matches with Macho Man & Ultimate Warrior were incredible too, having the crowd invested into a match the way they were with Hogan matches just makes everything seem that much better. Also, rajah.com have been posting a weekly PPV review on their website for anyone that's interested. They've got a PPV flashbacks archive and they started to fill in the gaps for the ones they missed and are now onto running on chronologically from where they finished last time I think.

I think that's what will happen if the match goes ahead. Super injured Cena overcomes the odds to defeat the monster Ryback. Sent from my GT-N8010 using Pie & Bovril mobile app

So it looks like another R-Truth push.... Enjoyed Raw mostly, had two good matches in Ziggler/Jericho & the six-man tag. Guessing that we only got two long-ish matches because a lot of bigger names were on the Smackdown tour in Wales at the time. I'm thinking the Shield to take the Tag Team titles at Extreme Rules, hopefully employing the 'Freebird' rule. Really think that Antonio Cesaro, Cody Rhodes & Damien Sandow deserve something a bit better at the moment.

Do they really think that this process of champions losing non-title matches is working? That was Dolph Ziggler, Kaitlyn & Wade Barrett all losing non-title matches last night. Is the only way you can get involved in the title picture to beat the champion? What ever happened to number one contenders matches? It gets to the stage where the champion looks quite weak and it's not really a big deal when they lose the title, which leads me to my next point. The crowd was pretty dead for Kofi Kingston's US Title win and I'm pretty sure most at home were too. On one hand you've got Antonio Cesaro, a guy with the potential to be a top star in all ways in the WWE who's been pretty badly used for the last couple of months, losing non-title matches then not even getting a spot on the Wrestlemania card. Then, you have Kofi Kingston. Perennial lower mid-card wrestler who's had many, many chances to break through but the crowd never quite engages with him. Don't get me wrong, I quite like Kofi and think he's quite good to watch, but he's had many chances at this level and it never happens for him. The crowd almost fall to total silence every time his music comes on. Reading back the comments and a few of you are saying hopefully Cesaro can move on up to the World Title level from here. I think he's good enough and I'd like him to but the way he's been used recently I can see him going downwards. Really hope I'm wrong. In saying that, I was hoping one of the faces would get the Intercontinental or US title soon as I'd quite like Damien Sandow to get involved in a feud at that level, another I feel is being criminally underused.

Not sure why the start had the Prime Time Players interrupting Cena. I think the PTP are a decent tag team and Titus is a guy with a lot of personality but that all just seemed a bit forced. Obvious that Big Show was going to replace Ryback in the six man tag. Think that means Ryback will have his moment vs Henry and hopefully the Shield can win again and Orton turns on Sheamus. I wonder what the material for CM Punk would be if Paul Bearer hadn't died. The promo was quite weak and we've now had the Undertaker on 3 Raw's and he's barely done anything. Would like to see Daniel Bryan vs Dolph Ziggler in a feud sometime but I suppose having them in the ring together with Kane & Big E isn't too bad. Looks like Chris Jericho vs Fandango is happening. I'm really worried that they're going to have Fandango get a big win here to put him over, surely not. Again, think there's a missed opportunity here not having Jericho involved higher up the card with a better opponent. He's still one of the best they've got in the ring by a distance. The triple threat match was good and Jericho virtually carried it. Pretty certain with that stipulation that Triple H will win now. No way he's going out on the back of another defeat to Lesnar. Lesnar is another I think is being booked wrong, would make sense for Triple H to put him over again I'd say. Where's Christian? I read somewhere that he'd be back and think he'd be a good opponent for Cesaro or Barrett, who are in desperate need of a quality feud.

More rumours, again copied directly from Rajah. I realise I'm doing a lot of these but just for anyone thats interested in how the full card may take shape.

<script language='javascript'> </script> I agree. I was looking forward to the first match slightly but not greatly. Now that this one seems so predictable I'm even less so. The prospect of it headlining a third in a row disappoints me greatly. However, I don't think that's the case with everyone, I just have never really been that taken with the Rock or Cena but I appreciate what they do. I was a lot more interested in what their plans were for Brock Lesnar, CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Dolph Ziggler etc.

<script language='javascript'> </script> I had my heart set on any combination of Jericho/Bryan/Ziggler for the World Heavyweight Title at Wrestlemania in the lead up to Elimination Chamber. Still waiting for Jericho to get a big match but it looks like its going to be something way down the card.

Its a shame that the likes of the Rock, Brock & Jericho are only part-time and thus big plans can't be made around them. I'd like to see Lesnar with the title soon too but I think with his limited schedule the same situation would happen of the champion not being at Raw. It's not a great situation but on this occasion I wasn't that bothered as it meant CM Punk & the Undertaker's story got more attention, which I was happy with as I'm looking forward to that match more. Another rumoured 'Mania match:

<script language='javascript'> </script>

Wrestlemania match revealed on Smackdown

<script language='javascript'> </script> I've read one one of the wrestling websites that Vince McMahon was very unhappy with the piledriver but won't take action because of the two wrestlers involved. I remember Shawn Michaels doing a couple over the years since it was banned, I think on the Undertaker and/or John Cena. Was he given free reign to do what he wanted as a trusted performer?

Punk vs Cena was excellent. I'm sure most of us thought it was pretty obvious that Cena was going to win, so it's a tribute to both of them that they managed to put on such a good match. That's his win over Punk cemented, he'll now go on to beat the Rock and go on a long title run. I reckon he'll see out the year at least as champion, barring injury. Ziggler & Cody Rhodes continue to job. Ziggler jobbing to Ryback makes a bit of sense I suppose, but I don't like to see Cody losing to R-Truth. The opening segment started it off well, still a bit disappointed we're leading to two big main event style matches that we seen not that long ago and neither really left me looking for more. I'd like to see the Triple H-Lesnar match with a stipulation though and I'd like to see Lesnar go over again but I don't think that'll happen. I think the Undertaker will return next week, anyone think there were subtle hints from Punk about a match with him? Calling himself God and immortal. I think Punk will come out next week complaining that he's not in a big match at Wrestlemania and the Dead Man will have something to say about that.

Just a thought (more a hope than anything)....does anyone else think with Punk stealing the title from the Rock that maybe he'll come out with another title and a new design?

<script language='javascript'> </script> I really like Sandow too, not happy with him losing in about a minute to Del Rio the other night but thats typical of the current booking. He's a great character and his in-ring work always looks quite smart and has a nice finish to it, e.g. the wee bounce up after his neckbreaker.

I think my top five at the moment in no particular order would be... Daniel Bryan, CM Punk, Dolph Ziggler, Antonio Cesaro & Chris Jericho. I'd love to see a proper set of matches between any of them for a title.

Thought that was a terrible episode of Raw, only saved by the ending. The carry on from Tensai, Khali and the womens match lasted longer than a match involving Dolph Ziggler, Daniel Bryan & Chris Jericho. Even the commentators were apologetic over it.

On my V+ box you can't record it so you have to start watching it at one of their set times but you can pause it etc from there on.