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An electrifying Monday Night Raw Supershow took place at Portland, Oregon on 27/2/2012. The main feature was the Rock‘s return and his reaction to John Cena‘s tirade against him, last week. Besides, there were a few other things too, which were worthy to be featured on the top 10 talking points of the show.
1. Punk – Jericho war of words
A great debate between WWE champion CM Punk and Chris Jericho kicked off the show. Both guys made factual points which invoked greater expectations from their feud. While Jericho accused Punk of being a wannabe, Punk ribbed Jericho for looking for several other avenues like game show hosting , dancing and musician. This debate on the ‘Best in the world’ subject was really the best way to start off a roller-coaster show. We were expecting a verbal war between these two and it has to be said that they delivered.
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2. Champion vs Champion
For the third time in as many matches, we got an inconsequential finish to the champion vs champion match between CM Punk and Daniel Bryan. There was no payoff with the match. No concrete feud going on between Punk and Bryan. The only purpose that it served was to involve the two managers Teddy Long and John Laurinaitis in a power struggle. That was achieved. With both managers swapping positions next week, it will be interesting to see their attitude towards the talent.
3. Jericho makes a statement
The walls of Jericho was applied by Jericho on CM Punk on the top of the ramp after hitting a vicious body slam. This left CM Punk anguishing in pain. An emphatic way to make a statement. True to the proverb, ‘Actions speak louder than words’, Jericho drew more heat from the crowd with this attack from the back, than he did with his thought provoking lectures to Punk.
Chris Jericho attacked CM Punk on the ramp
4. I’m the Miz and I’m jobbersome
The Miz who is at crossroads with the WWE officials continued his jobbing streak as he cleanly tapped out to John Cena’s STF. The Miz, who is desperately seeking a spot at Wrestlemania 28, still hasn’t been granted one. The burning question is will The Miz be at Wrestlemania this year, let alone main eventing which he did last year.
5. Triple Threat tag-team championship match
A rare triple threat tag team match was held with the tag-team championship on the line. The team of R-Truth and Kofi Kingston were the crowd favorites in this exciting match, but were unable to win this contest. The team of Swagger and Ziggler were also good but were brushed aside by the reigning champions Epico and Primo. This match was fantastic. More such tag-team matches will aid in generating interest for that division.
6. Kane returns
The big red monster who was defeated convincingly by John Cena in an ambulance match at Elimination Chamber, made a surprise entrance after the tag-team championship match. He made a mockery of guys who tried to resist his attack. Who will Kane be targeting next?
7. Big Show humiliated by Rhodes, yet again
Cody Rhodes showed pictures of Big Show’s embarrassment as he lost in his match with Floyd Mayweather at Wrestlemania 24. Cody continued to mock at Big Show and escaped his way out the match. Big Show and Sheamus won a very short tag-team match against Mark Henry and Cody Rhodes. Cody showed heel traits as he backed off the match as soon as he knew that he has an angry giant to lock horns with. They are building up towards a Cody vs Show match at mania and it will be interesting to see if they had a stipulation to it to make it even better.
8. Rock returns
Uncharacteristic to his earlier return promo’s, The Rock minimized the usage of his trademark catchphrases and stuck to the point of promoting his Wrestlemania match. It was weird that he explained his intermittent appearances just now after a year long presence in the crowd. The constant Twitter mentions and incessant crowd chants were the negatives of this promo. It had its dull moments but the crowd at the arena loved it. The trending parts were repetitive and have no to little payoff except tickling funny bones.
The Rock vs John Cena on Raw
9. Cena accuses Rock of having notes on wrist
There was a shocking twist in the tale as John Cena interrupted the Rock’s promo. It was during this part of the segment that Cena mentioned about Rock carrying details on his promo on his wrists. I do not see any harm in taking promo notes on one’s wrist. After all it is scripted. Sticking to the reality was the main factor which drew a lot of attention towards their side. John Cena did a splendid job of wooing his haters. Is the Rock the catalyst in helping John Cena get a larger fan base?
A snapshot showing Rock's promo notes on his Wrist
10. Rock loses his composure after Cena’s exit
After John Cena’s exit, the Rock’s promo lost steam as he stammered many times. He even stammered to say Wrestlemania. Whether it was done purposely on storyline basis or was it unscripted is a question that we will never get an answer of. But it served its purpose. The Rock segment was long drawn and stale. Excessive twitter talk could’ve been avoided.
