January 31, 2012|By Adam Testa
* After being built as the iron Man of Sunday's Royal Rumble, the Miz lost to fellow Elimination Chamber entrant Kofi Kingston when the latter hit Trouble in Paradise out of nowhere. The match was good, but much like Ziggler's loss, it's questionable booking after rebuilding the Miz. With R-Truth on commentary, Miz will probably blame his former tag team partner, leading to a blow-off to their feud at WrestleMania. The Miz's road there looks to be a bumpy one, though.
* Divas Champion Beth Phoenix squashed Eve to retain the title. This was a shame, as Eve looked good in the divas tag match at Sunday's Royal Rumble. The announcers sold Eve as being concerned about Kane, who showed up on the Titantron and in the ring after the match. John Cena made the save, and he and the "Big Red Monster" brawled around the ring. Using Eve as a conduit in the Kane-Cena-Ryder feud is fine, but she should also be made to look like a credible diva, as she is easily one of the most improved female talents in recent memory.
As for Cena and Kane, the former seemed to have the upper hand Monday night, as he used the ring steps to assault Kane, saying, "Every time you get up, I'll knock you down." With neither man in the Elimination Chamber match, it's likely these two will meet again on the next pay-per-view - likely in some form of gimmick match. The chances of Cena embracing the hate dwindle every day, and along with them, so does the interest of many fans in this feud. It's about time for Cena to move onto The Rock and Kane to find something else to keep him busy for a while.
* Brodus Clay once again squashed a jobber, this time Tyler Reks, which of course opened up the doors for dinosaur jokes. The Funkasaurus against the T-Reks. Get it? Yeah, it wasn't funny when Jerry "The King" Lawler said it either. Clay's opponents have been landing more offense lately, but fans are clamoring for a real competitive match. Clay can only get away with squashing jobbers for so long before his gimmick will become stale.
* Mike Tyson has been announced as the newest inductee to the WWE Hall of Fame. There's no denying that “Iron Mike” played a more significant and meaningful role in pro wrestling history than almost any other celebrity, and as a lifelong fan he has to be beaming with excitement, but the whole concept of a "celebrity wing" seems taboo. Yes, it's done in light-hearted fun, and yes, it helps garner media attention for WWE each year, but to honor celebrities ahead of deserving superstars like the late"Macho Man" Randy Savage continues to be a sore spot for many, myself included.
Match Rundown
Randy Orton d. Dolph Ziggler
Brodus Clay d. Tyler Reks
Daniel Bryan d. CM Punk by disqualification
Kofi Kingston d. The Miz
Beth Phoenix d. Eve to retain the Divas Championship
My Take
The road to WrestleMania began at Sunday night's Royal Rumble pay-per-view, which has been a polarizing affair among fans. But Monday night's Raw put things into high gear, setting the stage for Elimination Chamber and beyond in stellar fashion. Fans were treated to the tease of a dream match between Punk and Bryan, the other matches didn't disappoint (outside the divas match, that is) and the stage looks bright for the future. If every Raw and Smackdown between now and WrestleMania can be this strong, WWE will be riding full steam into Miami come April 1.
Twitter Comment of the Night
"Guys, everyone interested in paying for Punk vs. Bryan probably would have pirated it anyways. #IWantTheft" - Will Pruett (@itswilltime)
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