RAW Retort – Maddox and Ref Stripes mean problems

The WWE had a lot to prove with this episode of RAW, being the go home to SummerSlam. The WWE has been building this PPV to be the biggest so far this year. They’ve spent serious time building these storylines and feuds, and they’ve been panning out better than the Road To WrestleMania.

After MITB being such a strong PPV, the fans are expecting so much more from SummerSlam, being one of the big four. Personally, I think that there were some really strong moments on this episode of RAW, but I’m not sure it was the best overall show they could have given us.

RAW starting with a strong match was a great plan, but it’s a match we saw on Smackdown just days before. They did throw a great swerve into the match with Maddox as the Special Guest Ref, but at the end of it all, it really was Bryan and Barrett who made the match great.

I have been such a Bryan cheerleader for so long, but Bryan really is the whole package as a WWE Superstar. Bryan has the three key things that make a great Superstar, but he’s taken each of those three things to a whole new level and continues to do so each week.

It used to be the case that you needed to be a big, muscled guy to be a Superstar, but now it’s more important to have an interesting and sometimes unusual look. Bryan had an interesting look when he came into the WWE, but with the longer hair and that shaggy beard, he’s developed his look into someone totally different and very unusual compared to most of the rest of the Superstars.

Then there’s the ability to talk and charisma. When Bryan first came into the WWE, I didn’t think he’d be able to cut it charisma-wise. I love Bryan, but he just didn’t have the charisma I expected a WWE Superstar needed when I watched him as the American Dragon in ROH. Bryan’s charisma has grown and changed at such a jaw dropping rate since he came to the WWE, and even more so since he joined up with Kane to for Team Hell No.

It was all of those things that made his Miz TV segment something to scream from the rooftops about. I know Cena is great on mic, and I know Bryan has grown by leaps and bounds, but Miz TV was a jaw dropping experience this week. Cena said it correctly when he said Miz TV is usually a train wreck, but he and Bryan took the ‘show’ to a whole new level.

I am almost willing to say that Miz TV was the segment of the night. In a show with Punk playing games with Brock and Heyman physically, and Heyman on mic, I’m willing to say that Cena and Bryan stole the show, and did so in a huge way. I love that Triple H and Orton finished off the segment because it tied everything together in a strong way going into SummerSlam.

It was shocking to see that it was Punk, Heyman and Brock who ended RAW, when I really don’t see them being the main event of SummerSlam, but they surely ended RAW with a bang, and with Brock – someone who will bring in the paying viewers. They did a solid job ending RAW, but I think it will be Bryan and Cena who’ll steal SummerSlam.