WWE Raw 4/16: Lord Tensai Defeating John Cena Leaves Me to 'Mist'

The 4/16 edition of Raw was a pretty serviceable show. The main thing to come out of it was the two-week veteran, Lord Tensai, defeating the face of the company, John Cena.

Earlier in the night, Cena was informed that he would be facing a mystery opponent. You're going to have to take my word for it, but I muttered to myself "Lord Tensai," when Laurinaitus announced the inclusion of the mystery opponent—and I haven't read a spoiler in months.

Tensai defeated Cena in the main event of this week's Raw after John Laurinaitus did everything he could to attain Tensai to victory.

Last week on my Raw analysis, I informed my readers that Cena vs. Brock Lesnar would eventually lead to Cena vs. John Laurinaitus. I have little doubt left that this will indeed be the case.

But the keyword of the last paragraph was "eventually." Instead, WWE decided to plant the seeds last night—which was not smart thinking.

Let the potential showdown of the year actually run its course before you decide to execute a feud too early.

This is the rare occasion that John Cena would need momentum going into a top-tier match—with Brock Lesnar—and WWE is taking the momentum away from Cena.

This exact main event should have occurred on the Raw after the Cena-Lesnar angle concludes. Instead, WWE decides to not only take away momentum from John Cena, but to take away credibility from the Cena vs. Lesnar showdown.

Now, on to the rest of the show:

Despite the poor booking from WWE, I thoroughly enjoyed the main event on an entertainment standpoint. Pushing Tensai is the right way to go—but would it hurt to push it back a few weeks?

CM Punk defeated Mark Henry in the best match of the night for the WWE Championship. Both of them looked great. The post-match segment with Chris Jericho was also solid, but the whole clip of Punk walking in the bar was unnecessary.

David Otunga vs. Santino Marella was a serviceable match—keeping the belt on Santino was a good call despite me enjoying Otunga's recent performances...

Kane defeated Zack Ryder in a quick brawl last night. I'm glad WWE hasn't dropped Kane's push yet, as he's extremely reliable when you want to put your star in a sympathetic role.

Daniel Bryan decimated Kofi Kingston with the "Yes Lock" after Kofi was flirting with the girl Bryan mirthlessly dumped, AJ. By the way, AJ looked gorgeous last night.

John Cena and Lesnar both cut promos last night, with Lesnar's being pre-taped. Lesnar's promo was pretty good, with Cena's being solid as well.

The WWE Tag Team Champions, Primo and Epico, are now tag team jobbers when they were defeated by Big Show and The Great Khali tonight. I don't know what to make of that.

Brodus Clay vs. Dolph Ziggler was serviceable at best; unfortunately, this angle doesn't seem as if it's leading to anything.

The emotional Chief Jay Strongbow tribute video that WWE aired tonight was classy to say the least.

I hope that R-Truth's inspector shtick was just a one-time deal tonight; in fact, I beg it was.

Quote of the Week

Daniel Bryan: "Wait a second: Why am I calling it the Lebell Lock? I was better than Gene LeBell ever was—I mean who did he ever beat? From now on, it'll be called the "Yes Lock" because when the referee asks you if you want to quit, you will be screaming, 'Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!'