By Jason Powell

Dot Net Members will be listening to my exclusive audio review of WWE Raw later tonight. They are already listening to my 59-minute TNA Victory Road review, and my one-hour Q&A audio show in which I answer their pro wrestling, non-wrestling, and The Walking Dead season finale questions. Join us on the ad-free version of the website by signing up for membership now via Prowrestling.net/amember/signup.php. You are also encouraged to download our free iPhone, Android, and Kindle Fire apps.

WWE Raw on the USA Network
Live from Philadelphia, Pa.

[Q1] The opening video kicked off the show... The usual pyro display went off on the stage... Michael Cole introduced the show and hyped that there were 18,088 fans in the sold out Wells Fargo Center. He noted that we're only 13 days away from WrestleMania 28. Jerry Lawler joined in to hype the Undertaker, Triple H, and Shawn MIchaels segment. Cole hyped John Cena vs. Mark Henry...

Ring announcer Justin Roberts introduced WWE Champion C.M. Punk, who walked to the ring with a serious look on his face. Apparently, it's not clobberin' time. They replayed the footage of Chris Jericho saying that Punk is Straight Edge because his father is an alcoholic. Punk paced in the ring after watching the footage on the big screen.

Punk said he wanted to let everyone know right off the bat that Chris Jericho wasn't there. He said that goes to show the type of man Jericho is. Punk said it's a gift that he's not there because Jericho pissed him off last week. Punk recalled Jericho revealing that his father is an alcoholic. "I'm not sure it was supposed to be a big secret, certainly those close to me know it to be true," Punk said. He said it wasn't Jericho's story to tell or his business.

Punk said there's not anyone in the building or watching at home that hasn't been affected by the disease of alcoholism. Punk said Jericho wants to make light of a serious subject because he wants to get inside his head and have an advantage at WrestleMania. Punk said Jericho was playing head games by claiming that he's predisposed to drink.

"If there's a devil in my DNA, it's now your problem," Punk said. "At WrestleMania, if there's a monster inside me, I'm going to let that monster out. I refuse to let my past dictate my future." Punk said now one should let a past dictate or cloud their future dreams.

"And here's the important part, I am proud of my father," Punk said. He said he's proud of being Straight Edge and that's why it's tattooed on his skin. He said he's proud of his father and the obstacles he's overcome. Punk said Jericho is his obstacle and he's going straight through him to prove that he's the best in the world. Punk's music played.

Chris Jericho interrupted the music by calling out on the big screen "via satellite." Jericho said he didn't think it would be right if he was in the building after what he said last week. Jericho said he was out of line last week and he apologized. He said it was Chris talking and he wasn't wearing any flashy jackets.

Jericho said he hopes Punk will accept his apology. He gave his word that he would never say another thing about his father again. "However, your sister?" Jericho said. "That's a whole other ballgame, isn't it, Punk?" Jericho said Punk's sister has a well documented history of substance abuse.

"There's a pattern here, Punk, your father is an alcoholic and your sister is a drug addict," Jericho said. He added that Punk is destined to drink. Punk looked at the big screen and then turned away while seething. He said something that was censored. He said that's exactly what he's going to beat out of him...

Powell's POV: Okay, I assume Punk said Jericho is a piece of shit. That was a strong followup from Punk, and a sleazy heel promo from Jericho. Perfect. I was worried that Punk was delivering the go-home promo a week early, but then Jericho popped up on the big screen. Jericho's apology and followed by more personal attacks on Punk's family was awesome, as was the emotion that Punk conveyed throughout the segment.

A commercial hyped the "Once in a Lifetime" documentary special for John Cena vs. The Rock for 7:00 p.m. CT next Monday night... [C]

[Q2] 1. Kane beat Big Show in 0:50. Just as the match was about to start, Cody Rhodes came to ringside. Michael Cole played a video for Cody that recapped Show's embarrassing WrestleMania moments. Cody was wearing boxing gloves and Cole said he was paying homage to Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Show went to the second rope and Cody climbed on the ring apron. Show shoved Cody to the ground at ringside. Kane grabbed show and chokeslammed him off the second rope and scored the pin. Cody entered the ring after Kane left and hit the Beautiful Disaster kick on Show.

Cody handcuffed Show to the ropes with his arms behind his back. Cody put the boxing gloves on. He kicked Show and then fired away with punches. A crew member brought out bolt cutters to release Show from the ropes. Show struggled to get to his feet while glaring toward Cody, who headed up the ramp. Show sold the attack by looking dazed as Lawler pointed out all of the punches he took to the head... [C]

Powell's POV: The angle felt as mid-card as this match appears the WrestleMania lineup. I blame the boxing gloves, which made the whole thing look a bit corny. Show sold it well, but Cody would have been better off leaving the gloves at ringside regardless of the fact that Show lost to Mayweather. Fortunately, Cody has done a good job of being a pest heel, so the fans should pop big once Show finally gets his hands on him.

A graphic touted that fans from all 50 states and more than 35 countries have already purchased WrestleMania 28 tickets... The announcers recapped the previous segment...

Powell's POV: Lawler did a nice job of putting over the punishment that Show took. When he's on his game, Lawler can be the difference maker when it comes to how an angle is perceived by viewers.

[Q3] 2. David Otunga defeated Santino Marella in a non-title match in 1:45. John Laurinaitis came out with Otunga, and Teddy Long came out with Santino. They joined the announcers on commentary. The wrestlers had a posing contest. Santino showed off painted on abs and then acted like he pulled a muscle. Otunga jumped him to get the match going.

Santino regained control quickly. He set up for The Cobra, but he ended up being distracted by Laurinaitis and stomping on his phone. Laurinaitis mocked Santino's post-match dance routine and then gloated in Long's face. Long slapped him across the face. Laurinaitis went after Long, who fled the ring and hauled ass to the top of the stage, where he did his dance...

Powell's POV: They put heat on the heel only to have Long get the better of Laurinaitis. It gave the 12-man tag match some air time, but didn't accomplish much more than that.

A brief clip aired of Triple H saying he'd face Undertaker only if they had a Hell in a Cell match. The announcers hyped the three icons appearing in the same ring. They also hyped that The Rock would be coming up after the break with a message for John Cena...

Powell's POV: After all the fuss the company generated for John Cena's fender bender earlier today, I don't believe they've mentioned it yet on Raw tonight.

After the break, a vignette showed Japanese writing on the head and body of a bald wrestler. They never showed his face, but a graphic dubbed him Lord Tensai...

Powell's POV: Is Tensai another word for Hakushi in Japanese? Actually, it's Japanese for genius or prodigy.

The announcers set up a Rock video. Rock was standing next to the Rocky Balboa statue. He said Philadelphia is the city of ass kicking. He said the statue represents the fighting spirit of the city. He showed a picture of himself as a 12 year-old standing in front of the statue.

Rock joked that he looked like a chunky girl at age 12 and said his pebbles were sticking out of his short-shorts. He said the year after the photo was taken the first WrestleMania was held. He said six years later he watched The Ultimate Warrior become an icon. He joked that no one knows what Warrior was saying. Rock said that years later, he headlined his first WrestleMania in Philadelphia against Steve Austin.

Rock recalled Austin flipping him off and Stunning him to win the match. Rock said he vowed to continue his dream to become the greatest of all time. He said he went on to defeat Steve Austin and Hulk Hogan. He said that in order to become the greatest of all time, he has to beat John Cena.

Rock said he was going to get in his car and drive to the Wells Fargo Center. He said he was going to get in the ring and deliver a message to John Cena. He said that if Cena doesn't get the message, he's going to get in his car and go to Pat's to get the biggest cheesesteak he can find, roll it up in a ball, turn it sideways, and stick it straight up Cena's ass.

Rock impersonated Mick Foley, Ric Flair, and Randy Savage. He said that in the spirit of Rocky Balboa, he's going to eat lighting, crap thunder, and layeth the Smacketh down. He said that when Rock beats Cean in the middle of the ring, the dream of the 12 year-old boy to become the greatest of all time will come true...

Powell's POV: An entertaining promo with a great mix of comedy, nostalgia, and just enough seriousness. Rock was really on in that segment.

[Q4] Daniel Bryan and A.J. made their entrance. Cole said Bryan would face Zack Ryder after the break... [C] Highlights aired from Smackdown of Chris Jericho beating Sheamus via countout thanks to help from Daniel Bryan... Footage aired from a Zack Ryder rally where he spoke to fans and pumped them up to get him on Team Teddy...

3. Daniel Bryan (w/A.J.) beat Zack Ryder in a non-title match in 2:00. Ryder went for his Rough Ryder finsiher, but Bryan countered with the LeBell Lock for the submission win. Bryan did the "Yes, yes, yes!!!" routine after the match...

Powell's POV: Dot Net correspondent Mark Gessner noted that Bryan got heat during the commercial break by saying people cheer Ryder for the same reason they cheer Rocky - Philadelphia is a city of losers.

Cole acknowledged the John Cena accident for the first time in the show. He said Cena says he's fine, but the marketing rep who was with him says otherwise... [C]

Powell's POV: Are they giving Cena an out for losing at WrestleMania 28?

After the break, Cole and a graphic hyped that Flo Rida "stars" at WrestleMania 28...

[Q5] John Cena's music played and he was greeted by a lot of boos. He walked onto the stage, looked into the camera, and said, "I will see you" when he faces The Rock at WrestleMania on April 1. Cena ran the ropes and threw his hat to the crowd. He pointed to the WrestleMania 28 sign.

Mark Henry made his entrance. Cole hyped that SummerSlam tickets go on sale on Saturday for the Los Angeles event...

4. John Cena pinned Mark Henry in 8:00. Henry dominated Cena for the first 2:30 of the match and then the show cut to commercial.

Powell's POV: Former ECW Champion Shane Douglas is at Raw and caused some commotion in the crowd. Dot Net reader Dave Engelhard reports: "Shane Douglas is here. He just walked from the ringside area seats, up the stairs to the concourse. Security was going after him. Not sure why, but he was slapping hands." You can view footage that Douglas posted of his antics online at Youtube.com/watch?v=7VgcgFEfxEU&context=C4649b72ADvjVQa1PpcFM_FKqtUMQimSRRm9LqQMSRTAK0_g_fc2A=. Obviously, he's trying to generate some interest in the Extreme Reunion promotion.

After the break, Henry continued to dominate the offense. The announcers questioned whether Cena was suffering from the car accident. Cena came back and hit his signature spots. He went for the Attitude Adjustment, but he couldn't get him up the first time. He pulled off the Attitude Adjustment a short time later and scored the pin.

After the match, The Rock's music hit and he headed to the ring. Rock headed to the ring and performed the Rock Bottom on Henry. Cena stood there with his jaw dropped. Rock said something to Cena and then headed to the back. Cena remained in the ring and pointed at the WrestleMania sign while holding up two fingers (for two weeks)...

At ringside, the announcers recapped the segment and then set up video footage of Shawn Michaels announcing that he will be special referee of the Hell in a Cell match... [C]

Powell's POV: WWE made good use of the Cena car accident by making him look vulnerable throughout the majority of the match. However, I still think his accident should have been a major talking point throughout the show. I assume Cena will return the favor by hitting a big move in front of Rock either tonight or next week.

[Q6] WWE boasted about their Facebook network via an onscreen graphic... Cole set up footage of the segment from "Extra" that set up the Divas match at WrestleMania 28...

The Miz stood in the ring with a mic in his hand. He recalled King Kong Bundy being in the main event of WrestleMania 2, and then working a match with Hillbilly Jim and little people at WrestleMania 3. He said that was the biggest drop off in WrestleMania history. Until now, he added. He noted that at least Bundy had a match. Miz said he issued an open challenge and told John Laurinaitis to watch closely. Sheamus's music interrupted Miz...

5. Sheamus pinned The Miz in 3:00. Sheamus struggled to get a grip on Miz before hoisting him up on his shoulders. He recovered nicely. A shot aired of Laurinaitis and Otunga watching the match on a backstage monitor. Later, Sheamus missed the Brogue Kick, but he came right back and connected with it on his second try and scored the clean pin...

The announcers spoke at ringside and hyped Chris Jericho for NBC's "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" on Wednesday night. They replayed footage of Jericho revealing Punk's sister's substance abuse problems... The announcers ran through a portion of the WrestleMania 28 lineup...

Powell's POV: I like all of the brief replays they're doing. Sure, they can be repetitive, but it's obviously good for viewers who didn't watch the entire show and it keeps the bigger angles fresh in the minds of viewers who are being overloaded heading into WrestleMania. By the way, two men have been added to Team Johnny at WrestleMania 28. Check out the story on the Dot Net main page.

[Q7] Highlights aired of the Undertaker and Shawn Michaels segment from last week...

Josh Mathews interviewed Randy Orton with their backs to the crowd near the stage. Orton said he looks in Kane's eyes and there are no signs of humanity. Orton said he knows exactly who he is and what he's capable of. He ran through Kane's nicknames. Orton said he is none of those things. "My name is Randy Orton," Orton concluded...

Powell's POV: Nothing memorable about that promo, though I'm not sure what the guy is supposed to say about what feels like a throwaway match.

An anti-bullying video aired... Vickie Guerrero walked onto the stage and introduced Jack Swagger and Dolph Ziggler as the newest members of Team Laurinaitis. Cole said they would face R-Truth and Kofi Kingston after the break... [C] Another ad aired for the one-hour documentary that will lead into next Monday's WWE Raw show...

6. Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger (w/Vickie Guerrero) beat Kofi Kingston and R-Truth (w/Aksana) in 4:20. There was a good series with Dolph and Kingston, including Ziggler hitting a great dropkick that drew a collective gasp from the live crowd. Kofi took more punishment when Swagger tagged in, but he DDT'd him and made the hot tag to Truth.

Truth hit his signature spots on Ziggler and went for a cover. He gave up the pin when Swagger tried to break it up, causing Swagger to land on Truth. A short time later, Ziggler came back with the Fameasser and went for the cover on Truth, who put his leg on the bottom rope. Vickie moved Truth's leg off the rope and the referee counted the pin. Aksana shoved Vickie after the match and they had to be pulled apart after Aksana got the better of the exchange...

[Q8] Footage aired of Triple H performing a Tombstone Piledriver on Dolph Ziggler at Madison Square Garden and using other Taker mannerisms. The announcers played it up as Hunter sending a message to Taker. They hyped that Taker, HBK, and Hunter would be in the same ring after the break... [C]

Powell's POV: They have 12 men to focus on in the 12-man tag match, yet it seems like everyone who will be outside the ring is getting more attention than the actual wrestlers.

Highlights aired of The Rock hitting the Rock Bottom on Mark Henry in front of John Cena... Cole hyped that Rock and Cena will have one more confrontation on Raw next week in Atlanta...

Shawn Michaels made his entrance. Once in the ring, Shawn took the mic and said, "The end of an era." He said there's a Hell in a Cell match with Undertaker and Triple H, but everyone is talking about his role as the special referee. He said he made a Hall of Fame career out of stealing the show and being the Showstopper. He said this year is going to be no different.

HBK said that it's cool knowing that he holds the end of an era in the palm of his hands. He said people want to know whether he can be impartial. He turned his attention to Taker rather than answering. He said "end of an era" is code for "end of The Streak." He said Taker is in the same place he was two years ago when he saw the end and knew that it was inevitable.

Taker's gong sounded and he made his entrance. Once Taker was in the ring, Shawn tried to say something, but Taker cut him off. He said Shawn has already done enough talking. He recalled telling Shawn that the match had to be pure. "So before you and your buddy start making plans..." Taker was interrupted by Triple H's entrance music.

[Overrun] Triple H headed to the ring in jeans and a t-shirt rather than the suit. He did the water spitting routine while Taker glared at him. Hunter turned and returned the glare. There was a cool shot of Taker making a fist.

Triple H said Taker needs to stop worrying about HBK. "Because as much as Shawn's ego wants this to be about him, it's not," Hunter said while looking at Michaels. He said the match is about him and Undertaker. He said they have had two legendary parallel careers and they are connected by Hell in a Cell.

Hunter said there have been 24 Hell in a Cell matches, and he and Taker have combined to be in 19 of those matches. Hunter said Hell in a Cell taught him that what doesn't kill him makes him stronger, and how to end another man's career. "It's where I thrive," Hunter said. "It's where I excel." He said all of those matches he went through were for one moment. He pointed at the WrestleMania sign.

"The whole world is going to see the end of an era," Triple H said while getting face-to-face with Taker. "Yours. And don't worry, I know exactly what it's going to take inside that hell to finish the job."

Taker cut him off by asking: "Do you? Are you sure? Your mind, your body, your soul, your career, your wife, your kids, all this, even your life. Are you willing to put it all on the line?" There was a long silence between the trio. "If it means giving you the end that you so richly deserve, than I am," Triple H said. Hunter and Taker got face-to-face again. "And I will," Triple H followed up.

Taker and Hunter stared at one another. Taker backed up and teased leaving the ring. He stopped and turned around to face the DX duo. "You remember when I said Shawn is better than you?" Taker asked. "He is." Taker's music played. HBK smirked and then turned his head to find a glaring Triple H. Shawn's face turned to serious mode. Hunter looked back at Taker, and Shawn smirked again to close the show...

Powell's POV: I can't get enough of the hype for the Hell in a Cell match. They didn't break any new ground with what they said tonight, but I love the mind games that Taker's character is playing, the intensity of Triple H, and the way they are playing up the possibility of Shawn's ego taking over. The closing bit with Shawn smirking whenever Hunter wasn't looking over Taker saying he's better was classic. Triple H also did a great job of making the Hell in a Cell aspect of the match seem important again, as that had been lost a bit in the previous weeks.

Overall, the bookend segments were the highlights of the night. Rock's promo in front of the Rocky statue was very good, but it seemed like he and Cena took a backseat to the Hell in a Cell, and Jericho vs. Punk hype while doing more than enough to remind viewers how important their match is. Let's face it, when those two take center stage, it has overshadowed everything else. Obviously, they will get more time next week to deliver final hype for their match.

The other WrestleMania matches feel like, well, the other WrestleMania matches. Sadly, even the Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus match feels way down on the pecking order compared to the top three matches. I'll have a lot more to say about the show in Dot Net Members' audio later tonight. Thanks for watching along with me.

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