Read on for my thoughts on last night's Raw.
Punk was awesome as always in the opening segment. Whatever crap WWE pulls in other segments, Punk is consistently a top part of the show. He's eating Cena alive promo-wise. I hope he's either in the title picture or facing Taker at Mania. They have a legitimate star on their hands if they play things right.
I liked Orton's promo fine enough.
Ryback vs. Cesaro was pretty good. Two guys who could be major players if positioned right.
I hope Cena vs. The Shield doesn't end up like Cena vs. The Nexus.
I liked Jericho's promo. It's always good to see him around. He's a consistently top-level performer who can match up with just about everyone.
Fine enough to rebuild Swagger. I'd love for him to have a killer instinct and make it to the Angle/Jericho/Benoit/Guerrero/Lesnar level. He has the tools from an in-ring perspective to be scary. I don't see why it wouldn't be worth a shot. Swagger's another guy that the likes of Otunga, PTP, etc. are going to have to deal with if they're ever going to move up the card. He doesn't have great mic skills, but if they use him right (a wrestling machine who can make people tap out), I think he could overcome that. They need to protect him, though, and sometimes they're not good at that.
Del Rio vs. Rhodes was really nice. I don't really like Rhodes tapping out, but I think he can rebound. Segments like this are what I like in wrestling and it disappoints me when they do silly things on the same show because they have such a good thing going.
Del Rio/Show wasn't bad at all. I hope Del Rio gets a big win over Show to elevate him as champion. Making Show tap out would be pretty good for him. The last thing they should do is have Del Rio be a transitional champion just to put the title on Orton. Even if they're going to have Ziggler cash-in and beat him, he should have the chance to have a good reign and build credibility as both a face as a champion.
Oh #$&@! Bryan just got a clean, tap-out victory over Rey Mysterio. That's how you make the next generation look credible. I was really worried that they'd have the "establishment" guy make him look like a midcarder.
Mark Henry confirmed for super-heel. Glad to have him back and wrecking people. This is the kind of thing I wish they would have done with Tensai. Whoever beats him is going to be pretty set. Del Rio? Sheamus? Bo Dallas? Ok, I'm kidding on that last one. But yeah, Del Rio or Sheamus getting a big win over someone so credible would make them pretty big.
I'm down with Bryan vs. Kane at Mania. Bryan winning in a big way would make up for last year I think. I like Kane, but it's really time to build the stars of the future.
Never really a fan of Show's segments. Maybe Henry will replace him after Mania season? Someone could get a big win over him (Bryan post-Kane?) and give him some time off.
That was about the best way to book Sheamus vs. Kane. The rising star beats the credible vet but he's protected. It sets up both a rematch with Sheamus and Mania vs. Bryan.
I really liked MizTV. Miz didn't have to resort to stupid comedy to get his points across. I'm not crazy about Miz not being even a remote threat to Lesnar, but if anyone should look like an ass-kicker, it's Brock.
Not a bad promo by Bo. Does he officially have a WWE contract in kayfabe or what? (Update: I'm guessing not. He's not listed on the WWE roster on their website.)
Orton vs. Barrett was a fine match. I'd have liked to have seen Barrett win or Bo interfere or something, but it's not a major gripe IF he gets built up in the future.
I didn't really like the Fandango promo. Curtis is talented, but this is kind of silly.
Punk vs. Jericho was a work of art. I hope other members of the roster were taking note on how to put together a top-notch match. A nice win for Punk.
Another good Punk promo.
No more smiling, laughing Cena? Yes, please. I hope that's a permanent change.
I hoped for a little more from the Del Rio/Show encounter but it was fine for what it was. I think they could have a big match at Elimination Chamber.
Pretty cool ending. What does this mean for Maddox in the future? And where are they going with The Shield? I think they could do a 3-on-3 Elimination Chamber with The Shield vs. Cena, Sheamus, and Ryback (or Orton?). One of those four guys should be facing someone else then. Either Ryback vs. Cesaro or Orton vs. Barrett for their respective titles then. I'm going with Orton vs. Barrett due to Orton's wellness violations. The other three have proven themselves to be company guys who play by the rules.
More wrestling coming up.
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