By Jason Powell

Dot Net Members are listening to Chris Shore's 54-minute audio review of WWE Raw, and our 76-minute audio review of WWE Elimination Chamber. Join us on the ad-free version of the website by signing up for membership now via Prowrestling.net/amember/signup.php.

WWE Raw Hits

Undertaker and Triple H: Another strong segment. I'd like to take a moment to apologize on behalf of my home state for the ridiculous "What" chants during Taker's promo. Having said that, the live crowd that I was part of became totally engaged once Triple H came out. The back and forth between the two was strong and the setup for their match at WrestleMania was very well done.

I didn't see the Hell in a Cell announcement coming, as the idea of using the structure at an outdoor show sounds like it's more trouble than it's worth. Does this mean a crane company in Miami should expect a phone call? I loved the way Taker turned the tables by patting Hunter on the back and walking off at the end. It was also a really nice touch to buy the rights for the Metallica song "The Memory Remains" for this feud.

John Cena promo: A hard hitting promo. I don't think the fans care that Rock has jokes written for him, people behind the scenes, or security. Suggesting that he's gone Hollywood isn't going to sway Rock's fans unless Rock gives them a reason to do so. I'm also bored with all the talk of Rock leaving. The average fan doesn't care that Rock left because they're enjoying the fact that he's back now and obviously doesn't need to be. Nevertheless, Cena was focussed and raised the intensity of their war of words at just the right time. He may not have won over many Rock fans, but he gave his own fans something to hang their hats on while giving Rock's fans something to think about. By the way, the best unintentional comedy moment of the night came when WWE followed up Cena burying his own WWE Studios films by playing the trailer for Edge's movie. Oops.

Primo and Epico vs. Kofi Kingston and R-Truth: A good tag match that set up the tag champs with new challengers. Kofi and the champs worked well together down the stretch. The only negative is that I was deprived of watching Rosa's victory jiggling routine in person. Damn you, WWE.

Ron Simmons: Speaking of "Damn!", I was impressed by the level of respect the live crowd showed the Ron Simmons announcement. My hometown fans may have let me down with the "What" chants, but they came through here. There are plenty of casual fans in attendance, yet the video was followed by a nice applause and a brief standing ovation. Despite all of the complaints about who has or hasn't been inducted, the casual fans respect what the Hall of Fame stands for if this crowd was any indication.

Overall show: Target Center was as packed as I've seen it for a WWE show since SummerSlam '99. Only one upper deck section was tarped off and the crowd was into the action throughout the night, which made for a fun live atmosphere. It was a newsworthy show with the formation of two WrestleMania 28 matches. We didn't get any truly memorable wrestling moments, but the mic work was strong and it had the feeling of a WrestleMania season show.

WWE Raw Misses

Battle Royal: I didn't care for the random battle royal determining which wrestler would challenge for the WWE Championship. It just didn't feel prestigious enough considering what was at stake. Worse yet, the match was a train wreck with Wade Barrett's injury, frightening moments for Vickie Guerrero and Dolph Ziggler, and the unbelievably boneheaded spot with Santino Marella being thrown over the top rope and onto the floor near Barrett as he was being treated by EMT's. I watched the match play out on television before writing this and it came across better on TV than it did live, but it was still a mess. The only major positive coming out of the match is that the right guy went over.

Eve reveals plan to use John Cena: Call me old school, but it still annoys the hell out of me when heels lay out their evil plans right in front of the television camera. Let's say John Cena hadn't been standing right behind Eve as the boasted about using him and Zack Ryder. Did she not think he would see this on television or that someone may have passed along the information to him? It strikes me as lazy when the pro wrestling companies can't be bothered to come up with an explanation for the camera being there. I let it slide more often than not, but I have to bring it up in situations as absurd as this one.

Sheamus vs. Mark Henry: Another showcase win for Sheamus. I get what the goal was, but the match was just thrown out there. Sheamus pinning the monster former champion should have felt more important given how dominant Henry was. For that matter, Henry's return from his storyline suspension should have been treated like a bigger deal. That said, the match itself was competitive and entertaining.

David Otunga vs. Ezekiel Jackson: Is this the first step in WWE's attempt to give Otunga some in-ring credibility? He definitely needs it if they want him to be more than the Big Johnny sidekick. Nevertheless, this felt like a complete non-event and it made Teddy Long look like a dope for not finding a better opponent for Otunga.

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