Alex Riley, R-Truth and What Went Right on RAW Monday Night
Alex Riley’s face change may be one of the best things for RAW in some months.
While Nexus and their pursuit of John Cena was a great angle, there has been a steady slowness to the RAW program. With WrestleMania complete and pay-per-views not living up to everything they could be, Riley’s attack of The Miz is something to be thankful for.
Riley was not the only one who stood out on RAW. R-Truth took another step toward being a viable heel on RAW by making a statement in getting in the face of not only John Cena, but Bret “The Hitman” Hart.
R-Truth had a good thing going with his face turn and subsequent feud with John Morrison. But injuries to Morrison and a battle with Rey Mysterio that appears to be a mystery to fans of the WWE, left him needing another opponent that could raise his persona a bit. What better way than to get in the face of the WWE champion?
This led to a tag team match with CM Punk against Cena and Mysterio. The move did two things. The four men in the ring, along with a few other superstars that could get a push toward top-tier status, proved the WWE’s writers are concentrating on Cena, Punk, Truth and Mysterio to carry the RAW brand. Alberto Del Rio has to figure into this mix somehow, but for now, the four men will be the focal point of the championship run.
And The Miz, although mired in a potential feud with Riley, will certainly be a prominent figure in this championship tug-of-war regardless of what the RAW general manager said on Monday night.
Riley’s position reminds me of others who have taken a face turn in similar situations and could be something that happens between Mason Ryan and Nexus over the next few weeks. The angle this most represents is when David Von Erich was wrestling in Florida back in the early 80s with Dory Funk Jr. Funk turned on Von Erich, who was a young kid learning his craft in Eddie Graham’s territory.
It also has some of the same characteristics of Evolution’s split when Triple H and Batista met for the World Heavyweight Title. Triple H was demanding, degrading and militant, which led to Batista turning into a good guy and challenging his older mentor.
Actually, that could be more of a Ryan/Punk situation than anything else.
It remains to be seen if RAW will develop these angles. If the writers and hierarchy are looking for fresh entertainment, then they should put the interview skills of Cena and Punk to use and the speed and popularity of Mysterio and the changes in Truth’s character to better promotion while they try to decide what to do with characters such as Drew McIntrye, Kofi Kingston and Dolph Ziggler.
