Biggest Lessons Learned from Jan. 13 Edition of Raw

There is now just one edition of Raw left until the Royal Rumble pay-per-view, and it is the edition that will see the return of Batista.

This week, however, we were once again treated to a pretty decent edition of Raw, with one massive twist that again the WWE must be applauded for.

There were shock endings to matches, and some Superstars once again saw their hype continue to grow as the first pay-per-view of 2014 approaches.

Let's take a look at the biggest lessons we learned from Monday's edition of Raw.

SuperCena Strikes Again

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We start with a huge shock. John Cena actually wrestled on Monday Night Raw this week! That's right, after an in-ring hiatus over the past few weeks, Cena actually competed for once.

It's quite sad that the commentary team felt so inclined to push and hype the fact one of the WWE's top guys was actually going to wrestle on Raw. Should this not be the case every week?

He took on Damien Sandow in a repeat of a World Heavyweight Championship match back in October. As expected, the result was exactly the same.

It wasn't the fact that Cena won. It was the way he did it. That ridiculous "SuperCena" ending where he lifts his opponent up from a ridiculous position is a tad tiresome, to be honest.

Of course, when it gets to the Royal Rumble, the ending will be nothing like that. But it would be nice to see Cena go through a half-decent match on a TV taping for a change.

Randy Orton Excels as a Heel Again

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Kofi Kingston's best run in his WWE career was without doubt a few years ago, when he had a pretty impressive rivalry with Randy Orton.

It culminated in some pretty brutal matches and segments between the two, and it looked to be a good launching pad for Kingston's career.

The two resumed their rivalry on Raw this week, and Kingston got a shock victory over the WWE World Heavyweight champion, which was a smart move by creative.

It enabled Orton to further excel in his demonic, twisted heel role—arguably his best character profile. His attack on John Cena's father adds some much-needed substance to their match at the Royal Rumble.

The prolonged absence of The Authority also makes things interesting in the eyes of the viewer. Just whom are Triple H and Stephanie McMahon backing ahead of the match?

There Are Still No Credible Contenders for the Tag Titles

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Two weeks remain until the Royal Rumble—and just one edition of Raw—and we still have no clue as to whether we have any logical contenders for the tag titles.

It really should have been The Real Americans. They put on a great show with Cody Rhodes and Goldust last week, and it would have made a good match to fill up the Royal Rumble card. However, Jack Swagger was reduced to jobbing against the Big Show on Raw this week.

Ryback and Curtis Axel were the latest team to get knocked off by the champions. That's not a bad thing, since the champions need to keep some sort of momentum up after a sluggish couple of months.

The Usos would surely make great champions. They seem to be over with the fans and bring their own unique style of action. They had a solid Raw this past week and look like the top tag team in the company at the moment.

It looks increasingly likely that we will be devoid of a WWE Tag Team Championship match at the Royal Rumble. That is a bit of a shame.

Roman Reigns Is Over, Big Time

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Much of the talk heading into the Royal Rumble is whether or not The Shield will split. The talk is that Roman Reigns will eventually go it alone and turn on his stablemates Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins.

Surely that time is rapidly approaching—a babyface turn for Reigns must be on the horizon. The powerhouse Reigns is already over with the WWE fans. It's very rare for the crowd to be so into one member of a particular group.

There was a big buzz when Reigns was finally tagged into the six-man tag match on Raw this week, and he kept that hype going by once again delivering in the ring.

He picked up the win for The Shield once more—albeit in suspicious circumstances after the New Age Outlaws did the dirty on CM Punk.

Regardless of that, though, Reigns' time is fast approaching. He is a star.

Alberto Del Rio Is Rolling Once Again

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It's been a lean few months for Alberto Del Rio. He almost disappeared from the World Heavyweight Championship picture completely and has been resorted to jobbing to Sin Cara on Raw of late.

That, to be honest, is an absolute disgrace for a guy with Del Rio's pedigree. No matter what you think of him having gold around his waist, he shouldn't be losing to people like Sin Cara.

Therefore, it's pretty refreshing to see Del Rio on a little roll of his own of late. It's all built around the return of Batista—which is next week, in case you missed the hundreds of promos that were aired on Raw—and a promo Del Rio cut a couple of weeks ago.

He knocked off Batista's former tag partner Rey Mysterio in quick time this week. Could he be a serious contender for the Royal Rumble? Or is WWE teasing a feud between The Animal and Del Rio?

Whatever the case, Del Rio is rolling heading into the Royal Rumble.

Admit It: Who Saw the Ending Coming?

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Was it too early? Perhaps. Should Daniel Bryan have remained with the Wyatt Family up until the Royal Rumble—and maybe beyond? Perhaps.

But maybe, just maybe, the WWE got the timing absolutely spot on. Many thought the WWE was trying to bury the "YES!" chant by putting Bryan with Wyatt. If it was, then that project failed spectacularly.

Daniel Bryan must now go forward and challenge for the Royal Rumble. This storyline with Bray has taken his career to even greater heights, and he is arguably more over than any Superstar since the Attitude Era.

Bray will also reap the benefits from this. Bryan has helped him to move into the main event spotlight superbly. Although it will rumble on next week on Raw, the time is right for Bryan to go his own way.