Kester's WWE Raw Rundown: Daniel Bryan pins Randy Orton, Batista continues to disappoint, and The Shield and The Wyatt Family lay the foundation for their feud

By Ryan Kester

Daniel Bryan

Daniel Bryan had a good showing on Raw. He's being leaned on to cover for CM Punk's sudden departure and John Cena's latest injury, and he did a good job of holding down the fort on an otherwise lackluster Raw. WWE is lucky they have such an over act in Bryan at the moment because the top of the card is far too thin for their big stars to suddenly go missing.

The main event of Raw was well wrestled, but it was more of the same we saw from Orton and Bryan's feud, which included Bryan going over Orton on more than one occasion. WWE attempted to make Bryan's win feel like a big deal, but it was par for the course for anyone that's been following the product for the past several months.

Batista

Batista continues to disappoint since his return. He hasn't been clicking on the mic, and his own wrestling appearance thus far saw him winded and struggling after a few minutes of action.

Raw was no different. Batista's segment with Alberto del Rio simply highlighted Batista' shortcomings as Del Rio managed to tap into an energy he rarely shows, and Batista simply wasn't able to act as a foil during their segment. Batista is being asked to do a lot for WWE with his return; it's time he starts delivering.

The Shield and The Wyatts

The pairing of these two teams is simply intriguing. Roman Reigns is primed for an absolute explosion when he turns and could be looking at a breakout year if WWE pulls the trigger, and Bray Wyatt looks better every week.

If handled correctly, the pairing of The Shield and The Wyatts could elevate both teams, or it could drag them down. WWE simply needs to avoid the temptation to have the teams trade wins back and forth and instead focus on what the desired effect for the end of the feud and plan accordingly. Out of all I've seen for the Road to WrestleMania, this is the feud that is piquing my interest the most.

Overall Show

Last night's show came off as a mid-season filler edition of Raw in that very little progression took place, and WWE attempted to make a match centered on "the face of the company" as a prize to distract from that lack of progression. It's an understandable occurrence considering the state of flux WWE's WrestleMania plans are in, but it made for very lackluster television.

If you have any questions or comments or just wish to chat with a fellow wrestling fan about whatever, then feel free to email me at ryan.kester@gmail.com or follow me on Twitter.