“THE ROAD TO WRESTLEMANIA DRAWS EVER CLOSER”

I really enjoyed Raw this week and thought that they built on the matches heading into Wrestlemania nicely.

Its always a great way to kick off Raw with The Highlight Reel and Chris Jericho and seeing Y2J sitting atop the Ladder was awesome and a great way to promote the much anticipated and eagerly awaited “Money in the Bank” Ladder match at Wrestlemania. Jericho was given a little time to let fans know what the match and the prize means to him but unfortunately, that was all Jericho’s involvement was on his own Highlight Reel as his guests took centre stage and he was out the picture (literally).

In all honesty, they could have had this segment between Randy Orton and Jake the Snake Roberts without wasting Jericho’s time. Usually, he is involved in some way on his own show but not this time, this had absolutely nothing at all to do with Y2J. I also found it strange that the WWE used Chris Jericho’s Highlight Reel in which to bring in Jake “The Snake” Roberts considering how little Roberts thinks of Y2J. The interviews that I have “scanned” with Roberts in the past in which he mentions Jericho have never been flattering, he doesn’t rate him as a Wrestler at all and doesn’t appear to have any respect for Jericho what so ever. He didn’t even acknowledge Jericho when he stepped into the ring, he just snubbed him completely. In fact, reading a recent interview he gave he doesn’t think much to any of the talent on the Raw roster right now and I quote:-

“Roberts talked about being backstage at the show, saying the talent roster is pretty thin "believe me, it's thin. I was in the lockerroom, and yeah, their talent roster isn't that deep." He did say a few guys got something going, but whether or not it's handled right remains to be seen“.

Personally, I don’t agree with that statement and I think that the WWE has an incredible talent base of wrestlers of who most of the fans love and respect but what do I know, I am just a fan.

I have never seen Jake Roberts wrestle so I can’t comment, but I did see him on the video, “Beyond the Mat” and wasn’t that impressed by him. I do know that a lot of fans “marked out” big time at his appearance on Raw this week and I am sure nostalgia played a big part in that. As a new generation of fan, all I saw was an old man in the ring and from a personal level, I have no interest in him at all. I am sure that in his day he was popular but the WWE is so different today as are its Superstars and fans, everyone has moved on and its not the same WWE as it was in Roberts era. Yes, fans will always mark out big time for the big Superstars of the past like Roberts and Hogan but ask yourself an honest question, would you really get that excited about seeing them lock up with the young Superstars of today on a regular basis?. I know I wouldn’t and I personally feel, that while its always nice for the “old” Superstars (and I mean no disrespect by that at all) to come back every now and then, its today’s roster of Superstars that should be taking centre stage. Its time to move on.

Unfortunately, as much as some fans would love to go back to that time because they feel it was better, its in the past and as much as we would love to relive times from the past its not possible and they never work out the same as they did the first time around anyway. The WWE is forever evolving and that’s what keeps it fresh and exciting, there have been many eras and right now it’s a brand new era and one that most fans are loving being part of.

I enjoyed the opening match between with Christian and Tyson Tomko taking on Kane, it helped to build up heat between Kane and Christian heading into the Ladder Match at Wrestlemania. I am sure that Tyson Tomko is not going to forget his encounter with the Ladder this week either courtesy of the Big Red Machine and I am sure that we haven’t seen the last of Kane and Tomko squaring off, Tomko could possibly even cost Kane his chance of winning the Ladder Match and securing a shot at the World Heavyweight Title.

I also enjoyed the match between Shelton Benjamin and Edge although I still can’t separate the character of Edge from Adam Copeland and his affair with Lita. I have not lost any respect for Edge but I have for Adam Copeland and I have little interest in him right now. That aside this match did go a long way in creating heat between Shelton Benjamin, Edge and Chris Jericho heading into the Ladder Match at Wrestlemania. Seeing Y2J “leap” off the steps and slap the ladder hard into Edge’s jaw was awesome. He just flew baby!. It was a shame that Jericho didn’t have a match this week but hey ho, hopefully he will return to action next week.

While I had no interest in Jake The Snake Roberts, Marty Jannetty was a whole different matter. I really enjoyed watching him and would love to see him stick around for a while. Although I have never seen him in action before, I loved his match with Kurt Angle on Smackdown this week and just loved the Rockers Reunion on Raw when he teamed back up with Shawn Michaels as they took on La Resistance. It was just an awesome match with so many great spots.

I loved the backstage segment with Ric Flair and Gene Snitsky with Batista listening on. I have to admit that I find Batista a lot more effective and menacing when he doesn’t have to say much. His expressions say it all!. Ric Flair was just over the top crazy in this segment and he was just so funny. He failed to intimidate Batista whose expression was priceless. He didn’t have to say much but what he said spoke volumes.

I thought Trish came over really well in her interview with Maria, is it? (I am still not sure of all their names as they all look alike to me!). She said it like it is, Christy won a competition, she is not a wrestler and wasn’t hired to be one and she is now stepping into the ring with a 6 times women’s Champion. In reality, this one should be over very quickly with Trish leaving Wrestlemania with her belt, unfortunately, this is the WWE and considering how little respect they have for the Women’s title and it’s division I would not be at all surprised to see Christy crowned the new Women’s Champion.

While I have no problem in seeing Trish and Christy facing off in a match, I just wish the title wasn’t on the line. I have nothing at all against Christy, she is a good actress and seems like a genuinely nice person BUT its way too soon for her to be in such a high profile match especially considering she has never stepped inside the ring before in a serious match. If they put the title on her, then as a female fan, my interest in the women’s division will be lost completely until the WWE return to their senses and leave the wrestling and title matches to the athletes of the women’s division. I am not saying that Christy couldn’t become as effective as Trish, Molly or Victoria in time but that‘s a long way off. Personally, I would have much rather have seen a triple threat for the women’s title with Molly and Victoria being on the card at Wrestlemania, its just a shame that they have to sit idly by in the locker room while a non-wrestler effectively takes their spot at the biggest show in the WWE’s calendar.

I really couldn’t decide if Maria was having an orgasm or a baby after Trish laid into her and knocked her to the floor. I just hope to god they never put her in the ring!. The other thing that I found interesting was that the crowd noise was switched off when Lita appeared backstage - you could hear a pin drop!. I assume that the WWE were worried she would be booed and I think they were right as by all accounts people in the Arena did say she was booed loudly when she appeared on screen. As much as the WWE don’t want Amy and Adam’s affair to affect their characters, it ain’t going to happen. They can confiscate all the signs and turn off or dub the crowd sounds BUT this isn’t going to go away anytime soon. More and more fans are getting to know about their affair and while I am sure that most still respect them as athletes, their private life has become public. Yes, this is their private lives and nothing at all to do with us BUT its become public knowledge, they are celebrities and fans are going to discuss the matter. It will also affect the way that some fans look at the characters also, I know that it has me!. As I said above, I have the up most respect for Edge and Lita but I have lost respect for Adam and Amy and unfortunately, the line between fact and fiction is a little blurry right now.

Triple H and Chris Benoit put on one hell of a match, as always and it brought back fond memories of last years Wrestlemania. I really enjoyed this match and thought both guys were amazing throughout. I pretty much guessed that Triple H would win but he did so by cheating so it took nothing away from Benoit who was amazing, as always.

I really don’t like the character of Gene Snitsky and find it hard to watch him in the ring, he just doesn’t interest me at all. In all honesty, I didn’t really watch the final match with Batista and Snitsky but I did see the ending when Kane ran out. It was a great way to set up next weeks “pick your poison” match with Triple H picking Kane as Batista’s opponent - now that’s a match that I am looking forward to seeing.

The road to Wrestlemania winds ever closer and the excitement is mounting. I cannot wait for next weeks Raw.

Take Care

Di