Once again, CM Punk was the star of Monday Night Raw. The show opened with him revealing the root of his vendetta against Randy Orton and closed with the Straight Edge Superstar wrestling John Cena. There was no shortage of the New Nexus leader in between, either. The rest of Raw saw each member of Nexus take on one of the Elimination Chamber participants, along with buildup for the rest of the PPV’s card. Over on Ring of Honor, the eight-man tag match main event broke down into a brawl between partners, as none of the four teams involved could get along with one another. The All Night Express was the only team of the four of who a definitively strong picture was painted, as they laid out the Kings of Wrestling before exiting the arena. Complete notes from both Monday Night shows after the jump.
- To sum up the rest of Ring of Honor, Christopher Daniels and Eddie Edwards cut an in-ring promo together, and a future 2-out-of-3 Falls match was agreed upon between the two of them. Mike Bennett interrupted the interview, put himself over, and defeated Grizzly Redwood later in the night. Next week, a tournament to crown ROH’s top prospect will begin, and Bennett will be featured.
- On Raw, Vince McMahon promised the announcement of WrestleMania’s guest host next week. The only name that jumps to my mind as a possibility is The Rock, although WWE is being very tight lipped with the matter.
- CM Punk revealed that his beef with Randy Orton stems from an event two years in the past, and I’m happy with the attempt to tie some continuity in here. During the opening segment, Punk led an attack on Orton, delivering a GTS to the Viper, but not before suffering a possible broken nose.
- R-Truth wrestled Mason Ryan in a match that saw Ryan claim the victory, only to have the decision reversed when he would not stop his assault on the rapping wrestler. Prior to the match, Truth mistakenly mentioned being in Green Bay (in actuality, Raw was in Milwaukee), and was booed by the WWE audience and lambasted by Michael Cole. Two things I learned about Mason Ryan: 1) the leg lock he used as his finisher is more adequate than some finishers we’ve seen from other Nexus/Corre members, and 2) his neck beard is completely out of control.
- John Morrison defeated Michael McGillicutty (phew), but was attacked by Punk while traveling up the ramp. Morrison and Punk had a legnthy feud back in 2007, but seeing these two interact has me excited to see them work together again. I look forward to their probably exchanges in the Elimination Chamber.
- Two occurances that were predicted here yesterday seem to have been fulfilled around the ten o’clock hour when Miz and Lawler engaged in an in-ring confrontation, during which Ted Dibiase attacked the King. This prompted Daniel Bryan to run in and make the save, sparking an inpromtu tag match that saw the faces win. Look for a Bryan/Dibiase feud to lead into a US Title match at the Elimination Chamber.
- Another 2.21.11 promo aired, this time accompanied by Johnny Cash’s “Ain’t No Grave,” which perpetuates the rumor that these vignettes will lead to the return of the Undertaker. Not cool.
- Alberto Del Rio notched a victory against Santino Marella, and it was good to see the two finalists from the Royal Rumble settle their score.
- A David Otunga Vs Sheamus match was scheduled, but after some nonsense about Mark Henry talking smack about Sheamus and vice versa, the World’s Strongest Man hit the ring before the opening bell could sound. He delivered two World’s Strongest Slams to Sheamus, thus giving him the beating that the rest of the Elimination Chamber combatants had endured without risking a member of Nexus being cheered for giving it to him.
- In the main event, CM Punk gained a win over John Cena, albeit of the disqualification variety. Cena, obviously more concerned with fending off an attack from Nexus than winning the match, was DQed after a blatant low blow. With a little help from Jerry the King (a steel chair handed through the ropes), Cena was able to keep Nexus at bay, becoming the only Elimination Chamber combatant not to suffer a butt-whooping tonight.
Raw was, all in all, what it was expected to be. They did an OK job promoting the Elimination Chamber, but there is only so much that can be done for the last big event preceding WrestleMania. All eyes are on the grandest stage right now, and with the card already shaping up for the annual spring event, it’s hard to concentrate on what’s going on at the Chamber.
