Kester's WWE Raw Rundown: Randy Orton and John Cena brawl, Batista makes his return, and Daniel Bryan and Bray Wyatt continue to feud

By Ryan Kester

Randy Orton and John Cena

WWE did their damnedest to make Randy Orton and John Cena's match at Royal Rumble feel like a blood feud, but it simply rang hollow. Everything they've done in the past few weeks for their angle has been done before, albeit with more intensity and solid storytelling.

If nothing else, they have managed to make the outcome of the match somewhat unpredictable with the amount of people vying for the title. WWE has several matchups at their disposal coming out of the Rumble, and it will be interesting to see what exactly they go with.

Batista

Batista's return left a lot to be desired. His choice of wardrobe was downright odd, and he offered little when he was given a chance to speak.

Luckily, Batista looked better in his brief assault on Alberto Del Rio than he did in the opening segment. The powerbomb Batista delivered looked absolutely brutal, and he managed to get a good crowd reaction out of his attack. Time will tell whether or not his return will be worth the effort, but so far he's off to a somewhat lukewarm start.

Daniel Bryan and The Wyatt Family

Bryan's explanation for his short-lived stint with the Wyatts was lackluster, but it was also about the only route WWE could take if they wished to have him return to his old character. Bryan did his best with the bad explanation, but there's only so much one can do to add logic to a story that completely lacks any.

Bray Wyatt was an unexpected treat in this segment. There's been some reasonable concerns regarding how his character can fit in the modern product, but Wyatt went a long way in silencing those complaints with his promo. He remained in character and managed to sell his character's motivation to take down his rival; if he can strike this chord consistently, he can be a great heel for WWE.

Overall Show

Raw was uninspiring, especially considering it was the go home show for one of WWE's biggest PPVs of the year. They didn't do enough to sell the card, and instead appear to be relying on the Rumble match to sell itself.

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.