Monday Night Raw Review - May 23, 2011

It was predictable to kick off the show with John Cena, but I like his chemistry with R-Truth. I'm anticipating a match between the two and it builds nicely for Truth's eventual title match. Bret Hart was a nice touch, and gave Truth some heat in the process.

The WWE Tag Team Title match wasn't horrible, but it failed to get this viewer excited when it's supposed to. I came a bit surprised by the title change however, and I'm glad the titles are on a team where their opponents have a legitimate chance of losing even the belts mean next to nothing these days.

I didn't care for the Big Show injury angle as they've been played out and I'm not intrigued by a feud with Alberto Del Rio and Show. It also felt weird seeing Kane act compassionate about the situation rather than chase after Ricardo.

Although it's unusual for WWE to host a random contest such as Jack Swagger vs. Evan Bourne on RAW, I'm excited to see both back on the main show. I hope this leads to a feud between the two as they both have potential to be breakout stars on RAW.

I was hoping for Michael Cole to come out and reveal himself as the RAW General Manager, as it's simply idiotic to have him work with Lawler after all that has transpired. He was decent in his heel role, but I would rather see him in an authority or manager position rather than listen to him on commentary.


The Miz and Alex Riley segment had to be the highlight of the night for me. I was worried Miz would turn on Riley, attack him, and we would never hear from A-Ry again. Fortunately, WWE realized Riley has major potential and based off his huge reaction following his aggressive attack, he could have a real future on SmackDown.

The Kharma crying bit not pissed me off, but left me very confused. Why destroy such hot momentum with her monstrous character? I have since learned she is pregnant and had to be removed from television, but this was not the way to go out.

Kofi Kingston and Drew McIntyre provided a very solid showing. We have seen this feud done before on SmackDown, but it was a nice one night match with kudos to both men. I'd like for Kofi to be elevated eventually with a permanent program soon.

The main event was fun, and the inclusion of Bret Hart and his interference was decent enough to see the crowd home happy. The action was hot, but I wonder where each Superstar involved goes from here.

Overall, this was an enjoyable episode. We were able to digest the aftermath of Over the Limit, and not move so quickly into the next pay-per-view next month. It's good to see stars not normally including on the card making appearances, and the crowd was hot all night long.