Well, 2/21/11 was last Monday night and, indeed, it was an explosive night, which was proved in the ratings which showed a significant increase to the previous weeks ratings.
To those of you who missed it, 2/21/11 was either genius or utter rubbish. At the beginning of the episode, a countdown clock appeared, counting down from one hour, and this clock kept appearing throughout the hour. After the final advert break before te hour, tension was rising, business was picking up and everyone was at the edge of their seat to see the huge revelation. As the clocked reached zero, we finally witnessed the return of the Undertaker who made his vintage entrance to the ring. It was plain to see that the fans were delighted to see him return. But not I...
WWE were very clever with the 2/21/11 promos, and made it clear the Taker was returning. But, the videos also hinted at a second figure making an appearace, as mentioned last week. It really surpised me to see that the IWC had barely picked up on this, and almost everyone was saying it was just going to be Undertaker. As Undertaker perused the ring, I was there on the edge of my seat, waiting for his entrance to be cut off by another superstar. By this time, it was clear that Sting was never going to appear for the WWE, especially after all the reports that there had been no contact with him.
As Undertaker got himself ready to announce his return, it happened...TIME TO PLAY THE GAME...
The Game's entrance was perfectly timed, seemingly cutting off the Undertaker mid-flow without him even needing to say a word. I'm not ashamed to admit that I threw my arms up into the air as his music hit, delighted to hear Motorhead grace the WWE Universe once again. Eventually, after two lenghty entrances, the two squared up to each other in the ring, leading to Triple H pointing to the Wrestlemania logo, incinuating that he wanted a showdown with the Deadman at Wrestlemania.
After Taker's initial refusal, Taker performed his famous neck-cut toward The Game, resulting in HHH returning the gesture with a legendary crotch-chop. The camera eventually faded out to a commercial break. The match is on...
BUT...did it work? It is crucial to point out that there were no words spoken by either superstar, be it on the mic or off, no words were spoken. As a theatre lover, the word 'powerful' can mean many things, but this was almost the definition of the word to me. The tension inside the ring, as well as the arena, was huge. Nobody could predict what would happen next, and by not uttering a single word or throwing a single punch, they kept this tension up throughout the whole segment. It was sublime.
However, it was missing something, something that I haven't been able to put my finger on until now. The only reason I have become aware of this key point is because it was same thing that bothered me about The Rock's return the previous week. It was clear that the mood inside the arena was electric. They had the music of these two legends as well as seeing them face-to-face in the ring. But what about us at home? Yes, the images were awesome, but that was all we got. There was absolutely no talk of the 2/21/11 promo by the commentary team whatsoever. No speculation as to who it could be. You could argue that the promo would have been spoilt by an announcer building it up, but I believe it only could have helped it. Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler could have speculated as to what 2/21/11 means, even drive away from the idea that someone may be returning, making it an even bigger surprise that not only Undertaker but HHH appeared. I will, however, admit commentary would have spoilt the segment itself.
Commentary would have worked with The Rock's return though. Let's go back to 2004, when Edge returned to Monday Night Raw after being out for a year. JR's reaction really made that segment for the fans at home. It gives me chills hearing JR on the top of his game like that, and that is what The Rock needed last week, to give his return that extra edge. But I digress...
2/21/11 was a perfectly worked angle, getting the whole of the IWC talking and creating their own theories that they believed to be reality, but it really could have been even beter. WWE really is on fire at the moment on the road to Wrestlemania, a Pay-Per-View that until recently they were worried about as they were struggling for ways to draw fans. Now, I cannot wait for the biggest event of the year, and with the reports of Stone Cold appearing on Raw on March the 7th, we could be in for an explosive event. I, for one, will keep trying to expect the unexpected, but I firmly believe this years 'Mania could be even bigger and better than last years (Justin Bieber aside...).
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