3/28/11 Live Raw Coverage

Mar 28, 2011 - by Jason Graening

Join the Starman as he covers the final Raw before WrestleMania 27.

Chicago native, CM Punk, is sitting in the middle of the ring in a dark arena as we join Raw. Punk says calls the crowd in Chicago his people, just like the Nexus, and he saw Randy Orton take them out one by one. Punk says Orton has built up a false sense of security as Punk treats us to footage of what went down last week outside of Orton’s tour bus.

Punk says Orton should have never punted him in the head two years ago and cost him a championship as he has now cost Orton the respect of his family. Punk says he will close this sick and twisted chapter at WrestleMania and begins to walk out of the ring but is stopped in his tracks as Orton’s music hits.

Orton comes out with his right knee taped and gingerly makes his way towards the ring. Orton enters the ring as Punk goes right on the attack but Orton is able to connect with an uppercut before driving Punk down with a DDT. Orton then backs up a sets up to punt Punk in the head but he stumbles in the ring due to his knee injury.

Punk then stands up and smiles as Orton hobbles around the ring. Punk then sets his focus on Orton’s injured knee before taking him out with the GTS. Punk then leaves the ring as Orton rolls around in pain.

The announce team then hypes tonight show that will feature a face to face confrontation between the Undertaker and Triple H and the Rock will be in the house and be in the ring for the first time with John Cena and the Miz.

We then see Christian backstage with Edge as he says he doesn’t understand why he can’t touch Alberto Del Rio on Smackdown, but he can on Raw. Christian says the Raw GM said is was okay as Edge chimes in that besides the stupid sound effect, he has always liked that guy. The two then walk away as Edge & Christian will be in tag team action tonight.

We see footage of last Friday’s match where Christian defeated Alberto Del Rio on Smackdown. This brings us to the first match of the night.

Match 1: Edge & Christian vs. Albert Del Rio & Brodus Clay
Josh Mathews brings up the fact that this is the first time in six years that Edge & Christian have tagged together on Raw. Edge and Christian work over Clay with double team moves and quick tags in and out before dumping him out to the floor as we head into a commercial break.

We return to the match to see Del Rio in control over Christian as he takes him down with a superkick to pick up a near fall. Clay is tagged into the match and continues to work over Christian as Del Rio is tagged back in and picks up another near fall after hitting an elbow froom the middle rope. Christian is finally able to stop their momentum with a tornado DDT on Del Rio as he makes the hot tag to Edge.

Clay is tagged in and Edge is able to take him down to the canvas. The crowd rises to their feet as Edge sets up for the spear but Del Rio trips him in the ring. Del Rio and Christian go at it outside the ring as Edge hits Clay with a spear to pick up the pin fall.

After the match, Del Rio locks Christian in the cross arm bar before Edge realizes it and chases him up the ramp. Edge then goes back to check on Christian as Del Rio runs back out and takes Edge out with a blow to the back of the head. Del Rio then puts Edge in the cross arm bar before Del Rio breaks the hold and walks away.

The announce team hype the match between John Morrison, Trish Stratus and Snooki against Dolph Ziggler and LayCool. We see footage of Snooki and Trish in a bar in New Jersey as we will get an exclusive interview with them later on in the show.

A video package for Sin Cara is aired before we see footage of the Chicago skyline. Illinois National Guard members are seen sitting ringside before we head backstage where the Miz and Alex Riley have turned the WWE logo upside down near the interview area.

The GM’s email sound goes off as we see that Michael Cole now has an iPad to read the emails. Cole reads the email that says Jerry Lawler will go up against Jack Swagger to make sure he is ready for WrestleMania. Lawler says it will be good to get a little payback for what Swagger has done over the past few weeks.

Josh Mathews hypes the final confrontation between Triple H and the Undertaker that will go down tonight. A video package is then aired that focuses on the two of them to set up their No Holds Barred match at WrestleMania.

The announce team hypes all of the events that will take place during WrestleMania week leading up to the four hour spectacular on Sunday night.

Match 2: Justin Gabriel vs. Santino Marella
The Corre is with Gabriel, while the Big Show, Kane, Vladimir Kozlov, and Tamina are in Santino’s corner. It is announced that a new match has been booked as the Corre will take on Kane/Big Show/Santino Marella/Vladimir Kozlov at WrestleMania.

The match starts and Gabriel picks up a near fall after connecting with a kick to the face. Santino fights his way back into the match and hits Gabriel with a few moves before Heath Slater tries to distract Santino. Kozlov trips up Gabriel as Kane gets involved and takes out Slater as the Big Show takes out Ezekiel Jackson and Wade Barrett. Santino then hits Gabriel with the Cobra to pick up the pin fall. Santino and his partners celebrate in the ring with all of them doing Santino’s signature horn blow.

Triple H is seen walking in the hallways backstage and his confrontation with the Undertaker is coming up next.

Josh Mathews announces that Keri Hilson will be performing America the Beautiful at WrestleMania before we hear the trademark bell that signifies the Undertaker’s presence.

The Undertaker makes his way slowly down to the ring. Lemmy Kilmister then cuts off Johnny Cash as Triple H makes his way to the ring. Just before Hunter’s signature spot on the ring apron, the bell cuts off his music as the lights go out. Triple H then enters the ring and stares down the Undertaker for a moment until Shawn Michael’s music hits.

HBK comes out to a loud pop and makes his way to the ring doing all of his signature spots in the process. Michael’s grabs a microphone and apologizes for interrupting, but there was no way he was going to miss this. HBK calls this match the biggest match of their careers says neither of them will be the same once the match is over with.

Michaels then asks Hunter why he thinks he can do what he failed to do and stares down Triple H. Hunter grabs the microphone and tells Michaels that he got soft and decided that it was better to be the showstopper than it was to win a match. Hunter says he isn’t like that and he has to win.

Triple H says one man stood out when he first arrived 16 years ago and wrestle each night, no matter how injured he was. He continues to say that he patterned himself after that guy, and that guy was the Undertaker. Triple H learned to respect him more and more and the only other guy he respects as much is Shawn Michaels.

Triple H talks about a pact that he made with Shawn Michaels that they would let each other know when to hang up the boots. Hunter says he came back for one reason, and that is to tell the Undertaker that it his time. Triple H tells the Undertaker that he will forever be a legend, but in six days, he will no longer be undefeated at WrestleMania. Triple H says that he is the one, as in 18 and 1, and the Undertaker will finally rest in peace at WrestleMania.

Undertaker says he respects Triple H and says if there was a time for him to go, he would want him to do it. However, it is not the time. When it is all said and done, the streak will be alive and so will the Undertaker. Taker goes on to say that HBK gave him the best two matches of his WrestleMania career yet he still didn’t get it done. The Undertaker says he humbled Michaels and ended his career in the process.

Michaels snatches the microphone out of Taker’s hands and tries to go for some Sweet Chin Music, but Undertaker blocks it and Triple H separates the two of them. Hunter and Taker begin another stare down as Triple H tells HBK to tell the Undertaker why he will beat him at WrestleMania. HBK just stands in the corner, though, before he quietly leaves the ring. Michaels tells Triple H that he is sorry, but he can’t win, before walking up the ramp.

The Undertaker and Triple H briefly stare at each other before Taker leaves the ring and also heads up the ramp. Undertaker looks back one last time before finally walking backstage and we head into a commercial break.

Match 3: Jack Swagger vs. Jerry Lawler
Josh Mathews is by himself for this match as Michael Cole is in Jack Swagger’s corner. The bell rings and Lawler is distracted by Cole as Swagger quickly takes him down and knocks him out to the floor. Swagger continues to punish Lawler on the floor but Lawler grabs a steel chair and begins to nail Swagger in the back with it to cause a disqualification.

Lawler then stares down Cole before he retreats into the Cole Mine. Lawler ties to scale the box but is stopped by security as Cole tosses a drink into his face. Cole screams at Lawler and tells him that he will be done on Sunday at WrestleMania.

We see footage of last week’s handicap match where Vickie Guerrero pinned John Morrison to win the match for her team. Vickie Guerrero then walks out wearing John Morrison’s sunglasses and takes part in Morrison’s slo-mo entrance before walking out to the ring. Vickie tells Snooki that she will find herself in a familiar position after WrestleMania – passed out and unconscious.

Match 4: Dolph Ziggler & Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan & John Morrison
Sheamus and Morrison go back and forth until Sheamus finally hits a backbreaker. Morrison is able to kick out of the pin fall as we head into a commercial break. We return to the match to see Sheamus picking up another near fall over Morrison as he continues to wear Morrison down. Morrison hits a flashy kick before tagging in Daniel Bryan as Sheamus tags in Dolph Ziggler.

Bryan takes Ziggler down with a clothesline before going for the LeBell Lock but Sheamus breaks it up. Sheamus is tagged back in as this match begins to break down with all four going at it in the ring. Ziggler and Morrison are tossed out to the floor as Sheamus takes Bryan down with Pale Justice to pick up the pin fall victory.

We see footage from what happened earlier between CM Punk and Randy Orton. Orton is seen backstage with an icepack on his leg and says he has serious anger management issues. Orton says he has ruined careers and says he doesn’t despise a person more than CM Punk and asks not if Orton will make it to WrestleMania, but if CM Punk will make it out.

The final inductees of the 2011 WWE Hall of Fame is revealed and it is Chicago’s own, Hawk and Animal, the Road Warriors. Footage of their historic career that spanned the AWA, NWA, WCW, and WWE is aired. Precious Paul Ellering is also focused upon as all three are being inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Snooki and Trish Status are seen in a New Jersey bar and Snooki says she has been trained by Trish and she is ready to go at WrestleMania. A male begins to pester them as Snooki slaps him across the face and she says she will be bringing that to WrestleMania. Josh Mathews begins to hype their match as he says LayCool have are at the bar in NJ. We head back to see the two sides getting into a bar room brawl until they have to be separated.

The announce team then hype the confrontation between John Cena, the Rock and the Miz, and it’s coming up next.

The Rock is seen backstage and is pacing around behind the curtain before his music hits and he comes out to the ring. The fans start a loud “Rocky!” chant as he delivers his trademark “Finally… the Rock has come back… to Chicago!” Rock says Chicago is a special place for him and says his first WrestleMania match took place in this very building.

The Rock says he decided to bring it that night and face his fears and insecurities and go after his dreams. One of those dreams was to come out to the ring and call out John Cena. In that dream, Cena came down to the ring in his bright shirts and the Rock put his fist in Cena’s face and his boots on Cena’s ass. The Rock says this is reality and the People’s Champ is here and is cut off by Cena’s music.

Cena comes down to the ring to some loud boos from the Chicago crowd and says the Rock is where he belongs, inside of a wrestling ring. Cena asks if he hears the people chanting his name and Cena call himself one of the millions. Cena says he said what he said about the Rock because he is a fan and said he was glad that the Rock came back.

Cena says he wanted to listen to what the Rock had to say and wants to know what problem the Rock has with himself. Cena says there were a lot of problems, like the colors of his clothes, the way he talks, what music he listened to, and his moral code. The kicker, though, was the kids of his fans.

Cena says he is glad what he has become and if the Rock has a problem with the way Cena worked his tail off, then they have a problem. Cena continues by saying that he comes out each and every week as himself and says he will be judged one day, but not by the Great One.

The Rock says he isn’t going to judge Cena but says the good Lord can’t save Cena from the Rock kicking his ass all over Chicago. Cena says he has addressed the Rock face to face like a man, but if he wants to fight, then here he is.

The Miz’s music hits as he comes down to the ring with Alex Riley. Miz says the two are trying to upstage him but reminds Cena that he has owned him this past month. Miz says Cena will lose at WrestleMania, but will come putting up a fight, unlike the Rock.

The Miz says he knows the Rock isn’t going to do anything and risk facing the Miz as he will be beaten so bad that he won’t be able to show his face in Hollywood. The Miz says he can run his mouth all he wants but he won’t do anything because “I’m the Miz, and I’m awesome!”

The Rock says it doesn’t matter what Miz thinks and Alex Riley nails the Rock from the side. Miz joins in and the Rock begins to fight back and sends Riley out to the floor before taking the Miz down with a DDT. Rock then hits Miz with the People’s Elbow and tosses him out to the floor.

The Rock then turns around and finds Cena standing there, who picks him up and drives him down to the mat with an Attitude Adjustment. Cena then leaves the ring and salutes the camera as Raw comes to a close.

Quick Results
– Edge & Christian defeated Alberto Del Rio & Brodus Clay by pin fall.
– Santino Marella defeated Justin Gabriel by pin fall.
– Jack Swagger defeated Jerry Lawler by disqualification.
– Dolph Ziggler & Sheamus defeated Daniel Bryan & John Morrison by pin fall.

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