One Step Closer to Wrestlemania.

This week's episode of Monday Night Raw is bringing us one step closer to the "showcase of the immortals", and here is how it all went down...

Triple H came out to kick the show off and discussed the accolades that he has achieved in his 16 or so year career. He also mentioned how the Undertaker and himself were really the only two greats left in the WWE locker room, he is absolutely right. They have the longest tenure of any wrestler employed today and it's quite sad to think about when it's time for them to retire. Both men have provided such a fantastic catalogue of matches and title wins, it's hard to imagine the WWE without either of them. As he was making his speech, Sheamus comes out and Triple H delivers a pedigree through the announce table. Glad to see that Hunter is back in fighting form.

Noticeably absent from the announce table is Michael Cole. I found this a bit weird but figured that he would be out later to address Jerry's Wrestlemania challenge. The Raw General Manager then chimes in saying that even though Sheamus was just attacked, he must still compete in his scheduled match. Evan Bourne is revealed to be his opponent and of course wins upon his return to the ring. It's kind of sad that the WWE has no more cruiser weight division, Evan is a fantastic wrestler who is being underutilized due to his size, it has nothing to do with his abilities as an entertainer. Happy to see him back and making such a strong impact.

Cole finally makes his appearance and says that he will face Lawler at Wrestlemania, only if Jerry abides by two conditions. Cole is allowed to have his trainer (who turns out to be Jack Swagger) ringside and he gets to pick the guest referee for the match. Of course Jerry says yes, then gets attacked by Cole and Swagger. The highlight of this entire exchange was when Lawler called him a "Cole-sore", I literally died of laughter. Probably the funniest moment of the entire broadcast.

Another Wrestlemania match was also confirmed that night, Randy Orton will face CM Punk at the pay-per-view but it is accompanied with a unique set of circumstances. Randy Orton will face each member of Nexus on Monday Night Raw leading up to Wrestlemania XXVII. If he wins, the Nexus member cannot be ringside for the match. If he loses, the Nexus member is allowed to be present. First up was Michael McGillicutty, who not only lost but suffered a punt to the skull. Word is that he is being written off of television for a bit, let's hope that he does not suffer the same fate as Husky Harris. McGillicutty shows a lot of promise as a WWE superstar.

There was also a brief video highlighting the recent signing of Mexican wrestler Mistico. His WWE name will be Sin Cara and I am excited to see exactly what he can do in the ring.

In the latter half of the show, the Miz comes out and blabs on about how he is the most must-see WWE champion and blah, blah, blah. He also mentions how he will defeat Cena at Wrestlemania and then go after the Rock. He seriously gets on my nerves. I know it's all an angle and what not but there has got to be an end to it. Of course Cena comes out, cracks a few jokes about the Miz and Alex Riley, presents a "doctor's note" and goes on about how the Miz has OCD. Cena then says how he should work without Riley helping him win, take pride in being the champ instead of just coasting by. He makes a very valid point, I know it is all pre-determined but I still can;t stand a cheater. John then proposes a match for the broadcast, Cena vs. Riley. If Riley wins, then Cena must admit that the Miz is the greatest champ ever. If Cena wins, Alex Riley is no longer the apprentice of the Miz. The Raw General Manager makes it a steel cage match, to ensure no outside interference. However, the Miz still interferes, throwing his phone into the ring, even after he gave his word he wouldn't interfere. In the final match of the broadcast, Cena won and Alex Riley is on his own, it will be interesting to see how this will play out next week.

In diva news, one of the Bella twins is the #1 contender for Eve's Diva's Championship. They pulled that twin magic business and ultimately won the battle royal.

The Rock cut a promo on Raw that really disappointed me. He appeared live via satellite from his home in Los Angeles. I personally think that he should have cut the promo in person, he would have had a greater connection with the crowd. He basically talked about how his foray into Hollywood paved the way for WWE to make movies and for wrestlers like John Cena to appear in those movies. Rocky did briefly tease a fight with Cena, even if that was not his intention. I'd like to see it because I think John would destroy him. The Rock is an excellent talker but not much of a wrestler, in my opinion and some of you may feel different about that.

HBK also appeared in a taped interview discussing his opinion on the Taker vs. Tiple H match at this year's Wrestlemania. He spoke about the possibility of the long fabled streak ending and how, when you face the Undertaker, you're in the ring with a legacy rather than a man. A very valid point, Taker is intimidating enough but adding the legend of an 18-0 winning streak at Wrestlemania adds to it even more. He is clearly rooting for Triple H in this match, as the two have been very close friends and partners for many years. Shawn also adds, at the end, that he doesn't know how he will feel if/when Hunter ends the streak this year.

Another note, Bob Armstrong was announced as the next inductee to the WWE Hall Of Fame for this year. It wasn't announced on the broadcast but was announced on the WWE website. His four sons will induct him on April 2nd in Atlanta. Congratulations to "Bullet" Bob Armstrong.

As the excitement of the biggest sports entertainment event of the year, rivalries will be heating up and the competition will be more fierce than ever. I am very much looking forward to April 3rd and how the events and grudges will be settled on that night.