WWE Begins Texas Invasion

WWE brought RAW to Dallas Monday night and continued building this weekend's big matches. Here are my thoughts on how the storylines are coming together after Monday's RAW.

25 Diva Battle Royal
While the concept of a 25 diva battle royal doesn't interest me at all, not knowing who some of the competitors are is intriguing. I expect some of the past ladies of the WWE like Trish Stratus and Sunny to show up -- which will make the match fun. The other element to watch is Santino Marella's involvement. There's no doubt he'll make some sort of an appearance. Judging by the reaction he received in Dallas, he's someone everyone loves to hate!

Chris Jericho vs. Roddy Piper, Ricky Steamboat, and Jimmy Snuka
I think Jericho has done a great job with this angle. The build up has been pretty good. However, it feels like a rerun. Remember, "The Legend Killer" Randy Orton? What's so different about this? I keep waiting for some great legend who still "has it" to come to the rescue of these old folk....Steve Austin? Hulk Hogan? I'm holding out hope someone along those lines will make an appearance Sunday. I'm not sure that I care about Mickey Rourke's role in this angle. To get the audience to care about him, they really need him the show up prior to Mania.

Edge vs. Big Show vs. John Cena
We saw a great segment between Edge and John Cena towards the beginning on RAW. They've always had great chemistry. Unfortunately, they've tainted this angle with the "love triangle" involving Vickie Guerrero. While I think Big Show deserves a main event match, his "push" seemed to come from nowhere. He's the misfit in this matchup. They're working hard to establish him as a dominant force. However, that's tough when he's been getting beat up most of the year. A big win for the Big Show on RAW. I was glad to see Guerrero stay out of the mix!

JBL vs. Rey Misterio
This match hasn't received a lot of buildup...and probably hasn't needed it. Not every match can get main event promotion. These guys have long-standing reputations that they can rely on. Anytime you can pit the regular guy versus the rich guy you'll garner interest. We saw on RAW that these guys work exceptionally well together and will put on a great match at the big show. I liked seeing Rey win on Monday. It adds a little spice to the angle!

Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker
The promotion leading up to this match has been odd to say the least. It seems like there's a natural storyline: Mr Wrestlemania vs. 16-0. However, we've tossed caskets, funerals, and religious imagery into the mix. Quite frankly, all those things have made this a tad cartoonish. This will be a great match -- maybe the best at Wrestlemania. Do we need fake funerals to promote it? Although I must admit, I enjoy seeing Michaels beat the Undertaker at his own game. I look forward to seeing what happens Friday on Smackdown.

Money In the Bank Ladder Match
They've done a lot of random things to promote this match, but it's a match that really needs no promotion. This one always delivers and I'd expect the same this year. The biggest question has to be: who will win? On RAW, Kane came out on top. I don't expect to see the same result Sunday. But for all his years of service and popularity, Kane certainly deserves it.

Matt Hardy vs. Jeff Hardy
I don't feel like this match has been promoted very well. There just isn't enough hatred here. I'm not sure that anyone buys it. They need to do something crazy to make people believe in it on Sunday. Hardy has to win, right?

Randy Orton vs. HHH
There's certainly a great story to go along with this one. I'd say Randy Orton has become the best in the business and has shined throughout this feud. It was great to see the return of the McMahons. I love the dynamics of Legacy and the McMahons getting involved in this one. Dallas ate this up, and I have no doubt Houston will do the same Sunday!