Commentators: Matt Striker & Tony Dawson
Championship’s roll call: WWE Champion: The Rock… World Champion: Alberto Del Rio… Intercontinental Champion: Wade Barrett… United States Champion: Antonio Cesaro… Tag Team Champions: Team Hell No… NXT Champion: Big E Langston… NXT Tag Team Champions: Adrian Neville & Oliver Grey… Diva’s Champion: Kaitlyn
R-Truth vs. Michael McGillicutty: McGillicutty is going the Daniel Bryan whiskers route; he goes right after Truth at the bell and pummels him in the corner. He nails a dropkick and continues the assault; Truth tries a few punches but McGillicutty maintains the advantage with a shoulderblock. Michael hits the ropes but Truth tells him to stop… and then dances. This pisses McGillicutty off enough to break rhythm and miss a wild swing; Truth takes over with a punch to the face. He tosses him into the ropes but it is reversed; Truth floats over and cartwheels into a driving hiptoss. He drops the breakdance leg for two. Truth does not seem to be talking to Little Jimmy anymore as he applies an armbar. He screams “what’s up” a lot again, so he appears to be morphing back into old babyface Truth. McGillicutty backs him into the corner and does not give a clean break; Truth tries to come off the second rope but McGillicutty knocks him to the floor sideways. Back from commercial, Michael has a chinlock applied. Truth battles back with punches; he counters a backdrop with a kick but McGillicutty nails a beautiful Saito snap-suplex, for two. Tony Dawson says that Truth faced McGillicutty’s father, Mr. Perfect, in the ring before; that has to be back when Hennig made a brief comeback in 2001, around Royal Rumble time, and Truth was known as K-Kwik. McGillicutty hits a backbreaker and drops a knee into the back. He methodically works him over in the ropes and clubbers him down. Truth begins to “Truth Up” and actually acts a little like Hulk Hogan except that McGillicutty nails him in the face and cuts off the comeback… and applies a chinlock. The fans lightly chant for Truth but Michael quells that comeback. Truth then starts the comeback for real with clotheslines and the Truth Conviction, for two. McGillicutty avoids the scissors kick and tries a Perfect-plex but Truth reverses right into the Little Jimmy (or Lie Detector, per Dawson); not sure if that was a foul up or the WWE is renaming his finisher. Regardless, it was the Flatliner and it got the three. 5.5/10 I actually scored that pretty high for a match that involved a lot of chinlocks; I enjoyed it and liked the finishing sequence. Truth seems to have become the bland generic babyface again. I liked his heel character but when the Awesome Truth broke up he careened downward since that heel persona does not work a s a babyface; in this form I’m not sure what they are going to do.
Here is your winner… R-Truth via Little Jimmy/Lie Detector pinfall
The first Raw Rebound is about Triple H’s challenge to Brock Lesnar and Lesnar’s reply in the form of destroying Road Dogg and Billy Gunn. I sincerely hope the stips are “MMA Style match” in an octagon, since it is different than the usual steel cage, submission or Hell in a Cell matches.
The Rock/John Cena WWE Championship match at WrestleMania video package is shown.
Zack Ryder vs. JTG: Ryder continues to gripe that he’s not on the WrestleMania card and it is in his “backyard.” Matt Striker, who is from Queens, says it is in more of his backyard than Ryder’s; JTG could also make an argument, since he is from Brooklyn (and apparently attended WrestleMania XX), that it is in his backyard too. I attest, being from New Jersey, that WrestleMania is actually in my backyard, since MetLife Stadium is in the swamps of Jersey, and I’m not booked either… but I will be there in the crowd. Just as long as my machine ain’t a dud all stuck in the mud. Ryder fist-pumps, JTG makes fun of said fist-pump and misses a clothesline in the corner. JTG locks up again and plants a knee in his guts; Ryder comes back with an armdrag. JTG comes back with a knee of his own and shouts “come on, Long Island!” Ryder fights back until he gets clotheslined off the top rope and JTG hits a nice back suplex into a cutting neckbreaker move, which really needs a name, for two. He tries a few more punches and nearfalls. He traps Ryder in the ropes and punches away; JTG with a chinlock. Striker mentions that Ryder has “continued to remain relevant” by getting loud crowd reactions, which I think is his coding for “he’s done a good job staying over despite being an über jobber.” Ryder begins a comeback with a flapjack and double knee press in the corner into the missile dropkick. The Broski Boot follows for Ryder. The rough Ryder gets the pinfall. 4.5/10 I’m sure this win will not get Ryder booked at ‘Mania, but here’s hoping for him.
Here is your winner… Zack Ryder via Rough Ryder pinfall
The show concludes with the entire CM Punk/Undertaker/Kane/Paul Bearer fiasco from Raw. Punk disrespects the memory of Paul Bearer to enrage the Undertaker but he forgot about Kane, Bearer’s “son.” Vickie Guerrero booked Punk/Kane in a no DQ match which ended in a loss for Punk (with Taker’s help) but Punk got the last laugh, stealing the urn from Kane and Taker, nailing Kane with it, and mocking Bearer’s memory once again.
OVERALL 5/10 A pretty good opening match and a Ryder squash match (which are rare and only appear on WWE Superstars). Good show this week for about ten minutes of in-ring time.
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