By Jason Powell

WWE Raw on the USA Network
Live from Little Rock, Ark.

[Q1] The show opened with the annual MLK tribute video... Michael Cole welcomed viewers to the show and then John Cena's music played. Cena stormed onto the stage in his usual gear and then ran to the ring for a promo. Highlights aired of C.M. Punk and New Nexus attacking Cena.

Cena pointed to the camera and said that was three weeks ago. "That was last year," Cena said. "This is my first time in a WWE ring in 2011 and I am ready." He said he has a list of New Year's resolutions, which included taking care of C.M. Punk, winning the Royal Rumble, and going to WrestleMania to win back the WWE Championship. Cena called out Punk.

The Miz's music played instead. Miz and Alex Riley walked onto the stage dressed in suits. Miz took exception to Cena saying he would regain the WWE Championship. He said no one wants to see that because Cena is played out. Miz referred to himself as the most "must see" champion in WWE history.

Miz eventually entered the ring along with Riley. He warned the person that wins the Royal Rumble to not come after him. He said that person would suffer the same fate as Randy Orton. "You will lose," Miz said. Cena mocked his delivery and said it reminded him of Ivan Drago. Cena impersonated Sylvester Stallone's "You can change" speech from Rocky IV.

Cena said that if it wasn't for Cole, Jerry Lawler would be the WWE Champion. Lawler was shown shooting a look at Cole at the announcers' table. Cena said Orton would be the WWE Champion if it wasn't for Riley. Cena accused Miz of having irritable bowl syndrome and said he makes "poopy noises." Cena immediately apologized and said he's doing the best he can with PG.

Cena put over Lawler and the live crowd chanted "Jerry." Miz said Cena is corny. He also said he's sick of hearing that he's afraid to fight. He said it's generic like Cena is. Miz said he can fight with the best brawlers in history. Miz said he can out wrestle the greatest technicians in WWE history.

The Miz started to deliver his catchphrase. He had a long pause before the "awesome" to soak up the boos. "I will finish that sentence when I destroy Randy Orton," Miz said. Cena said himself facing Randy Orton feels like a championship worthy match for WrestleMania. Cena said Miz won't make it past the Rumble or to WrestleMania.

"Is the corny guy getting under your skin yet?" Cena asked. He challenged Miz to do something about it. The hot live crowd chanted Cena's name. C.M. Punk's music played and he walked onto the stage with Michael McGillicutty, Husky Harris, and David Otunga.

Punk had a minor cut and scratch around his eye, presumably from the fan incident at the live event on Sunday. Punk said Miz doesn't need to explain or prove himself to Cena. Punk said Miz is the WWE Champion, and Cena is not. Punk said there are 40 participants in the Rumble match, meaning the odds of Cena winning are lower than eve.

Punk said he and every member of Nexus are in the Rumble match. He said the goal of the others members of his Nexus is to make sure that he wins the Rumble match, so Cena's odds are zero. He said he can't wait to see Cena take on those odds. Otunga, Harris, and McGillicutty headed to the ring. Miz and Riley split.

The three Nexus members fought with Cena until Vladimir Kozlov and Santino Marella hit the ring. The babyfaces ran off the Nexus members, who headed to ringside and backed up the ramp.

[Q2] Cena, Santino, and Kozlov stood in the ring. Punk huddled with the rest of his crew and asked if Cena wanted to play games. "Let's see you take on these odds," Punk said. Punk and his crew headed to the ring, but they were interrupted by the anonymous general manager's email chime.

Cole stood up and did his usual bit. The GM barred the Nexus members from ringside. If they interfere in the Punk vs. Cena match, they will be out of the Royal Rumble match. Punk and his crew seethed at ringside. The announcers said the tag titles will be on the line next, and Dolph Ziggler will face Randy Orton later in the show... [C]

Powell's POV: Good opening segment that dragged a bit. They are setting up something with Cena and Miz. Are they building to something at WrestleMania or something before then? My guess is the former. I didn't care for Cena's PG joke. It was witty to point out that he's doing his best with those parameters give his "ass" mention last week, but I think WWE would be wise to save all mentions of PG for press releases and sponsor meetings. Sure, a lot of fans know the show is PG, but I don't think they like being reminded of it.

An ad for Friday's WWE Smackdown questioned how Edge will respond to Dolph Ziggler and Vickie Guerrero...

1. Santino Marella and Vladimir Kozlov (w/Tamina) beat Jimmy and Jey Uso to retain the WWE Tag Titles in 2:35. The announcers pointed out that The Uso's are the sons of Rikishi. They also acknowledged that Tamina was once with them. Cole also said this match was scheduled for last week, but never started because Nexus attacked the tag champs.

Cole also pointed out that The Uso's won a non-title match recently. Despite the extra attention the announcers gave the challengers, Santino won the match for his team by hitting The Cobra for the win...

Backstage, Otunga, Harris, and McGillicutty were talking about Punk's match against Cena when he entered the room with a big smile on his face. Punk stared each one of them down and never stopped smiling. "Faith," Punk said with his arms spread out. The announcers said he didn't seem too upset about facing Cena alone...

A shot aired of John Morrison walking backstage. He ran into his opponent, Daniel Bryan, who was ushered away by The Bella Twins. Morrison took his shades off and shook his head in disbelief... [C]

Powell's POV: Morrison vs. Bryan? The internet may break here in a few minutes.

[Q3] Highlights aired of the John Morrison vs. King Sheamus feud... Morrison made his entrance and then the announcers set up a video package that included some of his great high spots...

2. John Morrison defeated Daniel Bryan (w/The Bella Twins) in a non-title match in 7:20. The announcers put over the Rumble featuring 40 men as the match started. Bryan dropkicked Morrison. He wanted to go for a slide kick, but Morrison moved. They both reentered the ring simultaneously. [C]

After the break, Morrison missed Starship Pain. Bryan drilled him with a kick to the side of the head and went for a cover, but Morrison kicked out. The announcers put over Morrison kicking out after taking that punishment. At 6:45, Bryan went for the LeBell Lock, but Morrison avoided it. A short time later, Morrison caught Bryan with the running knee for the win...

Powell's POV: A solid television match. Lawler referred to it as a classic. I wouldn't go that far given that we only saw a few minutes of the match due to a break. It was fun while it lasted, though.

After the match, King Sheamus walked onto the stage dressed in his full royal garb. Sheamus took credit for making Morrison and said he can also destroy him. Sheamus said Morrison isn't in his league, and said Bryan should wipe the look off his face because he's not either.

Sheamus said he will beat 39 men and win the Rumble match. "Think about it, the Royal Rumble, it's a match designed for a king," Sheamus said. He said he plans to eliminate Morrison and Bryan from the Rumble. "Long live the king," Sheamus concluded... [C]

Powell's POV: They're still going out of their way not to give Morrison a live mic. That's probably a wise decision, but I hope his mic skills are being addressed off-camera. That's really the only thing holding him back at this point. I wonder if they are building to a Triple Threat match for the U.S. Title?

The announcers hyped Orton vs. Ziggler for after the break. It's being hyped as the No. 1 contender for the WWE Championship vs. the No. 1 contender to the World Hvt. Championship. Lawler said he's picking Orton to win...

[Q4] A video recapped last week's Raw main event... [C] The announcers boasted about winning the Mashable 2010 Award for the Stand Up For WWE campaign... Backstage, The Bella Twins were talking about how hot Morrison is. Then they shifted their focus to which one of them would be Bryan's "first." They made a bet...

Powell's POV: So they're no longer Celebrity Whores, now they are Virgin Whores. Let me know if you see a lot of PG shows that feature women betting to see which one of them can be "first"...

Justin Roberts introduced Vickie Guerrero, who came to the ring to decent heat. It turned into mega-heat when she delivered the "Excuse Me" line. Vickie introduced Dolph Ziggler, who came out and kissed her. Randy Orton made his entrance to a huge crowd reaction... [C] An ad for Smackdown hyped Wade Barrett and his new crew...

3. Randy Orton pinned Dolph Ziggler (w/Vickie Guerrero) in 7:25. Cole stated that this was the first time Orton and Ziggler have met in a one-on-one matchup. Orton opened with an early Thesz Press and fired away with punches. Orton was dominant early.

[Q5] Ziggler targeted Orton's left knee while he was on the offensive. Orton was setting up for his DDT off the ropes at 6:20, but Dolph broke it up with a shot to Randy's knee. Ziggler hit the the Rocker Dropper for a good near fall. Cole's call was lousy in that he failed to make me think Dolph was on the verge of winning.

Dolph applied his sleeper hold at 7:25. Orton fell to the mat with the hold still locked in. Orton got back to his feet and reached the ropes to break the hold. Dolph went for his finisher, but Orton held onto the ropes. Orton hit the RKO and scored the clean pin.

Immediately following the match, Miz and Alex Riley attacked Orton. The fans chanted "Jerry." Miz took the top of the announcers table off. Lawler stood up and got in Miz's face. Lawler punched Riley, but Miz threw Lawler over the guardrail. Orton fired a punch at Miz, who then threw Orton into the announcers' table.

Orton held his shoulder while Miz taunted him. Miz drove Orton's back into the ring post. Miz put the boots to Orton and talked smack while Riley held him down. The heels picked up Orton and ran him through the barricade in front of the timekeeper. Miz delivered his catchphrase quietly and intensely...

Powell's POV: If this really was the first singles match between Orton and Ziggler, then WWE is crazy for giving it away on free television with no buildup. It may not seem like a huge match now, but that doesn't mean it won't at some point. Why not save it for when it counts? It's nice that Dolph got some Raw exposure, but was it worth it? Good post-match beatdown to put more heat on Miz heading into his match with Orton.

Cole hyped Cena vs. Punk for later in the show... A WWE Hall of Fame commercial aired to hype that tickets are on sale now... [C]

[Q6] Highlights aired of The Miz's attack on Orton... Backstage, Punk lectured his trio on faith. "One must have humility to truly possess faith," Punk said. "One must be willing to sacrifice their all to bow before the temptations of the blood-thirsty."

Punk said millions of voices of the undead will ring out in the hearts and souls of the man-beast. "Such are but a few of the qualities of loyalty," concluded Punk. He bowed his head and the others joined him. Cole said Punk doesn't seem the least bit concerned about facing Cena even though Nexus is banned from ringside...

4. Natalya beat Maryse in 1:40 in a non-title match. Eve and Melina joined Cole on commentary. Eve was lousy on commentary, and Melina was giving Cole the silent treatment. They ignored the match to talk about Maryse giving beauty tips to the other Divas. In the ring, Natalya locked in the Sharpshooter for the win.

After the match, Melina split. Maryse headed over the announcers' table to complain. Eve shoved her and headed backstage. Ted DiBiase came out to raise his pimp hand. Well, he should have. Instead, he listened to Maryse blame him for losing. Ted grabbed the mic and said that Maryse, nor the fans think he can win the Rumble match. He issued an over the top rope challenge to anyone on the Raw roster... [C]

Powell's POV: Please don't be The Great Khali. Please!

5. Mark Henry won an over the top rope challenge in 2:20. Whew! Within a minute of the bell ringing, the WWE Superstars crew hit the ring. William Regal, R-Truth, David Hart Smith, Tyson Kidd, and Primo were among the legends of WGN America to hit the ring.

Jerry Lawler was back on commentary. Sheamus ran out and cleared some wrestlers from the ring. He ran at Henry, who tried to dump him over, but Sheamus landed on the ring apron. Henry still dumped Sheamus over the top rope to apparently win this clusterf--- of a battle royal.

Alberto Del Rio's music played and he drove his car into the arena. He cut a promo from the car about his destiny being to win the Rumble and take his place among the greats...

[Q7] The announcers hyped Cena vs. Punk for later in the show... [C]

Powell's POV: The Legends of Superstars battle royal gave us all an early glimpse of what portions of the Super Sized Royal Rumble are destined to look like. I hope I'm wrong, but I fear that the match will be watered down and drawn out.

A Derrick Bateman comedy vignette aired. Bateman was pitching Mark Henry musk. Henry's did the voice over warning as Bateman tried to recover from the smell...

Powell's POV: What the f---? I'd rather sit through an hour of those "for a better life" commercials we've been getting during tonight's commercial breaks. Bateman just isn't as funny as someone in WWE clearly thinks he is.

A Royal Rumble record video aired with a female doing the voiceover work...

Powell's POV: We'll probably get a bunch of new records this year now that they've added ten more guys to the match. Some of those records will feel about as meaningless as the new NFL records will if they increase the regular season to 18 games. Strong video for the Rumble, though. I always dig those stat videos.

The announcers ran through the Rumble pay-per-view card, which features Edge vs. Dolph Ziggler for the World Hvt. Championship, The Miz vs. Randy Orton for the WWE Championship, and the Rumble match...

Cole said he received a message from the general manager via his Blackberry to announce Edge vs. The Miz in a champion vs. champion match as next week's Raw main event... A shot aired of John Cena walking through the backstage area... [C]

Powell's POV: Another meaningless champion vs. champion match. There was a time when such a match would have been huge, but now it feels like a routine Raw main event. Sad.

[Q8] C.M. Punk walked onto the stage with his Nexus members. Cole referred to him as the shepherd of Nexus. Punk looked into the eyes of each of his men and then headed to the ring on his own. Cena was out next...

Powell's POV: A pair of Dot Net readers emailed to ask whether the "faith" that Punk keeps referring to could be the name of a debuting Awesome Kong. It seems like a long shot, but I'd dig it. You have to think Punk is going over somehow given where they are in the feud and because he's acted so confident.

6. C.M. Punk fought John Cena to a no-contest in 16:00. Cena jumped out to the early advantage, but Punk booted him to ringside just before the break. [C] At 8:15, Punk signaled for the GTS. He went for the move, but Cena countered it into the STF. Punk reached the ropes to break the hold.

At 9:55, Cena went for the Attitude Adjustment, but Punk held onto the ropes. Punk caught Cena with a kick and then performed a top rope move for a near fall.

[Overrun] Cole said Punk was doing it alone and proving that he could hang with the lines of John Cena. Moments later, Cena went for the Attitude Adjustment again, but Punk avoided it and applied a submission hold. Cena struggled, but eventually reached the rope.

Punk made it seem like a near finish by yelling while the hold was applied, and Cena sold it nicely by coughing afterward. Punk kicked Cena off the ring apron and onto the floor at 12:20. Punk dove onto Cena, who caught him and then rammed his back into the ring post.

Cena went to the ropes and Punk nailed him with a kick. Punk went for a superplex, but Cena powered out of it. Cena caught Punk with a headbutt that knocked him off the ropes. Cena went to the top and hit his top rope leg drop for another great near fall.

Suddenly, a bearded Batista lookalike hit the ring and got Cena's attention. A security guard tried to stop him, but the man kicked the security guard aside. Punk hit Cena with a kick from behind. Punk smiled and put his arms out. The man backed up, bounced off the ropes, and nailed Punk with a big boot to the head. The man hit Cena with a Rock Bottom-like move.

Nexus hit the ring. Punk got to his feet and stared at the man, who eventually dropped to one knee and held his arm out. Punk put the armband on the man as the live crowd booed. New Nexus posed in the ring as the crowd booed to close the show...

Powell's POV: Great television main event despite the non-finish. A solid debut for developmental wrestler Mason Ryan, who was not mentioned by name. I'm guessing Punk taking the big boot was his sacrifice or initiation even though he previously stated that he didn't need one.

Overall, the main event saved the show. It wasn't a lousy show, but it was feeling pretty ordinary until the Cena vs. Punk match at the end. We're still sitting on two title matches and the Rumble match despite being less than two weeks away from the Royal Rumble show. I'll have more to say about Raw in the Dot Net Members' audio review later tonight. You can join us by signing up now for as little as $5.50 per month via Dot Net Members' Signup Page.

RECOMMEND THIS ARTICLE: