Kester's WWE Raw Rundown: John Cena covers Dolph Ziggler in feces, The Shield continue to shine, and Alberto Del Rio is once again a face

By Ryan Kester

Before I get into my thoughts on the important bits of the latest Raw, I want to wish everyone here a Happy New Year. It's an honor and a pleasure to have the privilege to write for this site with such a great and talented group of people, and I have enjoyed the past two years and interacting with all of our wonderful readers and members. I look forward to doing so for another year. Thanks for reading.

John Cena and Dolph Ziggler

This feud gets under my skin a bit. Ziggler is doing some of the bets mic work of his career, and he is getting put over Cena, but Cena undercuts all of that by simply being flippant on the mic. Ziggler I at a time when he needs to be paired with a more serious act that treats him as a threat, but instead he's serving as Cena's yearly winter holding pattern opponent.

I've said before that this feud can be good for Ziggler and I hold to that, but the only way that's possible is if he's treated as a heel that Cena is worried about, rather than one he makes stupid pictures of and covers in fake feces.

The Shield, Big E Langston, and AJ

I am pleased to see the recent NXT call-ups getting so much focus. WWE has finally decided to bring a group of fresh talent into a story rather than a holding pattern that goes on for months, and it's paying off with some really solid crowd reactions.

I like the idea that AJ may be affiliated with The Shield. WWE is certainly hinting at that now and while it could be a red herring, I hope that is the path WWE eventually takes.

Big Show vs. Alberto Del Rio

I like the idea of Alberto Del Rio going babyface, but his turn has been handled so poorly so far. They have him flutter between heel and face acts, and he still hasn't evolved what he does with his character in the slightest. This feud is a sign they are going full babyface, but a turn alone will not solve Del Rio's problem.

It' also difficult to get excited about this feud considering the two men had a rather lackluster encounter not too long ago with the heel and face roles reversed. While the David vs. Goliath aspect could be used here, I'm not sure that will translate to any more interesting in-ring encounters than we got last time.

Overall Show

Last night's show did little for me. Between the holiday shenanigans, a return to the terrible Mae is pregnant gag, and some lackluster wrestling WWE ended 2012 on a whimper rather than a bang. Let's hope they kick off the build to the Rumble next week and get back to firing on all cylinders.

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.