John Laurinitis is shown backstage on the phone. He is talking to Stephanie about what happened. Also, he books Cena and a partner of Laurinitis' choice vs. Miz and Truth for tonight.
Santino Marella vs. Dolph Ziggler:
What I Liked:
The cockiness of Ziggler in the ring. His aggressive attitude against his opponents is growing each match. He also is a fantastic athlete who, with the right feud, could really become a top guy in the company.
What I Disliked:
This match in general. First off, you give Ziggler a worthless opponent. Second, he has to have a distraction to beat a guy like Santino. Third, Mason Ryan comes out to "save" Santino. Why? Just because they want to push Ryan does not mean he has to save Santino. I would rather see someone capable of beating Ziggler, possibly a Morrison, Ryder, or even Kofi. Santino's ship has sailed for me. He should never be in a Raw ring to wrestle.
Grade: C-
In Ring Segment:
Alberto Del Rio celebrates his win, and says there is nobody better than him and who could beat him. C.M. Punk comes out and talks about how he has beaten Del Rio in the past. He wants a match, but Del Rio says he is a loser. Laurinitis comes out and says Punk will get him match if he says he respects John Laurinitis. Punk goes off on Johnny, sarcastically saying he respects him. He does not grant him the title match, and Punk attacks Del Rio. He hits GTS on Ricardo Rodriguez.
What I Liked:
The establishment of Laurinitis running things on Raw. I dislike him as a person, character, and every other aspect, but he is at least a figure making decisions and not a computer. Also, I like Del Rio/Punk's upside involved here, as Punk is better on the microphone, but Del Rio can certainly hold his own. Both guys rely on their kicking and striking abilities in the ring, so they will have a nice clash of move skills. Punk's ripping on Laurinitis was fun and entertaining.
What I Disliked:
The feeling that Punk is getting so popular, but fearing that he will not be the guy we all went crazy for. If he is such a popular face, will that ultimately hurt him in the long run? I hope not, but Orton was better as a tweener, and Punk probably is as well. They need to keep him popular, but different than every other face.
Grade: B+
Natalya vs. Alicia Fox:
A typical diva match, with Fox getting the win here. A quick rollup gives her the upset.
What I Liked:
Not having Kelly Kelly in a match, as she got over exposed way too quickly. Yes, the focus is still on her, Eve, Beth, and Natalya, but Fox implemented is just a nice and fresh tweak. The match was decent, nothing spectacular. Fox is very agile and athletic in the ring.
What I Disliked:
A diva who has not done much in the past year beating Natayla, who is one of the top divas in the division. I wonder where they will go from here. I really think Natalya is one of the best, and also is marketable to some extent. It is an open ended loss, to see if she gets revenge, or if they want to utilize more divas. We shall see…
Grade: C-
