Great promo from the returning John Cena to kick off the show. He announced he had since come back to Raw following a two-week hiatus, cracked a few jokes, and then got serious by the end of the promo as he focused on CM Punk. It was a very well-rounded promo that I thoroughly enjoyed, which is saying a lot since most of Cena's comical promos don't get a chuckle out of this viewer most of the time. Highlighting the various angles happening in WWE today was a cool perspective on things as well.

Brief match with Ryback squashing both Primo and Epico in a Handicap match. It made sense following Ryback's match with Primo last week on SmackDown, so I saw it as a nice follow-up. I still see Ryback defeating two competitors at once as an impressive feat, especially when they were put over as a threat by JBL on commentary. Sure, Epico and Primo don't come off as a credible team after failing to defeat Ryback, but they're not doing anything at the moment anyway, so I don't mind it. Ryback hitting his finisher on both Primo and Epico simultaneously was a cool visual and there's no denying that Big Hungry was over with the crowd like crazy.

Fun segment featuring Brodus Clay and R-Truth. While it may not have lasted long and was simply a tie-in to Vince McMahon's state of the WWE address that followed, it was harmless comedy. As much as I'd like to see Clay and Truth as heels, I don't see it happening anytime soon due to how over they are with the children, so it'll be a fun pairing for the time being.

Fantastic promo between WWE Champion CM Punk and Mr. McMahon. Punk's interruption halfway through McMahon's promo was predictable, but I found it to be extremely intriguing with this being the first time these two have crossed paths on Raw since last July prior to the Money in the Bank pay-per-view. I've been anxiously awaiting a "pipebomb" of a promo from Punk since he cemented his heel turn a few months back, and will we finally got it here with some very strong mic work from Punk. He's playing his heel role to perfection and his back history with McMahon only enhanced the segment. McMahon sold Punk's slap to the face well and looking legitimately angry (which he could have very well have been) really have me looking forward to the night's main event between the two.

Good match with Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara defeating The Prime Time Players to advance to the finals of the WWE Tag Team Championship tournament. They've been up the feud between the two teams quite well in recent weeks, so it definitely gave this match more meaning. The outcome was never in doubt, but it still consisted of good action that saw the right team go over. As I've said numerous times in the past, I've been loving the recent resurrection of the tag team division and hope they keep the momentum going strong.

Solid match between World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus and Wade Barrett. I would've liked to see it promoted more since it is such a high caliber contest after all, but it beats Barrett taking on yet another enhancement talent this week. Needless to say, these two Europeans have excellent in-ring chemistry and had an enjoyable back-and-forth brawling battle. I was worried about the finish since it could possibly make Barrett look weak, but having Tensai interfere was a pleasant surprise, which prevented Barrett from losing via pin-fall. Big Show didn't add much at ring-side, but at least he furthered his feud with Sheamus by attacking the Celtic Warrior and coming off as a threat for the first time since this rivalry began. I don't think a trio involving Tensai, Barrett, and Show will become a regular thing going forward, but it worked well here given the circumstances.

Absolutely asinine opening segment featuring Big Show and World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus. Show's promo was well executed and I appreciate the effort to acknowledge history by showing the footage of his 45-second World title reign from last year, but this feud seems more about Show's past embarrassments and not making Sheamus look like a vulnerable champ. Similar to Monday's Raw, Sheamus was not funny, and displayed more heel tactics than Show himself. I'm not sure where they're going with this feud, but so far, I'm not enjoying its direction.

Good match with Prime Time Players defeating Kofi Kingston and R-Truth to advance in the WWE Tag Team Championship tournament. We've seen it a few times before, but it made for some fun action. No dissension between Truth and Kingston was shown, so it's unclear as to whether they remain a tag team going forward, but Darren Young and Titus O'Neil winning here is logical and sets up a match with their rivals Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara in the semi-finals.

Brief match with Ryback quickly defeating Primo. It's the same basic Ryback match we've been accustomed to for months, but just with a different opponent. Primo and Epico are quality talents, so it's a shame to see them so underutilized. I'm glad they put over Ryback's heroic actions from Raw, though, as those will help give him momentum going in next Monday night.

Fine match with Layla defeating Alicia Fox. There were some clunky spots, but nothing all that disappointing, as it was exactly what you'd expect from these two. It gave Layla a win she needed as she looks to regain her Divas Championship from Eve, but her promo that followed the bout was confusing and I had a hard time understanding it. On a side note, is Alicia Fox heel or does the Creative Team not even care at this point?

Typical squash match with Wade Barrett decimating a local athlete. We've seen Barrett take out lower-card Superstars in recent weeks, so it was baffling as to why they took two steps back and had him take on a non-contracted wrestler. Nonetheless, it showcased Barrett's dominance nicely, but he needs a substantial feud sooner rather than later.

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Fine match with Mr. Anderson quickly defeating Gunner. It was a nice change of pace to kick off the show and was decent action. The outcome was never in doubt, but in helped give Anderson the momentum he needed after being absent from television in recent weeks. As for Kash and Gunner, they're a fun duo, but have absolutely nothing to do at the moment.

Smart booking with Tara and Gail Kim defeating TNA Knockouts Champion Miss Tessmacher and ODB. The action was solid, as all four workers are great in the ring. It furthered the respective rivalries involved and gave Tara some heat going into her title match at Bound For Glory by pinning the champ.

Entertaining opening segment to kick off the show. WWE Champion CM Punk once again delivered great mic work, as did Dolph Ziggler, even though his involvement here seemed a but out of place. However, I'm glad they actually acknowledged the angle where it was said that AJ would be fired if she laid her hands on anyone (insert juvenile sex joke here), so putting her on probation was logical. Kane and Bryan were entertaining as always here and the ending moments were both funny and mildly confusing at the same time.

Fun match with Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara defeating Primo and Epico to advance in the WWE Tag Team title tournament. Both teams have great chemistry, and as I always say, Mysterio and Cara are the perfect fit. Their unique matching attire this week was cool and further helps establish them as a tandem. Having Prime Time Players come out and observe was a nice touch given the fact the two teams are currently feuding. Spreading the tournament matches throughout all of of this week's WWE programming is also good booking.

Impressive outing from United States Champion Antonio Cesaro defeating Brodus Clay. This match was all about Cesaro and rightfully so. He has amazing potential and it's great to see him score a big victory (literally). The finish was very cool, but I'm surprised they had Clay lose so decisively while also cutting a portion of his entrance. Nonetheless, this brings back more prestige to the U.S. title and I hope to see Cesaro continue the strong momentum going forward.

Good match between Intercontinental Champion The Miz and Zack Ryder. Seeing how I've been anxiously awaiting a rematch between these two since the night after WrestleMania 28, I throughly enjoyed it while it lasted. Granted, it didn't last long, but it was a nice win for Miz, who desperately needs victories after losing so many non-title matches. I'd love to see Ryder in contention for the title at some point, as that could make for a fun feud.

Horrendous debate between World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus and Big Show. What was the true point of this segment? Sheamus's humor here was worse than that of John Cena's and did nothing to further his feud with Show. As challenger, Show should be making Sheamus look vulnerable as champ going into Hell in a Cell, especially given his sheer size. They still have time to rebuild this rivalry, but as of now, I'm not intrigued whatsoever.

Disappointing match between Ryback and Tensai. They had a fine match on last week's SmackDown, but sadly, they couldn't recreate it on Raw. It mostly consisted of strikes and the botched finisher came off really bad. However, everyone botches from time to time, and it could've easily been a mutual problem between Ryback and Tensai. Nonetheless, Jim Ross and Michael Cole did a nice job of covering up the botch by saying Tensai blocked it and that Ryback was using more weapons in his arsenal.