WWE Raw 09/26/11: The Good, the Bad and The Meh

Tonight's Raw came from Kanas City, Missouri.    I assume you've seen it.  If not, check out Kaleb Kelchner's recap.  More or less, the "hard sell" show for the upcoming "Hell In A Cell" PPV on Sunday.  Did they crush it? Let's see.

The Good:

+  Opening segment.  Nice video package for The Miz and R-Truth.  I liked the idea of "fining" Henry, and protecting the officials like in other sports.  I guess Ziggler is still heel, but he brought it on the stick tonight.  Rhodes as good as well.  Christian continues to channel his inner Alberto Del Rio for tiresome gimmicks.    Crowd was hotter than usual (as of late) for the opening, which helps a lot. Fun segment overall, with Rhodes came across with the most sack of the mid-card heels.

+ Battle Royal.  Could have used a few more minutes, but told the necessary stories in a mass orgy of eliminations, and got Rhodes over as needed to look really strong after the beating he took on Friday.   Ultimately, Bryan got his vengeance on Cara, DiBiase and Rhodes did their thing, and Zeke and Sheamus told a quick tale, while Christian and Sheamus got some development as well.   Nice job by Christian in the close up with Sheamus asking him "How it felt to not win a title, huh!?".  

+ Henry/Khali segment.  Henry did a nice job here and quick show of strength for him.  Not much to really say on it otherwise.

+ Cena/Christian.  Not a bad opening speech by Cena that did what was necessary.  All right match with Christian/Cena, but going through the motions.  Nice job by Punk on commentary.  Del Rio is really incapable of generating any heat what so ever.  Was flat tonight on the mic honestly.  Still though, was necessary for the PPV sell.  In that capacity, it was all right.  Not great, but not "meh," either.

+ Ziggler/Ryder and Six Man tag. More or less an opening and closing of the story.  First match didn't amount to much with Ziggy dominating, and Ryder playing underdog.  Too quick to tell a story,   The follow up was better action, Ryder returning the pin to Ziggler, and the re-introduction of Ryan to Raw.   Overall, fun segment.  Good potential for a Ziggler/Swagger tag team.

+ Undercard mutiny? A nice show long hook with the mid card talent getting together on their "situation."  Overall, something necessary to bridge the gap next week.  I wonder if they will be segueing to Vince or Lauri/Trips building to Vengeance?  Nice to see Otunga pick up some character depth.

+ Punk/Del Rio.  Good storytelling overall, solid TV main event.    Cena was flat, almost nasally on commentary like he had a cold.  Little surprised they ended on a roundhouse, but I guess they needed emphasis on Punk's striking ability, particularly with the lethality of his kicks(?)  Appropriate ending sequence as well.  Overall, fun stuff.

The Meh:

~ Divas Tag Match.  Was necessary to re-establish some credibility for Natalya and Beth.  Quick match, not much else to say.  Nasty looking submission by Natalya. 

~ PPV Sell.  Overall, pretty formulaic hype for the PPV, but you can't really fault them for going by the book on a short cycle.  It actually wasn't bad, but nothing jumped out aside from the playing on the history of Punk and Cena.  That is what will sell the main event in New Orleans.

The Bad:

- No other Raw match?  I'm a little surprised they didn't announced a match for Ziggler given the multiple angles he is involved in.  Swagger/Ziggler could have been a fascinating match up, but I guess no reason to give it away on a short build cycle.  Ryder/Ziggler isn't done, but there is no reason to redo a match at the PPV that was just given away on TV.

Miscellaneous Thoughts:

Anal bleeding trending on twitter is awesome.

Otunga and Christian need to form a tag team.  Legal Beagles?

Khali went from evil jobbing monster to face playboy jobber in a span of a week. 

"I look like a clown?  You're half naked."

How in the hell is ADR's lack of HIAC experience an advantage?  Explain that one to me.

Overall Grade:  B+

Overall, this was a fun show, definitely doing was it supposed to, albeit on the rather "by the book" basis with the faces being beaten down by the bad guys.  Del Rio lost a little credibility with Punk knocking him out, but what can you do?  You can't give away the best moments on TV all the time.

That said, they progressed in some angles while holding some in reserve (Ziggler/Swagger/Vickie) that they'll advance next week.  Pretty much a solid few hours of TV.  Good popcorn show actually.