WWE RAW, 26th August: Five Talking Points

RAW this week showed us why being a WWE fan now is great. With Daniel Bryan and the Corporation taking us back to the memories of the Attitude Era, things look great for the company who have experienced a hike in their viewer ratings despite Cena’s absence.

Punk and Heyman have taken their rivalry to a whole new level with Curtis Axel gaining much deserved exposure and AJ shocked us with a mini pipebomb that told just what everyone felt about the divas division. With a lot more to talk about, here are the five talking points from this week’s show.

1. CM Punk and Paul Heyman steal the show on RAW

CM Punk and Curtis Axel brought the house down

Paul Heyman was forced into the ring with CM Punk due to a WWE App poll that allowed the fans to select a stipulation for the match between Punk and Axel. According the stipulation Heyman had to get in the ring with Punk if the latter managed to beat Axel in the match.

Axel looked confident and also managed to dominate Punk, who was distracted by the prospect of Heyman standing on the outside. Punk finally made Axel taste knee for the defeat. What transpired next made it the best segment of the show. Heyman and Punk stood face to face in the ring, thanks to a few security guards who dragged the former down after he tried to run away.

Punk finally had his hands on Heyman but Axel low blowed him and took the moment away. Punk was handcuffed and then treated to the kendo stick by both Axel and Heyman which was made to look pretty brutal. Heyman showed emotions that felt almost real as he battered Punk over and over with the kendo stick. Finally, after referee interfered Heyman and Axel let Punk go. So much for the fans voting for Heyman to be in the ring with Punk.

2. The Cadillac Escalade story

Randy Orton and Triple H are making huge strides

The moment Triple H gifted Orton a Cadillac Escalade in the beginning of the show, it was certain it was going to get messed up. Orton looked delighted with what the COO of the company had to gift him and thanked him heartily.

Hunter, on the other hand, looked cynical and justified beating up Bryan last week. He threw a strong promo that was a bit overstretched, but it did manage to garner heat and make him look like the villain. Bryan came out and had a few words to say to both the COO and ‘Twinkle Toes Orton’.

Bryan then gave the Cadillac his own special treatment as he spray painted the vehicle with the word ‘YES’ all over it. Orton however, got the final say after Bryan’s gauntlet match against the Shield saw Bryan getting outnumbered and assaulted in front of the entire WWE roster.

3. AJ pipebombs the Divas division

AJ Lee rocked the Divas division

After a lackluster match between Brie Bella and Natalya, AJ Lee, the current Divas champion, came out to give us a divas pipebomb. A seemingly enraged promo by the champion mocked the divas division for what it is at the moment and called the entire divas division which was by the way standing around the ring a bunch of useless women.

The promo was brilliant as AJ managed to cut through the entire division with truth filled rants that managed to spark realistic reactions post show. If not for the Punk & Heyman segment, AJ Lee deserved the best segment of the show.

4. RVD gets himself a title shot at Night of Champions

Rob Van Dam is in hunt for gold

The Night of Champions card saw another addition this week and it was for the World Heavyweight title. Alberto Del Rio will defend his title against RVD after losing a match to the same on RAW last night. RVD pinned Del Rio after Ricardo, RVD’s newest ring announcer, managed to distract his former friend. Though the pairing between RVD and Ricardo look uncanny, WWE still is fine with the two moving ahead. The match was entertaining and set the standard to expect in their match at Night of Champions.

5. Ryback gets a distinct direction as a bully

Ryback is bullying his way to the top

After bullying unknown faces on RAW, Ryback had a familiar target this week as he showed Josh Mathews just what being a bully means. It seems as though Ryback will slowly climb levels and finally target a WWE Superstar and by the looks of it he surely is enjoying it. This particular angle gives Ryback something credible to do after his messed up run with the top stars of the roster.