Anything of interest happen on RAW?

Just because I'm off ill, so didn't see DS' usual report and I'm also impatient!

Yes, HBK returned and told HHH he knew he would accept Takers challenge. HHH said that he wouldn't because he knows what he needs to do to finish off Taker, and he isn't that guy anymore. HBK said that after everything HHH had done he knew that was a lie ad that HHH was simply a coward. HHH said he had responsibilities HBk couldn't understand. HBk asked "is that it? You marry that chick and everything changes?" he called HHH a sell-out. HHHthen cut a great promo saying people didn't understand. He said whether the fans or the boys in the back liked it or not, one day the WWE would be his, and he had to protect it. He doesn't see Taker as an opponent to go through, he sees him as a brand to protect, the last of a kind of old school smash mouth style of wrestling that has died out. He won't be the one to slay the last dragon. HBK said he still thought HHH was hiding behind the suit, and asked him to stare him in the eye and say e didn't want it anymore. Eventually, still fuming, HHH did and said his answer was no.

HBK left the ring looking disgusted with HHH

BONG!!!

Taker played on the video with another promo again showing him fixated on beating HHH. He says he wants his vengeance. He then gets in front of a mirror, takes off his hat, grabs a cut throat razor, and starts hacking off his hair.

Meanwhile, Kane attacked Eve and tried to throw her into an ambulance. Cena saved her and she snogged his face off. Pull back to reveal Zack Ryder in a wheelchair looking heartbroken. Cena is in the ring later apologising but saying it happened. He also says Kane won't beat him. Zack comes out and slaps Cena. Cena shoves him over. Kane then attacks and throws Zack off the stage.

HHH-HBK was the best segment on RAW. Kind of sad if you really think about it, but it was an excellent segment on a night where the WWE title match was being "debated" politician-style, so what can you do?

Taker cutting his hair is probably to explain why his hair will be short for the match; he was actually completely bald during his time-off so it can't have grown back yet, and he'd have nothing to support the wig he had on the confrontation two weeks ago (I'm fairly certain it was a wig, anyway). Of course, this begs the question as to whether he'll be himself for his final match... much like his American Badass/Big Evil persona. Food for thought!

The Kane-Cena stuff is painfully forced, I find. Not only that, but did anybody else think that bump Zack took was really brutal? Like, unnecessarily so? It's hard to take a fall like that without getting hurt.

Will have to take a look at Taker-HHH-HBK. Interesting about him cutting off his hair. A bald Taker would be a sight!

You could see the landing area was padded, but yes it was an unnecessarily harsh bump. He basically came down on his knees, with the wheelchair then landing on the back of his legs. No way to take that bump well or really protect himself, and the brace would have made it awkward as well.

But the worst bit about the whole thing was the complete balls up with the camera cut. It obviously cut to the ambulance far too early, and we saw a perfectly calm Eve walk into the ambulance on her own while Kane held the door open for her, then some bloke with a script in his hand give Kane the cue for him to start "acting". When they do video packages and other production stuff so well, it's glaringly obvious when they screw it up.

Well he doesn't have to be bald. He can probably make it to shoulder length with hai extensions that won't look too obvious. And he's worked the Deadman look with that hair before.

But if this is indeed his last match, he may well go in as "himself".

Kane may be the big, red monster but even hell's own have manners when it comes to the ladies!

Having just watched the segment I still think it'll be 'Taker' that faces Trips as Mania rather than 'Mark'. I could be wrong, and I see the reasoning, but the segement seemed just too Taker-y. If he's going to be Mark then he needs to strip away all of Taker's bits. With such an iconic character I just can't see that for Mania. But, like I said, I could be wrong.

No, I suspect you're right and it will simple be Taker with shorter hair - perhaps a nice feather cut "Rachel".

I think he's going to have a 'Keith', a'la classic era Prodigy...

BTW, on Smackdown this week it was announced that due to a concussion, Randy Orton won't be in the chamber match on Sunday. He was replaced by the winner of a battle royal. None other than Santino.

There are some interesting questions now as regards the Mania matches on the Smackdown side. Assuming Orton and Henry are both OK for Mania, how do the matches work?

If Sheamus takes on Bryan (who I think holds the belt coming out of Sunday) then that leaves Orton, Show, Barrett, and Henry to find matches. There was a rumour of Show facing Shaq in a special attraction, but I don't think that's happening. So do the four of them square off, do Orton and Wade have a final blow-off match, or what?

More interesting might be for Bryan to drop the belt to Wade, and then have Wade .v. Sheamus and then Bryan .v. Orton .v. Show .v. Henry at Mania.

Alternatively, what if Sheamus goes after the RAW title in a swerve? Punk drops the belt thanks to Jericho. He and Jericho face off at Mania while the new champion defends against Sheamus. Meanwhile the new Smackdown champ enters a multi-man match to defend his title.

Jericho-Punk certainly has enought pull power to work without the belt. So that could well be an option. That said I'd also like Wade to take the belt some point soon so I think that's the option I'd go for. Not that I'm saying the WWE will, mind...