Monday Night Raw SuperShow Review - September 19, 2011

Very intriguing segment featuring CM Punk, Triple H and John Laurinitis to kick off the broadcast. At this point, it seems as if no Triple H heel turn is in the works and will instead remain face along with Punk. As much as I don't like Laurinitis as an on-screen character, he played his part well. The Game ending the promo by saying someone will be fired started to show on a suspenseful note and kept viewers hooked.

Fun eight-man tag team match showcasing Superstars from both brands. The main focus in this contest was over the rivalry between Sheamus and Christian, but the rest were able to provide some great in-ring action in the first taste of action for the night.

Originally, I was expecting another fast-paced rematch with Alberto Del Rio and John Morrison, but instead we got a sixty second squash. Now, I'm not complaining, as it gives Del Rio a bit more of an edge going into his WWE Championship rematch at Hell in a Cell with the quick victory. But seeing how useless Morrison has become these days, one has to wonder if this another one of his occasional slumps or a legitimate sign he is walking away from the company.

Usually, the guest hosts of Raw provide campy comedy and just make an appearance to promote their respective movie. However, Hugh Jackson made for a great attraction on the show, as he did surprisingly well with managing his lines with Dolph Ziggler and Vickie Guerrero. This goes to show that the guest host concept is better used from time-to-time with stars that are somewhat knowledgeable about the product.

I'm glad the Cody Rhodes vs. Sin Cara match didn't happen tonight, as it's a great contest that could be saved for a later date. The confrontation between the two Sin Caras was better this week, as the crowd seemed to differentiate the face from the heel. Their mini brawl was a nice preview of their mesh of styles, and could get Raw viewers psyched for a potential match that don't usually tune into SmackDown.

Another strong segment from new World Heavyweight Champion Mark Henry that makes him come off as an absolute badass. Even though Jerry Lawler has been presumably injured in the attack, it gives Henry major heel heat for being down two lovable commentators. Fingers crossed his reign as World Champion will indeed be a long one.

Forgettable Divas tag team match. I was hoping for Beth Phoenix to score the win on Divas Champion Kelly Kelly to earn herself one more match, but that was not the case. Hopefully, the Divas of Doom are only building up frustration and not being buried.

For a long while now, I've been highly anticipating a match between Dolph Ziggler and Zack Ryder. Although the match was quite short, it was decent nonetheless and got Ryder crazy over with the crowd following the Rough Ryder. After a strong three month United States Championship reign, it's about time the Long Island Iced Z won his first singles title in WWE at Hell in a Cell.

Solid tag team main event.  Bitter enemies John Cena and CM Punk should have shown more tension, but it was great action for what it's worth. Triple H firing both members of Awesome Truth is a huge twist, and the attack afterwards showed great reminiscent of the legendary nWo. Thankfully, the final minutes of the show once again made the story-line intriguing and will more than likely have viewers coming back for more next week.

Overall, a very enjoyable show. The action was brief, but solid, and also managed to further a handful of rivalries and story-lines. With Kevin Nash, The Miz and R-Truth now "fired", I fully expect them to align into one major super faction, something that could seriously spice up Raw if done right. This week's Raw managed to recap Night of Champions as well as hype for the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view that is only two weeks away. One can hope that WWE keeps up the momentum, even though the ratings may not be able to show it.