Monday Night Raw Results 1/2/2012: The Top 7 Questions Going Forward

I usually write something witty here, but I am far too confused to come up with something.  Maybe next week.

Tonight we witnessed another John Cena speech, R-Truth mimicking a duck and the return of Chris Jericho.

As I do every Monday night following RAW, I present the "Top Questions Going Forward."

These questions are meant to stimulate conversation and give us pause so we can examine current storylines.

Shall we have it?

Why Is Anyone Not Named John Cena on the Roster?

"Happy 2012! My name is John Cena and I will never change whether you want me to or not! The WWE's product is what we want it to be, not you, the fans!"

The above statement sums up what I heard in the opening segment from John Cena.

I have been fairly consistent saying I would rather Cena take a break than have him turn heel, but there comes a point where SOMETHING just needs to happen. His character is so predictable that you could mute the TV and still know every sentence he is going to spew into the microphone.

The “face” of the WWE is coming out to hostile crowds and telling them that the WWE does not care what you think, because he will never change. When Cena does his speeches about fan reactions, he is letting them know that their voices are heard but will not be listened to.

In other words: this is the product, so love it or leave it.

I just cannot comprehend why Monday Night Raw continues to center around John Cena even when he does not have the title. How can anyone, especially the current champion, attempt to carry the company when the writers are still obsessed with Cena?

I do not hate John Cena but I do hate the fact that he is constantly booked to be in the spotlight regardless of what he is doing.

I am waiting for them to end the show on John Cena tying his shoes because right now everything that man does is booked to be more important than anything else going on. He is completely overshadowing everything to a fault.

The WWE left Cena off their last pay-per-view and I commend them for giving Cena a break but a few weeks later he is beginning and ending Raw and CM Punk, the WWE Champion, is wrestling in the middle of the card.

Is this “feud” with Kane really that much more important that the WWE title? If so, get rid of all of the titles and rename Raw to “The John Cena Variety Hour” because it is clear to me that everything else is secondary to John Cena.

The fans are not demanding that Cena be at the forefront of EVERY major storyline either. Cena is being booked this way because this is the direction the WWE wants to go.

What do you guys think? Are you still demanding John Cena be at the center of the WWE or is the WWE trying to keep Cena relevant?

Is the Miz Being Used Properly?

Is the Miz being used right?

He has gone from the unsatisfying “conspiracy” storyline up to the WWE title picture and is now feuding with R-Truth. I will not speak for my readers, but I personally do not care about the Miz and R-Truth fighting one another.

R-Truth was suspended for violating the wellness policy, therefore the writers had Miz betray Truth and “injure” him so he could leave Raw while on suspension. R-Truth’s suspension is now over and he apparently wants revenge for Miz’s attack on him.

I understand why Truth is going after the Miz, but it just seems irrelevant compared to everything else that is going on. The Miz was considered to be the No. 1 contender for the WWE title just a few weeks ago and now he is in a fairly meaningless rivalry with R-Truth.

Perhaps I am giving the Miz too much credit. Maybe he does not belong in the main event picture and should be relegated back to the mid-card scene.

Should I care more about this feud?

Will Jack Swagger Face Zack Ryder at the Royal Rumble?

So the “All-American American” thinks he deserves to be the United States Champion?

Are you serious, bro? When was the last time Jack Swagger even won a match?

I may not be a Swagger fan, but he is exactly what Zack Ryder needs right now. Ryder just got the U.S. title, so it may be a good idea to have him defeat a dud like Swagger at his first PPV as champion.

Although Ryder is the champ and has a strong fanbase, it would still be a good idea to continue to establish him over a long period of time.

Ryder’s popularity could easily wane if he is not booked correctly. I compare him to Gregory Helms, otherwise known as “the Hurricane,” in the sense that his gimmick is fun but not everlasting.

No one is currently being pushed into a rivalry with Ryder, so why not have him defeat someone like Swagger while Creative decides who they want Ryder to feud with next?

Jack Swagger may be a filler opponent for Zack Ryder, but with Dolph Ziggler moving into the WWE title scene, there has to be time for a new rival to be built up for Ryder.

A match against Swagger at the Royal Rumble would give the writers time to decide who the next real opponent will be for Ryder in the future.

Can You Say "Bitch" in the PG Era?

John Laurinaitis better not cost CM Punk his WWE title because apparently if he does, Punk is going to "beat him like a bitch.”

I know I was not expecting that kind of outburst in the “PG Era” of the WWE. Many fans have been clamoring to go back to an “attitude era” style of wrestling and I am sure they thought CM Punk’s language was a step in the right direction.

I am not sold on if the WWE really is changing their philosophy yet, but when I hear CM Punk tell John Laurinaitis that he will “beat him like a bitch,” even I have to question where the company is going.

You cannot be pushing anti-bullying campaigns and then threaten people in obscenity-laced tirades.

This could be yet another tease to try and convince older fans that the WWE is still edgy without doing it all the time.

Do you think the WWE will start pushing the envelope, or is this just another trick to make older fans continue to watch Raw?

Should the WWE Championship Be Renamed the "Mid-Card Championship?"

Another Monday Night Raw where the WWE Championship segment is on at 10:00 pm.

It has become an alarming trend to see the WWE title featured in the middle of Raw rather than ending the show. Tonight a WWE Championship match between CM Punk and Dolph Ziggler was only important enough to be featured dead in the middle of the card.

When John Cena was champion, I am pretty sure he ended the show every night, so what has changed since he lost the title?

It may come across that I hate John Cena, but I honestly do not. I am simply asking the question of why the belt is only important when it is around his waist in today’s WWE.

I have been a wrestling fan for over 20 years and I was brought up to recognize the WWE title as the most important achievement in wrestling. It is frustrating for me to watch the WWE Championship be demoted to the middle of the card as if it is not important enough to be featured anywhere else.

What has changed that has made the WWE title less important?

Why Are There so Many Divas Tag Team Matches?

I love seeing the Bella Twins in their new gear, but I still have to question why the WWE has so many tag team matches involving the Divas.

Tonight the Bella Twins defeated Kelly Kelly and Eve in a tag team bout. The match served as yet another useless moment involving the divas where no one achieved anything. Momentum switches every week among the Divas because no one can win two consecutive matches anymore.

Beth Phoenix is the Divas Champion and she is barely even seen on Raw. In fact the tag team match tonight did not have anything to do with her or setting up the No. 1 contender for the Diva’s title.

What do these matches accomplish?

I know a lot of WWE fans do not care about the Divas anymore, but if I have to watch them every week, then I at least want to see quality storylines and matches.

I will not even complain about the match itself because although it was not great, I thought it was entertaining enough.

I just want the matches to mean something. The Bellas winning over Kelly Kelly and Eve does not further anything for anyone, so why have the match?

Why Should I Care About Chris Jericho’s Return?

Chris Jericho is back. Again.

I do not want to provoke Jericho’s fans, but is his return really THAT important?

There is no denying that he is talented and is good on a mic, but the man is 41 years old and this is the third time he has come back to the WWE. Haven’t we seen the best of Chris Jericho at this point of his career?

I keep writing articles about how the WWE needs to stop relying on stars from the past and start building the stars of tomorrow. Jericho’s return only continues to make me wonder why the WWE is more interested in reliving the past instead of concentrating on the future.

Jericho’s return was both puzzling and awkward in my opinion. It is hard to interpret why his promos were so cryptic and why he was smiling like a jackass for 15 minutes tonight.

I suppose we will understand why he acted the way he did tonight at a later point, which is fine because we do not need instant gratification every time something happens on Raw.

Were his actions and demeanor confusing? Absolutely, but I will not criticize him until I know why he was acting that way. I found his conduct to be extremely baffling, so I am going to assume that there is more to his actions than we know at this time.

I thought the crowd was hot and cold when it came to Jericho as they seemed to be unsure why he was milking his return for so long. After a few minutes, I began to realize that something was not right with him, and so we will have to wait until next week to get our questions answered about why he acted the way he did.

I also want to know who the girl is supposed to represent in his promos. Is there a girl controlling Chris Jericho and if so, who?

Please do not interpret this slide to be an anti-Jericho hatefest, I just do not believe that he will be able to save the current WWE product. Maybe if Jericho comes back and helps put over talent, will I become more keen on his return.

Let me know what questions came out of Raw for you tonight below in the comment section. Also remember to follow me on Twitter @ClassicJoeyMac.

Keep it classic, everyone!