Raw Rumblings

The stare down
Courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

It's been far too long since my last blog, and I apologize to regular readers for that.  We're still trying to resolve our Internet issues, and even as I type this, I have doubts that I'll actually be able to post it.

We're a couple of days removed from the June 17 episode of Raw, and I will tell you that I've been pretty impressed with the show over the last few weeks.  Some will likely scoff at that statement, but I have found the storytelling to be captivating and there's a feeling of unpredictability in the air, at least for now.

Several quick thoughts.  When I first read that Alberto Del Rio beat Dolph Ziggler for the World Heavyweight Championship, I was more than a little disappointed.  Dolph is one of my favorites on the roster right now and for him to lose the title so quickly after this nearly year long build bummed me out.  But the picture that was painted at Payback and again Monday on Raw has me more interested in ADR than I've ever been.  As a side note, I love that Antonio Cesaro has taken on Zeb Coulter as a manager.  I think the manager (and tag team wrestling) are the two elements I miss from the "good ol' days" of wrestling.  Hopefully this will help Cesaro and in my dream world, bring Kassius Ohno to the main roster too and the Kings of Wrestling will be reunited.

Speaking of managers, the separation of CM Punk and Paul Heyman has been brilliant in my opinion.  While I loved these two together, I can also see why it's important to split them up.  Let's face it, Punk was way over before Heyman came aboard.  The partnership helped develop Punk a bit further and make him "the bad guy",  but now it's time for the next chapter.  While I'm not a big Brock Lesnar fan, I will enjoy seeing Punk and Brock go after one another.  Plus, I'm glad they're not feeding Curtis Axel to Punk right out of the gate.

Axel and his father, Mr. Perfect are the first father-son duo to win the Intercontinental title.  Mr. Perfect was one of my all time favorite champs.  I just hope Axel is given time to hold the belt and develop as a champion.  I'd hate to see his sudden rise to the spotlight come to a screeching halt.

Christian returns
Photo courtesy: WWE

Christian is back, and that's a good thing in my view.  However, I wonder if he'll soon be in that Chris Jericho role of putting younger talent over.  I don't have a problem with that either, as I think when guys reach a certain point it's important to pass the torch to the next generation.  I also wonder the same thing about Rob Van Dam.  To be fair to TNA, if they'd announced his return, I would have been critical of that decision.  But hey, let's enjoy these guys who can clearly still "go" in the ring.

I can't wait for the Wyatt family to debut.  I'll be curious to see how the WWE Universe reacts to this motley crew and if the company will give them time to develop.  Husky Harris (Bray Wyatt) was my favorite from NXT season 2, and I was sad to see him shipped back to developmental, but perhaps he'll be bigger and better this time around.

Daniel Bryan has succeeded in making me watch a Randy Orton match without fast forwarding.  Bryan's character and performance over the last few weeks has been top notch.  I can't get enough of this guy.  He truly is one of the best the company has to offer.

Guess who's not retiring?
Courtesy: WWE

Mark Henry's "double cross" on John Cena wasn't much of a surprise to me.  I'm always skeptical when wrestlers tweet and claim they're going to do something on TV.  I figured Henry's tweets would lead to something in the ring, I just didn't know who his victim would be until he appeared during Cena's segment.  Speaking of, I know I just said it's important for older talent to put over the young guys, but I wouldn't be totally disappointed in a Mark Henry WWE Title run.  Two years ago, I would have never, EVER said such a thing.  By the way, I loved Henry's suit coat too.

Kaitlyn's nip slip was the talk of the web for a couple of days.  I'm surprised it doesn't have its own Twitter account.  But really, I can't believe these wardrobe malfunctions don't happen more often.

Finally, the McMahon family drama.  Yes, it's a rehash from the late 90's-early 2000's.  But to be honest, I'm enjoying it.  I do think there are too many chiefs and not enough Indians as they say.  Between Vince, Stephanie, Triple H, Vickie Guerrero, Brad Maddox, Teddy Long, and Booker T, who are we to believe is in charge?  Regardless, I'm curious to see where this all ends up, I'm just hoping it's not another match between Vince and Trips, but it seems like the Shield may become a part of this, which I think could be a good thing.

As Nelson used to sing, "Only Time Will Tell" what's next, but I for one am excited and a proud fan of WWE.