Generation Me Tryout Before WWE Raw and Thoughts on SummerSlam

Fans of the WWE have plenty to be pleased about at present because of the birth of the new "reality era" that is providing exciting storylines and working towards rejuvenating the WWE product.

If for once we stray away from the whole CM Punk storyline, we see that positive changes are gradually coming into effect all over the company, outside of the main event picture.

Recently we have been treated to the heel turns of Beth Phoenix and Natalya, which have been long awaited for everyone who has been fed up with the two-minute matches and the general burial of women's wrestling in the WWE.

As a result of these heel turns, both Phoenix and Natalya are now relevant again in WWE—the benefits of this were apparent at "SummerSlam," where we saw a decent match between The Glamazon and Kelly Kelly for the belt. It was a match that lasted all of six-and-a-half minutes—double the length of the regular divas match.

In that match we saw that Kelly Kelly is actually capable of putting on a decent match when given an opponent who is able to wrestle. The match finished with Kelly getting the steal victory, setting up the feud to continue. It is only a matter of time before Beth or Natalya will win the belt.

So, the WWE appears to be trying to make the divas division mean something again, and judging by their signing of Kharma and recent pushing of proper wrestlers, they seem to be taking it quite seriously.

"Generation Me" tryout before Raw

It appears that the WWE's willingness to improve seems to be taking in all facets of its product; word backstage is that Triple H is very keen to kickstart the tag division on the road back to its former glory.

This movement is not in full effect yet, but it appears as though it may only be a matter of time before it comes to fruition.

WWE have had interest of late in ROH tag-team the "Kings of Wrestling," which consists of Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli. The two are considered by many to currently be one of the best tag-teams in the world.

WWE are also apparently interested in bringing the Briscoe brothers into the company. The other name linked was "Generation Me" (aka "The Young Bucks").

Well, it appears that the latter are closing in on a WWE contract—they both tried out prior to the Raw taping last night, working several matches in front of WWE officials.

I'm sure they didn't disappoint, given that they are two of the most exciting and athletic youngsters in the business as we speak. 

The key thing to note here is that the WWE would be signing these guys as teams, not individuals. Hence, last night on Raw, when Jerry Lawler and Jim Ross were discussing the need for new competition for the current tag-team champions, Micheal McGuillicutty and David Otunga.

Brief Thoughts on "SummerSlam"

This year's "SummerSlam" made up for the disappointment of last year's event, at least for me. Every match on the card delivered and overall I thought WWE produced a really great show.

The two stand out matches of the night were, of course, the two main events featuring Orton vs. Christian and Cena vs. Punk.

Orton vs. Christian in a No Holds Barred match stole the show without question. They left everything in the ring and put on a brutal No Holds Barred match in an event that really needs a gimmick match every year. It's disappointing that Christian lost the belt, but hopefully this feud will go on to "Hell in a Cell" because those two always put on a spectacle.

Punk vs. Cena was a step down from their epic "Money in the Bank" encounter, but it was still an excellent main event with an excellent finish. It was both unpredictable and smart booking by WWE. They succeeded in:

a) Not making John Cena look weak.

b) Establishing CM Punk as the new joint face of the company.

c) Introducing a new face to the title picture.

The return of Nash was completely unexpected as well. It was excellently executed.

Last month I gave the "Money in the Bank" PPV a 9/10 rating, and "SummerSlam" came very close to matching in my opinion. Hence I give it a 8.5/10 rating.