WWE Raw, January 17, 2011: Royal Rebellion, Nexus Grows Stronger

Happy Tuesday, Bleachers! I usually write reviews for the Superstars andSmackDown shows, but this week I so throughly enjoyed the RAW broadcast that I'd like to do a recap for it occasionally.

My Internet has been going on and off all day, so I apoligize for not publishing sooner.


John Cena, The Miz, and CM Punk Opening Segment

A great segement to open the show and return for Cena to television. There have been rumors going around that Miz might be competing against Cena atWrestleMania, so this was a nice preview.

I didn't really enjoy Cena's humor, but he always gets around to being serious somewhere in the promo he's making. The attack by Nexus and the joining of Koizlov and Santino was decent, as it's different as the usual hit-and-run agenda they stick to when demolishing Cena.


WWE Tag Team Champions Santino Marella and Vladimir Kozlov defeated The Usos (WWE Tag Team Championship Match)

The match itself was okay, but I personally found it boring and predictable. How many times have we've seen these teams face off, and what's usally the result?

Despite the numerous times this match has occurred, it would have been better if it was added as a title match at theRoyal Rumble, as currently only three matches are advertised. Logical finish seeing Santino and Kozlov aren't bad champions and haven't held the belts long.


John Morrison defeated United States Champion Daniel Bryan (Non-title)

An excellent match. I was really surprised to this match occur with no build-up, or even a contender's match leading up to it to make it a title match.

This is something I would of liked to see on pay-per-view, but it added more star power to the show. Great move to have Morrison pick up the victory, as it sets up a future rematch with the title on the line.

The promo by Sheamus was good, but it didn't really seem to accomplish anything. Sheamus has not won a match since he won the King of the Ring, so it would be smart to give him a streak of wins before the return of HHH if the feud will mean anything.


Randy Orton defeated Dolph Ziggler

Lived up to my expectations, as it really was a blockbuster match. This match has the same caliber as the World Championship match at Royal Rumble, so expect great things in the Ziggler vs. Edge match next Sunday.

As said by Cole, this was the first-ever meeting between these two, so why would WWE throw this out on RAWwithout any hype the week prior? A brand vs. brand match added some more excitement into the match, but not as much as it used to which is still okay.

The Zig-Zag-into-an-RKO finish was a dream finish, and it really showcased Ziggler's ability to hang with the big stars. The post-attack by Miz was also well done which adds more emotion into the feud that wasn't all there before, even though I would of liked some interference by World Champion Edge on behalf of Orton.


Divas Champion Natayla defeated Maryse

I really expected some more from this match-up, as I was disappointed it didn't take place last week. Since being reduced to a valet of Ted Dibiase, Maryse has lost a ton of momenteumn.

She may not have been the best worker, but she did garner a lot of heat during her reigns as champion and put on some quality matches. This match, however, was too short to be considered anything special.


Mark Henry Won An Over-The-Top-Challenge

As soon as Dibiase got on the mic, I saw this coming, since is done every year but adds no hype/excitement to the actual Rumble match itself. It was put chaos, and not in a good way.

The randoness of the lower mid-carders of RAW added nothing to hype the match, so was it done to kill time? The biggest question I have about this segment as to why they had Henry eliminate the man who needs some heat right now, King Sheamus? Poor booking.


CM Punk def. John Cena by Disqualification

An amazing match that wins Match of the Night. I'm glad they did the right thing by ending it in interference, as this would or will make a great pay-per-view match down the line, with or without a championship on the line.

Cena and Punk have very great chemistry, and I have been enjoying this feud so far. I'm also glad to see Punk get himself hurt just to get the win, seeing no one these days does that and ignores the fact that they will lose.

I felt as the "new" Nexus was missing something with only Punk and three green members, so I'm thrilled to see the newest member be revealed as the Batista-lookalike Mason Ryan. It adds more suspense in the feud as well as the group, so expect more surprises as the rivalry progresses.


Final Review

With three very strong matches, this turned out to be a great show. It passes as a small hit and also succeeded in hyping the Royal Rumble pay-per-view in two weeks.

2011 has been excellent so far for the three RAWs we have witnessed and I hope to see it continue as the Road to WrestleMania progresses. Thanks for reading everyone and join my Friday for my upcoming WWE Superstars hit list.