By Jason Powell

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WWE Raw on the USA Network
Live from Miami, Florida

[Q1] The show opened with a shot of the talent seated backstage. The camera moved to the front of the room where John Laurinaitis was standing. He gave a brief speech and announced that Santino Marella would defend the U.S. Title against Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger in a Triple Threat match.

C.M. Punk interrupted from the back of the room. Laurinaitis said he wasn't taking questions. Punk said it was more of a statement on behalf of the fans and most of the wrestlers in the room. He said Laurinaitis might be the general manager of Raw, but they still consider him "a giant toolbox." Laurinaitis took it as a joke. Punk said he wasn't joking.

Laurinaitis booked Punk in a WWE Championship match against Mark Henry. Laurinaitis welcomed the wrestlers to a new era, which he billed "People Power"... The opening video aired. Pyro went off on the stage. Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler introduced the show from ringside...

The Rock's music played and he headed to the ring to a huge pop. The Rock stood on the stage and soaked up the cheers before heading to the ring and then the cheers grew louder as he did. Once in the ring, Rock posed on the ropes as his music continued to play. He took the mic and the cheers grew louder again. Once the music stopped, a huge "Rocky" chant broke out and then a "Boots 2 Asses" chant followed.

Rock was on the verge of talking, but he smiled and then pointed at the goosebumps on his arms. Rock started to talk, but the fans started another "You've Still Got It" chant. Rock thanked the fans and then went into his promo. He said he returned 14 months ago, but it wasn't until he stood victorious at WrestleMania that he could finally say, "Finally, The Rock has come back... home."

Rock said he had one man to thank."That man is John Cena," Rock said. Massive boos for the mention of Cena with some high-pitched cheers. A loud "Cena sucks" chant started. "Last night at WrestleMania, John Cena brought it to The Rock like never before," Rock said.

Rock said that after all of the things Cena did, he was having a JHC Moment - "Jesus H. Christ, get this guy off me," Rock said. He said it was an honor to have competed with Cena in the biggest match of all time. He said that win or lose, they made history at WrestleMania and they did it for the fans. The fans politely applauded.

The Rock thanked friends and family for coming and said most importantly he had to thank the fans. He led the Miami crowd in the "millions" chant. He recalled being cut from the Canadian Football League in 1995. "Do you have any idea how much you have to suck to get cut from the Canadian Football League?" Rock asked.

Powell's POV: Awesome line. Sorry, Canada.

Rock said it's because of the fans that he's the most electrifying man in sports entertainment and "your People's Champion." Rock said that for those who think that this is the end, "The Rock guaran-damn-tees that this is just the beginning." The fans responded with a huge "Yes! Yes! Yes!" chant, which got a laugh from Rock. The fans followed up with a "Thank you, Rocky," chant.

[Q2] "This is just the beginning because you see ever since last night at WrestleMania, The Rock has had this vision," Rock said. He recalled celebrating his victory and joked about how he did it dancing. He said a fan whistled. He thanked the fan, said he was a man, and then labeled him a John Cena fan, and laugh.

The Rock asked the fans if they wanted to hear the vision he had. Another huge "Yes!" chant. The Rock said his vision is to become the WWE Champion. Another big "Yes!" chant from the fans. "Team Bring It worldwide, thank you, I love you, that will come true one day," Rock said. He concluded with the "If you smell what The Rock is cooking" line...

Powell's POV: A great opening segment that should put to rest the casual fan assumption that he was going away after WrestleMania. The live crowd was red hot for Rock in Miami, and the "Yes!" chants were great. It will be interesting to see whether WWE officials feel the need to turn Daniel Bryan based on all of the love his character is getting in Miami.

Cole showed video footage of John Cena saying he would lose everything if he lost to The Rock. Cole questioned what the future holds for Cena. Cole said Cena would be at Raw and had vowed to call out The Rock... Santino Marella made his entrance for his title defense... [C]

Still shots aired from WrestleMania 28... Vickie Guerrero came out and introduced Jack Swagger, and then Dolph Ziggler... Cole explained the rules of the Triple Threat match. He was shown at ringside wearing a white suit and said he was paying homage to Big Johnny...

1. Santino Marella vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Jack Swagger in a Triple Threat match for the U.S. Title. Vickie Guerrero was at ringside for both of her men. Cole ran through some of the WrestleMania 28 results as the match got underway. Santino backdropped Dolph to ringside, but Swagger blasted him with a shoulder block going into the break. [C]

[Q3] After the break, Santino was about to use The Cobra on Swagger, but Ziggler broke it up. Swagger and Ziggler bickered over who was going to pin Santino. Swagger hit a belly-to-belly on Ziggler, who later tagged him with a dropkick. Santino hit The Cobra on Swagger and got the clean pin.

Santino Marella defeated Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger to retain the U.S. Title in 6:50.

After the match, the heels followed Santino up the ramp. Brodus Clay walked onto the stage and ended up doing the battering ram headbutt on Ziggler, who took a nasty bump on the stage. The crowd chanted "Funkasaurus." Brodus, Santino, and Clay's dancers danced on the stage... Cole hyped that new World Hvt. Champion Sheamus would be out after the break... [C]

Powell's POV: Damn, this is one hot crowd in Miami tonight. They're going nuts and chanting for everything. As usual, Dolph was bumping all over the place and that one on the stage looked painful. It will be interesting to see how the crowd reacts during the Sheamus segment since they're clearly hot for "Yes! Yes! Yes!" Plus, Dot Net reader Matthew Hiett is at the show and stated that the fans were chanting, "Vince screwed Bryan" repeatedly prior to Raw.

A graphic touted that WrestleMania had more than four times the social media buzz of any cable show...

2. Lord Tensai (w/Teshi) vs. Alex Riley. Cole said Tensai is a former WWE star who went to Japan and became an international star. Cole said Tensai's sidekick is a worshiper of Tensai. Tensai removed the headgear and had Japanese symbols on his face. There were some "A-Train" chants and a random, loud "Daniel Bryan" chant.

Tensai grabbed Riley by the throat with both hands and slammed him down. The referee called for the bell even though there wasn't a pin.

[Q4] After the match, Tensai applied a claw hold to Riley...

Lord Tensai beat Alex Riley via ref stoppage in 2:50.

Powell's POV: I like the way they acknowledged Tensai's background in WWE. It seems odd that they would do so without listing his name or running through his WWE history, but frankly it wasn't all that impressive. If nothing else, acknowledging his history should limit the "A-Train" chants in the future since the fans won't feel like they are being smart or exposing something WWE doesn't want out there. Meanwhile, it looks like Riley will remain a hero of WWE Superstars and/or WWE NXT at best for the time being.

A shot aired of C.M. Punk walking backstage... [C] Still shots aired of WreslteMania 28, including the shot of a dejected Cena sitting on the stage... Another video clip aired from a past Raw of Cena talking about why he had to beat The Rock...

Powell's POV: They are doing a hell of a job building up to the Cena promo tonight. By the way, I have no problem with The Rock going after the WWE Championship, particularly if it's at WrestleMania 29. They could create some mystery regarding who his opponent will be, though the Royal Rumble could be predictable if he's in it or predictable in terms of which champion the challenger chooses to go after. Even so, this could be a set up for John Cena getting his rematch if he is the champion heading into WrestleMania 29. Keep in mind that just because Rock says he's going after the title doesn't mean he's going to win it.

3. C.M. Punk vs. Mark Henry for the WWE Championship. They recapped the segment with Punk mouthing off that led to Laurinaitis booking this match. Henry jumped out to the early advantage and there was another "Daniel Bryan" chant followed by a brief "Yes!" chant. Henry roughed up Punk in the corner and yelled, "I didn't tell you to move, you move when I tell you."

[Q5] Punk fired back with kicks, but Henry caught him in a bear hug. Punk blasted him with elbows and DDT'd him. Punk went for a cover, but Henry did the strong kick out that sent Punk flying. Punk followed up with a round of kicks and a running knee. Henry made a brief comeback and went to the corner, but Punk stopped him from climbing the ropes.

The vocal crowd chanted "Yes" whenever Punk landed a punch, and they followed up with a "whooooa" as he ran toward Henry. Henry came back with a splash attempt off the second rope, but Punk moved. Punk went for a springboard move, but Henry clotheslined him as they went to break. [C]

Powell's POV: The crowd is just a riot tonight. I'm not sure how much credit to give Miami, though, as I assume there are still a lot of WrestleMania holdovers who remained in town to see Raw tonight. Either way, they are creating one hell of an atmosphere. Oh, and call me crazy, but I think Daniel Bryan is going to rebound nicely from that quick loss to Sheamus on Sunday. Speaking of Bryan, I must have misunderstood Cole earlier when I wrote that he was coming up after a break. I sure hope he's on the show.

An ad for Smackdown questioned who the general manager is, and who left WrestleMania with the World Title and the Intercontinental Title. You know, things they've already answered on Raw. Good lord...

Back live, Henry was still in control of the offense after the break. The "Daniel Bryan" chants started again. Punk made his comeback with a round of chops and kicks that drew big reactions from the crowd after each shot. He finally knocked Henry down. Punk went to the top rope, held up his hands, and smiled. Punk leapt off the top rope and hit the elbow drop.

Punk clutched his back. Henry got to his feet first, but Punk got up and drilled him with two high knees in the corner. Punk went for the bulldog, but Henry picked him up and dumped him over the top rope. Punk got to his knees at the eight count and was unable to get back inside the ring.

Mark Henry defeated C.M. Punk via count-out in 13:00.

Henry wasn't happy with the outcome of the match (he was acting dazed while Punk was being counted out). Henry went to ringside and performed the World's Strongest Slam on Punk on the floor.

John Laurinaitis and David Otunga walked onto the stage. Laurinaitis said he wants to give the fans better matches and they want him to defend his title more often. Laurinaitis said he sees dark clouds in Punk's horizon. "I'm not talking thunderstorms, I'm talking a natural disaster.

Chris Jericho emerged from the crowd. He said it was a shame what just happened to Punk. "Is that the man who beat me at WrestleMania last night?" Jericho asked. He said it is. He said it was a classic match and therefore the two of them deserve to celebrate with a drink. Jericho pulled out a bottle of booze and explained that Punk claims to be Straight Edge.

Jericho said he himself drinks, but never to excess and he would never drink and drive. He said he was going to lead Punk down a lonely path that will leave him just like his father. Jericho poured the booze over Punk's face. Jericho kicked Punk, but slipped on the booze and fell on his ass in the process. Jericho got up and asked if Punk wanted another drink.

Jericho grabbed another bottle. He said he was destined to end up just like his sister and his father now that he's had a taste. He warned him not to drink too much or it would go straight to his head. Jericho slammed the bottle down on Punk's head and the bottle shattered. "Drink it up," Jericho said off-mic...

Powell's POV: First off, I enjoyed the match a lot. Punk sold Henry's power nicely and his comeback was strong. Of course, the live crowd was also into everything Punk did, so that helped. I'm also happy they didn't have a clean finish because it either sets up a rematch or keeps Henry looking strong. The first part of the angle wasn't all that shocking since I think most of us expected them to do the bit where Jericho pours booze over Punk at some point, but it was still really good. The bottle broke way too easily, but it still looked impressive and the live crowd gasped. I guess now we know how they get to Extreme Rules in Chicago.

[Q6] [C] Still shots aired of Sheamus beating Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 28... Sheamus was introduced by Justin Roberts and he received some boos from the live crowd. Before Sheamus could get a sentence out, he was interrupted by Alberto Del Rio's entrance music. Ricardo Rodriguez introduced Del Rio, who did the car entrance.

Del Rio said no one will remember Sheamus's win in a month because he will lose it. The crowd chanted "Daniel Bryan" over the top of him. Del Rio said Sheamus has a new challenger who doesn't hide behind a chica. The crowd chanted "Si! Si! Si!" Hilarious. Sheamus said the people don't want to hear him go on and on, they want him to see him kick someone in the face. That got a mix of boos and cheers.

Del Rio said he wasn't looking for a fight. He said Laurinaitis granted him a match against Sheamus on Friday's Smackdown television show. Del Rio said if he wins the match, he gets a future title shot. Del Rio's mic cut out a couple of times. When he grabbed a new mic, Sheamus blasted him with a Brogue Kick...

A shot aired of a serious looking Daniel Bryan and a somber A.J. watching Sheamus on a backstage monitor. The Stalker Josh Mathews showed up and said Bryan must be very upset. Bryan glared at Mathews, who backed off and turned it over to the announcers...

Cole hyped John Cena for later in the show and then more WrestleMania still shots were shown... [C]

Powell's POV: It sucks that Sheamus is catching hell from the Daniel Bryan loving live crowd. It's great the fans dig Bryan so much, but Sheamus also got the shaft last year at WrestleMania, and I'm guessing he was rolling his eyes a bit at the 18-second match on Sunday. I also liked the ultra-serious Daniel Bryan backstage. The Del Rio segment was flat. Is his character ever going to evolve and say new things?

Machine Gun Kelly was shown in the crowd. He received some boos, which he acknowledged by cupping his ear...

4. Cody Rhodes vs. Kofi Kingston. Cody hit a Beautiful Disaster kick just 40 seconds into the match. The announcers assumed he was going to pin Kingston, but he picked him up instead. Big Show came out and delivered the expected embarrassing video, which was actually a few still shots of him knocking out Cody. When Cody turned his attention back to Kofi, Kingston nailed him with Trouble in Paradise and pinned him...

Kofi Kingston defeated Cody Rhodes in 1:45.

Powell's POV: I'm happy that predictable segment is out of the way. This was all about Cody and Show. Kofi was destroyed and only won because of the Show distraction, so he gained nothing from this, nor was it designed to accomplish that.

Another clip of Cena talking on a past Raw about how he had to beat Rock was shown. Cole questioned where Cena's head was at after losing at WrestleMania. He said Cena has been silent and his friends were questioning whether he would "hang it up." Cole said Cena is there and will call out The Rock... [C] A graphic hyped WrestleMania 29 for April 7 in New Jersey...

Powell's POV: The Cena retirement tease seems a little over the top, but keep in mind that he caters to kids who might buy it.

A graphic touted that WrestleMania was the social media event of the year because of how many Mania-related items trended... Additional still shot photos were shown...

Abraham Washington approached Mark Henry in the locker room. Henry called him "A.W." and asked what the hell he wanted. A.W. said his name isn't Obama, but the world sees it's time for a change. He said he should represent Henry. He gave him a card that read "A.W." Henry took the card. "I'm on your schedule," A.W. said...

Powell's POV: A manager?!? Whether they call him a manager, an agent, or some new term they come up with to avoid saying manager, I'm all for it. By the way, A.W. has been shown in some backstage segments lately. They didn't acknowledge him, but he was shown talking with different people. Is he forming a stable?

Still shots aired of the Team Johnny vs. Team Teddy match and Eve's actions...

Eve walked onto the stage. She said everyone wants to have a WrestleMania moment. "And last night I got mine," she said. Eve boasted that she manipulated Zack Ryder and said how easy it was. The fans chanted for Ryder. Eve said it's easy to manipulate, but not a powerful man like John Laurinaitis. She said if her actions helped him last night, so be it. "Now, let's hear it for People Power"...

The announcers set up footage of The Rock's promo from earlier in the show. They teased John Cena's appearance. Cole said some people close to him said the loss hit him hard, while others expect him to rebound...

Powell's POV: I'm intrigued, yet I suspect it will feel like it's business as usual for Cena by the end of the show.

[Q8] [C] Additional WrestleMania 28 still shots were shown...

5. The Miz vs. Zack Ryder. Miz got the majority of the offense early, but Ryder came back with some of his signature offense. He stopped to do the "Woo Woo Woo" and followed up with a boot to the face in the corner. Miz came back with the Skull Crushing Finale for the win...

The Miz beat Zack Ryder in 2:55.

Powell's POV: The match felt unimportant at this point in the show as people are getting read for the big angle. That said, the live crowd was happy to see Ryder. I've had a couple of readers ask whether Laurinaitis referring to a natural disaster could be a reference to Brock Lesnar's F5. It could be, but it's also worthing noting again that the Japanese symbols used in the video for Tensai mean "natural disaster."

Additional shots from WrestleMania 28 were shown... The announcers hyped Randy Orton vs. Kane in a WrestleMania rematch, and Shemaus vs. Alberto Del Rio in a non-title match for Friday's Smackdown television show...

John Cena made his entrance in his new Boston Celtics green gear. He stopped on the stage and looked over at the camera and then saluted before heading to the ring. He soaked up the boos. "I never thought of losing," Cena said. "But now that it's happened, the only thing to do is do it right. That is the obligation to those who believe in me.

[Overrun] "We all take defeats in life. Those are famous words from the great Muhammad Ali." Cena said the fans have seen clips of things he said on the Road to WrestleMania. He said he talked a lot and anyone else in his shoes would make excuses and backtrack.
"That is not me, that will never be me," Cena said. "I meant every single thing I said. I meant it then and I mean it now. There is not one second in the year-long build to WrestleMania that I thought I was going to lose."

Cena said if you think that way then you're going to lose. He said no one goes undefeated in life. He said a true champion retains their will to win even through their most disappointing loss. He said there was a lot of speculation as to how he would react and whether he would come out and lash out at his opponents.

"You're a loser," the fans chanted. Cena held up the mic and smirked. "Will this finally be the day that I lash out at the WWE Universe." The fans chanted, "Yes! Yes! Yes!" Cena said he hated to be the bearer of bad news, but that will not happen. Cena said he is a man and will own up to defeat. "Last night at WrestleMania, I lost to The Rock."

Cena said some critics will make WrestleMania 28 the most important moment of his career, but he assured everyone it will not be his last. The fans booed. Funny. Cena acknowledged everyone who supported him including friends, family, and Machine Gun Kelly. He said MGK's performance and speech were wonderful. Cena said all he can do is work his ass off and try to be the best he can be.

Cena said it was time to address the rumor mill. Cena said he wasn't there to call out The Rock. He said that when you call someone out that means you want to fight. He said they settled their differences last night. A loud "We Want Lesnar" chant broke out. Cena stopped and acknowledged the chants by raising his eyebrows. He said it's always an interesting crowd at Raw. "I actually want The Rock," Cena said.

Cena said Dwayne Johnson is a man who has earned his respect. Cena said he wants the world to know that he considers him a champion. He said Rock is an inspiration. He said that after last night, he now considers The Rock to be the greatest WWE Superstar in this industry. Cena said he knew the fans were having fun, so he wanted to have one more moment of celebration for Florida's own Dwayne Johnson in the middle of the ring.

"Dwayne, on a personal note and I know you're watching, this past year has been exhausting. We let it all out on the line and often times way over the line verbally." The fans chanted "We want Lesnar" again. Cena stopped to let them chant. Cena said the understands the excitement in the air, but he put his heart and soul on the line last night.

Cena said The Rock was a better man. The fans chanted "Yes! Yes! Yes." Cena said it along with them and then said, "Daniel Bryan, you owe me one." The fans chanted "Daniel Bryan." Cena smiled and said, "This is why I love Raw." Cena said that all joking aside, he wants to publicly acknowledge that Rock was a better man at WrestleMania, and he wants to congratulate him on his victory.

There was a long pause. Brock Lesnar's music played and the building went f'n bananas. Lesnar walked onto the stage and paced. "Oh, my!" Cole said. "Brock Lesnar! The former WWE Champion. The American Airlines Arena has come unglued. Lesnar went from one side of the stage to the other and and looked up at both sides. Lesnar did his dance and slammed his hands down (no pyro) and then headed to ringside.

Cena smiled as he looked down at Brock. "Holy shit," the fans chanted. Cena nodded while smiling. Lesnar climbed onto the ring apron. Cena clapped. Lesnar stuck his hand out for a shake. For God knows what reason, they cut to a shot of some random fan, and when they cut back, Brock hoisted up Cena and dropped him with the F5. The fans popped huge. Lesnar stood over Cena and talked smack without a mic.

"The landscape, the complexion of the WWE has been drastically changed with one emphatic F5 from The Beast, from The Freak, Brock Lesnar," Cole said. They replayed the footage without the horrible fan cutaway and showed that when Cena accepted Lesnar's handshake, Brock pulled him in and hit him with the F5. Back live, Lesnar went to the second rope and held up his arms as the fans cheered to close the show...


Powell's POV: I love it! Cena's promo gives his fans what they're looking for out of him, and they didn't give away a big feel good moment with Rock and Cena that I don't think anyone wanted. Rather, they delivered the return of Brock Lesnar the night after WrestleMania and the fans loved it. What a great way to keep viewers watching now that Rock, Triple H, Undertaker, and Shawn Michaels are going away. This was a hot show and they capped it off with the angle that the fans were obviously hoping for. I'll have a lot more to say about Lesnar and the overall show when Chris Shore and I team up for a member exclusive audio review of Raw later tonight. See the top of the page for instructions on how to sign up for our $5 special that expires on Wednesday. Thanks for watching along with me tonight.

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