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WWE Raw Hits

Wade Barrett promo: This was an important moment for Nexus as they tried to regain some of the heat they lost at SummerSlam the night before. The promo was filled with cliche lines, but Barrett's delivery was solid and I enjoyed the line about how no one was asking what would happen if Nexus lost the match. John Cena's interruption was also solid. Yes, he was in happy cute mode, but it was a logical approach given that he just beat his enemies the night before at SummerSlam.

Wade Barrett vs. Chris Jericho: At this point, I was optimistic that WWE was going to put some real heat back on Nexus. Barrett pinning Jericho was his biggest win yet, and the match was a lot of fun with all the counters down the stretch. If nothing else, at least Barrett gained in-ring credibility last night.

Randy Orton vs. Justin Gabriel: The finish was lame, as was the case with a lot of matches last night. However, Orton really shined in the post-match attacks on Gabriel and especially Sheamus. The live crowd was into everything Orton did, and those chairshots to Sheamus's back looked downright vicious. Most importantly, it helped me move on from the cheap finish Orton and Sheamus had at SummerSlam and left me looking forward to their next match. The Bret Hart serve was annoying because they teased him so many times and didn't deliver, but at least they had a replacement the fans were happy to see. By the way, if the anonymous general manager hates Bret Hart, then shouldn't he have made Hart work against Orton?

Edge vs. Heath Slater: A quality match with another predictably weak finish. The formula for giving Nexus cheap wins was more than obvious by this point. The match could easily get a miss based on the finish, but I'd rather focus on the fact that Slater and Edge had a quality in-ring outing. I guess we're starting to see why WWE gave him a couple of pinfalls during the elimination match. He appears to be one of the better wrestlers in the faction. Of course, working with Edge helps, but Slater held up his end of the match nicely.

Skip Sheffield and David Otunga vs. John Morrison and R-Truth: Yes, I would have preferred Truth losing the match for his team, but the important thing is that Nexus actually got another clean pin. Otunga has been a disappointment in the Nexus faction. He showed charisma when he was portraying the A-List character, but he seems a bit lost now that he's part of a faction and out of his comfort zone. Sheffield shows great intensity on the mic and has become one of the real faces of Nexus even though his in-ring work is still a work in progress.

WWE Raw Misses

Overall show: Another week where the hit to miss ratio doesn't tell the story. There were a few things I liked, but the overall show was a flop. The goal was supposed to be putting heat back on Nexus after the awkward decision of having them lose to Team WWE at the pay-per-view. The statement that more people watch Raw than pay-per-views is accurate, but I don't think Nexus winning most of these matches in flukey fashion made the bigger viewing audience take them more seriously. Plus, is it a good idea to show the people who actually buy the pay-per-view events that Nexus can be defeated by John Cena? Will those people be in a hurry to buy a show the next time Cena faces Nexus when it's already been established that he's superior?

John Cena vs. Darren Young: I'm not going to piss and moan about Cena winning. Did anyone think the guy was going to lose clean to Young? Of course not. The thing that irked me was the way Nexus surrounded the ring and then let Cena walk away so they could deliver a beatdown on Young for losing. I understand the story and all, but I didn't like the way they allowed Cena to walk away. After losing to Cena on Sunday, he should have been their top target on Monday night. Plus, the beatdown of Young didn't really connect because it was heel-on-heel violence and the fans haven't been given any reason to care about CenaWheat.

Daniel Bryan vs. Michael Tarver: Another crappy finish that did nothing for Nexus or Traver. That said, the focus of the match was really Daniel Bryan and his feud with The Miz. I like the way they incorporated Alex Riley, and I loved the way The Miz left Bryan lying. This has the potential to be a really fun feud. Michael Cole cheering Miz and hating on Bryan is a riot in small doses. Those aspects of the match were hit-worthy, but the actual match felt like a waste of time.

Alicia Fox, Maryse, and Jillian Hall vs. Melina, Gail Kim, and Eve Torres: You two roll out of the ring, then you two follow, and we'll go to the finish. I am guardedly optimistic that WWE is starting to put a renewed emphasis on the in-ring product, but this was a step in the wrong direction. If you want to make these women look like athletes, then stop having the babyfaces flash phony smiles for the camera while walking backstage on their way to the ring. How many pro athletes do you see stop and mug for the camera like he Divas do? It seems like a minor detail, but that immediately makes me think of them as eye candy more than real athletes.

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