WWE Raw Hitlist: Shawn Michaels vs. John Cena, Stephanie McMahon fires Chris Jericho, Steve Austin headed for the WWE Hall of Fame, Vince McMahon is coming back, William Regal vs. C.M. Punk, The Legacy

WWE Raw Hits:

Stephanie McMahon and Chris Jericho: Wow. Great segment. Jericho just keeps getting better on the mic and it was easy to believe that he got under Steph's skin to the point that she would snap and fire him. The digs about Steph being a lame duck because her father is coming back were fantastic. I'm not sure where they're going with this storyline, but it should be fun. Is Stephanie being positioned as a long-term babyface or was this just a swerve for when her father comes back?

Shawn Michaels vs. John Cena: The final minutes of this match were so entertaining that it didn't matter to me that the title wasn't on the line. An excellent television main event that furthered the storyline of Michaels, Cena, and JBL. I also loved the shot of Michaels lying on the ring apron and glaring at JBL like he wanted to kill him. The finish of the match gave Cena an excuse for losing while also setting up a potential rematch between him and Michaels somewhere down the line.

Ted DiBiase returns and joins The Legacy: I saw this one coming from the moment that Manu and Sim Snuka said they had backup, but no complaints. Likewise, it seems odd that Ted would forgive and forget so quickly after missing all this time with a head injury (according to the storyline), but I think he's a better fit on the heel side at this point in his career. By the way, is referee Scott James going to help out The Legacy given that he's a second generation performer (his father is Bob Armstrong)? I hate the path they took to get there, but the three guys who should be in the Legacy are finally together in the faction.

Steve Austin video: Cool video set to the always cool "Cult of Personality." I had to laugh, though, because WWE aired video footage of Austin flipping the bird repeatedly on the same show that they changed the STFU to the STF. Again, though, I'm not complaining. With Austin going into the Hall of Fame, I wonder if they'll reach out to Mike Tyson to induct into the celebrity wing given his involvement in the classic Stone Cold vs. Shawn Michaels program.

WWE Raw Misses

William Regal vs. C.M. Punk: A three-minute DQ finish last week. A two-minute DQ finish this week. Steph announced that we'll get a No DQ match next week. I can see how this may have seemed like a decent idea in the planning stages, but this viewer was more excited for their first match than I am heading into the final match. These short DQ finishes have put a damper on my enthusiasm for the feud. Here's hoping they deliver a good, long match to make up for the last two weeks of letdowns.

Overhype of Vince McMahon: Overhype is better than underselling something, but the hype for the old man's return got more obnoxious than the plugs for Mr. Kennedy's movie by the end of the night. I just hope they have something good in mind for the Mr. McMahon character and it's not just more of the usual.

Randy Orton vs. Kane: The three-way love triangle storyline has been brutal so far. They set up this match because Kane was jealous that Orton scored a one night stand with Kelly Kelly, but nothing on this show seemed to indicate that said storyline was still in play. Rather, they just went out there and had a typical match with no focus on Kelly. Strange.

Manu and Sim Snuka: They were tossed out of The Legacy and swerved by Ted DiBiase. They look like the two biggest losers on the Raw brand.