Brock Lesnar

Brock Lesnar and Triple H officially sealed the deal on Raw and will meet at Wrestlemania. The two stipulations are that it will be No Holds Barred (similar to their match at Summerslam 2012) and that Triple H's career will be on the line. This, of course, is met with the same questions and concerns from longtime WWE fans whenever a career is on the line. Is it really on the line? From a performer standpoint, Triple H is in terrific shape. You could absolutely see him being able to handle several big matches a year.

A "go home" Raw (the last episode before a pay-per-view event) is always watched with extra attention, mostly because critics have the same question -- did this particular show do anything to increase my interest in buying the pay-per-view on Sunday? Lately, many of these critics have answered no. Many people feel that Raw last night was no different -- that it was flat, lacked spark and didn't do very much to push the figurative "buy rate" needle. These, of course, are criticisms that always arise for this particular (mostly monthly)

When it comes to WWE pay-per-views, four events on a crowded calendar stand out as special each year: Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Survivor Series. Collectively known as the "Big Four," these are usually supercards for WWE standard and turning points in the major ongoing stories in the company. This year, the event is also representing a change from recent trends, as more than just a handful of matches are being announced before the show. Recently, it hasn't been surprising to see three or even four bouts added to PPVs without advance notice.

JOHN CENA VS. THE ROCK The hardcore wrestling fan may not be looking forward to this match. Some of them think the "Once in a Lifetime" tagline at Wrestlemania 28 was a farce, while others believe the build-up has been nowhere near the interest from last year (in fairness, how could it be with a year to build?). The match itself won't be stellar, but The Rock has just enough mystique and allure left to make the fans invested. John Cena wins the WWE championship and The Rock moves on to Brock Lesnar for Wrestlemania 30. What I would LOVE to see after the match is Cena and Rock sharing a "Wrestlemania handshake," Rock walking away and Dolph Ziggler attacking Cena by surprise (no theme music)

This past weekend I had a chance to soak in the WrestleMania 28 festivities from Miami - the Hall of Fame, Fan Axxess, the event itself at Sun Life Stadium and Raw the next night. Truly, for any WWEfan that came to participate in the crowd chants and invest themselves fully into the emotion of the stories being told, it would have been an absolutely draining 72 hours. Yet despite the Hell in a Cell curtain call, Sheamus pounding Daniel Bryan in 18 seconds (spawning a “YES!” chant that lasted through WrestleMania and in every segment of Raw, that will now transcend the superstar himself; also heard at the Miami Heat/Philadelphia 76ers game Tuesday)

  WWE wasted no time in allowing John Cena and Brock Lesnar to get physical -- and the result was magic. For the past year, Cena and The Rock were kept apart, competing on the microphone rather than in the ring. WWE appears set to go a completely different direction with Cena's newest foe. After General Manager John Laurinaitis introduced Lesnar with a glowing welcome, the former UFC champion took to the mic. But before long, Cena would emerge. And in uncharacteristic fashion, Cena let his actions speak louder than his words, slapping Lesnar.

What a difference in the crowd from Raw in Miami on April 2 to Raw in D.C. on April 9. It was essentially the difference between a rock star show and an indy act. Yes, Miami's crowd had many WWE diehards who made an entire WrestleMania weekend of it with Raw as their final event (unless they traveled to Orlando for Smackdown). Those crowds are typically the loudest. But the crowd in Washington seemed to buy tickets and be content to sit on their hands. I don't often make comparisons to Corpus Christi, Texas (which I deem the quietest WWE audience in the world)

Don't bother asking two-time World Wrestling Entertainment champion Brock Lesnar about the biggest moment of his career. Although it occurred less than six weeks ago, he doesn't remember pinning Kurt Angle to regain the WWE title in the main event of WrestleMania XIX before 54,097 screaming fans at Seattle's Safeco Field and millions watching on pay-per-view. Lesnar recalls standing on the top rope, poised to deliver a "shooting star press," a spectacular move in which he jumps off the top rope, flips backward in midair and lands chest first across his prone opponent's chest and midsection.

A new era began on tonight's Raw. With Team John Lauriniatis' victory at WrestleMania , Laurinaitis officially launched his reign of control in WWE. His first orders of business? Rewarding the men who helped land him his position of power. Jack Swagger and Dolph Ziggler were granted shots at Santino Marella's United States Championship; Mark Henry was awarded a chance to dethrone CM Punk as WWE Champion; and The Miz was placed in the main event against Zack Ryder. The members of Team Johnny found a mixed degree of success.

Kurt Angle participated in three world title matches overall at WrestleMania, including one against Brock Lesnar that went on last at WM 19. (For more, go to baltimoresun.com/ ringposts)

Brock Lesnar and Triple H officially sealed the deal on Raw and will meet at Wrestlemania. The two stipulations are that it will be No Holds Barred (similar to their match at Summerslam 2012) and that Triple H's career will be on the line. This, of course, is met with the same questions and concerns from longtime WWE fans whenever a career is on the line. Is it really on the line? From a performer standpoint, Triple H is in terrific shape. You could absolutely see him being able to handle several big matches a year.

Don't believe everything you read on the internet. In fact, don't believe much of what you read on the internet, as it pertains to pro wrestling. At least take it with a grain of salt. Before this week's edition of Raw, there were rumors circling the internet and the internet wrestling websites that this week's episode of Raw would be a "throwaway" episode, with not much plot advancement leading to Wrestlemania. Pretty much the opposite happened. This episode of Raw saw The Undertaker return and receive a Wrestlemania opponent -- CM Punk.

It truly is WrestleMania season, isn't it? That's especially apparent when the “part timers” come out to play. Just 24 hours after The Rock won the WWE championship from CM Punk at the Royal Rumble, “here comes the pain” as they used to say. Just as Paul Heyman was going to get “fired” (his theme music conveniently hit just after Vince McMahon got out “YYYOOOUUU'RRREEEE....”). Brock Lesnar returned to WWE and circled the ring, much like his initial return the day after WrestleMania 28. Then he jumped into the squared circle, thought about it, then delivered an F5 to Vince McMahon.

WrestleMania 29 is shaping up to be a blockbuster event. I know it's eight months away, and WWE has at least six pay-per-view events before it, but hear me out. Today, we live in a big-name, part-time environment. What I mean by that is that the biggest draws in WWE - like Brock Lesnar, The Rock, etc. - appear sporadically. One place you can almost guarantee they will appear is at WrestleMania, the biggest event of the year. The Rock appeared at the WrestleMania 29 press conference in February and confirmed that he would be a part of the festivities.

When it comes to WWE pay-per-views, four events on a crowded calendar stand out as special each year: Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Survivor Series. Collectively known as the "Big Four," these are usually supercards for WWE standard and turning points in the major ongoing stories in the company. This year, the event is also representing a change from recent trends, as more than just a handful of matches are being announced before the show. Recently, it hasn't been surprising to see three or even four bouts added to PPVs without advance notice.

In recent years, the debate on whether WWE superstars should be classified as "wrestlers" or "entertainers" has raged on across television, social media and casual conversation. At times, it's been used as part of storylines, with performers like CM Punk and Chris Jericho mocking the use of the words "sports entertainment. " But on tonight's Raw, fans saw the semantics at play in a different manner. Look at the careers of Shawn Michaels, who was being recognized in his hometown of San Antonio, and Brock Lesnar and there's a world of difference.

Don't believe everything you read on the internet. In fact, don't believe much of what you read on the internet, as it pertains to pro wrestling. At least take it with a grain of salt. Before this week's edition of Raw, there were rumors circling the internet and the internet wrestling websites that this week's episode of Raw would be a "throwaway" episode, with not much plot advancement leading to Wrestlemania. Pretty much the opposite happened. This episode of Raw saw The Undertaker return and receive a Wrestlemania opponent -- CM Punk.

Tonight's Ultimate Fighting Championship contest between Brock Lesnar and Randy Couture is being billed by some writers and fans (and promoters) as the biggest fight in the history of mixed martial arts. I think Lesnar has a higher ceiling than most people want to admit and he will do big things in this sport, but I'm going with Couture. He's one of the smartest fighters I've seen and his experience will help him against Lesnar. Lesnar is bigger, stronger and faster, but we still don't know a ton about him. ( For more, go to baltimoresun.

WWE has a long track record of revising its own history. Former enemies all of a sudden are best friends, a certain former world champion has been erased completely from history, and the list continues. But Monday night on Raw, general manager John Laurinaitis took it upon himself to not only rewrite WWE history, but also that of All Japan Pro Wrestling, where Laurinaitis competed as Johnny Ace from 1990 to 2000. Laurinaitis claimed to be the greatest star in the history of Japan, comparing his impact on the industry to the careers of Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin and The Rock rolled into one. In all honesty, I think Hollywood Stalker Ichikawa is even a bigger star in Japan than Laurinaitis was during his heyday.John Laurinaitis rewrites wrestling history to build feud with John Cena on WWE's Monday Night Raw Believing his own hype, Laurinaitis said it's those skills that will enable him to beat John Cena at Over the Limit later this month.

John Cena put away Brock Lesnar at Sunday's Extreme Rules pay-per-view, but now he must fight the hired gun's boss himself next month. In the closing scene of Raw, General Manager John Laurinaitis threw Cena a curveball. Laurinaitis told Cena his opponent for Over the Limit would be announced at the end of the show. But while Lord Tensai and his henchman surrounded Cena, Laurinaitis clubbed Cena from behind and announced that he would face the WWE's top superstar at the pay-per-view himself.