RAW Retort – Cena breaks tables and Ryback

After Money In The Bank, considering the fact it was a really strong pay-per-view, stronger than anything since and including WrestleMania, I was worried that the WWE would again go into a slump.

There was always the huge chance that MITB was just a fluke and they would be dropping off again, and some storylines have, but the bigger stories and feuds have only gotten better since then. Many of the storylines each week are getting stronger, they’re not pushing characters and feuds too quickly, and best of all, the quality of the wrestling only gets better and better.

There’s some things that the WWE is struggling with, most likely because they don’t have any competition, but that’s nothing to be helped at this point, with TNA not doing anywhere near as well as they’d need to be to be anything more than a slightly annoying buzz of a fly in McMahon’s ear.

And while they are a little more than that, McMahon wouldn’t admit that they’re more than nothing on his radar. Until the WWE has some serious competition, they will never again regain the heights they once were, and where they need to be again to truly make many of the fans deliriously happy, the way we were back during the Attitude Era. I’m not saying that the WWE needs to be crass and raunchy the way they were back then, just that they need the competition to get themselves to the next level.

That RAW was was taped this week could have made the show less than it truly was, but some of us avoid spoilers at all costs. So while I could have known what happened on RAW, I was delighted to go into the show as unknowing as I always do when the show is live. And as with live shows, there were good and bad moments of RAW.

I enjoyed how the show started. Art imitating life imitating art is a lot of fun, especially when the whole thing is a load of bull and the IWC taking things said by various things taken way out of proportion. McMahon’s dislike of Bryan threaded through the entire show; giving the fans bits and pieces here and there added a lot to the flow of the show.

Even the involvement of Triple H and Steph backstage added so much more to it all. And, all the while McMahon says that Bryan cannot win, all he wants is Cena to lose. That McMahon is being so strong against Cena makes me wonder what the long term plan for Cena’s character really is. When I say long term, I mean WrestleMania.

Going into the first match, I was a bit confused. They pushed Henry and the Uso twins against The Shield, and while they all work the ring together quite well, I really wonder where they’re going with this, and why they basically keep showing us the same match over and over again. The ring work is solid, but it’s already starting to feel old. Not sure what they could do to shake things up, but they need to shake things up in a huge way because it’s getting very boring, very quickly.

Speaking of confused, what’s the plans for RVD? That man returned to a huge match with a part-time contract, yet he’s been on every show, and while the matches have been both good and bad, none of them have had any weight or bearing on anything.

His match with Jericho was the best, but even that didn’t set up for anything going forward. If RVD is going to be in the WWE, he needs someone to feud with. At this point almost anyone would be good, because these random matches are not helping him. After watching RVD in the ring with Fandango, I think a feud between the two could be fun, and not too strenuous for RVD.

I think working the ring with the likes of RVD would be a great thing for Fandango. It would help his skills, teach him how to be more creative in the ring, and think on his feet. But even if it isn’t Fandango, RVD needs someone to work with to give him a reason to be working for the WWE.

I know it’s because of the show Total Divas that the Divas Division has been getting more push and more press lately, but if we’re going to get better matches such as the one between AJ and Kaitlyn, I am okay with it.

I really enjoyed the mic work between AJ and Big E backstage, but it was AJ’s work in the ring with Kaitlyn that showed that these two are strong Divas who really know how to work the ring and work it hard. AJ has been showing more submission work, and it’s impressive. She worked intricately and precisely with Kaitlyn through this match, and it looked great for it. The more I see of AJ in the ring, the more I want to see of her.

I know Kaitlyn is strong and talented, she’s been showing us all along, but AJ has been more of a character than a wrestler until late, and she’s showing that she’s just as talented in the ring as on mic.

Then there’s the Bellas, who are not talented in the ring, or on mic, but they’re dating the right men, so they’re top Divas with the WWE. Don’t get me wrong, I’m learning a lot about the Bellas with the new Total Divas show, and some of it I actually like, but they’re not very good in the ring and they’re not great talkers.

The biggest thing they have going for them is their looks. Maybe if the WWE could write the Divas to be more than catty high school girls who fight dirty over the cutest boy on the football team. The way the WWE portrays women, especially strong and beautiful women like Natalya, makes me ill.

Women don’t spend every minute of their lives attacking each other, and shouldn’t be treated that way. The only woman on WWE TV right now who is being portrayed as strong, powerful, and still very beautiful is Steph, but there’s been many years where she wasn’t portrayed as any more than the rest of the girls, and sometimes much worse than what we’re seeing from the likes of the Bellas.

One feud that the WWE stepped up with this week was Ziggler and Big E. When Big E appeared on WWE TV as AJ’s muscle, it was only a matter of time until he feuded with Ziggler. I’m not sure they’re the best match in the ring, and I still think that Big E should be working as a face, because that’s what his personality gravitates toward.

Hopefully they will be able to carry this feud for as long as it takes, but I don’t see this being the best thing for Ziggler in the long run, but it should help Big E, and be entertaining in the short run.

I am normally extremely adverse to Alberto Del Rio, but this was a solid match for him. Okay, I did have some issues with his ring work in that he looked reckless when he first attacked Christian at the start of the match, and one of the times he threw Christian down, it looked as though he had no control over the slam, and then there’s the fact that ADR spent the entire match again going after Christian’s left arm in the exact same ways as every other match he’s been in.

I know AJ spent much of her match working over Kaitlyn’s left arm, but this is new and fresh. Del Rio does it every match, and in the exact same way every time. It also doesn’t help that I don’t find Del Rio at all believable. I forget that he’s the WWE World Heavyweight Champion when he’s not physically wearing the belt, because he just doesn’t come off as a Champion. He doesn’t have the ruthless aggression that McMahon claims Bryan is lacking.

Why does the WWE persist in making Cody Rhodes look weak in every match, all of every match, up until he wins? It’s just horrible watching Cody looking totally outclassed by the likes of guys like Barrett, guys I know Cody could stomp a mud hole in, yet Cody continues to look weak and useless until he comes up with a dazzling save and wins in the end.

He’s being made to look like a lame and wimpy version of Super Cena, and it’s really not impressive booking. If Cody is going to look like anything viable, and move forward with his career, he’s going to need better booking than getting abused before being crafty right at the end to get the win.

I will say that I’m liking the way that his feud with Sandow is growing. They’re going at it slowly, not pushing too hard, and making a hash of it. It might take longer for them to really fight it out at pay-per-views, but it’s better than rushing the feud and killing it before it can get off the ground.

I know that they’re pushing bigger feuds, but R-Truth keeps getting caught in the crossfire. It was Bray before, and this time Axel and Heyman. R-Truth is stronger than being a jobber who does little more than a bit of slap and tickle before the more important feud steps in.

I feel bad for R-Truth in this regard, because he’s such a workhorse and has put so much into the WWE over the years. Hopefully something will come up for R-Truth soon. I also hope that Axel gets his own feud after SummerSlam, because while it’s great for him to be IC Champ, it’s doing little for him overall. Axel is stuck playing second fiddle to Heyman’s feud with Punk, and he’s better than that.

Speaking of storylines bigger than R-Truth, I’m thrilled that The Wyatt Family was there to attack Kane and continue their growing feud. I honestly don’t know who might be joining Kane to fight back against Bray, Rowan and Harper, but I’m sure it will be fantastic.

The two main events were brilliant! Not only was it great to see Bryan work the ring with his former partner, and someone who can really work the ring with anyone, but Cena versus Ryback was created and booked in a way that worked best for their styles. Both of the matches were strong and built well for their impending SummerSlam match.

I’m very impressed that the WWE stepped up to make sure that matches for both Superstars in the main event of SummerSlam made them look strong, and the best they possibly could. Kane and Bryan worked that ring hard, used their chemistry to add so much more to their match, bring the fans in and made the entire WWE ‘Universe’ feel for both of them.

Cena and Ryback work their strengths in the Tables match. Between what they had been doing in Ladder matches at house shows and at pay-per-views, these two guys have learned and come up with many creative ways to work with ladders, and the stairs at ringside.

Both Bryan and Cena came out of their matches looking strong, and further setting up for SummerSlam. The rate they are going at, with so much being put into this match, I’m expecting it to be a show stopper, with a new champ coming out at the end.