WWE Raw Storyline Tracker
By Robin Scannell, PWTorch Specialist

Episode - April 2, 2012

(1) John Cena vs. The Rock

After The Rock beat John Cena at WrestleMania, Rock came to the ring at the start of Raw and said that finally he is back home. He thanked Cena and said he brought it to him like never before. Rock said it was an honor to have competed with Cena and that they made history. Rock said he was your people’s champion and said that this is just the beginning and that he had a vision of becoming the WWE Champion.

At the end of Raw, John Cena came to the ring and talked about losing against Rock. Cena said that he won’t make excuses and that he never thought he would lose. Cena owned up to defeat and said that all he can do is try to be the best that he can be.

Cena said he wasn’t there to call out The Rock, as that’s what you do when you want to fight. Cena said he wanted to publicly acknowledge Rock being the better man, and congratulate him.

Instead of Rock, Brock Lesnar came out. Lesnar paced around the stage before making his way to the ring. He held out his hand, but instead lifted up Cena and hit the F5. Lesnar played to the crowd as Raw went off the air.

Reax: I thought the last segment was very good, as Cena-Rock concluded, and WWE swiftly moved onwards. There will be a lot of excitement heading into next week’s show.

***

(2) The Era of “People Power”

After a victory for Team Johnny over Team Teddy at WrestleMania, John Laurinaitis now controls both Raw and Smackdown. On Raw, backstage, John Laurinaitis announced that Santino Marella would defend the United States Title against Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger in a Triple Threat match. C.M. Punk then interrupted, calling Laurinaitis a giant toolbox. Laurinaitis then booked Punk against Mark Henry for the WWE Title. Laurinaitis then called the new era “people power."

Later, Eve cut a promo about manipulating Zack Ryder. She said powerful people such as John Laurinaitis can’t be manipulated.

Reax: I assume Eve is going somewhere with this, but so far, she’s only befriended the Divas Champion – you’d assume that that is the thing she’s ultimately after, perhaps not though, as first she wanted something to do with John Cena, and now John Laurinaitis.

***

(3) WWE Title Picture

Mark Henry defeated C.M. Punk via count-out in a good WWE Title match after Punk could not make it back into the ring in time. After the match, Henry hit a World’s Strongest Slam onto Punk.

John Lauriniaitis then came out and said Punk is going to defend his title more and that he sees dark clouds in Punk’s future, specifically a natural disaster.

Chris Jericho then appeared and said that Punk deserves to celebrate his victory over him at WrestleMania with a drink. Jericho talked about Punk being straight-edge before pouring alcohol over Punk. Jericho retrieved another bottle and hit Punk’s head with it, shattering the bottle.
Later, backstage, Abraham Washington propositioned Mark Henry to be his manager.

Reax: I’m always impressed by always enjoy a dominant Mark Henry. His performance here, combined with Jericho’s quite vicious attack, puts Punk in jeopardy, and you want to see how he’s going to bounce back. Also, if more frequent WWE Title matches can lead to a stronger champion in Punk, I’m in favor of it.

***

(4) United States Title Picture

Santino Marella defeated Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger in a Triple Threat match for the United States Championship. After the match, Santino escaped from the ring and walked up the ramp away from the heels. Brodus Clay came out to even the numbers. Clay headbutted a running Ziggler, then Brodus, Santino, and the dancers danced to end the segment.

***

(5) World Heavyweight Title Picture

After beating Daniel Bryan in 18 seconds at WrestleMania, Sheamus came to the ring during Raw. Immediately, he was interrupted by Alberto Del Rio and Ricardo Rodiguez. Del Rio said that Sheamus will soon lose the title and that he has been granted a match on Smackdown. If he wins the match, he gets a title shot. Del Rio’s mic cut out and as he took Ricardo’s, Sheamus hit the Brogue Kick.

Backstage, Daniel Bryan was interviewed by Josh Mathews, but Bryan didn’t say a word.

Reax: Not only was the segment hurt by the crowd’s “Si, Si, Si” chants, there’s just not a whole lot to get excited about here. At this point, Del Rio’s character needs to evolve. The most interesting thing here is the fan’s reaction to Bryan, and whether this crowd response will continue at the next Raw.

***

(6) Big Show vs. Cody Rhodes

At WrestleMania, Big Show defeated Cody Rhodes to win the Intercontinental Championship. Cody Rhodes was about to defeat Kofi Kingston under a minute into their match, when Big Show came out and presented the embarrassing video of Cody at WrestleMania. Kofi took advantage and won the match.

Reax: I understand that the story logically led to Big Show overcoming his loss record at WrestleMania and getting a win. However, I question why you would want to tell that story when Cody Rhodes gets nothing from this. He loses a 236 day title reign that was beginning to gain credibility. Cody Rhodes should be getting important wins against veterans like Big Show in order to build up credibility. Perhaps he’s due for a main event push soon. If so, he’s not looking too good heading into it.

Other Stories

- Lord Tensai (with Sakamoto) defeated Alex Riley after the referee stopped the match. Tensai used a claw attack to Riley’s head after the match.

- The Miz defeated Zack Ryder in a short match.

Current Feuds Active this Week (# weeks)

Raw

John Cena vs. The Rock (59)
C.M. Punk vs. Chris Jericho (9)

Smackdown

Big Show vs. Cody Rhodes (7)
Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio (1)

Email any comments to scannell.torch@gmail.com or follow me on Twitter @robinocracy for my thoughts on WrestleMania.

[Torch art credit Travis Beaven (c) PWTorch.com]

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