WWE Raw Review: 5 Things We Learned from Tonight's Episode (April 9)

Well, you can't say that the WWE doesn't know how to keeps things interesting.

While we could have easily gotten a huge lull in the action after the excitement of WrestleMania 28 died down, that actually hasn't happened so far.

The feud between CM Punk and Chris Jericho reached new levels of intensity tonight, while the WWE didn't waste any time doing the same for Brock Lesnar and Chris Jericho.

Things appear to be going pretty well for the WWE in what is usually a down period, and I, for one, am a lot more interested in what's been going on since WrestleMania than I thought I'd be.

Tonight's Raw was a nice way to start the build toward the rest of 2012, so let's take a look at what we learned from the latest TV effort from the WWE.

5. Lord Tensai Is Flopping so Far

Did you hear that raucous crowd reaction that Lord Tensai got on tonight's Raw?

Well, neither did I, because there was none.

I know that it's really early (and in fact, too early) to write off Lord Tensai as a failure, but he's definitely proving why I don't like seeing superstars debut/return by squashing lower-card workers.

You want Tensai to make an impact? Then, you do so by putting him in an actual feud.

The crowd couldn't care less about Tensai tonight, largely because he was facing Yoshi Tatsu, who hardly ever appears on either Raw or SmackDown.

Lord Tensai is going to make a much bigger statement by immediately feuding with a top star or upper midcard than he ever will by beating guys who haven't been on TV in a year.

I hate to say it—and I'm still willing to give him a chance—but Lord Tensai is undoubtedly flopping so far.

4. Mark Henry Is Getting Another Main Event Run

When Mark Henry lost the World Heavyweight Championship last December, I was certain that that was it for his run as a main-eventer.

But it certainly looks like he's getting another go-round in the World title scene.

Even though Henry forgot what World Championship he's been going after, he's now beaten WWE Champion CM Punk on two straight Raws (once by count out and once by DQ) and will face Punk once again in a No DQ match for the WWE Championship on next week's Raw.

This comes just a few weeks after Henry faced John Cena in a really good match at the top of the second hour of Raw.

When you combine all those factors, it seems pretty clear that Henry is back at it as a main eventer and one of the top heels in the WWE.

While we don't know how long it will last, it's blatantly obvious that the WWE views him as a top guy at least for the time being,

3. John Cena Will Face Brock Lesnar at Extreme Rules

This mega-match sure came to fruition quickly, huh?

While it took The Rock and John Cena more than a year to get physical (I'm talking more than just a finisher here or there), Cena and Brock Lesnar absolutely went at it at the start of tonight's Raw.

They had to be separated by the entire locker room, and it was revealed later in the show that these two huge stars would face off at Extreme Rules.

I thought for sure that this match wouldn't happen until a big pay-per-view, like SummerSlam perhaps. Turns out, I was wrong.

The WWE isn't waiting to pull the trigger on this highly anticipated match, and instead, will give these two a match at Extreme Rules to give it some much-needed star power.

Given the animosity that's already been established between Cena and Lesnar, that might not be a bad idea after all.

2. Something's Going on with Zack Ryder and/or Dolph Ziggler

I realize that not every superstar can be pushed at the same time, but when I look at the booking of Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger, one thought comes to mind: Are you kidding me?

Ever since Ziggler lost to CM Punk at the Royal Rumble, he has been booked like complete crap, as was evidenced by him taking yet another loss (this time to Brodus Clay) on tonight's Raw.

I'm honestly not so sure that the booking of Ziggler is as bad as the booking of Ryder's been lately, though.

Since dropping the United States Championship last December, Ryder has gone from upper midcarder to one of the biggest jokes in the entire WWE.

Something's gotta be going on here.

I don't know if there's backstage heat on either Ziggler or Swagger or what, but pushes generally don't just completely fade away without some sort of explanation.

And for Ziggler and Swagger, there has been none so far. They're just two talented guys getting put on the back burner. 

1. Brock Lesnar Is a Heel

Forget that great reaction that Brock Lesnar got last week.

He's not going to be a babyface. He's a heel.

Lesnar's actions on tonight's Raw were all very heelish, from his alignment with and praise of John Laurinaitis to his low blow on John Cena to his dismissal of the WWE fans.

I thought we'd see a face/face feud between Lesnar and Cena, but it looks like the WWE is moving ahead with Lesnar as a full-blown heel.

I like it.

Just look at the guy—he doesn't exactly scream baby face. In fact, he's much more of a natural heel.

I definitely think Lesnar belongs in that heel role, although I wouldn't be opposed to someone doing his talking for him from here on out.

Note: As part of the new WWE blog, I'll be asking all of the B/R wrestling readers for questions for a new mailbag that I will post on Fridays. It will be a slideshow featuring 10-20 questions and answers on a wide range of topics. You can submit questions either through Formspring or Twitter, and the best ones will be answered in the B/R mailbag.