WWE Raw on the USA Network
Live from Nashville, Tenn.

[Q1] A graphic was shown for Jack Brisco, who passed away today. The opening video aired and Michael Cole and Jerry "The King" Lawler immediately plugged Bret Hart returning tonight to confront Vince McMahon. William Shatner was advertised as the the guest host...

Justin Roberts introduced the winner of the 2010 Royal Rumble, Edge. Edge came out and did not reveal whether he was a babyface or heel as he completed his normal entrance. He received a mixed bag of cheers and boos. "I'm baaaaaccccckkkkk." He said he was not just back in a WWE ring, he is back in the main event of WrestleMania.

Edge recalled winning the tag team championships with Chris Jericho, and then getting injured. The doctors told him he would be out until March, April, May, or forever. He said he watched The Slammy Awards and listened to Chris Jericho thank him for getting injured so he could team with Big Show. He said the room got quiet at that point and not because Dennis Miller bombed with a bad joke.

He said at that moment he told himself he would not miss a third WrestleMania due to injury, so he rehabbed harder than ever and proved everyone wrong. He said he could face any champion he wanted. He said he main evented WrestleMania two years ago and lost to The Undertaker. Unlike Shawn Michaels, if he wanted the Deadman again, he could have him.

Edge asked if he should go for Taker again, or face someone that never even competed at a WrestleMania, the WWE Champion Sheamus. He didn't even mentioned Christian. He said he would wait until after the Elimination Chamber to make his decision. Sheamus' music hit and he came out to the ring.

Twill's Two Cents: Up until this point, Edge really hadn't made a babyface turn or anything like that, but once Sheamus came out, Edge was cheered and the champion was booed.

Sheamus said he did something Edge could not do at Mania last year, and that was beat John Cena for the WWE Championship. He said he beat Randy Orton last night. Edge said he has made a career out of beating Cena for the belt and has beaten Orton too. Sheamus said he would not break a sweat beating Edge.

Sheamus told Edge to go back to Smackdown "like a good fella." He attacked Edge with the microphone and beat on him for a few moments. Edge came back and hit the spear to the delight of the fans. Edge's music played as he celebrated the moment...

Twill's Two Cents: Does Sheamus wear his wrestling gear everywhere? Restaurants? Airports? Church? Anyway, very hot opening segment and logical in that Edge deserved to open the show. His promo didn't blow anyone away, but it was great to see him. Sheamus was very good in his role too. I doubt we'll get this match at Mania, but it was a well done tease.

[Q2] A video hyping the Elimination Chamber was shown. John Cena was shown walking through the backstage area in preparation for his EC qualifying match... [C]

Cena made his entrance and his appearance on "Psych" did record numbers. Stacy Keibler will guest star on the show too...

1. John Cena defeated Cody Rhodes in an Elimination Chamber qualifier in 2:51. After Cody scored a nearfall, Cena came back with the FKS. He could not hit the Attitude Adjustment however, and Cody regained the advantage. Cody scored a nearfall with a moonsault. Cena then hit the AA out of nowhere for the win...

A graphic was immediately shown with the pictures of Sheamus and Cena for the Chamber match...

Twill's Two Cents: Well, I expected Cena to win, but I figured Rhodes would have received a better showing than that, or at least be involved in helping Randy Orton get into the match, which could happen I suppose.

Footage was shown of the Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels match at Survivor Series 1997. Josh Matthews stopped Vince McMahon backstage and asked if he had seen Bret Hart. Vince said he had not seen him and he felt Bret would not even show up tonight.

Vince entered his office and spoke to someone who could not yet be seen. He berated the unknown person for barging into his office and said "all of you Canadians are the same." It was revealed to be guest host William Shatner. Shatner said as a Canadian and human being, he could not wait for Bret to embarrass Vince tonight... [C]

Twill's Two Cents: Nice usage of the Survivor Series footage and of course, they have to tease that Bret will not be at the show tonight. I still don't know why Vince keeps changing his mind about allowing Bret back to Raw, but tonight's confrontation should definitely be a special one.

[Q3] 2. Triple H defeated Jack Swagger in an Elimination Chamber qualifier in 9:08. King said Swagger injured Santino Marella last week and that was why he was not in the Rumble as originally planned...

Twill's Two Cents: I like that they are going with the "surprise" opponents for these matches, but let's face it, that will not leave a lot of intrigue or doubt in who will win and advance to the EC PPV.

Swagger acted confident and cocky early on. Kudos to Michael Cole for addressing past Elimination Chamber matches. He did it with Cena and he mentioned it with Hunter as well. Hunter knocked Swagger to the floor... [C]

Swagger scored a couple of nearfalls coming back from commercial. Cole and King really put over the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view as the last opportunity to headline WrestleMania. Jack hit a powerslam for another two count. He tried the corner springboard splash, but Triple H put up his knees.

Hunter hit his knee lift and spinebuster for two nearfalls. He tried the Pedigree, but Swagger backdropped him. He then actually hit that corner splash for a long two count. Swagger picked up Hunter and pointed at the WrestleMania sign, but Hunter slid out, hit the Pedigree, and scored the pinfall...

Twill's Two Cents: Good match. Like I said, these first two qualifiers did not leave any doubt as to who would win, but I'm not sure why Cena couldn't have given Cody what Hunter gave Swagger in terms of time and offense.

[Q4] The next qualifier was plugged for after the break and it will be Shawn Michaels vs. Randy Orton... [C]

Twill's Two Cents: Nice match and great tease going into the commercial break.

A mock commercial of William Shatner singing WWE entrance themes was shown. He covered the themes of Michaels, Cena, Rey Mysterio, Triple H. Pick up this CD in the very near future...

Twill's Two Cents: That was the funniest thing a guest host has done since this thing started. That was great.

Hunter wanted to talk to Shawn Michaels backstage. Hornswoggle came and went pretty fast. Hunter said he would have never done to Shawn what Shawn did to him. Actually, he would have, but didn't get the chance. He laughed about it.

Shawn was very serious and said things did not go as planned. He wanted to go to Mania and defeat Taker. Hunter told Shawn to get himself into the Elimination Chamber. He said he had no problem going to Mania and main eventing against Michaels. He told him to beat Orton. Shawn agreed and took off...

Twill's Two Cents: I liked it. It wasn't the predictable "You screwed me over" segment. It could lead to that, but for now, that was perfect. I am really intrigued by Shawn's near catatonic character.

Randy Orton made his ring entrance. He'll be to the ring by the time they come back from commercial... [C]

They aired an ECW commercial for tomorrow night and the new narrator sounded just like Issac Hayes. There was no mention of chocolate, salty balls...

Footage was shown of last night's WWE Championship match between Sheamus and Randy Orton...

[Q5] 3. Randy Orton defeated Shawn Michaels in an Elimination Chamber qualifier in 6:40. Orton slid to the floor holding his mouth. Shawn went after him and scored the first nearfall with a high cross body. Cole pointed out that Michaels won the first EC match. Somebody backstage did their homework.

Orton took over and worked on the back of Michaels. Randy's offense was calculating and methodical. Shawn pushed Randy off of the ropes and hit the elbow. He tuned up the band. He missed, Randy missed the RKO, and Shawn hit multiple reverse atomic drops. Shawn nipped up and Randy rolled him up for the win...

Afterward, Shawn pulled off his DX wristbands and threw them in frustration. He stormed out of the ring and to the back...

Twill's Two Cents: Cole made that call a little early and it was not as surprising as it should have been. I like this side to Shawn's character and his frustration afterward played very well into what his character has become. He'll get to Taker, but it will take some doing to get there.

Footage was shown of the Jim Ross interview with Vince McMahon after the Montreal Screwjob... [C]

Twill's Two Cents: I agree with showing historical footage all night since the last time Bret was on the show, he opened that broadcast.

[Q6] WrestleMania is 55 days away. The Nashville nightlife was shown. Cole and King talked about Shawn's disappointment. Cole called it the most disappointing 24 period of Shawn's career...

Twill's Two Cents: Okay, I like what they are doing with Shawn, but then again, they are sort of making him look like a whiny little bitch.

Backstage, DiBiase confronted and congratulated Orton. He apologized for what happened last night. Orton just stared at him coldly and walked away. Ted had a stoic and almost sad look on his face...

4. Ted DiBiase defeated Mark Henry in an Elimination Chamber qualifier in 3:05. Ted focused on the arm. He draped his arm across the top rope and tried Dream Street, but Henry fought out. However, he followed with a single arm DDT and scored the win...

Twill's Two Cents: Don't get me wrong; having pain in the arm is no minor matter, but damn, you cannot kick out because you took a few moves to the arm? That was weak. I like that Ted got the win though. Now Cody is the odd man out in terms of Legacy members in the EC match.

Big Show and Kofi Kingston were shown preparing for the final qualifying match...

Cole and King introduced a Jack Brisco video. Classy move by WWE showing the video and it's great that he took his rightful spot in the Hall of Fame before he passed away... [C]

Footage was shown of Maryse and Gail Kim advancing in the Diva's Championship tournament. Backstage, Kelly told Gail she deserved to be the champion. Maryse approached them and told Gail they should go out there and make everyone proud, unlike what Michelle McCool and Mickie James are doing on Smackdown. Maryse walked off and the babyfaces were confused...

[Q7] Backstage, Miz and Show talked about the Elimination Chamber and Miz referred to Shatner as "T.J. Hooker." Miz and Show wanted a shot at DX. C.M. Punk and his crew came in and also wanted a shot at DX. The "Raw Match Negotiator," Shatner came in to his "Priceline.com" theme and booked a triple threat match for next week's show for the titles. Shatner plugged his sponsors...

Twill's Two Cents: Campy, corny, and hilarious stuff with Shatner. I'm not even a fan of his work and have never watched Star Trek, but he is great in this limited comedic role.

Backstage, Triple H tried to console Shawn Michaels. He said he was Mr. WrestleMania and could there were a lot of people besides Taker he could face at the big show. "Not for me," responded Michaels...

Kofi Kingston made his entrance... [C]

Did you know? Raw was the number one show on cable last week...

5. Kofi Kingston defeated Big Show by disqualification in an Elimination Chamber qualifier in 8:18. Before the bell rang, Miz's music hit and he came out to the announce table. Every time Miz sits in on commentary, he is basically just warming up the chair for his future job. Miz said he and Show would win every belt and rule Raw. Kofi knocked Show to the floor... [C]

Back from commercial, Show was in complete control of the match after hitting a spear. With Kofi on the floor, Miz got up and mocked him. MVP appeared from the crowd and ran Miz off. Kofi went to the top, tripped, and then tried to recover and botched the move (a dropkick) again.

[Q8] He hit the double leg drop for a two count and to his credit, recovered decently from the two botched moves. Kofi blinded Show and Show accidentally knocked out the referee. He showed concern for the referee. Another referee came down and disqualified Show.

After the match, Show pleaded his case as he obviously accidentally hit the referee. The referee was put on a stretcher and as Show walked to the back, he screamed "It was an accident!" ...

Twill's Two Cents: Well, that was an ugly match. Either guy in the Elimination Chamber would have been fine with me; perhaps Show and Miz will have tag team gold after next week's match. Kofi has been struggling lately but that is bound to happen with his offensive arsenal. It almost looked like Show was turning babyface, which would create an odd dynamic with Miz.

Footage was shown of Vince and Bret Hart from the January 4th Raw. Vince was shown walking smugly through the backstage area... [C]

Jerry Lawler stood in the middle of the ring and introduced the man who inducted him into the WWE Hall of Fame, his "BFF," William Shatner. Shatner came out with the Bella Twins (surprise). Shatner pretended to trip on the ropes and knocked Lawler to the ground. They had a fun moment. Shatner gave a proper introduction to his hero, Bret Hart...

Bret came out in jeans, sunglasses, his new shirt, and a Hitman leather jacket. He had a bit more vigor and swagger in his entrance this time around. Bret said he had a month to put things into perspective. He came back to WWE for the right reasons and to make peace. He said he was warned and admitted he was naive.

[Overrun] He was wrong and it did not sit well with him. He said he was not here tonight to make peace or find closure, he was here to talk to Vince face to face. He called Vince out and said if he didn't come out, he would take a camera crew and go find him. "I don't like to wait; it just makes me madder."

Vince's music hit and he did a hybrid Bret Hart/Ric Flair strut to the ring. Vince said he never regretted a thing he had ever said or done to Bret. Bret said that was the only honest thing Vince ever said to him. "When it comes to lying, you are the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be."

He said Vince lied when he said he was like a father to him. Bret said Vince "could not lace up his father's jockstrap." Damn, jockstraps have come a long way over the years apparently. Bret said John Cena called Vince McMahon pathetic. Bret knew pathetic because he was in a wheelchair eight years ago.

He said he didn't feel pathetic until three weeks ago. He said he built up a reputation over twenty years and Vince ruined it in a few minutes. He referred to the "chewing gum" comment Vince made. "This piece of chewing gum has just enough flavor to kick your ass, right here, right now." Vince mockingly ran down all of Bret's nicknames.

Vince said Bret's monikers were a crock and he was not a hero to Canadians, Americans, or anyone. Vince had no idea what the people saw in Bret. He called Bret pathetic. He said Bret had "zero personality." He mentioned Michaels, Mr. Perfect, and Steve Austin as the people who made Bret into a main event star. Without them, he would be a midcard guy.

He said Bret had no charisma, a hound dog face, that stringy hair, and he dressed like a hobo. He said he deserved to be screwed. Vince said he was no longer going to induct Stu Hart into the Hall of Fame because he didn't deserve it. Bret attacked Vince and set him up for the Sharpshooter.

Batista of all people hit the ring and hit Bret with some clubbing right hands. He held Bret for Vince as Vince berated him. Vince spat in Bret's face. The crowd chanted for Cena for some reason as Vince cockily walked away from Bret Hart...

Twill's Two Cents: Long overrun tonight. Bret was great on the mic. For those who say he lacked fire and passion last time (I didn't, but some did), he certainly made up for that on tonight's show. On the flip side, Vince made a lot of points that many fans would find valid. The personal nature of this thing was off the charts and the attack was well done because it would be a comment about Stu that would really set Bret off.

The inclusion of Batista seemed odd, and I doubt they will go with Batista vs. Bret at Mania, as Bret did not even take the Batista Bomb here (good thing). Like we've said, Vince needed a henchman, so why not Big Dave? Of course, he is on Smackdown, but does anyone care about the brand extension anymore? I like that Bret did not apply the Sharpshooter yet to Vince because that is the money moment at Mania. I imagine someone (Austin, Cena) will eventually come to Bret's aide.

What did you think of the show? Feel free to let me know by shooting an email to dotnetrich@gmail.com.

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