MLD’s Warm Up for WWE WrestleMania XXVIII

Posted by The Jason and PTB under *like, Television |

WWE WrestleMania XXVIII starts tonight at 7PM EST on pay-per-view with a pre-show on YouTube and WWE.com at 5:45PM. Poster image by Paul Michael Griffin courtesy of SEScoops.com.

WrestleMania XXVIII begins in just a few short hours from Miami, Florida. We’ve been talking about the build up for weeks, and with the biggest night of the wrestling year finally here, it’s time to take a hard look at what’s on the card and see how this event stacks up with its predecessors. The Rock versus John Cena has dominated the promotion for this year’s show but it’s not where our attention is focused as C.M. Punk versus Chris Jericho is the clearly the match we’re most looking forward to tonight.

Read on for our picks for each of the nine matches scheduled along with a look back at where last week’s Raw from Altlanta, Georgia, left things heading into the next entry in the “Super Bowl of Sports Entertainment.”

PTB: The last Raw before WrestleMania opened up with Randy Orton and that’s never good for me. I’m just not into him and I’m certainly not into this match with Kane. Pairing Orton with Sheamus and Kane with Daniel Bryan in a tag match made this a little more palatable, but it overall it wasn’t a very exciting start to a show that show leave you unable to wait for WrestleMania.

THE JASON: It certainly wasn’t the best way to start off Raw. I felt it was a lackluster effort all around as the go-home show to the biggest show of the year.

PTB: A winner between Orton and Kane is as meaningless as the match, but this is clearly a win for Orton. Nothing else really makes any sense.

THE JASON: I agree, there’s no reason for Kane to get a win here. Kane is a good company guy, he seems to do whatever he can with every goofy thing that is thrown at him. Whether it has been sleeping with Katie Vick, marrying Lita in a demonic ceremony, losing to the Fake Kane, and pretty much every horrible bit of television he’s done in the past two years with Undertaker, Edge, Cena and now Orton, you never hear about this guy complaining. I think he’s just happy to have a job, and they reward his loyalty with a match on the main card of Wrestlemania. I have no problem with that but really, anyone could have faced off with Orton and it certainly would have been an improvement.

PTB: It really looked like Zach Ryder would be facing Kane coming out of his feud with John Cena, but things went in a very different direction.

THE JASON: Zach Ryder finally getting some kind of vengeance on Kane would have been infinitely preferable.

RANDY ORTON vs KANE
PTB: Orton
THE JASON: Orton

PTB: I’m never going to stop saying that I think moving away from the Daniel Bryan versus Big Show feud was a mistake. Sheamus is evolving into a serious fan favorite but Big Show/Bryan had legs and months of development behind it. I don’t think we ever really got what we could have out of a singles match between those two. Given the things Show was throwing out in his matches with Mark Henry (top rope elbow drop, etc.) I fully expected to see Bryan taking the world’s largest missile dropkick straight from Japan.

THE JASON: Initially, I wasn’t on board with your idea of another Big Show/Bryan match at Mania, but I think you broke me down. In retrospect, had Jericho won the Rumble, and then Big Show destroyed everyone in the Chamber (the need for two chamber matches is counterproductive but we’ll discuss that at another point) to earn a title shot at Bryan it would have made more sense and brought closure to Show losing the belt in 9 seconds to begin with.

PTB: Bryan’s heel turn has become something great (and Big Show was a huge part of it every step of the way). He and AJ are playing it perfectly and his cheap pin of Sheamus on Raw after she caused a distraction was masterful. As much as I’m enjoying Bryan’s championship run, this one looks like a win for Sheamus. It’s too bad since I think this could only get better with Bryan as the champ.

THE JASON: I love Bryan’s heel run so far. The promo two weeks ago on Smackdown was so great where he was whispering in AJ’s ear all the things that she should say and reprimanding her for calling him “Danny” in public. While I wish they had built him up better last year prior to this run, his performances both on the mic and in the ring have been tremendous.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F85EjlHgxr4]

THE JASON: I’d love to see Bryan keep the belt at Mania, as there definitely seems to be a lot more potential in terms of storytelling than with Sheamus. But when was the last time a Rumble winner won the belt at Mania? It used to be such a sure thing and a great way to fulfill what winning the Rumble meant. Del Rio lost last year, Orton lost the year he won, Cena didn’t even wait until Mania to use his shot. The fact that winning the Rumble doesn’t even give you the main event slot any longer has cheapened the value of being the last man in that match already. I think Sheamus needs to win here just to re-establish the importance of winning the Rumble.

But I’ll still be pulling for Bryan, and if he wins I’ll certainly be chanting “YES! YES! YES!”

SHEAMUS vs DANIEL BRYAN
PTB: Sheamus
THE JASON: Sheamus

PTB: While we’re discussing TBS…

THE JASON: TAKING BACK SUNDAY IS PLAYING AT WRESTLEMANIA TOO? Oh, the other TBS. WWE IS BACK ON THE SUPERSTATION!

PTB: As much as I’d rather see Bryan facing Big Show at WrestleMania, I am really enjoying his feud with Cody Rhodes. The “Embarrassing Big Show WrestleMania Moments” have been great even if they dried up a little too early. Instead of saving some of that we get TBS annihilating one of the tag team champs a week before the biggest event of the year. Granted Cody’s promo about turning “Big Show” into a verb that’s synonymous with choking was pretty good.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAF4rdEbTKs]

PTB: I’d love to see Show win here, but I know it’s just not going to happen. The upside for Rhodes is just too big.

THE JASON: I disagree. Cody has terrific upside and he’s definitely been clicking since he won the IC belt. But Show has been made to look like such a fool leading up to this, I just don’t see how he can’t win. The guy must have the worst Win/Loss record in Wrestlemania history. He’s never won a singles match. It wouldn’t be bad for Show to get the win here.

PTB: To be clear, I certainly want Big Show to come out with a victory, but I think his record at WrestleMania makes another loss seem like it’s the way things will go.

INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPION CODY RHODES vs. THE BIG SHOW
PTB: Cody Rhodes
THE JASON: The Big Show

PTB: Before we move on, I just want to add that I love tag team wrestling, but I prefer it with actual tag teams. It’s a great way to create characters and gimmicks but it’s like they don’t even try. WWE started moving in this direction recently showcasing the Usos and of course Epico and Primo, but clearly they’re not committed to that have one of the champs get beyond squashed on Raw. Adding insult to injury WWE throws a triple threat tag team championship match onto WrestleMania two days prior and it will stream live on WWE.com and YouTube tonight at 6:30PM.

THE JASON: Absolutely. I feel like if they are going to treat the tag champs like cannon-fodder, and if the guys who are the champs aren’t being elevated holding the belts then they should switch the title to a team that has a bit more value. Jack Swagger and Dolph Ziggler should have the belts right now, if for no other reason, that they deserve to have some kind of championship considering the efforts both guys put in. Besides they have Vickie Guerrero, and what good is having a manager if she doesn’t have something to boast about?

PTB: I think that would be a fine direction for everyone involved, but Swagger and Ziggler are stuck in the kitchen sink match on tonight’s card and the makeshift team of Justin Gabriel & Tyson Kidd has been thrown in with the Usos to challenge Epico and Primo for the WWE Tag Team Championships. I’m calling the Usos here, but it’s just as likely that the belts will stay exactly where they are.

WWE TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP TRIPLE THREAT MATCH
CHAMPIONS EPICO and PRIMO vs. THE USOS vs. JUSTIN GABRIEL and TYSON KIDD
PTB: The Usos
THE JASON: Epico and Primo

PTB: The 12-man General Manager Tag Team Match, the other tag team match on the card, is poor booking at it’s worst. I pointed out last week that this has a real history behind it going back to Money in the Bank last Summer but what appears to be the culmination of John Laurinaitis’ program feels really thrown together. In many ways this match reflects the way WWE has handled things since having huge amount of mainstream interested when CM Punk highjacked the WWE Championship. It’s the first time in a long time they had that many eyes on them and WrestleMania is where I’m ready to come down and they wasted it.

THE JASON: You’re waiting until now to say they wasted it? Dude, I’ll say it right now. I don’t think anyone would have suspected that Punk running off with the title last July would lead to a 12-man tag match featuring the likes of Zach Ryder and Drew MacIntyre.

PTB: No question there, I just look at WrestleMania as where the WWE year comes to an end and Punk’s story with the WWE Championship that introduced Laurinaitis on screen is what everything else gets held up to. It’s a shame this match is such a joke with many former world champs on Team Johnny and not many serious contenders on Teddy Long’s team. Adding the the Miz down the stretch is probably the best thing for him, but his Bundy comments still ring true. Laurinaitis congratulating him on being added to “Team Teddy” when in fact he’d just been added to “Johnny’s” own team was the epitome of what this guy brings to the table. He got his own name wrong.

THE JASON: Miz’s entry on to Team Johnny was such a disaster. What was the point of having the guy lose matches for the past two weeks that were supposed to get him on Team Johnny, and then he ends up there anyway. It was just bad planning. I don’t know if they were considering other wrestlers for the spot and then just said “Forget it, just put Miz in.” It seems like a waste. Why should anyone care that Miz is on Team Johnny? He’s gotten beat for the past two weeks! Or more!

PTB: At least we got to see each team captain get a pinfall victory over the other in the last two weeks on Raw so no one’s looking much worse than they should. However, the match has just become a sink for everything and anything floating around the WWE Universe: Hornswaggle, The Bellas, Zach Ryder, and now The Miz. The switch from Christian to Drew MacIntyre only hurts this match more. That guy is an automatic fast forward for me.

THE JASON: Speaking of guys who get beat… DREW MACINTYRE? Huh? This guy is barely on TV any longer and he’s been fired from Smackdown about 5 times in the past month. What is he bringing to the table besides being the guy to get pinned? If they wanted to put guys that mean nothing in this match then Yoshi Tatsu will be hanging out at catering, chowing on the Swedish meatballs if anyone needs him.

PTB: At least Mark Henry got a decisive win over Khali after weeks of being mistreated, but Booker T being added to Teddy’s squad really left me in a quandary. I love Booker, but I don’t think I can get behind this. It’s really just to set up to six-man spinaroonie punchline and I can’t help but think it will translate into Booker’s fellow announcer Michael Cole getting involved.

THE JASON: I get the feeling that they wanted a really established good guy to fill out the team, which I suppose was Rey Mysterio who still is injured. Booker is fine, but I thought that it was so backwards that Teddy thanked Booker by making him a part of the team. You get taken off of your cushy commentator’s seat to be in this match alongside Khali and DREW MACINTRYE. I would have taken a pass! At least we’re relieved of hearing Booker say “Aw, Shucky Ducky!” a million times and call Daniel Bryan “D Bry” this Sunday.

PTB: I really want a victory for Team Teddy here, and it makes sense since Johnny Laurinaitis won’t lose his VP job and can basically keep functioning in the exact same way.

THE JASON: I agree and I’ll be hoping that Team Teddy is victorious, but for some bizarre reason I get the feeling that it’s going to end with a World’s Strongest Slam on Santino. In any case, I’m prepared to see Ziggler try to squeeze in as much show-stealing as he can in the time he’s in there. It will be short, but fun while it lasts.

TEAM TEDDY LONG vs. TEAM JOHNNY LAURINAITIS
12-Man Tag Team match to determine the GENERAL MANAGER of RAW and SMACKDOWN
PTB: Team Teddy
THE JASON: Team Johnny

PTB: 20 year careers from two (technically three with guest referee Shawn Michales) of the biggest names of all time make for phenomenal video packages. In fact the recap of Triple H versus the Undertaker may have been one of the best parts of last week’s Raw. Unfortunately even last year’s lackluster meeting between these two made for great highlights. Michael’s involvement should help.

The benchmark for me here is whether it proves licensing that Metallica song was money well spent.

THE JASON: It is strange that this match has it’s own theme song.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fR48M_OjYBI]

PTB: The True Story of WrestleMania documentary features HHH saying in no uncertain terms that the streak should never be broken, and I agree. This should see an Undertaker victory and a set up for HHH vs HBK next year. I still think it’s a career ending match for HHH and the two of them can face each other in retirement.

THE JASON: I don’t see this being a career ending match for HHH. I’ve made mention of my dislike of the goofy innuendos they use, but I think if this really was going to be a retirement match that stipulation would have been crystal clear.

No doubt that the streak remains intact. My interest is really in the match itself. I’ve gotten very into how they’ve built this up the past two months. We’ve both been critical of last year’s match which for all of the hype and succeeding appraisals of its greatness, we both found it lacking. I may be getting lost in the hype again and I hope it won’t be WrestleMania 27 part 2, now in a Cell and with a special guest!

It was strange that they didn’t do anything on last week’s Raw. Maybe they felt that they said all that they could say and recapping the angle in a video package would be more effective than another week of talking.

Now, who does Undertaker face at WrestleMania 29? Will Sting finally come in for that one WWE match?

PTB: I’d love to see Sting appear in a WWE ring even at this stage in his career, but I don’t think it will ever happen.

THE UNDERTAKE vs. TRIPLE H (HELL in a CELL match with Special Referee SHAWN MICHAELS)
PTB: Undertaker
THE JASON: Undertaker

PTB: Eve has some momentum right now. Beth Phoenix is awesome. Why not just go with these two for the Divas title instead of teaming them against Kelly Kelly and a co-host from Extra?

THE JASON: I think if they REALLY needed to involve Maria Menudo in a Divas match, Kelly Kelly could still be her partner and hey – the BELLA TWINS ARE RIGHT THERE, and doing a whole lot of nuthin’. That match could have been 30 seconds long. Over and out. There’s no reason to waste your best female talent in a throw-away tag match.

I wouldn’t put Eve against Beth though. I’m not a big fan of heel vs. heel matches, especially for the biggest show of the year. It just leaves the audience scratching their heads on who they should cheer for.

I know you aren’t a big MMA fan, but WWE could have learned a few things on how to effectively promote a women’s (or a men’s) match from Strikeforce’s recent build to Tate vs. Rousey. “Rowdy” Rhonda Rousey is pro-wrestling fan (obvious by her nickname) and she knew how to build the interest and dynamic between herself and Meisha Tate. There was a clear cut babyface in the champion Tate, a striker who earned the belt and is well-liked because… well, probably because she showcases her body in skimpy shorts on her website a whole lot. Here comes Rhonda, a former Olympic Judo champion on a 7 fight win-streak defeating every one of her opponents in less than 90 seconds with the dreaded arm-bar. Yes, in a legitimate sport, this girl has a finishing move. Because of her mouth and decisive victories, Rousey is given the title shot and proceeds to be the clear cut heel, saying how she is going to destroy Tate, that she needs to stop posing for booty pictures on her website, she is no match for her, she’ll be bringing that arm home, and oh yeah – she’s going to beat up her boyfriend too. Tate dismisses Rousey, basically saying she’s untested, that she is all talk and she’s never fought a real striker. Things got heated at the weigh-ins when they went head to head, Meisha got too close and Rhonda seemingly headbutted her. Meisha called for her to be fined. When the match came, Tate showed heart but was no match for Rhonda. While she didn’t dispense with her in 90 seconds, she did get the arm bar (twice) and on the second attempt pulverized her arm into a pretzel until the ref had no choice to call it (Tate wouldn’t tap.) After the match, Rhonda didn’t provide any of the usual “mutual respect” and say her talk was just to hype the fight. She chastised Tate for underestimating her, she didn’t feel bad about destroying her arm and she’s still pissed about Meisha wanting to have her fined. This is after she won the belt. That, right there, is how to be a bad guy.

Now, why do I bring this up? This is not an MMA column, we’re talking about our favorite pseudo-sport. But MMA utlizes a fair amount of the basic tenants of good pro-wrestling. And this was pro-wrestling. The whole story not only made Rousey look like this killing machine, but it made the babyface Tate more interesting as well. Who knows if Meisha Tate will be able to fight after the beating she took, but she definitely came out of that fight more interesting than when she went in. Most importantly – the girls were the main event. They weren’t an afterthought, thrown together with a D-List celebrity that most assuredly no one has ever heard of.

With some tweaking, this type of storyline could have been used with Beth and Nattie (prior to the flatulent gimmick she’s sadly been saddled with.) Beth could have been going on and on about how she is the greatest Diva in history, that no one can beat her. They could dig up Moolah’s remains, bring Wendi Richter, Lita, Sable and Trish out of retirement – Beth is still better. Beth could even choke Medusa out! Now, that Nattie would standing right next to her while this all plays out, until after weeks of this, Nattie grabs the mic and reminds her she hasn’t beaten her, and she’s the only 3rd generation Diva, trained in the Hart Dungeon and maybe the only reason she’s had the belt is because she’s afraid to put it on the line against a real competitor. And there’s your feud. Bad vs. Good. Beyond that, I think that sends a far better message to the audience with this scenario. Beth Phoenix is a champion and you better respect her, not Beth likes to be Eve’s backup and pick fights 3rd String TV show hosts.

You could have done something similar with AJ as well, where she gets a match with Beth and win or lose, it would have added more interest to what is going on with her and Daniel Bryan.

But instead, Natalya has gas, Beth is wearing unflattering dresses (was last week’s tomato red dress better than the banana get-up from a few weeks ago?) and teaming with Eve, and AJ… well, at least she gets to hang around Daniel Bryan.

Sorry, that was a bit of a rant.

PTB: That was better than most of what we’ve ever seen from the Divas division. Kelly got a win over Eve on Raw with her finishing move, the roll up, which really resembled a messy pile of Diva more than any conventional wrestling hold. Putting their top female against her in this match is a waste of talent.

THE JASON: I thought the K2 was her finisher? Not that is really any better.

PTB: A loss for Beth Phoenix in any form here is a crime.

THE JASON: I think I’ve said enough on this topic. We don’t need another 3 paragraphs on the topic from me!

KELLY KELLY and MARIA MENOUNOS VS. DIVAS CHAMPION BETH PHOENIX and EVE
PTB: Beth Phoenix and Eve
THE JASON: Beth Phoenix and Eve

PTB: C.M. Punk and Chris Jericho’s feud has picked up intensity in the last three weeks but has gotten very limited TV time. Most of it has been dedicated to Jericho pushing Punk’s buttons and short but incredibly effective responses from Punk. Keeping things focused may have actually been good for their match since I’m so sick of the Rock and John Cena which has used a very different formula of being everywhere at all times.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OY71lMkxfU0]

PTB: Punk’s assault on Christian during their “match” last week made Punk look like a madman and I just find his normal character far more interesting without that. I rewatched Money in the Bank this week and that’s the Punk I want to see. The big upside to this is that it lays the groundwork for a great feud with Christian down the line.

THE JASON: I was so disappointed when they did this bit with Christian last week. I feel like it’s a continual pattern of 2 steps forward and 3 steps back with Christian. He got the World Title last year, and then loses it 2 days later to SNORE-ton (GET IT? Because he’s boring! Because… never mind.) He gains it back and then is made to look like he doesn’t really deserve it. And then he gets injured. He comes back, only to get quite literally Punked out. I’ve heard he’s still injured which is why he was destroyed by Punk in such a brutal fashion, but then why did they add him to the GM match to begin with?

I was really let down that Christian and Punk didn’t have a match. I hope that they do wind up feuding down the line since that could be fresh and exciting.

PTB: This should be the match of the night. I don’t see any way Punk doesn’t leave a winner even though most of the card is a tough call.

THE JASON: This one is tough to call. Extreme Rules is in Chicago. I could see Punk losing to Jericho and build to a rematch where he wins it back the following month. One of the titles is changing. Even though I think Bryan should keep the title in his match, I see Sheamus winning and Punk retaining.

But circling back to something you mentioned above, is this where you imagined that they would wind up when Punk walked out of Money in the Bank last July? Despite the debacle of the Kevin Nash/HHH program, Punk has done OK for himself, but I often wonder how the landscape would be had they waited a while longer before bringing him back.

PTB: Waiting to bring him back isn’t the issue for me, although it could only have helped. I just think they could have taken Punk in a number of more satisfying directions and a Punk vs. Cena main event at WrestleMania should have been part of that. Booking the Rock versus Cena a year in advance created a lot of limitations, but Punk versus Jericho is still great as far as I’m concerned.

WWE CHAMPION C.M. PUNK vs. CHRIS JERICHO
PTB: C.M. Punk
THE JASON: C.M. Punk

PTB: As if enough hadn’t been said about it already, we have to talk about the “Once in a Lifetime Match” featuring the Rock versus John Cena. Thank goodness it’s only once in a lifetime after the endless promotion. Although it will only be once in a lifetime until the rematch. The documentary that ran before Raw last week was actually kind of interesting but I’ve just seen enough here. Going to the highlights of their feud at every commercial break on Raw only added to that feeling. Those clips are great, but I’m really focused on thinking this just won’t be a great match.

THE JASON: I thought the documentary was a well-done puff piece. It was well done in the filming and several of the interest points, but I think they forgot what the concept of the special was supposed to be. It definitely presented both Rock and Cena as big stars, but it didn’t build any reasons to want to see a match with these two guys. Rock calls Cena “Fruity Pebbles” and the guy gets a sweet endorsement deal out of it? How does that make me want to see these two dudes beat each other up? And it isn’t like a Punk/Jericho deal where part of the subtext is that each guy thinks he is the best wrestler in the world and they want to steal the show, so you know that the resultant match will be awesome.

PTB: Their confrontation on Raw was admittedly really well done and got to some clear talking points and a high level of intensity.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbeS6ZY5KiE]

THE JASON: If there was one time for a crazy pull apart… There it went

PTB: Cena seriously has to win this match. The Rock got to your point though. He wants to be the greatest of all time, and unless he’s staying on for a full schedule it’s not going to happen.

THE JASON: At least there was a point being made. I feel like Cena got the upper hand verbally throughout the program, but man, he came off super douchey last week. He always wins? I think Punk may have something to say about that. I know that would undermine the program, but he has lost the belt 10 times.

PTB: But Cena does win a lot. If anyone can take a loss here and make it into an interesting new angle it’s Cena but I really think he needs to win here.

THE JASON: I don’t know. Rock lose… In Miami? That seems like an enchilada of a bad idea. I just thought Cena is coming off like such a heel and at the same time he was saying he is the guy who won’t turn of the “WWE Universe.” I agree that he “always wins” worked here but it would have been a simple thing for the Rock to point out he lost a WrestleMania just last year. They aren’t giving Rock some key stuff to work in and respond to his points with.

PTB: Not turning on the “universe” is weird. Cena was clearly a heel at one point. It would have been great if the fans got back on his side and then he turned.
Plus he and Eve could have been an evil Superman and Wonder Woman

THE JASON: Well, Punk thinks he is Batman. How far do you want to go with the metaphor?

PTB: It makes for a great metaphor. The Miz is Aquaman with his hair fin and fish face.

THE JASON: Hornswaggle is obviously Mr. Mytzylplk. Orton gets to be The Green Lantern, just because that movie sucked.

If they plan on Cena /Rock II at WrestleMania 29, then I see Rock winning.

PTB: So tough to call. A lot of matches are like that this year and it’s great.
But I have some outcomes I really want to see including a Cena win here.

JOHN CENA vs. THE ROCK
PTB: Cena
THE JASON: The Rock

PTB: Brodus Clay is becoming a regular feature on Raw once again which I ‘m sure has you happy. Any chance he finds his way onto the WrestleMania card?

THE JASON: Happy to see the guy show up, but I felt having two guys on Raw the week before Wrestlemania is counterproductive. I don’t know if enough casual fans know Brodus at this point that it warrants him making an appearance at the show so he can squash Hunico or someone else in 30 seconds.

The main thing I’m hoping for is a bit more ring time. I’d like to see a little less of the goofy backstage vignettes this year with 4 hour show that only features 8 matches. The video packages are OK, but last year there was too much sillyness with Snoop Dogg and such.

I know that “the marquee still says wrestling” doesn’t quite stand any longer, but I’m not looking for a variety show. I’m really hoping the show delivers this year.

PTB: That would be great to see, but with musical performances and talk show hosts involved there will certainly be some backstage and out of the ring moments.

Speaking of music, how many theme songs does this show have??!?! Machine Gun Kelly, Flo Rida and now Madonna? You and I know a thing or two about music. Does this really help Madonna sell records/songs/downloads?

THE JASON: The Super Bowl didn’t make a dent with Madonna’s sales. WrestleMania, which certainly is not Madonna’s target demographic, isn’t going to make a difference either. I suppose it’s good that they’ve moved away from the usual suspects as far as their music choice goes, but I have to wonder who in production thinks that these songs suit their product. While I liked the use of (what I think was) Skrillex for that WWE Network commercial since it was so unlike what they would normally use, I think that for the biggest show of the year they really need to get a better read on the audience. But then again – I think I’m out of the target demographic. I don’t know what Machine Gun Kelly sings. When I saw a tattooed kid wearing an Avenged Sevenfold shirt in the crowd a few weeks ago and Michael Cole starts having a seizure that it was Machine Gun Kelly, all I thought was “Really? Are you sure?”

PTB: We’ll be back on Monday with our take on the results from WrestleMania, but I noticed the Hall of Fame ceremony has moved from the night before WrestleMania to the night after, preceding Raw. This could be a great move and should certainly find more people watching.

THE JASON: Saturday night is pretty much a death slot for TV. I’ve DVR’d it, but I don’t think I’ve ever caught it live. Ever since they needed to start making the awards geared more for TV presentation I’ve enjoyed it less. I really liked when someone like Flair would just roll for 20 minutes with a speech, or Rock would just riff during his intro. Now I feel it’s like any other awards show. Make your speech and get out for the commercials.

WWE WrestleMania XXVIII begins on YouTube and WWE.com tonight at 5:45PM EST before moving exclusively to pay-per-view at 7PM. Check back tomorrow for results and opinions on the following matches:

Chris Jericho challenges C.M. Punk for the WWE Championship
Sheamus challenges Daniel Bryan for the World Championship
The Undertaker vs. Triple H (Hell in a Cell Match with special referee Shawn Michaels)
The Rock versus John Cena
Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes versus The Big Show
Team John Laurinaitis vs. Team Teddy Long 12-man tag team match to determine the new General Manager of Raw and Smackdown
Randy Orton vs. Kane
Kelly Kelly and Maria Menounos vs. Divas Champion Beth Phoenix and Eve
WWE Tag Team Champions Epico and Primo defend their titles in a triple threat match against Justin Gabriel/Tyson Kidd and the Usos.

2012 WWE Hall of Fame inductees: