411’s WWE 24: WrestleMania Monday Report

411’s WWE 24: WrestleMania Monday Report

-It is WrestleMania week and that means a lot of WWE content that I was asked to cover. Tonight the WWE Network debuts another episode of 24 and this one centers on the craziness of the RAW following WrestleMania.

-Various superstars talk about what the night after Mania means. They highlight how something special always happens and it sets the stage for what is to come.

-We start in the AM before last year’s post Mania RAW. They catch up with Enzo and Cass who will be making their main roster debut.

-We flash back to the previous night with the announcement of the attendance by The Rock. The stars talk about the energy of Mania transferring over to the smaller venue the following night.

-Flashback to 2012 where the Yes Movement really began in Miami as the crowd chanted for Daniel all night long. That leads to 2014 when Daniel won the WWE Title and the crowd went crazy for him.

-They talk about the bizarre chants (“We Want Pretzels) and the fans doing the wave. They cover the Fandago craze from after Mania XXIX and singing “The Whole World” to Bray following Mania XXX.

-Zayn says it is the night where the fans let everyone know what they think and that cuts to them serenading Cena with “John Cena Sucks” in time with his music after Mania 31. Awesome!

-AJ Styles calls it not only the most important RAW of the year, but one of the most important nights of the year. They call back to The Austin Era beginning, The Rock emerging, and Paige debuting to end AJ Lee’s title reign.

-It also marked the debut of Goldberg and Neville while also being the show where Brock returned. They also show Rock/Cena agreeing to fight at Mania a year in advance (I was there live for that one).

-Rollins says his favorite WrestleMania Monday moment was Dolph cashing in his Money in the Bank, and talks about the amazing reaction it got from the crowd. One of the loudest pops you will ever hear when his music started playing. Man, I miss seeing AJ Lee every week!

-Back to the Dallas show as we are 6 hours before RAW and JBL is talking about the craziness of the show. They talk about Lesnar killing Cole and the rest of the announcers the previous year and Twitter begging them to come back because of how much Byron sucks.

-Maryse talks about coming back for this year’s (2016) post Mania RAW and how she was nervous. The Miz says he has always wanted to work with his wife. He puts her over huge as you can tell the man loves his wife.

-Back to Enzo and Cass as they practice their entrance 3 hours before the show. To them there is no better place to debut as you have a lot of hardcore fans and they know NXT so they will know them.

-Enzo says he was found by HHH on a YouTube video. It was video of him talking smack, running, and boxing. HHH called him and said he would give him a chance. Cass started in FCW in 2012 and then the transition to NXT. People always doubted him and was told the only reason he wasn’t fired was due to being 7 feet tall. Enzo had to deal with people telling him he wasn’t going to make it as well. For both of them it felt like forever in NXT as they had to tear down and set-up the ring but as NXT started touring they started to see the light at the end of the table.

-They have the footage of HHH telling them they will make their main debut on RAW. It is a pretty great moment to witness as you can see how much it meant by the looks on their faces. Love stuff like this!

-Gallows and Anderson also arrive at RAW the day after Mania. Gallows wasn’t sure what the reaction would be as they took a different route. They didn’t go to NXT and just came straight from Japan. They talk about how great the roster was in accepting them and then out over the friendship they have with AJ Styles.

-AJ talks about how crazy it is that they were wrestling in the Tokyo Dome just a few months ago and now were all on the post Mania RAW together.

-2 hours before the show the fans start to line outside and talk about the night. Some fans were seemingly expecting Kurt Angle. Obviously that didn’t happen, but I would hope he at least makes an appearance this year (New GM?).

-Now to Cesaro who had to miss Mania with a shoulder injury. He thought it was something minor and then when it was checked he needed surgery. While he was hurt he came up with his new entrance as he would go from James Bond to Swiss Superman. He just hopes the fans will love it.

-The doors open and the crowd starts pouring into the arena. They work in showing Renee Young which is always appreciated. They show the crowd chanting for Jordan and Gable while JBL and Cole laugh on their headsets just before the show starts. “It’s going to be one of those nights,” says Cole.

-They start the show and JBL talks about the fans having fun and how they will boo the ones they usually cheer and cheer those they usually boo. I hate that the WWE started using that line of thinking.

-Vince comes out to greet the crowd and they sing his theme song. He calls them a crazy crowd and tells them to enjoy RAW.

-The Dudley Boys are out (which happened late in the show) which means we are getting to the Enzo and Cass debut. They show Enzo and Cass preparing backstage while the Duds and Usos are having a match. It ends with The Dudleys winning and as they head to the back Enzo and Cass’ music hits and the place erupts. The crowd is right with them every step of the way and it is still something I watch every now and then since I make it a habit to DVR the post Mania RAWs. They show Enzo’s mom in the crowd and it meant the world to him to have her there.

-They head back through the curtain and are greeted by HHH who is proud of what they did. Cass starts to break down as he talks about hearing HHH say that after all the ups and downs. Enzo gets a hug from his mom and they have a very touching moment. Moms are the greatest!

-They go through the rest of the night with the crowd booing the piss out of Reigns and then the crowd chanting “we are idiots” while Jericho says they aren’t going to hijack his show. Other highlights include humming Zayn’s theme, chanting “Ninja Turtles” at Sheamus, and “Thank you Wyatt,” when Bray ended The League of Nations.

-On to Maryse as she is hidden off stage, but the crowd catches a glimpse and starts chanting for her so she has to get them to calm down. The Miz wins back the IC Title with the help of the returning Maryse and gives me a chance to say I got to meet her at Mania XXV and have a picture of it. Lots of jealous friends over that one. The Miz loves having his wife in his corner and I think we all love having her back in his corner. Nice moment for the two of them!

-More fun with the fans as they play with a beach ball that security takes away. That leads to chants for and against the beach ball which is kind of random.

-Moving on to the Main Even which was a 4 Way #1 Contender’s match that feature the return of Cesaro to a great ovation. Heck of a match here that started AJ’s ascension up the ladder in the WWE. The crowd was just a tad happy to see AJ win the match. He says it was an emotional night as you work your whole career to just get noticed and he felt like he was home that night. The fans chant “you deserve it,” and AJ isn’t sure if he does, but it was great. He breaks down as he talks about his boys being there to see it happen.

-Closing video package of the entire show which does put over just how much fun the show is and how some look forward to it more than Mania itself (which shouldn’t be the case). That last package wraps up the show as the final image is AJ bowing to the crowd.

-Fun show with a lot of great memories touched on, and some real emotion from the guys which is always great to see. The 24/7 series is always well done and this one was no different. This year I am curious to see what happens with Tuesday’s Live SmackDown as you have to think the fans should be jacked for that one as well.

-Next up I should have a recap of The Kurt Angle interview tomorrow before covering Talking Smack tomorrow night. Thanks for reading!