RAW Breakdown: Undertaker Facing The Shield, Ryback’s Attack, More

- As noted, the post-WrestleMania 29 WWE RAW on April 8th did a 3.43 cable rating with 4.61 million viewers. In comparison, last year’s post-WrestleMania RAW did a 3.43 cable rating with 5.02 million viewers. The difference this year was 1.35 viewers per home, very low by WWE standards, compared to 1.48 viewers per home last year.

In the segment breakdown, the show started big with John Cena and Mark Henry at a 3.74 quarter rating. Big E Langston vs. Daniel Bryan lost 461,000 viewers. Wade Barrett vs. The Miz lost another 222,000 viewers. Backstage segments with Randy Orton and Sheamus gained 92,000 viewers. Alberto Del Rio vs. Jack Swagger and Zeb Colter in the 9pm timeslot gained 151,000 viewers for a 3.42 quarter rating.

Dolph Ziggler winning the World Heavyweight Title and The Undertaker, The Shield, Kane and Daniel Bryan segment gained 460,000 viewers for a 3.76 quarter rating – the show high point. Zack Ryder, Santino Marella and R-Truth vs. 3MB plus a WrestleMania week recap video lost 329,000 viewers. Backstage stuff with Orton, Sheamus and Big Show plus Sheamus and Orton coming to the ring lost 110,000 viewers. Orton vs. Sheamus with the crowd going crazy gained 329,000 viewers in the 10pm timeslot for a 3.58 quarter rating.

Show beating down Orton and Sheamus lost 70,000 viewers. Fandango vs. Kofi Kingston with Chris Jericho attacking lost 207,000 viewers. Tensai, Brodus Clay, Cameron and Naomi vs. The Bella Twins, Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow lost 665,000 viewers – one of the worst performing segments in a while. Mark Henry vs. John Cena in the main event, plus the Ryback attack, gained 887,000 viewers for a 3.54 overrun rating – strong numbers to end RAW.

Ryback Talks Match with Mark Henry, Being the Al Bundy of Nexus & More

Ryback spoke with Chad Dukes of 106.7 The Fan DC / CBS Radio while at WrestleMania Axxess. Here are some highlights.

Mark Henry: “No doubt in my mind that I can get him up. I think at the end of the night, when it’s all said and done, people are going to remember coming out of WrestleMania 29 is Ryback picking up Mark Henry over his head, marching around the ring, and 75,000 plus screaming, ‘Feed Me More.’”

His biggest goal: “It’s to take over the #1 position from John Cena and take over the company and I’m not shy about saying it. John, I respect him more than anyone, he’s a very hard working individual. He’s been on top for 8-10 years now and he’s been untouchable. I am the one guy that can touch him and I believe I can outsell him on merchandise, and I can do things he has not yet done.”

Nexus: “I’m the Al Bundy of Nexus, I think we’re still gonna have a run down the road.”

Reported Times Booked for WrestleMania 29 Matches and Segments

- According to F4Wonline.com, here are scripted times for the WrestleMania 29 matches, not counting entrances:

* Chris Jericho vs. Fandango has been given 10 minutes

* Kane and Daniel Bryan vs. Dolph Ziggler and Big E Langston has been given 12 to 15 minutes

* Ryback vs. Mark Henry has been given 12 minutes

* The Shield vs. Randy Orton, Big Show and Sheamus has been given 15 minutes

* CM Punk vs. The Undertaker has been given 20 minutes

* Jack Swagger vs. Alberto Del Rio has been given 15 minutes

* Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar has been given 20 to 30 minutes

* The Rock vs. John Cena has been given 25 to 30 minutes

* A Diddy musical performance has been given 8 minutes

* The WWE Hall of Famers coming out to wave to fans has been given 7 minutes

* The show opener and National Anthem has been given 7 minutes

* Other assorted segments throughout the show have been given 10 minutes

HTM Says Jannetty Needs Help, Three 6 Mafia at WrestleMania?, More

- The Honky Tonk Man is trying to get someone to setup an Indiegogo project for former WWE star Marty Jannetty, who apparently needs surgery. Honky Tonk tweeted:
“Just talked to Marty Jannetty. I saw his ankle. Needs surgery ASAP. To proud to ask for help.. A real man in need. Can we help?”
- The Rock and John Cena are both booked for The Today Show on April 3rd, the Wednesday before they face off at WrestleMania 29.
- Chris Jericho’s black eye on Monday’s RAW actually came from the SmackDown match with Jack Swagger that was taped on March 19th.
- There was talk of bringing in rap group Three 6 Mafia to do Mark Henry’s theme song at WrestleMania 29 this year but apparently the idea was dropped.

WWE Spoils Big SmackDown Segment with Ryback and Mark Henry

As we’ve noted, Mark Henry and Ryback competed in a weight-lifting competition at last night’s SmackDown tapings to hype their WrestleMania 29 match.
WWE’s website has spoiled the segment and announced that Henry and Ryback broke the NFL record for 225-pound bench press with 53 repetitions each. The previous record of 51 reps was set by Justin Ernest at the 1999 NFL Combine.
WWE also revealed that before Ryback could break the new record with 54 reps, Henry attacked him and pushed the bar down on his neck.

Who Took the Top Spot on WWE ESPN Power Rankings?, Rock Scheduled for Live! with Kelly & Michael

- The Rock is scheduled to appear on Live! with Kelly and Michael this Wednesday to promote GI Joe: Retaliation. 

- The Shield took the top spot on ESPN's WWE Power Rankings this week. Ryback took the second placed followed by Mark Henry, The Rock and Jack Swagger. ESPN's article also noted how dead the crowd was on Monday's Raw. 

"For a company that prides itself on listening to its fans, I wonder how much weight it gives to 3 hours and 20 minutes of near silence (except for the very loud 'You can't wrestle' chant aimed at Fandango, even if he did deliver a sweet flying leg drop). I think the dead crowd speaks volumes about the upcoming WrestleMania card and the lazy booking that goes along with setting up a string of rematches people weren't really clamoring to see in the first place."

What Was Cut from Hulu Plus Raw This Week

The following matches and segments were cut from the Hulu Plus episode of Monday's Raw 

* Mark Henry vs. the Usos 

* Prime Time Players vs. Team Hell No 

* Wade Barrett vs. The Miz 

* Backstage segment with AJ Lee and Kaitlyn 

* Team Rhodes Scholars vs. Brodus Clay and Tensai 

* Arnold Schwarzenegger inducting Bruno Sammartino announcement 

* AJ Lee vs. Kaitlyn

Complete List of WWE Superstars, Divas & Legends Scheduled for 4-Day Axxess Event

Several WWE Superstars, Divas and Legends are schedule to appear at the four-day Axxess event during WrestleMania week for autographs and photo opportunities with fans. Here is the full list of those are are appearing. 

4/04 evening session: 
Mark Henry, Booker T, Jack Swagger, The Prime Time Players, 3MB, Rosa Mendes, Jimmy Snuka. 

4/05 evening session: 
The Miz, World Heavyweight champion Alberto Del Rio, The Shield, Kofi Kingston, Ted DiBiase, Fandango, Zack Ryder, Alicia Fox. 

4/06 morning session: 
Bella Twins, Daniel Bryan, The Miz, Brodus Clay, Funkadactyls, Jerry “The King” Lawler, JBL, Paul Heyman, Lita, Billy Gunn. 

4/06 afternoon session: 
CM Punk, Chris Jericho, Intercontinental champion Wade Barrett, World Heavyweight champion Alberto Del Rio, Damien Sandow,The Great Khali, Layla. 

4/06 evening session: 
Kofi Kingston, Dolph Ziggler, AJ Lee, Ryback, Santino Marella, The Shield, Christian, R-Truth, Ezekiel Jackson, Tensai, Big E. Langston, Justin Gabriel, Tyson Kidd, Yoshi Tatsu, Rikishi, Howard Finkel. 

4/07 morning session: 
Sheamus, Divas champion Kaitlyn, Cody Rhodes, David Otunga, Jimmy Hart, Diamond Dallas Page, X-Pac. 

4/07 afternoon session: 
U.S. champion Antonio Cesaro, Sin Cara, Alex Riley, JTG, Aksana, Tamina, Dusty Rhodes, Ron Simmons, Ricky Steamboat. 

Axxess will be held at the IZOD Center and tickets are available now.

Mark Henry Works Live Event Following Injury Report, Lita to Induct Trish Stratus?

- Mark Henry worked Sunday night's WWE live event in Baltimore, Maryland, so it appears the reported injury from Saturday's match against Kane wasn't that serious. 

- 2013 WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus spoke with Ministry of Slam Radio about a number of topics including who she wants to induct her: 

"Funnily enough, before I done this interview, I put a poll on my website, asking who would my fans like to see induct me into the Hall of Fame. Lita won with a landslide, I would say, I can't disagree with that sentiment."

Mark Henry Possibly Injures His Knee, The Rock Wins Nickelodeon Award, More

- WWE's Gerald Brisco is scouting at the NCAA D1 wrestling championships this weekend. Apparently WWE has their eye on Kyle Dake of Cornell University. 

- WWE Champion The Rock won "Best Buttkicker" award at the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards this weekend. The Miz and Maryse were in attendance for the event. Rock tweeted this photo: 

"We won! Honored to be voted Kid's Choice Awards BEST BUTT KICKER! #BigLove2U #Boots2Butts #KCAS"

 - There was an apparent knee or leg injury to Mark Henry at last night's WWE live event in Norfolk, Virginia. Henry was wrestling Kane and lost when he used a steel chair to get disqualified. During the match, the referee gave the "X" signal to the back and pointed to Henry's knee a few times. They quickly went to the DQ steel chair finish and that was it. Henry limped back after the match.

Mark Henry's Massive Feats of Strength, Raw Pre-sale, Ex-WWE Star on Good Morning America

- WWE posted a video looking at Mark Henry's "most massive feats of strength". You can check it out embedded below.

- A presale began on Friday over on SprintCenter.com with the password WWERAWTV to obtain tickets to the 5/20 episode of WWE Raw from the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Saturday. 

- Chris Masters was on Good Morning America on Friday to discuss saving his mother’s life. The appearance can be seen at this link.

Ryback vs Mark Henry Plans

Before the possible spoiler that came out this afternoon, word coming out of WWE this weekend was that despite the six-man match announced on SmackDown, it will be Ryback vs. Mark Henry in a singles match at WrestleMania 29.

Success for The Call, WWE Live Events Selling Out

- Former WWE star Ken Doane turns 27 years today while Mark "Henry Godwinn" Canterbury turns 49. 

- Mark Henry and Jack Swagger vs. Sheamus and Alberto Del Rio is being advertised for the April SmackDown tapings from London. 

- Last night's RAW live event in Bridgeport, Connecticut was a legitimate sellout. Tonight's SmackDown live event in Hammond, Indiana is also sold out. 

- As noted earlier, WWE Studios' The Call is expected to do around $16-$17 million at the box office this weekend. With a budget of $13 million and other costs, it would need around $24 million at the box office to break even. With a strong opening like that, WWE will actually have a movie that makes money even before DVD sales.

What Was Cut From Raw Hulu Plus This Week

The following matches and segments were cut from the Hulu Plus version of Monday's Raw:

* Paul Bearer's debut video
* Daniel Bryan vs. Dolph Ziggler
* Tensai vs. Fandango
* G.I. Joe 2 trailer
* Mark Henry vs. Kofi Kingston
* Josh Mathews interview with Kane
* Paul Bearer video where he introduces Kane from 1997
* Fan Touts about Paul Bearer
* Ricardo Rodriguez and Alberto Del Rio's mocking video of Zeb Colter and Jack Swagger
* Paul Bearer comedy video from Wrestlemania 1995

What Was Cut From Raw Hulu Plus This Week

The following matches and segments were cut from the Hulu Plus version of Monday's Raw:

* Paul Bearer's debut video
* Daniel Bryan vs. Dolph Ziggler
* Tensai vs. Fandango
* G.I. Joe 2 trailer
* Mark Henry vs. Kofi Kingston
* Josh Mathews interview with Kane
* Paul Bearer video where he introduces Kane from 1997
* Fan Touts about Paul Bearer
* Ricardo Rodriguez and Alberto Del Rio's mocking video of Zeb Colter and Jack Swagger
* Paul Bearer comedy video from Wrestlemania 1995

Drew McIntyre Injured at RAW

Fans in attendance at last night's RAW in Indianapolis noted that Drew McIntyre had to be helped to the back by WWE officials after the in-ring segment with Ryback and Mark Henry. It looked like McIntyre was legitimately injured. 

 

SmackDown Match, Three-Way Confirmed for Raw

- In a follow-up from the earlier post, WWE confirmed that Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett will defend his title on next week's RAW from Pittsburgh against The Miz and Chris Jericho in a three-way.

- WWE has announced Ryback vs. Mark Henry for this week's episode of Friday Night SmackDown.

Post Wrestlemania 29 Matches

Readers have sent word that the top matches being advertised for the European tour after Wrestlemania for the Raw brand include John Cena vs. CM Punk and Team Hell No vs. The Shield. 

Matches advertised for the Smackdown brand include Alberto Del Rio & Sheamus vs. Mark Henry & Jack Swagger.

Two Possible WrestleMania 29 Matches Revealed

Two possible WrestleMania 29 matches discussed over the weekend were Chris Jericho vs. Mark Henry and Sheamus vs. Wade Barrett. The belief within WWE is that there aren't any matches set in stone for the undercard yet and that plans are changing on a regular basis.