Raw Reax - 8/25/14

Read on for my thoughts on Monday's Raw.

That was one of the best John Cena segments I've seen in years. Heroes need believable villains and they need to SELL the danger they're in. The use of legends was great and I'm glad we're finally in a storyline where it doesn't feel inevitable Cena will get his heat back.

Awesome Rusev/Swagger clash. I can't believe people wanted to end Rusev's momentum at Summerslam! He looks like an absolute beast right now and they should continue that. Swagger's been used well in this, and I hope he gets to rebound after the losses.

Swagger making Bo tap after all this taunting is going to get a pretty good pop. Hopefully it doesn't totally knock Bo out of being taken seriously (or however seriously he can be taken with his gimmick).

Effective win to put Cesaro back in title contention. Talented guy.

Good post-match to build heat for the title match.

I'm glad WWE Network's going into the Monday Night Wars era. That's probably what there's the biggest audience for.

Good win for Paige. She's a keeper.

The AJ/Paige weirdness continues. I had higher hopes for their angle.

Interesting Rollins/Kane/Reigns segment. One flaw with Lesnar being champ is Rollins doesn't have a lot to do in the meantime.

Fun Goldust/Stardust segment, as weird as it is. I do get some Booker/Goldust vibes from it.

I didn't expect that ending to the tag team title match, but it's a good one to set up another match. The two sides worked together pretty well.

I definitely didn't expect that post-match! I guess WWE needed new heels to challenge the Usos. I'm curious to see how that will play out.

I'm guessing Kane takes the loss to Reigns in the handicap match. Honestly, that's the best ending. Rollins should be protected and Reigns is someone they're really building.

I love Brock and Heyman sitting atop the WWE Universe. A dominant monster heel champion (who doesn't need to cheat to win) is something that's been missing for a while.

That's a clever way for Miz to not wrestle this week.

No shock to see Ziggler win. I think Sandow's amazing, but he's clearly not in a position to beat the IC Champ.

Sandow turning face by attacking Miz in the post-match would have been fine by me, but obviously WWE's not going to give him any kind of push.

Wow. WWE definitely dipped into the soap opera/Jerry Springer well with that one (as they have for a lot of the Brie/Stephanie stuff lately). Not my cup of tea, but the segment had good intensity.

That ending for Rollins/Kane vs. Reigns works as well. The match was fine for what it was.

Good stuff in the post-match. I think the visual of Ambrose being curb stomped on cinder blocks is going to stick with me for a while.

I'd be OK with Bray beating Cena, but obviously WWE's going to want Cena to rebound after the ass-kicking from Brock.

Silly Slater Gator segment, but that's what they do well. They definitely have a different dynamic from what PTP had. I don't think there's the same chemistry. That said, both of them play their roles well.

Good little tag match to have something less serious on the show.

Bo wins again! It looks like Kofi's reboot is on hold again.

Nice post-match. Bo's the perfect person for Swagger to get his heat back on. I think it would have been better if R-Truth didn't randomly beat Bo, but they can't change that now.

I don't think I want to see Jericho vs. Orton again. They work together well, but it's been done quite a few times now.

That was a good way for Cena to rebound after the loss to Lesnar without actually beating Bray. Bray being protected is the right move.

I wonder if Teddy Long was sitting at home screaming "TAG TEAM MATCH, PLAYA!" at that post-match.

Other than the "CENAWINSLOL", I was mostly OK with the action in the tag match. I've seen Cena, Henry and Show in main events for quite some time and am ready for new names in the top spots. I'm definitely not alone in that sentiment. But for building Cena back up after the loss at Summerslam, this worked.

Ouch. Yeah, WWE's definitely sending the message not to count Cena out after his loss. But did it hurt the Wyatts in the process? Followup will be key for both sides.

More wrestling coming up.