WWE Raw Review: 5 Things We Learned from Tonight's Episode (April 30)

Sometimes, you watch an episode of Monday Night Raw, and when it's over with, you really don't know how to react to it.

Well, tonight is one of those nights.

Raw was very, um, interesting, to say the least, and it looks like the landscape of the show has changed dramatically just since last night's Extreme Rules.

We've got a new No. 1 contender for the WWE Championship, a new feud for John Cena and new WWE Tag Team Champions.

But that really just scratches the surface of what tonight's Raw episode taught us.

Here are five things we learned from the April 30th edition of Monday Night Raw.

5. Triple H Is Going to Feud with Brock Lesnar Soon

Tonight's Raw kicked off with an in-ring confrontation between Brock Lesnar and Triple H, and the segment ended with Lesnar attacking Triple H from behind and, as we would learn later, breaking his arm.

That was, presumably, a way to write Triple H off of TV for a while (even though he was already off of TV), but it was also the start to a feud with Lesnar.

There have been rumors of a feud between the two floating around, and the WWE definitely planted seeds for that rivalry on Raw tonight.

And I like it.

Triple H is only going to be around on a part-time basis now, so the WWE might as well use him exclusively for major feuds, and HHH vs. Lesnar, of course, fits that bill.

I guess this means that the beef between Cena and Lesnar is already a thing of the past?

Well, I don't really know, but I'm looking forward to seeing Triple H and Lesnar battle it out.

4. John Cena Isn't Going Away After All

I'll admit it: When John Cena gave that speech after his match at the end of Extreme Rules, I really thought he'd be taking some time off.

I know I wasn't alone in thinking that, either, and now, I know that I'm not alone in feeling dumb for actually thinking he was going to be off TV for a few weeks or more.

I suppose that the angle at the end of Raw could take Cena off of TV for a while, but it was announced that he would face John Laurinaitis at Over the Limit, and I think that match is going to take place because Laurinaitis will force Cena to compete.

Am I crazy about this angle? Of course not.

I'd rather see Cena vs. Lesnar continue than see Laurinaitis in the ring, much less in a PPV match. 

I like Cena, but staying on TV for this? I have my doubts about how well it will play out.

3. Raw Is in Desperate Need of Another Top Baby Face

You know when the roster is thin?

When Jerry Lawler has to step away from the announce table to enter the Beat the Clock Challenge, that's when.

With John Cena selling a storyline injury (we think) and Triple H now doing the same with a "broken arm," that leaves Raw with essentially no viable main event options on the baby face side besides CM Punk.

It's Punk, a beat up Cena and...well, that's it.

This is a pretty bad sign for the WWE, and it also brings me to my next point...

2. The Brand Split Mattered Less Tonight Than It Ever Has

I've long maintained that the WWE's brand split serves a purpose, even if it is just a minor one.

But it mattered less on tonight's Raw episode than it ever has.

The WWE held a Beat the Clock Challenge to determine the new No. 1 contender for the WWE Championship, which is supposed to be Raw's top title.

Yet the tournament was chock full of SmackDown superstars, such as Kane, Randy Orton, The Great Khali and Daniel Bryan, who actually won the tournament.

Although I'm excited about the upcoming Bryan/Punk match, that's pretty damn ridiculous.

While I think that the brand split is necessary (because of house shows, mostly), tonight showed that it really doesn't matter much.

In fact, it's a joke.

1. Daniel Bryan Is Here to Stay as a Main Event Talent

Just a night after losing his rematch for the World Heavyweight Championship, Daniel Bryan became the new No. 1 contender to WWE Champion CM Punk.

I'll take that as a good sign.

While I wasn't sure where Bryan's loss at Extreme Rules would leave him, the creative team just gave him a massive vote of confidence by immediately having him step up to challenge Punk.

I'm already a little giddy thinking about how good their Over the Limit match could be, but I'm even more excited about what this means for Bryan.

He could have easily taken a dramatic plunge down the card following his loss, but instead, the WWE decided to reward him for how over he is by putting him in a pay-per-view title match with Punk.

Although I don't think that Bryan will capture the WWE title, he's much better off competing for it than not.

Drake Oz is the WWE Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. You can follow him onTwitter and ask him any wrestling-related questions (to be answered in the B/R Mailbag) on Formspring.