Raw 1-3

The real WWE blogger on BBSD and the best damn WWE blogger on the planet is BACK! I know you missed me. In all seriousness, Larry did an okay job. He's blinded by love of Morrison, other than that it was a fine effort. But this Raw and the 2011 year needs to be kicked off the correct way, with me. This Raw was the most important in terms of the next 3 months. Royal Rumble takes the focus and perhaps the return of some big names to help build. You can tell the WWE is taking this first week very serious. Raw starts off with a WWE title match. Smackdown has scheduled a 2 out of 3 falls contest and a last man standing World heavyweight championship match. It feels like a pay per view only spread all week. Normally, I have a lot to say especially when I miss a blog. I do have things on my mind and I'll spread them around throughout the blog. For now, it's on to a great Raw to start the new year.

2011 didn't start out well with Michael Cole being the first thing we saw. No reason to bitch, he's not going anywhere. I wasn't happy Lawler and Miz fought last week, still Miz gained more heat after the attack so job well done. I feel the match made more sense on Raw then at the Rumble. Hear me out before you stop reading. Royal Rumble is the 2nd largest ppv of the year, only Mania is bigger. Morrison deserves this push and I'm happy for him. He's just not a big enough name yet to headline Rumble in a WWE title match. I know he's a great wrestler. He will headline a pay per view this year. Let's hold off on promoting him over Cena or Orton as the face of Raw. He's proving he deserves to be ranked high, not that high. Plus, say he lost to the Miz at the Rumble. The loss won't help him as much as say being one of the first men in the Rumble and in the final 5. You see that will help him more than a simple loss at the Rumble. Fans will respect him more and start seeing him in the main event picture. Raw certainly helped his case. The match was fantastic. They used the environment well and had several near falls. Matches need to use near falls more often. The close finishes build excitement for fans. The Starship pain through a table was a sick spot. There was no doubt Miz would retain. Morrison proved he's earning his rank. One thing for sure, neither man is "Marty Jannetty." Sorry Marty.

I didn't care for the Diva match finish. Melina shouldn't be getting pinned by anyone except Natalya. I'd much rather see Fox get beat. She hasn't been doing squat. Melina needs to look strong and the complete opposite happened.

Tag match was a cluster since Kozlov goofed it up towards the end. The good thing is Uso's won and maybe an upcoming title shot. Tamina might turn on Santino and develop a real story. Otherwise, pretty meaningless like a college bowl game.

I'm on the fence about Punk and Nexus. I love Punk and you can't just throw Nexus on Smackdown. You used them for a half the year. Nexus was built up as a quality stable. If you toss them aside, you admit you failed. I don't think Nexus has failed. You don't disband them until you have a good excuse (the draft) or create a story that breaks them up for good. Neither has happened yet. So, what do you do? Well, end the story with Barrett and Cena, keep Nexus together and develop something new. This is new and different. Yes, I'd like to see Nexus move past Cena. They will soon as evident in the main event. Barrett coming back and getting involved will work towards something new. The problem is Wade isn't a face. You can't make him a face. Hopefully, he (and only him) isn't on Raw to long if he has to be a face.

Last week, Smackdown had some great action. Del Rio was part of a fantastic tag match with Edge and Rey. Rio has grown on me. He's a great in ring performer and mic skills has improved since day one. I can't wait for the 2 out of 3 falls against Rey Friday night. I know the feud has lasted too long and should have ended a month ago. Friday night will cap it off 80's style. Truth should feud with Dibiase. Those two are floating around doing nothing. Dibiase has been hosed for months. A small story will develop some sort of relevance on the show. Del Rio coming to Raw is a big perk of the Rumble, lots of cross promoting.

I normally complain about the WWE title not being the focal point at the end of Raw. I feel the same way on Smackdown. However, this past Friday I loved the IC title finished the show. You didn't even see the U.S. champion on Raw. Smackdown does a great job of the mid card title seem very important. They have plenty of wrestlers competing for a shot at the belt. Raw never does that. I don't recall ever having a United States title match ending the show. It never happens. Raw writers couldn't even fit Bryan on one of those stupid Bella twin backstage skits. The title has little meaning where as the IC belt is right there with the WWE and WHC. This is why I continue to complain about Dibiase not doing anything. Bryan and Dibiase never had a real feud. There are plenty of under carders that can be pushed with Bryan. Hell, give one of the Nexus guys a shot. Do something!

The obvious choice to win the main event was Orton. A heel on heel feud doesn't work. Last year, Sheamus and Orton headlined the Rumble but Orton was a half face already. The writing was on the wall that at Mania he would be a face. Raw provided plenty of time for 3 competitors to paint a beautiful wrestling picture inside the cage. The match didn't feel cheap without blood. I know fans want that and so do I. A wrestler cutting himself and making the match feel more intense is great. However, as witnessed by the main event, you don't need it to give us a compelling and believable story. Punk interfering works to our advantage. Again, this pushes the story away from Cena and towards Barrett. Sheamus in the mean time is in limbo. Triple H has to come back shortly. He is the only thing for Sheamus to get in to. Perhaps Trips will wait until the Rumble and eliminate him and the Irish Ghost. Orton and Miz weren't done and it felt like we need one more match to finally finish the story. Orton saying he will be more brutal in 2011 is great. I'd like to see Orton put his boot on the skull of Riley at the Rumble. Riley costs him the match and in an act of rage, Orton punts Riley. Randy is the face of Raw and the best performer which is why he faces Miz at the Rumble. Plus, he can put Miz over even more.

Raw showed focus, further developed stories and gave time to develop 3 quality in ring performances. The show was great and I didn't miss Cena one bit. I'm sure a lot of you did and hate the fact he was off the show. I didn't. I haven't liked Cena for years and felt tonight was a perfect example of how Raw could be a better show without him. Send your hate mail to jcall@bigbadsportsdaddy.com for that last comment. The WWE title was a major player tonight. A lot of times, Cena is the main focal point. Raw needs to focus more on the titles and less on one man. My only real complaint about Raw was they forgot Daniel Bryan. Other than that, I thought the show was excellent. The first year of 2011 starts out with a bang and I can't think of a better place to be than writing for you on BBSD. Make sure you check out Showstoppers and keep sending me your e-mails as another wrestling mailbag will return sometime in January. Happy New Year! Wooooo!

J Call