By Ryan Kester

This new editorial will run through the latest edition of professional wrestling programming by highlighting the various segments and storylines of the show, quickly recounting what happened, how I feel about what happened, and what I want to see out of a storyline or feud going forward. The following Rundown covers the May 23 edition of Monday Night Raw.

R-Truth and John Cena:

R-Truth started the show interrupting a returning Bret Hart to complain about not receiving a shot at the WWE Championship yet in his career. This led to John Cena coming out and the two engaging in a verbal confrontation. They planted the seeds for what appears to be Cena's first feud after capturing the title from the Miz.

I think this is too much, too soon for Truth. His heel persona is still fresh and getting fleshed out. The last thing this man needs is to be the latest punching bag for John Cena. For one, Truth needs someone he can play off of, and he needs more time than he has to get over as a heel before anyone can take him credible as a threat to Cena's championship reign.

I want to see John Morrison come back as soon as he is able to return from his neck injury and get back into his feud with Truth. Cena can feud with one of the more established heels in the meantime, or, better yet, drop the belt because he is doing nothing for the title, and the entire show suffers when he holds the strap.

The Nexus capture the WWE Tag Team Titles:

David Otunga and Michael McGillicutty defeated the Big Show and Kane for the WWE Tag team titles after a brief moment of interference from C.M. Punk.

While I like the team of Big Show and Kane, and I am probably one of the few that do, this is a good thing for the tag titles. They mean next to nothing, but at least they're actually being defended by different groups that have been established as actual teams rather than two completely random singles competitors that decided to hold the tag straps for a month.

Hopefully the Nexus tag champs can actually feud with some of the other tag teams in the WWE. If only there were any.

Kane and the Big Show begin a feud with Alberto Del Rio:

The Big Show and Kane jawed with Del Rio early in the show because they were too close to del Rio's car, and the Big Show got his hands on Ricardo Rodrigues. This led to Del Rio slapping Big Show in the face, and after a feigned camera malfunction, Show had his leg trapped under Del Rio's car. Del Rio later blamed the incident on Show and Ricardo, and denied any and all involvement.

I have never been a fan of WWE car angles, and they never seem to end up doing anything for anyone involved. I am intrigued on where this goes from Del Rio, but this seems a far cry from gunning for the heavyweight championship like he was just a month ago. Still, at least the writers aren't just completely ignoring Del Rio as he waits in line to feud with Cena.

I can't really think of a way for this storyline to pan out that doesn't involve Del Rio's career taking a few steps back. I hope that the Raw writers don't end up having Del Rio become the chickenshit heel like so many of their current heels are portrayed. If this leads to del Rio getting a few more convincing victories with the crossarm breaker and remaining looking like a badass in the process, then I'm all for it. However, I get the sickening feeling that this feud ends with Del Rio laid out with a Show fist and we gain absolutely nothing from all of this.

Jack Swagger defeats Evan Bourne:

Jack Swagger got back into his winning ways by picking up a victory over a very game Evan Bourne. After the match, Evan Bourne got in a cheap kick and fled the ring before Swagger could retaliate.

Best of all, Swagger won the match with the gutwrench powerbomb rather than the ankle lock. Hopefully, this is a sign that the WWE has given up trying to turn him into Angle Jr. and he can get back to the move set and the character he was getting over with before the writers went and ruined him.

I would love to see a continued feud between these two. Their styles blend well together, and I'll take any excuse I can find to get these two on Raw on a more consistent basis.

Cole apologizes for his actions:

Michael Cole came out to the ringside area and apologized to jerry and everyone else for being a tool the last few months. After giving him a hard time for a few moments, Jerry welcomed Cole back behind the announce booth.

Thank God. I was so incredibly ready for this feud to be done and over with, and I am just glad we can move on. I wish we had JR, but at least we don't have to deal with heel Cole on the announce team.

I just hope that Cole either stays placated going forward, or immediately gets away from the booth and picks up the mantle of either the Raw GM or a heel's manager if he decides to heel it up again.

Riley attacks the Miz:

The Miz, upset over his continued failed attempts to recapture the WWE championship, went off on Alex Riley and fired him. Riley responded by beating the Miz all over the ringside area and turning his suit to pieces.

This was excellently done, and it made Riley look like a complete badass. I honestly had no idea Riley had that type of intensity in him.

I'm not completely sold on this feud yet. While, if booked right, it could do wonders for both men, I just worry that the WWE will try and drag this out too long. Still, Riley has shown passion for the first time since he was on NXT, and I am looking forward to seeing where he goes from here.

Kharma breaks down:

The Divas set up for an eight-Diva tag match that was promptly interrupted by Kharma making her way to the ring. Once there, Kharma fell to her knees and started to cry, and then began to sob uncontrollably as the Divas stared at her in shock.

That was unexpected to say the least. Kharma is obviously a character that has more layers and depth than anything we've seen in the Divas in a long, long, no wait, we've never seen like this from a Diva before. Kharma continues to be the most intriguing thing about Monday Night Raw. Still, when I first saw an eight-Diva match, I was hoping we were about to see Kharma have a feast, and I was disappointed when that didn't happen.

While they can draw this latest layer of Kharma's personality for a while if they'd like, Kharma really needs to have a match and show off why she's getting all the focus she has been.

Kofi Kingston defeats Drew McIntyre:

In a relatively short match, Kofi Kingston defeated Drew McIntyre. Kofi won with the S.O.S. and Drew showcased his newer leg-based offense including a figure-four leglock around a steel ring post.

I love Drew's revitalized move set. It looks absolutely vicious and fits his Sadistic Scotsman character to a tee. Here's hoping that he actually uses the figure-four as a finisher. He went for it in a recent match on Superstars, and I am hoping he actually pulls it off one of these days. Another solid showing from Kofi, and I continue to be baffled at how the WWE misses the ball with this guy.

I would like to see this develop into a feud and have Drew draw out his leg-based offense. Hopefully, Drew can take the strap off of Kofi, get his move set over in the process, and catapult Kofi into his rightful place among the main event talent.

John Cena and Rey Mysterio vs. R-Truth and C.M.Punk with Bret Hart as the special referee:

The participants delivered a decent TV match that finished when Bret hart got involved and put C.M. Punk in the Sharpshooter to set up for Rey Mysterio Dropping the Dime on Punk for the 1-2-3.

The match was alright for what it was, but they didn't really set the house on fire. The Hart finish was more for the live crowd than it was for those of us watching on TV.

So Truth is going to feud with Cena. Does this mean we're going to sit through another round of Mysterio vs. Punk? In a way, I hope that's the case, as Punk could really use a feud where he gets over and gets some of his heat back. He still seems to be suffering the effects of constantly being on the losing end of his feud with Orton.

Tribute to "Macho Man" Randy Savage:

While this isn't something that fits within the confines of WWE's weekly show, it was a welcome addition to this week's Raw. WWE went above and beyond what I expected out of them with this video, and it seems like Vince has finally buried whatever hatchet he held against savage. I just wish we could have had the ten-bell salute or an early announcement for next year's hall of fame. Still, WWE did more than they had to here, and I think they deserve some recognition for it.

Thank you for reading my first edition of the Rundown. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to hit me up at ryan.kester@gmail.com or find me on twitter at @Ryan_Kester.

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