The Main Events
-Batista comes out to talk, but is immediately interrupted by Alberto Del Rio. Del Rio talks about his problems with Batista, while Batista says he does not have any problems with Del Rio. This makes Alberto attack Batista and barely get away from being Batista Bombed. Batista yells at Del Rio about getting his attention now.
If you want to kill whatever momentum you THINK you have with Batista, you have him face Del Rio. For storyline purposes, this is weak. For getting Batista back in wrestling shape, this is a great call. Del Rio is one of the safest and smartest guys to work with. He can carry much of the offense in a match, but people simply do not connect with him. Will this help or hurt Batista? It could easily do both and make the return of Batista seem flatter than a week old Pepsi.
Score: 4/10
Daniel Bryan defeated Randy Orton in a fantastic match. The match was broken down into three stories. The first story was the fact that Daniel Bryan controlled the offense by attacking Orton's knee. I loved when he hit a dropkick into Orton's knee that was wrapped around the post. The second part of the match was Orton taking control, working on the shoulder of Bryan. Side note: wouldn't it make more sense for Bryan to attack Orton's shoulder (which he uses for RKO) and Orton attack Bryan's knee (offense based around kicking and a running knee). Anyways, the match was excellent and the final part of the match was both men struggling to keep the other down. Kane would try to interfere, but Daniel Bryan attacked him and ended up hitting his running knee onto Orton for the win. After the match, Kane chokeslams Bryan and stands next to Orton.
Is Kane and Orton going to partner up? I can see it. Are they pieces to The Authority? Doesn't this seem obvious that Bryan is being slotted in the spot for Punk? It is logical, simple and has MUCH more history with Bryan facing off against The Authority. I liked the ending because there are many layers that can be added for the next 60 days.
Score: 8/10
John Cena and Brock Lesnar were missed
The chants were loud. CM Punk was missed and Omaha let WWE know. Is it because Punk, himself, was missed? Was it because WWE had a chance to try and let the crowd forget about CM Punk by stocking their best and most important talent in one show. Lesnar needed to be there, Cena needed to be used. Why weren't they? Is WWE afraid both would've been booed because of Punk's departure? There are so many questions, but WWE dropped the ball tonight. They could have done so much more to make this night memorable. They had two moments: Cody's moonsault and Daniel Bryan beating Randy Orton. In three hours, it was not enough at all.
WWE Raw Score: 5.5/10. "Missed opportunities."
@JoshIsenberg4 on Twitter. Reaction, over.
