Kester's WWE Raw Rundown: John Cena and Daniel Bryan steal the show, CM Punk gets the better of Brock Lesnar, and the Ring of Fire match is explained

By Ryan Kester

John Cena and Daniel Bryan

Finally. The build for this match has been overshadowed by the attachment of the McMahon family feud story, and I think the addition of a guest referee hinders more than it hurts, but all of that went away when these two met for their verbal exchange.

John Cena was phenomenal last night. Whether you're a fan of his or not, he managed to tap into an intensity and energy he rarely displays, and the way he put over how Bryan's words got under his skin went a long way towards increasing my anticipation for the showdown. It's refreshing to see Cena falling into the confident champion role without completely dismissing his opponent.

For his part, Daniel Bryan was equally impressive. Cena showed the greater fire, but Bryan's story about how he's hungry for his first run with the WWE Title is enticing. If I had my druthers, this would have been the entire story WWE went with all along, but I am glad we at least got this moment as part of the feud's final sell.

CM Punk and Brock Lesnar

This was a solid final sell for one of the top two stories heading into SummerSlam. The segment wasn't as strong as some of the recent Punk and Lesnar interactions, but Punk needed to stand tall heading into SummerSlam to rally his fans.

I'm not sure where WWE is going to go with the finish this Sunday, but I am hoping they find a means of keeping this feud alive for another month.

The Wyatt Family and Kane

The Ruing of Fire is an interesting stipulation to add to Bray Wyatt and Kane's match on Sunday. I think it will make the affair more of a spectacle than a showcase of some of WWE's new talent, but I am nonetheless looking forward to seeing Wyatt's style on his first PPV with this new character.

Overall Show

Overall, last night was a solid go-home show. It started slow, but it managed to sell me on the WWE Championship match, the biggest match with the least convincing build, enough that I am more excited for SummerSlam coming out of the show than I was going in.

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.