For a number of weeks, WWE fans were treated to the broadcast stylings of CM Punk. The native Chicagoan was such a natural at the desk that some fans felt it was his calling. While broadcasting may be in CM Punk's future, he was only doing it in the present to bide his time until his injury healed up and he was able to strike. Last week, he did just that.
Though Raw ended after the six man tag match featuring Miz's "past", "present", and "future", the biggest question on the table was "why did CM Punk blast John Cena with a chair?" At the same time, I'm sure John Cena was asking himself "why is it that as soon as I finally bested Wade Barrett after 6 months, I get attacked RIGHT AWAY!" This was the question at hand, and it needed to be answered.
So, did Cena get the answer he was seeking? Did CM Punk explain his actions? Were either of them HOT? Or perhaps lackluster performance landed them on the NOT list? Let's find out:
HOT
1. CM Punk - At first, I feared that Punk's drafting to Raw would find him buried on the depth chart. With Sheamus, Wade Barrett, and The Miz firmly entrenched as main event heels, it was hard to picture the scenario where Punk fit. I must admit that I did not picture Punk's first feud to be against John Cena, but it's true. As much as I've lauded his talents, I wasn't sure the WWE saw Punk as ready to go toe to toe with their moneymaker. I thought wrong. Punk explained his actions, essentially flipping the card on Cena and calling him the bad guy for his excessive violence against other wrestlers. After a somewhat light yet heated discussion, Punk promised to call out Cena later in the night. Somehow, that turned into a Nexus beatdown, but what followed is what puts Punk on the HOT list. Punk finally emerged after the beatdown and hit the GTS on Cena. He then sat in a chair in the ring, picked up a Nexus armband, and PUT IT ON! With a fisted salute to the Nexus, it was clear that the rookie renegades were taking orders from a new leader. While Punk does not need Nexus, they make one hell of an insurance policy. At this moment, a manipulative CM Punk has the WWE on notice with his new followers. We should expect only excellent performances moving forward from the Straight Edge Superstar.
2. The Miz - While the beginning and end of Raw were controlled by Cena and Punk, the entire middle of the show was all about The Miz. He made a number of appearances throughout the night, and though he lost to Jerry Lawler via countout, like a good heel, he got the last laugh. After former protege Daniel Bryan won an easy match, out came Miz to beat the hell out of Lawler. This is not your typical Raw occurence and it really caught a lot of people by surprise. After a Skull Crushing Finale, Lawler was left laying on the floor. Miz got the boos he wanted and left happy. Oh yea, he also cut a fantastic promo before his match. This guy says he is the "most must-see champion" of all time, and I'm starting to buy it. Obviously I've been high on the guy for a long time, but when you are up against Punk/Cena and you STILL command a ton of attention, you are damn good. Miz is that good, and every second he was on camera was a second you wanted to see. That is the sign of a great performer, and The Miz IS a great performer.
3. John Morrison - I was tempted to put him on the NOT list purely because of how he layed out his future. Before we get to that, let's give credit where credit is due. His promos are getting better and even though his feud with Miz has basically ignored the fact that they used to be friends, he is doing a good job of showing himself worthy. A sign of a great wrestler is having a good match with anyone, and that's what really landed Morrison on the list this week. The Shaman of Sexy actually got a good match out of Alex Riley, no easy feat. This guy can go with anyone, and I expect his title match to be quite good. We will get it next week though, not at the Royal Rumble. Yes, because Morrison beat Riley, he chose a No DQ match next week on Raw for his title shot. I do question what that means for a title match at the Royal Rumble, but there's still plenty of time to build to that. That said, I was looking forward to Morrison/Miz at that event. I hope we still get it. I think these two have the potential to put on some great matches. We shall find out next week.
NOT
1. John Cena - This week's "it sucks to be me" award goes to the face of the WWE, John Cena. The man from West Newbury is a great performer, but Punk literally had an answer for everything Cena was going to say on this night. On top of that, Cena thought he one upped Punk by calling him out first, but again, Punk was a step ahead. The night ended with Cena beaten by Nexus and then Punk, and laid motionless as he saw the thorns in his side join forces with the man who seemingly has his number. The future doesn't look too bright for Cena right now. He's overcome it all, but can he overcome this? Something tells me that it won't be easy.
2. Jackson Andrews - This dude is ENORMOUS! He has to be over 7 feet tall and really looks the part of intimidating bodyguard. At least he did until he was humbled by Mark Henry. The World's Strongest Man slammed the gigantic bodyguard with ease after Henry's match with Tyson Kidd. Clearly, Andrews did not do his job. While I actually like the idea of Andrews faltering along with Kidd so as to humble the pair and have them learn to form a quality partnership (hey, it's never been done and it should!), it was still a bad day for Andrews. His first chance to make an impact and he failed! I hope this leads to a story where Andrews has to learn to do his job right, but we'll see what direction this minor story goes.
3. Wade Barrett - I actually thought of putting him number 1, because DAMN, is he screwed! For six months, Barrett used his friends as part of his plot to win the WWE title. He failed, and he pissed off his group quite a few times along the way. Now, Nexus has a new leader, so where does this leave Barrett? It's an interesting question for next week, but for now it just seems that Barrett is out in the cold. For all we know, he's still injured from the chairs and has no clue what has taken place, but as it stands, he's a man without a group and without a direction. It should be interesting to see where he goes next but please, please, please, DO NOT TURN HIM FACE!
This was yet another fantastic episode of Raw. It's clear that the new writing team is doing a good job and I liked the formula used this time around. The show was focused around two major stories while other minor stories filled the rest of the time. Every segment has a story and a purpose, but a few major stories drive the show. This is how a wrestling show should be, and what I like best is that Raw has been leaving us with questions and cliffhangers each week. For next week, we want to know how the Nexus/Punk merger came to be and where it is going, how Barrett fits in, whether Miz can defend his title, and what title match will occur at the rumble. Along with that, some minor stories should see story development as well. Raw is really a fantastic show at the moment.......unless you are John Cena. For the face of a show, he can't catch a break! Let's see how he responds next week. I sure am looking forward to that show.
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