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When it became official last week that The Rock and John Cena will do battle at WrestleMania for the second consecutive year, there seemed to be a mixed reaction.

Many of the fringe fans love it due to the star power involved, while the hardcore fans don't want to see a rematch. Expectations seem to be low for their WrestleMania XXIX encounter, but I expect a fantastic effort from both men.

As huge as The Rock vs. Cena was last year and as successful as it was from a monetary standpoint, the most vocal fans really seemed to dislike it.

The fact that the match was announced one year in advance likely had a lot to do with that. Also, many fans felt like The Rock wasn't prepared for the rigors of the match, so it may not have been as good as it could have been.

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It may have taken him 15 years to finally come into his own, but there is no doubt that Mark Henry is one of the most fearsome and effective heels on the WWE roster. It just so happens that the WWE is short on main-event-level heels at the moment, so 2013 promises to be the year that The World's Strongest Man nabs the greatest prize in professional wrestling.

I never considered myself to be a fan of Henry until his heel turn during the summer of 2011. Henry was scuffling as a happy-go-lucky face, but he turned on John Cena after being drafted to SmackDown and never looked back. Henry went on to become World Heavyweight Champion by defeating Randy Orton at Night of Champions in September of 2011.

That marked Henry's first true world title victory in the WWE, as the ECW Championship really didn't count. Henry held the belt for a couple months before losing to Big Show at TLC, which then resulted in Daniel Bryan successfully cashing in his Money in the Bank contract. Henry continued to entertain after that, but injuries slowed him down and he ultimately had to undergo surgery.

Henry missed nine months of action before returning several weeks ago following a match between Bryan and Rey Mysterio. Henry tossed Bryan aside and proceeded to destroy both Mysterio and Sin Cara. With that, The World's Strongest Man announced his comeback and his intention to take out everyone who stands in his path.

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The New Age Outlaws hadn't competed as a team on WWE programming since 2000, but that long drought came to an end on Monday night as they defeated Primo and Epico on Old School Raw. While it could have easily been a one-off thing in keeping with the spirit of the show, The Outlaws should be included on the WrestleMania XXIX card.

When Road Dogg and Billy Gunn returned to the WWE as part of the D-Generation X reunion on the 1,000th episode of Raw, many fans were excited about potential appearances moving forward. Road Dogg was already employed by the WWE as an agent and Gunn was soon signed as a developmental trainer. With both men under contract, the possibility of an in-ring return became very real.

The New Age Outlaws did compete on the house show circuit in late December of 2012 and early January of this year as they often tagged against Team Rhodes Scholars. Much to the dismay of many fans, though, this didn't lead to a televised return as neither man competed in the 2013 Royal Rumble nor was utilized on Raw or SmackDown.

I'm sure that Road Dogg and Gunn are happy in their current positions with the company, but I have to believe that they would jump at the chance to have one last run. Both of them are still in pretty good shape, Road Dogg is still one of the best in the business on the mic and they have a ton of crowd support, so it would behoove the WWE to continue using them.

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For the first time since November of 2010, WWE Monday Night Raw will be going old school Monday night. The WWE's first such effort was met with rave reviews and turned out to be extremely entertaining. Based on the way things are playing out right now, the second Old School Raw could very easily blow the first out of the water.

Not only are there many legends already confirmed to be in attendance, but there will likely be several more surprises. On top of that, Raw will feature an old set, throwback graphics and many other aspects that will make the show feel vintage. When you add that to the fact that the road to WrestleMania is heating up in a big way, it's clear that Monday night's Raw is a can't-miss show.

Speculation persists regarding The Undertaker's potential return. While nothing can be confirmed at this point, it's probably a pretty good bet that he'll make an appearance. Also, WWE Champion The Rock is advertised, and he is likely to reignite his feud with John Cena. Furthermore, Triple H is scheduled to take part in the festivities and is likely to address his brawl with Brock Lesnar from last week.

Perhaps I'm a bit overexcited given that I'll be in attendance as Raw emanates from First Niagara Center in my hometown of Buffalo, N.Y. Even so, this promises to be an exciting show, so here are the top five things that you should keep an eye on while watching.

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The WWE's pay-per-view calendar has been in a state of flux since its release, as the event that will be held in Rosemont, Ill. on June 16 hadn't been named. That is no longer an issue, however, as the show will be called WWE Payback, according to WrestlingNewsSource.com.

Last year's 2012 June pay-per-view was No Way Out, but the WWE obviously decided to go in a different direction for 2013. Aside from that, the only real changes to the schedule are Extreme Rules moving from late April to May and Over The Limit moving from May to October.

Fans have speculated for the past few months about what the June pay-per-view would be christened. One particular concept that has come up a lot is King of the Ring. Since King of the Ring used to be one of the WWE's biggest events and held in the month of June, there was an outcry to bring it back in pay-per-view form.

That obviously wasn't the case, though, as the WWE instead opted to choose a more ambiguous name. King of the Ring would have forced the WWE into staging a King of the Ring tournament, while Payback lends itself to pretty much anything.

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When it was announced a couple weeks ago that Vince McMahon and Paul Heyman would engage in a fight on Raw, most fans already knew what was coming. Their encounter led to both Brock Lesnar and Triple H coming to the ring, and it helped kick off their WrestleMania feud.

There are many fans out there who would like to see McMahon vs. Heyman at some point, though, and the WWE ought to make it happen.

The history between McMahon and Heyman is well-documented, and it wouldn't be difficult to incorporate it into a storyline. Heyman's upstart ECW did battle with the WWE and WCW during the Monday Night Wars, and while it never reached the same level of prominence as its competitors, ECW carved out a sizable niche audience and performed well beyond its means.

McMahon and Heyman had an interesting relationship. At times, they even had a partnership of sorts. Vince gave Heyman and some of his talent the opportunity to "invade" Raw, and rumors persist today that Heyman steered some of his talent in the WWE's direction.

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Although it hasn't yet been officially announced by the WWE, all signs point to Brock Lesnar and Triple H doing battle at WrestleMania XXIX. If that is ultimately the case, then Lesnar and Triple H should have no issue improving upon their effort at SummerSlam.

The feud between Lesnar and Triple H started this past summer as Triple H became involved with Lesnar and Paul Heyman.

Lesnar "broke" Triple H's arm with a Kimura Lock, and that prompted Triple H to return with a vengeance. Triple H was able to goad Heyman into accepting a match on Lesnar's behalf, and the two of them competed in a brutal and vicious contest at SummerSlam.

Their match was much different than what most fans are accustomed to as it had a very real feeling to it. There was plenty of brawling and very few wrestling maneuvers throughout. Their encounter was built up to be a fight more than a wrestling match and they delivered in that regard. Lesnar went on to win the match by once again applying the Kimura Lock and "breaking" Triple H's arm for a second time.

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While there is no question that Randy Orton is still one of the biggest stars in the WWE, the past year hasn't been kind to him. It is clear that The Viper needs to make a change, and WrestleMania XXIX presents the perfect opportunity for that to happen.

Orton's character has certainly run its course. The WWE made the right call when it broke up Legacy and gave Orton a huge face push because crowd reaction dictated it. However, wrestling is cyclical, and it's time for Orton to start fresh. The only thing that I can see saving him at this point is a heel turn that allows him to revert back to his Legacy form.

I always enjoyed his "Legend Killer" gimmick most, but Orton has been around for so long at this point that it wouldn't make sense for him to reprise that role, especially since many view him as a legend in his own right. When Orton first became The Viper as a heel, though, he was a cold-hearted, no-nonsense heel, and that is something the WWE could definitely use right now.

Orton was even tolerable early in his face run, as his character remained largely unchanged with the exception of the fans supporting him. Orton has become a cookie-cutter face over the years and that simply isn't a good position for him to be in because he doesn't possess the mic skills that most of the top current faces do.

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Since returning as a surprise entrant in the Royal Rumble back in January, Chris Jericho has certainly been impressive in the ring, but the WWE has yet to establish his role moving forward. There are obviously a lot of options on the table, but there is no question that Dolph Ziggler is his ideal WrestleMania opponent.

Jericho and Ziggler engaged in a brief feud last summer that resulted in Y2J scoring a victory over The Showoff at SummerSlam. Ziggler got his revenge the following night on Raw, however, as he beat Jericho in a match, which resulted in Jericho being "fired" by then-Raw general manager A.J. When Jericho entered the Rumble No. 2, Ziggler had already come in at No. 1, so their rivalry picked up where it left off.

 

Both Jericho and Ziggler lasted until the latter stages of the match and Ziggler ultimately eliminated Y2J with a super kick. Things carried over the next night on Raw as Jericho and Ziggler were forced to team together, and Jericho essentially walked out on Ziggler. Ever since that point, though, there hasn't been a ton of interaction between the two.

I'm not sure if that is by design in order to prevent overkill prior to an inevitable WrestleMania program, or if the WWE is actually planning on going in a different direction. Jericho has gotten involved with The Shield as of late as he teamed with Sheamus and Ryback in a losing effort against the group a couple weeks ago on Raw. Seth Rollins also mentioned Jericho during a promo on Monday, so there is a very real possibility that Y2J will take part in a multi-man match including The Shield at WrestleMania.

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Although it was already apparent to many wrestling fans, the WrestleMania XXIX main event was officially announced on Monday as John Cena beat CM Punk to retain his guaranteed title shot. By virtue of that impressive victory, Cena will face The Rock on the grandest stage of them all for the second consecutive year.

There are obviously mixed feelings about The Rock vs. Cena II, but there is no denying the fact that their second bout will bring in a huge viewing audience. The true challenge will be keeping the hardcore fans interested over the course of the next five weeks. Even for those who aren't excited about the match, though, plenty of other action is going on in the WWE right now too.

The Undertaker made a shocking return at a WWE house show last week, his longtime rival Triple H came back on Raw, the WWE announced a popular theme for the upcoming episode of Raw and a celebrity inductee was added to the WWE's 2013 Hall of Fame class. Expect each and every week prior to 'Mania to be jam packed like this one has been.

Keep reading to see analysis on all of the biggest news and rumors involving the WWE for the week beginning of Feb. 24.