by Lee Stevens, PWTorch specialist

Thank you for joining me as we put Raw "Under The Microscope." This is not a complete recap of the show, but a closer look at what was said, what was done or what was seen during the broadcast.

Woof

It was good to see the competing canines again as the Westminster Kennel Club's Dog Show provided the lead-in for Monday's Raw. It was even better to see that the coverage was moving to CNBC for the remainder of the night. There was a time when Best in Show meant "No Show" for wrestling fans. The first Westminster show was in 1877 and it's the second longest continuous sporting event in the U.S., second only to The Kentucky Derby.

The oldest dog to win Best in Show was a Papillon named Ch. Loteki Supernatural Being, who was eight years old in 1999. The youngest dog to win was a Rough Collie named Ch. Land Loyalty of Bellhaven at nine months old in 1929. A Smooth Fox Terrier named Ch. Warren Remedy won the title three times from 1907-1909, while six others have won it twice.

During the who, dogs are judged by qualified American Kennel Club representatives. After the show, Jerry Lawler still judges puppies.

But who's counting?

The look back at WrestleMania III featured the proud accomplishment of 93,173 spectators, which is still a world indoor record. Although some have disputed the number, most still recognize the accomplishment. To the WWE's credit, they don't own only the Pontiac Silverdome's record. WrestleMania X-Seven broke the Astrodome record with 67,925. WrestleMania X8 holds the Rogers Centre mark with 68,237. The Safeco Field record is 54,097 from WrestleMania XIX, while the Ford Field milestone is from WrestleMania 21 with 80,103 and WrestleMania XXIV at the Citrus Bowl squeezed in 74,635. WrestleMania 21 holds the Staples Center record with 20,193 which doesn't look nearly as impressive when comparing it to the outdoor locations.

Smooth

John Cena was in good company at his recent shaving event as he compared techniques with Derek Jeter, Tiger Woods, Reggie Bush, and Denny Hamlin. It was good exposure for the company and a fine transition into his match. If you look closer, it was also a wonderful juxtaposition from the clean shaven athletes into the less than tidy look of Mike Knox. If Gillette really wants to impress me with their technology, take on the Knox challenge. While Kane usually prefers the more professional look of a Big Red Machine, the other member of the team has had his share of facial experiments too. We may need six blades.




Good luck Champ

Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler referred to Cena's challenge this weekend with the Elimination Chamber and while it will be a grueling match, Cena retaining the title isn't out of the question.

In 2003, Triple H defended his title in the Chamber at SummerSlam and Cena held on to his belt in 2006 at New Year's Revolution.

As for the title switching hands, in 2002, Triple H walked into the match the champion, but Shawn Michaels walked out with the belt. In 2006, Bobby Lashley took The Big Show's title in the Chamber.

In 2005, Triple H did win the championship in an Elimination Chamber match, but the title had been vacant. The two Chamber matches last year were for the #1 Contender's spot.

Damn

During the Shawn Michaels vs. Mark Henry match, I couldn't help but think of another man who was nowhere near the building. JBL obviously tried to wear down Michaels before their pay-per-view battle this week and the choice of Henry seemed to make sense, at least from a physical point of view. Henry is billed as "The World's Strongest Man," so it would fit. Then I realized that it made sense on a different level. Although JBL and Henry don't share much of a history, they do share a tag team partner. JBL teamed up with Ron Simmons as part of the APA and Henry was aligned with Simmons while a member of the Nation of Domination. Simmons was better known as Faarooq at the time as they spent most of their free moments with The Rock and D-Lo Brown.

Takin' it to the streets

The NOD stood side-by-side during the Chicago Street Fight, featured in the WrestleMania 13 footage, although a different version of the group. Farooq, Crush and Savio Vega fought the Legion of Doom and Ahmed Johnson at WM 13. Later the three parted ways, with Crush forming the biker gang, Disciples of the Apocalypse and Vega branching out to develop Los Boricuas with all three groups battling.

I have your paperwork right here

"At my office, there will always be a place for such a beautiful and talented lady"--JBL

I am a firm believer that just before a pay-per-view, you need to give me another reason to spend my money. You've already told me the date and time and you've probably set most of the matches, but you still need to give me another reason. A line like that gives me the reason. This makes me not only want to see Shawn Michaels superkick the taste out of JBL's mouth, it also makes me NEED to see it. If I miss next Monday's show, I can watch either ECW or Smackdown and probably get a decent review of anything important. I shouldn't feel the same about a pay-per-view. This one sentence helps change that.

No, it's not particularly clever or remarkable, but it's a line that provokes a response. If this was said at your local bar, it would get a reaction and most people would want to go outside and see how bad the reaction was. That's what a heel should do just before a big event; set up the good guy for revenge.

I don't believe the build-up for the remainder of the card has reached the same level, but I think that's typical with certain gimmicks. If you like The Elimination Chamber, it's probably not because of the storylines and subtle intrigue. You probably want to see the carnage and who is left standing. As a result, I'm not sure if I could name all 12 competitors in the two Chamber matches without looking up their names. With JBL and Michaels, I know who they are and what the issues are surrounding this fight. I've heard criticism from readers throughout this feud about realism, JBL's wrestling ability and where the two should go next, but for me, they have set us up for a worth payoff.

One final note, since Layfield Energy's signature product is Mamajuana Energy, a drink featuring an herb normally used as an aphrodisiac and to increase sexual performance in men, plus several natural sexual stimulants including something called Horny Goat Weed, I'm not sure if I want to see the place you have reserved for my wife at your office. By the way, there have never been any winners of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show named Horny Goat Weed. At least, not yet.

Lee Stevens goes "Under The Microscope" for Raw and Smackdown. You can leave comments below or e-mail him at GLStevens.Torch@gmail.com

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