It’s once again time for a go-home edition of RAW and while there might be more matches added to the card or strongly hinted at, WWE has two big storylines to address tonight. First, what does Bryan do after he turned on Bray Wyatt and got that insane crowd reaction? Will he explain why he was only a Wyatt for a short time? What will Bray say in response? Fans will surely be looking forward to Bryan, but its January 20th, which means the long awaited return of Batista is here. What will he do? Will Alberto Del Rio come out to ruin the moment? More importantly has this hype for Batista all been part of a major swerve for the return of a repackaged Mason Ryan???
Best
Batista: He sure got the huge crowd reaction that was expected when he came out during the opening promo to interrupt Randy Orton. He didn’t mince words and stated his intention to win the Rumble and headline Mania. It wasn’t some big speech because that’s not what he really does, but it got straight to the point. He’s obviously being positioned as a Rumble favorite so having him state his winning intentions and then later destroy former winner Del Rio more then accomplishes that. Some may have wanted him to do more, but what actually took place was more then adequate.
Roman Reigns: It wouldn’t be an episode of RAW without a massive Spear from Reigns and we definitely got that. However, it still wasn’t as impressive as the Superman Punch he delivered to Cody Rhodes in mid air. When they replayed it in slow motion it looked even more awesome.
JBL Great Quote of the Night: ‘Oh my god! Spacecraft in Area 51! They’re the 5 time tag team champions! They beat the tag champs! There’s no conspiracy!’ JBL after Cole insinuated that the New Age Outlaws only got their Tag Title shot because of their friendship with HHH.
Worst
Cena: So after Orton attacked Cena’s dad yet again last week, you figured Cena would zero in on the Viper as soon as he could. How do they get that done? HHH has a camera set up to show the arena garage entrance Cena would use when he enters so Orton can know when that happens. Of course throughout the night they keep cutting back to that empty shot as if Cena isn’t already in the building. How many people actually believe Cena has yet to arrive? Seeing him run through said entrance on foot was kind of comical. At least we got to see them brawl through the crowd, a skybox and then watch as Orton jumped in a getaway vehicle.
Big Fight: It seems like the announcers are single-handedly trying to hype the Lesnar-Show match, with them constantly saying how amazing it is that Show threw him across the ring or out of the ring as he did during their ‘Face Off’ tonight. Not only are they trying too much, but it’s not like this is the match that everyone is looking forward on the Rumble card. The Rumble match itself, Orton-Cena and even Bryan-Wyatt are all higher on the card. Still Show’s impression of Paul Heyman was pretty funny.
Questionable
The Authority: HHH and Stephanie as ‘The Authority’ have been a focal point of the main event storylines for a the past few months. Ostensibly they were heel to start as they were backing Orton and belittling Bryan, but lately they seem to be switching back and forth at will. They play to the crowd during a promo but also say heelish things to whatever face they might be confronting at that point. It’s not really that something that detracts from the show as a whole, it’s just one of those inconsistencies that Creative never seems to mind.
Predictions: One of the best matches in WWE is the Royal Rumble, given how chaotic and random it can be to watch. However, this also means that making predictions is that much harder. Logic would seem to dictate that the favorites to win it would be Bryan, Punk or Batista and those 3 are likely to be in the Final Four. Of course relying on logic or conventional wisdom when it comes to WWE booking is incredibly questionable. Sure people might have their favorites or guys they want to win, but why can’t they just enjoy the match without getting all analytical? Of course that could also apply to sports as a whole.
