By Jason Powell

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WWE Raw on the USA Network
Live from Washington, D.C.

[Q1] The show opened with footage of The Three Stooges with Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler clowning around on commentary. They also hyped C.M. Punk vs. Mark Henry in a rematch from last week. Lawler said this might be the most fun Raw they've ever had...

Powell's POV: Wait, so Brock Lesnar returned last week, yet they open Raw by talking about The Three Stooges?!?

John Laurinaitis and David Otunga headed to the ring to Big Johnny's new and majestic entrance theme. Laurinaitis touted the return of Brock Lesnar. He said he doesn't care about catchphrases and doesn't care about the fans. Johnny said Lesnar is a dominant and legitimate athlete who will carry the WWE banner for years to come. Laurinaitis set up a video that recapped Lesnar's attack on John Cena from last week.

Laurinaitis introduced Lesnar as the man who will face Cena at Extreme Rules and bring legitimacy back to WWE. Lesnar made is entrance and smiled as he walked onto the stage. and as he walked down the ramp. Once Lesnar entered the ring, Laurinaitis handed him the mic and clapped for him. Lesnar thanked "Mr. Laurinaitis" for "having the wisdom to bring legitimacy back to the WWE."

John Cena's entrance theme interrupted Lesnar. Cena walked onto the stage and eventually flashed the all too familiar smirk as he headed to the ring. Cena stood on the ring apron and smiled while shaking his head. Lesnar stood across the ring and motioned for Cena to enter. Cena eventually did so. Lawler said there are a lot of combustable elements in the ring.

Cena walked over to Lesnar and slapped him across the face. Lesnar performed a double leg takedown and went into ground and pound mode on Cena. Several agents and eventually countless wrestlers ran out to pull them apart. Lesnar broke free and tried to take another shot at Cena until he was pulled away again.

Cena smiled and showed that his mouth was bloody. Cena broke free and went after Lesnar, but he was quickly pulled back. Rinse and repeat with Lesnar breaking free and going after Cena. The agents and wrestlers managed to get Lesnar to ringside. Cena remained in the ring and continued to smile. "How do I look, all right?" Cena asked in regards to the blood in his mouth... [C]

Powell's POV: They scared the hell out of me with the Stooges stuff opening the show, but they got to it quickly after that. This was a nice change of pace after all of the back and forth verbal exchanges that Cena did with The Rock. I am surprised they are advertising the first Brock vs. Cena match for Extreme Rules. I assumed they'd go with a Lesnar squash over an undercard wrestler if he even wrestled. Brock did punch Cena in the face once before taking shots to Cena's body. That said, Cena may have done the old condom trick to get the blood. Either way, that was a great way to follow up the angle from last week.

[Q2] An ad for Tuesday's live Smackdown hyped the "Blast From the Past" element and the cast of "Legends House" who will appear on the show... The announcers recapped the Lesnar and Cena brawl...

Backstage, Laurinaitis chewed out Teddy Long while David Otunga stood by. Laurinaitis said it was Teddy's job to keep Cena under control. He told Long to go get an explanation from Cena. After Long left the room, Eve entered the picture. Laurinaitis said he would give her a one-on-one meeting in Stamford...

1. Santino Marella and Brodus Clay (w/dancers) vs. Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger (w/Vickie Guerrero). They played Clay's entrance music, and Santino did his own dance while Brodus and the girls did their thing. Clay roughed up Swagger early, but Swagger came back with a shoulder block on Clay's knee. Swagger was in control as the show went to commercial. [C] After the break, the heels worked over Santino until he made a hot tag.

[Q3] In the end, Clay hit his usual battering ram head-butt on Ziggler and scored the clean pin. Clay, Santino, and the women danced after the match...

Santino Marella and Brodus Clay defeated Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger in 7:55.

Powell's POV: We saw Clay sell briefly before the commercial break. Otherwise, it was business as usual.

Backstage, The Miz told John Laurinaitis that he believes in him. Laurinaitis said he had big plans for Miz, but it was a crazy night. Miz said no problem and left the room. Laurinaitis scolded Long for not delivering Cena. However, Cena entered the room and spoke about Laurinaitis looking for legitimacy. Cena said he likes to hit and to be hit. He said he's just getting warmed up.

Cena said he wants to compete and will face whoever Laurinaitis chooses. After Cena left the room, Laurinaitis told Long to tell David Otunga that he would face Cena. He stopped Long and ordered him to look at him when he's spoken to. He told Long to tell Laurinaitis that he would be with him...

Backstage, Santino Marella asked Tyler Reks, Curt Hawkins, and backstage workers where the Three Stooges were... Highlights aired of Mark Henry hitting the World's Strongest Slam on C.M. Punk. Cole said the title would be on the line in the rematch later tonight... [C]

Powell's POV: Maybe they should have waited until next week to sell the "legitimacy" story rather than trying to put that over on the same week that Santino in seeking out The Three Stooges.

Backstage, Santino continued to search for the Stooges. He found Kane instead. Santino sheepishly asked if he's seen the Stooges. Santino ran away after getting the silent treatment from Kane...

2. Cody Rhodes vs. R-Truth. Early in the match, Show walked onto the stage and played footage of Show distracting Cody from last week. Back live, Cody turned his attention back to Truth and ended up taking a move and being pinned...

R-Truth beat Cody Rhodes in 1:40.

Powell's POV: Once was enough last week. Rhodes looks like an idiot for falling for it again this week.

Backstage, Santino found a crate marked fragile. He thought it was a care package from his mother. It contained The Three Stooges. Santino took part in some Stooges slapping and then taught Moe the Cobra. He turned it into his eye poke. They went back inside create to come up with ideas on how to entertain the WWE Universe. Moe said they need to think outside the box. Get it?...

Powell's POV: I still get a kick out of the original Stooges, but I wouldn't want to see them on Raw either. Legitimacy is the buzz word of the night on the same show that three guys remain in character while promoting a comedy movie. Wow.

[Q4] [C] Footage aired of John Cena's appearance on the Syfy show "Dream Machines." The show premieres on Tuesday night after the live Smackdown special. The two guys from the show were shown standing in the crowd...

3. Lord Tensai (w/Sakamoto) vs. Yoshi Tatsu. The announcers said Tatsu challenged Tensai to the match. They also boasted that Three Stooges and Tensai were trending on Twitter. There was an "Albert" chant at one point. Tensai dominated the squash and hit his finisher. He tried to stay on the offensive, but the referee called for the bell. Cole said Tatsu couldn't defend himself. Tensai spat mist into the air and then put a claw hold on Tatsu.

Lord Tensai defeated Yoshi Tatsu in 1:50.

Powell's POV: Another squash match. That's all they should be doing with Tensai right now. However, the crowd doesn't seem to care about the Tensai gimmick. Everyone was seated and silent as he exited the ring. Only a few fans in the first two rows cared enough to stand up as he made his way to the floor. By the way, readers have pointed out that Jamie Noble trended earlier. He was one of the agents who ran out during the Lesnar vs. Cena brawl.

Highlights aired of Chris Jericho slamming the bottle over Punk's head from last week. Cole questioned whether Punk could focus heading into his match against Mark Henry... [C] An ad aired for the live Smackdown...

A graphic touted the WrestleMania 28 attendance... The announcers set up a replay of the Jericho and Punk angle from last week... C.M. Punk made his entrance.

[Q5] Punk took the mic and squatted in the ring. He stood up and spoke about Straight Edge. He said people have asked him what the big deal is about having one beer or one cigarette. He said it wasn't a choice he made to be cool because it's made him the opposite for most of his life. He said it was a choice and a lifestyle. Punk recalled vowing to make it to the top of WWE. He said if he got there it would be because he's the best damn wrestler in the world. The fans chanted his name.

Punk said Jericho came along and tried to get in his head by saying he's the best wrestler in the world. He said when that didn't work, Jericho decided to destroy the privacy he's tried to keep. He recalled all of the things Jericho said about his family. Punk said he made Jericho tap out at Mania and when Jericho's games didn't work, he took it one step further and one step too far.

Punk recalled Jericho breaking a bottle over his head. Punk said that as he laid there in and out of consciousness, he wasn't thinking about how badly he was hurt or whether he could go on the international tour. "There was one thought in my head," Punk said. "And that thought was I smell exactly like my father did."

Punk turned away from the camera for a moment. "That smell that would punch me in the face every time my dad got home from work or when he picked me up from Little League or every time he carried an Old Style up to the shower..." Chris Jericho interrupted Punk and questioned whether he's still hungover. Jericho questioned whether the fans were witnessing Punk in the middle of his first bender. Punk tried to deny what Jericho was saying.

Jericho told him the first step to admitting he's an alcoholic is to admit that he's powerless. Jericho said the fans don't see a world champion or the best in the world, they see a pathetic, living, breathing, loser. Jericho took credit for making Punk break his lifelong vow of sobriety. "I forced you to realize what it's like for the first time to be C.M. Drunk," Jericho said. Punk said he's going to use every bad memory he has when he faces Jericho. He said it's no longer about being best in the world, it's about him kicking Jericho's ass...

Mark Henry made his entrance. Justin Roberts delivered the ring introductions as Henry walked to the ring... [C]

Powell's POV: The dialogue between Punk and Jericho is strong, and the performances have been very good. Unfortunately, Jericho just doesn't feel like a threat to the title because he hasn't backed up his bold claims. I'm still enjoying the feud, but it's just not as hot as it should be. Fortunately, it should feel red hot with the pay-per-view crowd in Chicago.

4. C.M. Punk vs. Mark Henry for the WWE Championship. Cole questioned whether Punk could harness his anger. It's like he read the script. They went to ringside and Punk was disqualified for slamming a TV monitor from the announcers' desk over Henry.

Mark Henry defeated C.M. Punk by disqualification in 1:50.

[Q6] After the match, Jericho's music played. Henry attacked a distracted Punk from behind and left him lying in the ring with the World's Strongest Slam. Jericho walked to the ring with a pair of 12-packs of beer. He insincerely grimaced while watching Henry rough up Punk. Henry left the ring.

Jericho entered the ring with the beer and was about to pour it on Punk, but Punk took a shot at Jericho, who came right back and dropped him with a Codebreaker. Jericho poured beer over Punk's face and body. "Drink it it in," Jericho yelled as he poured several beers on Punk. "It's all for you. This one is for your father." Referees pleaded with Jericho stop. Punk got up, but Jericho dropped him with another Codebreaker.

Jericho went to ringside and took the WWE Championship belt, which he held up over his head. Jericho slid the belt inside the ring and the show cut to commercial... [C]

Powell's POV: Another good angle. The Chicago fans will definitely rally behind Punk at Extreme Rules and it will be fun if Punk's family is there for revenge, but it's a shame this feud doesn't feel hotter.

A Be a Star video aired...

5. Zack Ryder vs. Alberto Del Rio (w/Ricardo Rodriguez). Del Rio drove a $240,000 car out for his entrance. Ryder got some offense including a big running kick in the corner, but Del Rio won with his Cross Arm Breaker...

Alberto Del Rio defeated Zack Ryder via submission in 1:25.

Backstage, the Three Stooges were still trying to come up with ways to entertain the WWE fans....

[Q7] [C] Cole hyped Cena's appearance on "Dream Machines" for Tuesday night after the live Smackdown...

Justin Roberts introduced The Three Stooges. Lawler put them over as his "all-time favorite knuckleheads." Larry and Moe came out, but Curly was backstage. They were greeted largely with silence and a few boos. Hulk Hogan's music played. Curly came out dressed like Hogan. The WWE cameras caught a look of shock on the faces of some fans in the crowd. "He lost weight," Lawler cracked.

Curly (a/k/a Will Sasso) did a Hogan impersonation while pimping The Three Stooges. The booing continued from the crowd. Kane's pyro went off and he headed to the ring. Once in the ring, Kane's pyro went off again. Curly was the only one who stuck around. Kane chokeslammed him...

Powell's POV: Good delivery by Sasso in the Hogan impersonation, but that was a terrible segment that bored the hell out of the live crowd (and this television viewer). The fans didn't even care enough to cheer when Kane chokeslammed him.

The announcers narrated highlights of Henry roughing up Punk. Backstage, Josh Mathews asked Henry for an explanation. Henry said he beat Punk via count-out last week and via DQ this week. He said Laurinaitis is giving him a no DQ, no count-out match next week. Henry said he will be the next World Heavyweight Champion... [C]

Powell's POV: Um, I think he meant WWE Champion. I guess old habits die hard.

A graphic touted that Raw was the highest rated show on cable for the fourth Monday in a row... The announcers recapped the Lesnar and Cena brawl...

[Q8] Backstage, Josh Mathews asked Brock Lesnar if he's proud to be back in WWE. "Proud?" Lesnar asked. "I'm proud of everything I do. Let me tell you a little story, Josh. Eight years ago I left this company. I was the WWE Champion, took this company to heights it had never seen before. Left the company, went to the UFC, became the UFC Champion of the World. Their success was on my blood, sweat, and tears. Proud? Damn right, I'm proud. I'm proud that Johnny Laurinaitis had enough wisdom to bring me back to WWE and put me at the top, exactly where I belong.

"A guy like John Cena, he thinks he's at the top. He could never hold my jock strap in a million years, and I just proved this. I knocked his pretty little mouth on his pretty little face. I'm not here to make any friends. I'm a war machine, an ass kicker, and a proud one at that. But I'm not as proud as the WWE suits and ties and all these fans are to have me back"...

Powell's POV: It looks like he is allowed to say UFC after all. I like the verbiage, but it felt like it was something that was written for Lesnar rather than Brock speaking in his own words. Of course, he almost had to say UFC or it would have looked even more scripted had he danced around it by saying he won the MMA Championship. I hate the way Laurinaitis has been brought into this story. He's such a comedy figure and now he's involved in an angle that WWE is using to claim "legitimacy" is back in WWE. They're missing Paul Heyman already. Brock could have remained quiet for weeks while Heyman did the talking. They will especially miss a mouthpiece if the time comes for Lesnar to have verbal exchanges in a live setting.

The announcers set up a video package that recapped the Hell in a Cell match from WrestleMania 28 and featured comments from top WWE performers... David Otunga and John Laurinaitis made their entrance... [C] An ad aired for WWE Smackdown... Lawler pointed out a group of wounded warriors in the crowd...

6. John Cena vs. David Otunga. Cena came out without any blood on him. Lawler said Cena had a fat lip. The dueling Cena chants started after the opening bell. Cena started bleeding from the lip again early on, so it looks as though the blood was legit. Otunga got some offense and posed.

[Overrun] Cena came back and hit the Attitude Adjustment. He looked down at Laurinaitis, who was seated at ringside, and smiled at him. Cena applied the STF and got the submission win...

John Cena defeated David Otunga in 5:05.

After the match, Lesnar hit the ring and kicked Cena below the belt from behind. Lesnar smiled at the fallen Cena. He eventually picked him up and dropped him with the F5. Lesnar looked into the camera and smiled. A smiling Laurinaitis was shown smiling at ringside. Cole recalled Lesnar saying he's proud of everything he's accomplished. "You have to wonder if he's proud of that," Cole said. Lawler assumed he was proud of it.

Laurinaitis applauded Lensar from ringside. A "one more time" chant broke out. Lesnar looked down at Cena and smiled. Lesnar left the ring and there were some boos from fans who wanted to see him hit the move one more time...

Powell's POV: WWE managed to cool off Lesnar within the course of two hours. Don't get me wrong, it's not like he's ice cold or anything, but he didn't feel as hot at the end of this show as he did last week or even at the beginning of this week's show during the brawl.

The promo didn't do him any favors and his association with Laurinaitis makes this feel scripted at the same time WWE is throwing the word legitimacy around. He felt overexposed tonight. The pull apart brawl would have been more than enough. I'll have more to say about Lesnar, Cena, their Extreme Rules match, and the rest of the show in tonight's Dot Net Member Exclusive audio review, and in Tuesday's WWE Raw Hitlist.

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