Monday Night Raw SuperShow Review - February 20, 2012

CM Punk extends his hand to Chris Jericho.

Intriguing segment to kick off the show featuring John Cena and Eve. Sure, Eve's overdue heel turn came out of absolutely nowhere, but that's what made this segment enjoyable. Although Cena's name-calling of Eve might be a bit too derogatory, it got the crowd behind him, which is a very good sign heading into his feud with The Rock.

Brief match with Sheamus dominating Mark Henry that should have gone much longer than it did. These two former rivals had yet to have a blow-off bout to their rivalry last summer, and this was no way to go about it. Nonetheless, it beats Sheamus going over enhancement talent as he prepares for his World Heavyweight Championship shot at WrestleMania.

Good tag team match with Kofi Kingston and R-Truth defeating WWE Tag Team Champions Primo and Epico in a non-title bout. I like the team of Truth and Kingston given their chemistry, but I don't want to see either star resort back to the tag team division when they have brighter futures in singles competition going into WrestleMania. I'd rather have them compete in the returning Money in the Bank Ladder Match at the event if nothing else.

Big congratulations go out to Ron Simmons for finally entering the WWE Hall of Fame. The video package was well done and even mentioned the fact that he was the pioneer for other African-American stars of the present. As Ron himself would say, it's about damn time.

Throwaway match between David Otunga and Ezekiel Jackson that felt meaningless. I'm not too psyched about this feud between John Laurinaitis and Teddy Long since there has been no apparent tension between the shows for years, but at least it's something. On a side note, it's nice to see Otunga get somewhat of a push since that finisher he performed on Jackson was pretty impressive for my liking. 

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Triple H confronts Undertaker regarding WrestleMania.

Solid segment featuring Triple H and Undertaker regarding their match at WrestleMania 28. Some may say it went too long, but the time flew by for this viewer. I'm glad Undertaker doesn't reveal his bald appearance until Mania, so that way it builds suspense. It got intense by the end of it by getting Shawn Michaels involved as well. With the Hell in a Cell stipulation announced, I am now extremely excited to see this match occur come WrestleMania.

Typical squash match with World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan quickly defeating Santino Marella. It made sense after what happened at Elimination Chamber, so no harm done. It gives Bryan more credibility seeing he won the bout clean and in a decisive fashion.

Horrendous Divas tag team match between Kelly Kelly, Aksana, and the Bella Twins, but it didn't last long so there's nothing much to complain about. Since Eve turned heel, Kelly Kelly needs a new best friend, right? Nonetheless, Aksana needs a lot of improvement before she can wrestle on live television. I'm also assuming the Bellas are being built up for Kharma to knock them down when she eventually returns, but that would mean Creative actually remembered to pick up on a past angle. So in that case, I don't even know.

Intense promo from John Cena about The Rock. This is the first time he's talked seriously about the match and Rock himself in a long time, and it rejuvenates the original excitement I had in seeing this match. Of course, it was no rap, but Cena was absolutely brilliant here.

Predictable main event battle royal that saw Chris Jericho earn a WWE Championship match at WrestleMania 28. Most the action was extremely sloppy, including Big Show injuring Wade Barrett when he threw Dolph Ziggler over the top rope. It was obvious from the start who was emerging victorious, so there wasn't much to care about. However, it was a great visual with Jericho and WWE Champion CM Punk closing the show.

Overall, a good show that didn't feature much action, but definitely felt like a step in the right direction as we quickly progress towards WrestleMania. The promos on this show were certainly enjoyable, as was the build for each individual program going into the big event. With The Rock returning next week, one can only hope the ratings can show for it.

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