Raw after-party: Cena shows rare mean streak
Most of Raw tonight was a let down. It reminded me very much of last week. Nexus still on the loose and ready to attack at a moments notice as the Raw GM still communicates through e-mail. The only difference between last week and this week was how the annoying e-mail sound was followed with a flicker of lights in the arena.
But then Raw turned around in the second hour. The tag team match of Randy Orton and Evan Bourne vs. Chris Jericho and Edge was phenomenal. The rivalry between Edge and Y2J really showed as they have amazing chemistry. That is a match I really hope the WWE ignites once again. This match also showed how great Orton really is and how the fans respond to him.
When he signals for the RKO, the fans erupt and jump to their feet in anticipation for the move. Fans react to his every move and how can you not? Everything he does has such a bad ass tone to it. It’s not like what Stone Cold Steve Austin was in 1996-97. It’s different and it works for Orton. He’s like a volcano that can erupt at anytime and go to that next level. For some reason, not waring and elbow pads or tape on his wrist makes him that more sinister. Once again, fans saw Orton turn it up to that level and they loved every second of it.
For fans to realize that, he is without a doubt, the best superstar on Raw. He is the total package in my opinion and has been the MVP of Raw for a long time. Now on to the other top face on Raw, John Cena.
I bashed Cena one week ago for his horrible work on the mic with reacting to the e-mail’s of the Raw GM. Click here to see exactly what I said. I still stand by my comments, but what I saw tonight to close out Raw was the best of John Cena in a very long time.
The intensity that he expressed was dramatic and a great timing as this feud with Nexus needs some spice. His beat down of Darren Young was something the fans reacted to immediately. Let’s face it, Cena is often booed to a point where it’s very pronounced and the announcers have to make a comment about it. There was none of that tonight, the fans ate up the beat down and gave Cena plenty of love.
The only other time I ever saw Cena go to that level was in a feud on Smackdown with Kurt Angle a long time ago. This is when Cena was still on Smackdown. I would love to think that Cena will stay this way, but the WWE will not allow their top face to give weekly beat downs on Raw like that. Remember, it’s a PG show and Cena is the face of that move toward family programming. But, I could see Cena have this same kind of intensity going into his 7-on-1 handicap match with Nexus next week. Although, it doesn’t seem like Young will be a part of it thanks to tonight.
On this night, I give Cena props because he had me in awe. It was shocking to see an uber face go to that extreme. Yes, something that simple was what saved Raw this week.
Quick Hits
*The push of Evan Bourne continues. I have a strong feeling this will be the “Shelton Benjamin push.” Remember when Shelton had a win over Triple H on Raw a few years ago and received a mega push? Now look where he is? Exactly. I hope I’m wrong, but Bourne may be in the wrong part of the card. Can Bourne prevail in the WWE? Sure, just not among the top stars, at least not yet. I could easily see the WWE knocking him out of the main event scene and then just forgetting about him soon after. I rather him be a consistent mid-carder for a while and then let him move up. Similar to Jeff Hardy’s push.
*R-Truth is out of the MITB match for Raw after the Miz’s beat down, which was also pretty solid TV. His replacement: Triple H. Am I aiming too high? Probably, but it would be a shock.
*The Raw stars and Nexus had a brawl right before the end of Raw. Notice how the crowd didn’t go nuts over it. Live crowds usually love big brawls of that many wrestlers. There wasn’t a huge reaction to this brawl. It seems fans have cooled dramatically on this whole Nexus vs. WWE angle. It’s still working, but it needs more like I stated before. Cena taking it to the next level might not be enough.
