Zack Ryder def. Drew McIntyreOriginally, Christian was set to be a member of Team Johnny at WrestleMania 28 that Sunday, but due to suffering from an injury, he was replaced on the go-home show for the pay-per-view by McIntyre. It was cool for McIntyre to get a WrestleMania moment (especially since his team would win), but the guy had been irrelevant for close to two years, so his addition to the team was a letdown. Meanwhile, Ryder, despite being on the downswing in his failed feud with Kane, remained popular with the fans, so they were solidly behind him here. I'm actually surprised this match lasted as long as it did, but it was well-wrestled, nevertheless. Big Show Addressed Intercontinental Champion Cody RhodesThe story heading into WrestleMania 28 was that Big Show was determined to get his WrestleMania moment by beating Rhodes for the Intercontinental Championship, which he would, and that's what he talked about here. Granted, it wasn't anything fans hadn't heard before and was mostly just a retread of past material, but it was straightforward and a fine final sell for his upcoming championship clash with Rhodes.
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Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho Brawled; Kane Apologized to Michael Cole and Jerry LawlerI absolutely loved how the show opened with Shane and Stephanie McMahon talking about how the WWE Universe had to "band together" in the absence of their father, yet the first thing we see is Jericho and Michaels brawling around ringside. That was fantastic, along with Kane coming down and "apologizing" to the commentators for his unwarranted actions the week prior. Stuff like this helps break away from the tired formula we see all too often on Raw. Women's Champion Mickie James def. Katie Lea (Non-title)Katie Lea was still relatively inexperienced at this point, but working with someone as seasoned as James was only going to help her cause. I don't remember if this was as good as or even better than their encounter at Night of Champions, but as a standalone match, it was a treat. It also tied in nicely to the subsequent Intercontinental Championship match between Paul Burchill and Kofi Kingston heading into the commercial break.
JBL, John cEna, Batista and Kane Staked Their Claim at the World Heavyweight ChampionshipWhen I praised the opening of Raw from the week for being as lengthy as it was, that was due to the segment being so exciting and compelling. This, unfortunately, was the exact opposite. Nothing ever came of Vickie Guerrero's brief appearance, so it would have been best to not muddy the Brand Split rules further and just keep her on SmackDown. Everyone coming out and declaring a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship was fine, but it made for a predictable segment that dragged beyond belief. Rey Mysterio def. Santino MarellaFor a guy who had been out on the shelf for several months, Mysterio looked great in his first bout back here. Marella deserves credit for selling well for his offense, too. I'm glad this didn't turn into a full-fledged feud between the two, but at the same time, Mysterio was gone from television for another two months after this, oddly enough. Apparently, he was stuck in contract negotiations for a while, so there wasn't much of a point in him returning to Raw at this time.
Jim Ross Delivered a Farewell Address; CM Punk def. Edge to Win the World Heavyweight ChampionshipI will never forget where I was when I watched this segment for the first time nine years ago because everything about it was so amazingly well done. JR was able to give a heartfelt farewell in his hometown, and Edge came across like such an awesome heel for interrupting him and crashing the party. Then, Batista exacted revenge on Edge for being screwed out of the world title the night prior at Night of Champions, leading to Punk cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase before becoming World Heavyweight Champion. It ate up a huge chunk of television time, but every second of it held my interest, in addition to quickly answering the question of what would happen once two top titles ended up on SmackDown in the draft. Women's Champion Mickie James def. Jillian Hall (Non-title)There really isn't much to say about this match other than it was short-lived and rightfully so. Jillian was a mediocre worker at best and was only good for brief bouts such as this one. James was fresh off her successful title defense at Night of Champions against Katie Lea Burchill, and there wasn't any indication here who would be next in line to challenge her for the belt.
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