RAW Retort - Cena's out, but who is in?

I have to say that SummerSlam put a huge wrench in a number of directions the WWE has been going lately. It seems as though we were on the cusp of something really huge, and SummerSlam was the first swerve into that something really huge coming to fruition.

The WWE has been struggling without having any real competition for a number of years, and it seems as though no matter what they do, they just cannot step out of that post-Monday-Night-War rut. It’s been a downward spiral for quite a long time, and this past WrestleMania showed just how bad things had become.

I was starting to become quite worried for things when WrestleMania was such a dramatic flop. Even storylines like Team Hell No had only been bringing the excitement levels up so far. It wasn’t until Money in the Bank was such a lovely success that I really thought things could be getting better. Add in the Punk/Heyman storyline and the McMahon storyline and my hopes have been rising.

SummerSlam was a stellar success on so many levels, leading to what I think was the strongest RAW of the year, by far. I think it was stronger than even the post-WrestleMania RAW.

Opening Segment

They started things strong right out of the gate. Cena might have received a lot of heat from the fans, but he was honest about his future in the WWE, and his need for immediate surgery. Its way past time Cena takes some time off to heal himself mentally as well as physically. He’s been burning the candle from both ends, and I think this elbow injury is fortuitous for making him take the time he needs.

Cena is also very lucky that he hasn’t ended up with a systemic infection for not taking care of his elbow when it first presented itself as a problem. Pulling him from live shows, and probably filling him full of antibiotics, only goes so far when an injury is that bad. I’m glad Cena is taking the time he needs, and the way he introduced Bryan to the ring, then handed the mic over and left, seemed very symbolic.

Bryan might not have the WWE Championship belt in hand, but he is stepping into Cena’s shoes as the face of the company. I think this is the WWE taking the water wings off and pushing Bryan into the deep end. It’s time for Bryan to sink or swim, and Cena handing him the mic and leaving was quite a showing moment.

Bryan was so over with the fans, more so than ever, as I expected. What I didn’t expect was Steph to side with her father and husband over Bryan. I truly expected to see a family divided on RAW this week, but Steph threw another swerve at us. Not only was SummerSlam a night of swerves, but RAW started off with a quick swerve in Steph. I love that she threw Bryan out the way she did, because it set up for so many intriguing things to happen – in both the near and distant future.

Divas

I was shocked to see Natalya come out on top last night, and even more shocked to see the Dactyls come out on top over Layla and AJ in the ring. They kept the match short and to the point, but AJ and Naomi are continuing to look better and better. I will admit that I wished it was longer than 2:18, but I expect we will be seeing more and more of them very soon.