Monday Night Raw Review - August 22, 2011

Another great opening promo to kick off the show. I'm glad they actually acknowledged the two rematch clauses rather than ignore them as they have done in the past, but it gave the main event match some hype and excitement throughout the rest of the show. Although Del Rio did come off as a threat here, he didn't seem all that important as compared to CM Punk and John Cena.

Very excited match contested between Alberto Del Rio and John Morrison. I'm excited to see Morrison finally get some offense in his recent bouts, and these two have great chemistry to pull out some great near-falls. I'm hopeful WWE keeps Del Rio going with these clean victories, as he can one of the only strong heel champions who can win a match without interference or dirty tactics.

The match between Eve and Nikki Bella was what it was, but I didn't really see the point in it. We've seen it before, and I don't see the use of keeping the Bellas on television at this point. At least the eventual showdown between the Divas of Doom and Kelly Kelly and Eve is still building.

Yet another inspiring contest between Alex Riley and Jack Swagger. Who exactly did this help? Sure, Riley picked up the win and got a decent pop for it, but it was too short to be considered anything. I'm glad managers are somewhat back in use again, and an interesting twist with possibly a face turn by Ziggler or Swagger somewhere down the line.

A way more organized, stronger segment from last week featuring Kevin Nash, Triple H and CM Punk. Nash is getting better on the mic, Triple H showed some reasoning why he isn't the culprit, and the crowd absolutley loved Punk. Accusing Stephanie is a great way to get her involved instead up randomly revealing it like we're morons later on. The cheap shot by Nash got him tremendous heat, and their recent battles has me anticipating a eventual one-on-one confrontation. 

Great tag team match that between the team of Kofi Kigston and Evan Borune and the defending WWE Tag Team Champions, Michael McGilicutty and David Otunga. Both teams showed excellent tag team maneuvers, and the crowd was hot for the change, which is a good sign that things are about to pick up in the tag team division.

A fun, hilarious, and intriguing segment from The Miz and R-Truth. I noted a few weeks back these two could make a great team with their comedy chemistry, and with the tag division finally heating up, they could make legit threats to the tag titles. I'm hoping this promo leads to something, as a conspiracy storyline is interesting. The ending rap was great television, and the fans ate it all up.

For the third straight match, John Cena and CM Punk have managed to light the arena on fire with their explosive amount of offense, near falls, and keeping the suspense preesnt throughout the contest. I'm actually glad the bout ended with interference from Kevin Nash, as a clean finish shouldn't be given away on free television. The post-attack from Del Rio made him come off as a strong heel, and has me hoping he comes out of Night of Champions with the title still around his waist.

Overall, another great addition of Raw with some exciting action, the suspense factor high, and a lot at stake all night long. Once again, the finish of the main event leaves people coming back for more next week to see what more unfolds in the saga featuring Kevin Nash, CM Punk, and Triple H.