RAW Retort – WWE brings back the Inferno match?

Well, the WWE really seems to have decided on a direction with certain wrestlers and they’re running with it. I cannot get over how great Bryan, Orton and Cena have been pushing in their specific directions on this episode of RAW, and how it seems as though Triple H, McMahon and Stephanie are falling into their specific roles. I see some great things coming for all six of these men, and they’ve been building well for them all summer.

I think SummerSlam will throw a swerve of some sort into the six of them, but I also see serious alignments forming that night. Hopefully HBK and his serious beard will be showing up to back his boy Bryan. Either way, that core six worked the mic and the ring beautifully and almost carried this episode of RAW.

The only negative moment I saw for any of them was the fans chanting at Cena that he was boring, but I think that’s because the fans are so hot for Bryan. I know there’s people who really didn’t like how the main event ended, questioning why Orton attacked both Cena and Bryan, but Orton is in the middle of a slow heel turn, and as Mr. MITB, he has to solidify his direction before he’s pigeonholed into being too wishy-washy to do anything with the case – the way Ziggler was for way too long.

I didn’t like that The Shield took out both Cena and Bryan in the end, but I guess it could show that no matter who you are, even the Champ or the most beloved #1 contender, you’re still human and can be brought down by the right foes.

RVD facing ADR in the ring felt like the battle of the triple initials, and ADR was left looking the fool. I don’t know how the WWE can have their World Heavyweight Champion look so weak and pathetic, but that’s how they seem to be booking ADR at every turn. There were a couple of issues in this match because ADR was off his mark, but luckily he was completely on when he worked against Ricardo, because that could have been really bad. Those were some serious blows, and then the ending blow could have been dangerous if ADR had fluffed it off the way he does most things in the ring.

I want so much for Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow to really shine, but they aren’t. I don’t know if the writing is wrong, the characters are wrong for them – though it doesn’t feel that way for Sandow – but things just aren’t feeling right for them in this feud. Cody feels plastic, Sandow feels like he stretching in a direction that feels wrong for him, and the whole story seems blah. I hope things pick up, and they’re not going to be pushed aside again with so many other big storylines going on right now.

Even worse than Sandow and Rhodes right now is anything to do with Ryback. I’m hard on Henry most of the time, but he was the glorious light in this match. If nothing else, Henry is a rock. Not The Rock, but a rock for all that’s going on around him in the ring and on mic. I guess he’s had his one moment of glory, and if he’s okay not being a top guy, he could really add a lot to the WWE moving forward. Not sure I can say the same for Ryback after seeing his craptastic ring and mic work, and how the fans really seem to loath him, and not the way you’re supposed to loath a heel.

Christian versus Slater was a more questionable booking on this episode of RAW. Why would they want to put their #1 Contender for the World Heavyweight Championship against a jobber like Slater? You could argue that Christian was working against horrible odds with McIntyre and Mahal ringside, and that he did a great job of handling them all, and he did, but I still think the whole plan was questionable.

Further, heading toward SummerSlam where ADR is looking weak and Christian is looking strong could mean that ADR will retain, but I’m going to keep my hopes up that after ADR’s attack on Ricardo, El Local might show up and cost ADR the World Heavyweight Championship Match.