WWE Raw Hitlist: An in-person perspective on John Cena vs. Randy Orton vs. Kofi Kingston, The Miz and MVP confrontation, Vince McMahon's followup on the Bret Hart angle, Mike Tyson gets in the ring

WWE Raw Hits

Randy Orton vs. John Cena vs. Kofi Kingston: The outcome was a pleasant surprise. I actually expected them to give Kofi the surprise win here simply because the Royal Rumble is the perfect pay-per-view to go with a mid-card challenger. The Rumble match is strong enough to sell the pay-per-view, so WWE could get away with a title match that may not be as appealing to the masses. Solid work from all three men even if I didn't quite understand why Kofi deserved a title match. My guess is that Orton will lose the title shot on next week's show somehow. A heel vs. heel match intrigues me, but I don't know if WWE wants to risk having one of their top two heels turned babyface by the fans.

The Miz and MVP confrontation: This was the best verbal segment I've seen on Raw in a long time. Yes, that includes the Bret Hart and Vince McMahon, and the Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels segments. Of course, Miz and MVP wasn't as historic as said segments, but both guys really brought it on the mic and did a great job of setting up their title match. The Miz is a big win away from earning the credibility he needs to become a main event heel.

DX vs. Chris Jericho and Mike Tyson: I think most of us saw the finish coming a mile away, but it was still cool to see Tyson get in the ring for WWE. I wonder what the excuse will be when Jericho shows up on Raw next week? I would bitch about the way the company constantly goes back on the stipulations involving Jericho leaving Raw, but I just ignore it because the guy is so damn entertaining.

Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes vs. Mark Henry and Evan Bourne: Nothing truly special, but I enjoyed the prematch bickering between the heels. I just wish Ted would use the line he used during a radio interview on Monday when he said "The Marine 2" is better than "Avatar." Henry was over big with the live crowd, and it was ultimately nice to see Ted and Cody get another win on television.

John Cena's mic work: Anyone who grew up playing Mike Tyson's Punchout video game had to get a kick out of Cena's mic work. Sure, it flew over the heads of the kids who cheer him, but it was a lot of fun for the rest of us. I also got a kick out of the way Cena interrupted Kofi, who actually stopped to let the crowd chant against Cena.

WWE Raw Misses

Mike Tyson hype: Why in the world wouldn't they hype the hell out of the fact that Tyson was wrestling a match? They hype for the one-time biggest pay-per-view draw on the planet was weak. It's as if the company is worried that other guest hosts will feel slighted if they don't hype them all equally. If someone had told me a year ago that Tyson was going to work a match for WWE, I would have assumed that the company had something hot planned for him and that they were going to make a lot of money. Instead, they just gave it away on Raw in a segment that no one will be talking about by the end of the week. By the way, I mentioned last week in audio that I'd hate to be the scripted celebrity whore Bella Twins with Tyson appearing on the show. I know I wasn't the only one who noticed that the Bellas weren't asked to hang all over Tyson like they are other guest hosts.

Vince McMahon promo: I knew Bret Hart wasn't going to appear on the show, but I never thought the followup would be so uneventful. Vince's promo felt rushed and lacked substance. I don't know what I was expecting, but I know it was more than what we got.

Eve vs. Katie Lea Burchill: The live crowd didn't give a damn about this match. They were into the first Divas match, but this match served as a bathroom break for many. I'm all for WWE doing more with the Divas, but a pair of two-minute tournament matches isn't going to make anyone take their division seriously.