7 Ups And 7 Downs From Last Night's WWE Raw (Feb 22)
2. Taker Versus Shane(!)
Who in their right mind could have predicted that Shane McMahon would return and then be named as Undertakers WrestleMania opponent? To call that a shocking development would be an understatement. But to call that a big-time, must-see match would be a gross overstatement. There arent fans clamoring to see a man whos 22-1 at WrestleMania square off against a guy who once gave away the European Championship and hasnt competed in six years. Sure, Shane is known as a daredevil and seeing him in action will be fun and the stakes are high, with control of Monday Night Raw hanging in the balance but this isnt the put butts in the seats match that WWE needs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HB4qOI7xxn0 However, what this is is a match that allows for WWE to buy some time. Shane very clearly is coming in as a babyface, trying to wrest Raw from the Authoritys control. Shane/Taker might not be a money match, but John Cena versus Undertaker with the same stakes certainly would be. By his Twitter account, Cena is desperately trying to get in shape to make Mania, but it might be an 11th hour decision. You cant leave Taker in the lurch for that long, so by making this match, you have the framework established, and you can figure out a way to substitute Cena for Shane later.
Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fortunately became a fan in time for WrestleMania III and came back as a fan after a long high school hiatus before WM XIV. Monday nights in the Carlson household are reserved for viewing Raw -- for better or worse.
