Another Raw passed, another necessary storytelling phase passed. We all knew that CM Punk was facing John Cena in a title unification at Summerslam, yet WWE still saw fit to build 2-hours around that obvious revelation. That’s weak storytelling – we could have done the reveal early, as I’m sure no one was baited into waiting around with the expectation that this is all that would be announced. It’s flat out poor writing and the booking creates problems.
First and foremost is that if this is going to be a new, unpredictable era, they have to get the obvious stuff out of the way early. Let the performances and confrontations be the sell, not the obvious story beats. Simply inverting the format would have solved the entire problem. If Triple H opened Raw announcing that the re-match would be at Summerslam, then build that into a show closing finale with Punk… that finale would have unreal heat and be made seem important. Punk’s “mic bomb†closing the show would be memorable, not predictable.
Speaking of memorable – the Money in the Bank match was very likely a once in a lifetime moment. It’s possible that Punk and Cena can have a re-match of similar quality to their Chicago encounter, but WWE is now betting all their momentum on it. If the match is disappointing, much of the magic will be lost. This is, in essence, why stipulations were created. Adding a stipulation – say ladders – increases the potential here and can hide flaws. Simply doing the re-match is a no-win situation.
Unless, of course, WWE does have a surprise left (Kings of Wrestling Debut), the only finish that really seems to make sense for Summerslam is the hour-draw. Cena has had one classic going an hour, with Shawn Michaels, while Punk has had two, with Samoa Joe. With the careful booking that goes into those, a great match is more likely, and it can really help build anticipation for the eventual re-match.
The other real options are Punk winning clean or losing clean. If Punk wins, that’s great, but where does it leave Cena for his Wrestlemania Main Event? He’s no longer the top guy. Does it hurt the heat for WWE’s payday? I would say probably not, but would WWE take that risk? If Punk loses, this is all an exercise in futility and we got a fun Summer to end back where we started. With neither option appealing, a draw to let this go on is most appealing… and the draw that will least insult fans is the time-limit draw.
The rest of Raw was a mixed bag. After complimenting the mid-card push, I was disappointed to see a generic tag match fill in for the Rey Mysterio/Miz and John Morrison/R-Truth feuds. Still, the match got time and was Raw’s best match, which lessened the sting. If anything but a bottle of water was used as a weapon to end this, we might be looking at real heat. I know a bottle of water started Truth’s turn, but it just isn’t an effective weapon and should not be used any longer starting now.
There was also further development in the mid-card. Kofi Kingston’s issue with Alberto Del Rio isn’t settled, and he will keep Del Rio busy, likely until Money in the Bank is cashed in. Del Rio got to crush Evan Bourne as part of this development, which isn’t much of a problem, as Evan’s popularity comes from flips, not winning. Alex Riley will also be getting a feud with Dolph Ziggler to see if he can maintain heat without Miz around. The jury is out, but cool song or not, I’m guessing no. He’s just too generic.
Finally, we got to see what WWE will be doing with Zack Ryder. Apparently he’s being positioned similarly to Santino as a comedy guy fans are behind. Hopefully, though, that’s just his Raw role and he will have more to do on Smackdown as Teddy Long’s assistant. He and Santino lost to Joe Hennig, David Otunga, and their unfortunate new entrance music. The former Nexus members are building a real team identity, but Otunga is still bad in the ring with little business being on television. Demolition Decapitation will always get a pop out of me.
We finish up with Triple H’s role. Reports were his return was planned to be a Pedigree for Punk before Punk overruled it and their initial confrontation was filled with potential for just that. WWE, to their credit, have now kept Triple H in what is only an authoritarian role. That’s an absolute necessity. Fans need to learn to see him that way and not as the guy with the sledgehammer, so when he finally does take matters into his own hands, it will mean something. Now that he’s set the match, the Cena-Punk feud should go on without him and how much it does so will likely signal how much of the spotlight Hunter is willing to cede. There is plenty left on Raw to keep him busy – John Cena vs. CM Punk should remain about the wrestlers.
