By Jason Powell

Dot Net Members are listening to the two-hour audio interview that I conducted with former WWE star Shawn Daivari. Topics include his runs with WWE, TNA, and Ring of Honor, as well as his current projects, including a Morgan Spurlock documentary, All Wheels Wrestling, and the Wrestling Retribution Project. Join us on the ad-free version of the website by signing up now via the Dot Net Members' Signup Page.

WWE Raw Hits

John Cena and Roddy Piper: I enjoyed this segment because the anti-Cena sentiment is being addressed with more than the usual smirk from Cena. Piper did a good job of stirring the pot, though I'm not sure I grasp the logic that Cena will lose to The Rock if he doesn't tell the fans how he really feels. Cena stood his ground with the usual explanation, but it does look like this was the first step in a different direction. Will it be a heel turn or was this just designed to give Cena a chance to deliver his usual defense? Only time will tell, but I'm intrigued.

C.M. Punk vs. Alberto Del Rio: The match was slow at the start, but the pace picked up nicely and they continued to do a good job of delivering truly believable near falls down the stretch. The added stipulation that Punk would lose the belt if he was intentionally disqualified didn't add much to the match, though perhaps it kept some people watching because they thought a screwjob might be in the works. These two work well together, yet Del Rio is stale as a character. It's time for Del Rio to evolve and do more than repeat his usual lines and drive sports cars into the arena as part of his act.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Randy Orton: These two continue to deliver quality matches. The finish didn't make Ziggler by any means, nor was it designed to. However, it sure beat watching him lose another match, and Orton certainly deserves credit for all of the jobs he's done recently with the goal of elevating mid-card talent. Orton hasn't lose anything in the process. In fact, it helps that he doesn't seem like an unbeatable wrestler, and he's setting himself up with some potential money drawing opponents in the process.

The Miz vs. John Morrison: I expected a less flattering sendoff for Morrison, so this was actually a nice surprise. They are trying to give Miz more of an edge by having him take out R-Truth and Morrison. It's nice to see them make the effort, but it's going to take some time because Miz just doesn't look part and has been cast as the pest heel for so long.

Overall show: A big improvement over some of the recent Raw shows. They didn't hype anything for the TLC pay-per-view. Rather, they chose to deliver consistent hype for the Smackdown live special that airs tonight. It will be interesting to see whether the TLC hype begins tonight or if they hold off until next week. If nothing else, it was fun to see WWE do some new things via the Piper's Pit segment, The Miz developing an edge, and the continued tinkering with the Dolph Ziggler character. They didn't hit knock them all out of the park, but at least they are making an effort to shake things up.

WWE Raw Misses

Michael Cole and Daniel Bryan: This just didn't click with me as much as it seems to have registered with some viewers. Cole was just so over the top, and Bryan seems to channel John Cena by just laughing off all of the insults that the heel play-by-play voice throws at him. Granted, he got more serious down the stretch and that was definitely nice to see, but I'm bored by the Cole and Bryan feud. If nothing else, it was nice to see WWE give some real attention to a Smackdown main event on the Raw show. Cole and Bryan didn't do much for me, but it was much better once Mark Henry came out and they established that he's wounded heading into tonight's cage match.

Dolph Ziggler is a showoff: I'm thrilled to see WWE doing more with Ziggler, but I don't like they way they are approaching the showoff gimmick. It doesn't feel like something that developed organically. Rather, it just feels like a gimmick they came up with and are now shoving down the throats of viewers. I'm also concerned that the showoff gimmick isn't main event, which is where I believe Ziggler should be heading.

Zack Ryder vs. Jack Swagger: Ryder needed a win after losing so decisively to Del Rio last week, but it's hard to get excited about anything involving Swagger these days when he's clearly cast as a glorified jobber. I'd really like to see WWE do something to make him seem relevant again, as they are just wasting his talent at this point.

Kelly Kelly and Alicia Fox vs. The Bella Twins: Congrats to Alicia for replacing Eve as Kelly's BFF in her ongoing, lopsided feud with the Bella Twins on Raw. Of course, the real feud is with Beth Phoenix and Natalya, who really lost me with that jogging lap around the ring. The match itself was just a routine Divas tag match, so the miss is more for the odd lap around the ring than anything else.

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