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.

Tonight on a three-hour edition of Raw, Vince McMahon returns to WWE TV for the first time since October 2011.  This is a very interesting situation for many reasons. For one, ratings in the United States have taken a dip. Though Nielsen ratings are not a completely accurate measure of performance, it is often used by many as a measuring stick of success. In the past four episodes, Raw has seen this trend: June 4: 2.92 rating May 28 (Memorial Day): 2.72 rating May 21: 3.0 rating May 14: 2.9 rating The average rating for Raw in 2012, from the beginning of February to the end of April, in the U.S. is 3.16.

As Sheamus walked down the RAW ramp to follow John Cena, he called Cena's promo "bizarre. " That it was. It did seem like Cena was at his most loose and comfortable, being goofy and interacting with the fans, talking about people's Sunday mornings and afternoons. What confused me was that this was among the very last images we saw six days before the Royal Rumble -- though the segment was saved by a locker room brawl in the ring, setting up the Royal Rumble match. I can't help but think of John Cena the campy, goofy joker vs. John Cena, the serious Superstar with a point to make.

Finally. No, this has nothing to do with The Rock. But it's still just as relevant to say. Finally. FINALLY. The news of WWE's latest Hall of Fame inductee broke Monday afternoon. When I read the name, I got goosebumps. A smile on my face. It was one of those moments as a pro wrestling fan where you can't believe what you are reading. As if hell just froze over. While watching Raw, everything seemed to take a backseat, for this night only. CM Punk and Chris Jericho had a terrific match.

  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.

Th 25th edition of SummerSlam ended with Brock Lesnar standing tall, having defeated Triple H by tap out with the Kimura Lock. Though their match certainly had some slow points, it was a simple, effective, and (in my opinion) necessary conclusion to this match. With Lesnar winning in clean fashion, he remains a "killer," Triple H doesn't lose anything in defeat, and the Kimura continues to be seen as a devastating finishing maneuver. Lesnar has been announced to appear in the opening segment on Raw on Monday night.

After the Royal Rumble concluded I received a direct message on Twitter from a good friend who used to work in the wrestling industry. To me, he summed up the 2013 Royal Rumble best with this quote: "A fun show that is 100% predictable is still a fun show. " As soon as John Cena eliminated Ryback to win the Royal Rumble match, it seemed as though the main event of WrestleMania ("Twice in a Lifetime") was already set, even though the WWE title had yet to be defended. Hardcore fans and "armchair bookers" everywhere were collectively clanking on their keyboards, lamenting this “predictable” outcome and complaining about the lack of surprise.

WWE "go home" shows always seem to be the most scrutinized. Often, pundits will cast away the past several weeks of television and focus most on the last Raw before a pay-per-view event, often with the same question -- did this show make me interested in buying the pay-per-view? While it's a fair question, perhaps its a skewed way to look at it when you are analyzing just one isolated show -- in particular, the closing moments of that show. If we were to do that for this past episode of Raw, then the closing segment did a very good job of creating interest and generating buys for the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view coming this Sunday.

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.

For those who watch WWE on a regular basis, this headline might be confusing. After all, John Cena won the Royal Rumble and earned the right to face the top champion of his choice at WrestleMania. He chose the WWE champion, who is The Rock. At TLC, it was Cena who benefitted from a one-sided stipulation match against Dolph Ziggler, but next week on Raw it will be Cena who will put up a one-sided stake. It will be Cena vs. CM Punk, and the winner goes to WrestleMania to face The Rock.