By Jason Powell

Dot Net Members are listening to the 57-minute audio review of WWE Raw that I recorded late last night. They are also listening to the 103-minute Royal Rumble audio review that Chris Shore and I recorded on Sunday night. Join us on the ad-free version of the website by signing up for membership via Prowrestling.net/amember/signup.php. You are also encouraged to download our free apps for iTunes, Android, and Amazon.

WWE Raw Hits

Triple H and Undertaker: I'm surprised that most of the feedback I've received about the likely WrestleMania rematch is so negative. These two stole the show at WrestleMania 27. There's no guarantee they can do it again, but they are legends and have earned the right to try. For that matter, the story they told last year was clearly a chapter in a rivalry that will pick up again this year. Undertaker's return was a nice surprise even though we all knew it would happen sooner or later, and Triple H patting him on the back and walking out without accepting the silent challenge set up an intriguing followup.


C.M. Punk vs. Daniel Bryan: The internet somehow survived a Punk vs. Bryan match on Raw complete with the Chris Jericho run-in. If that didn't break it, then nothing will. The match was highly entertaining and they were given a full 15 minutes to work with. I'm sure some viewers groaned over the finish, but I thought it was perfect in the sense that you knew you weren't going to see a clean finish, yet they delivered one that allowed Bryan to do his usual over the top celebration despite earning a fluky victory and set the stage for Punk vs. Jericho. The only question I have is why WWE chose to advertise Randy Orton vs. Dolph Ziggler online instead. If ever there was a match that WWE should advertise online it's Punk vs. Bryan.

Randy Orton vs. Dolph Ziggler: Another entertaining match that was given a good chunk of time. I was also okay with the finish of this match. As much as I want to see Ziggler elevated to a true main event talent (without the John Laurinaitis crutch), my guess is that his push will truly kick in when the new season of WWE essentially begins after WrestleMania. He may have lost the match clean, but this was a competitive and enjoyable match.

John Laurinaitis: Forget everything else on the loaded show. Nothing got a bigger reaction out of this viewer than Regal talking about his conjoined twin daughters and how he leaves them in the attic while an oblivious John Laurinaitis spoke about how difficult the fifth grade can be. I'm ready for a weekly dose of that type of Regal humor. Meanwhile, Laurinaitis's glad-handing routine cracked me up throughout the entire show.

Kofi Kingston vs. The Miz: A minor hit. The match was solid but I couldn't help feeling that both guys desperately needed wins, and thus the winner wouldn't get much out of it. That said, Kofi needed the win even more than Miz because he's been a glorified jobber since Evan Bourne's suspension started. Speaking of which, how in the hell did Kingston's character qualify for an Elimination Chamber spot from a storyline standpoint? Apparently, walking on your hands is a higher criteria than wins and losses.

Beth Phoenix vs. Eve: A minor hit for a brief match. I liked it simply because they are trying to reestablish Beth as dominant. It succeeded on that level, yet Eve was given the out that she's distracted by the situation with Zack Ryder.

WWE Raw Misses

John Cena beats up Kane: We have a party up in here! I don't know what it was, but the entire segment became an eye roller for me the second that Cena blurted that out. I was mildly intrigued by the way the announcers were pointing out how much Cena seemed to be getting off on his newfound violent streak, but Cena didn't do it any favors after the show when he stated bluntly that he's not going to embrace the hate. Sure, the story could be that he's in denial, but he's better off leaving us wondering at this point rather than writing that on his Twitter page.

Elimination Chamber announcement: I'm cool with WWE leaking the Mike Tyson story to get the mainstream media attention, but the random announcement of the Raw version of the Elimination Chamber match on the WWE website left a lot to be desired. I enjoy the qualifying matches and frankly most of the challengers in the match could have used televised qualifying wins to raise their stock.

Brodus Clay vs. Tyler Reks: I'm ready to turn the page and read the next chapter of the Brodus Clay story. I can't blame WWE for taking their time with it, but that doesn't change the fact that the weekly squash matches and dance routine are starting to bore me.

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