WWE Raw Supershow 12/19/11: Analysis, Grade and Minutiae

The WWE Raw Supershow originated in Philadelphia, PA. The WWE was coming off of a hot TLC pay-per-view that resulted in two title changes, a "Money In The Bank" cash-in and a hotly contested triple-threat TLC match.

The road to WrestleMania 28 began with the build towards the Royal Rumble. 

On it's merits, this should have been a hot show.  Let's see how they did.

The Good

- Opening Segment: Any variation on the usual booking of the opening segment is a good idea. Punk hijacking anything is usually a good idea as well, so the two go hand in hand. Punk recapping the events of TLC was a nice call.

Punk putting over Ryder wasn't really necessary, but it was a nice touch. Bryan getting the rub, on the other hand, was needed. The crowd was dead for a majority of the segment. Bryan displayed some nice intensity during the segment.

That the heels came out was expected and the fallout didn't deviate from the formula. The segment was a little plodding in parts, but it accomplished what it needed to do.

- Orton vs. Barrett: I'm surprised they gave it away so soon after the pay-per-view. They hit their usual spots in the opening portion. Barrett looked like he kicked Orton's teeth out on the rope-assisted Big Boot.

There was enough variation in their usual matches to keep it interesting. The ending was appropriate, as was Barrett's post-match beat down of Orton. A good TV match.

- Cena promo: The promo started off with Cena's usual schtick about WrestleMania. After that, Cena began to address Kane and called him out.

Henry rolled out instead and was visibility limping. Henry cut a good promo. Kane interrupting was appropriate and Cena's beatdown served it's purpose while still keeping the avenues for a Henry vs. Kane feud open. This was actually a pretty good segment.

- Rhodes vs. Marella: This was just an enhancement match for Cody, but Marella got enough offense to keep it from being a wash.

One thing I liked was that Cody's recent booking was a variation on his victories. At TLC, he finished Booker with his Beautiful Disaster. He finished off Marella on Monday night with an Alabama Slam. The finishes like this keep the matches from being too formulaic.

- Big Show promo: The big guy had a nice tease of a heel turn tonight where he discussed his "mistakes" in encouraging Bryan to cash in his briefcase on Henry a few weeks ago. Good promo by him.

- "It Begins" videos:  I'd be lying if I said I wasn't intrigued. Jericho? Sheffield? Undertaker? Who?

- Bryan, Ryder and Punk vs. Del Rio, Ziggler and The Miz:  Unique entrance by the face team. Punk, Bryan and Ziggler had a nice sequence where they hit their signature leaps to the outside. The match used a bit of a variation on the usual booking for the six-man tag matches and had some good use of the existing feuds.

A few creative spots and the heavy use of Bryan were good bits of booking. Bryan getting Del Rio to tap out to the LeBell Lock was nice. Good pop for the finish. Match of the night.

The Meh

- Mahal vs. Sheamus: Mahal looked good in the opening of the match before Sheamus reverted to form and dominated the second portion. There wasn't enough time to really do anything as far as a story.

For the record, I like Sheamus and love his potential. With that said, the random squash matches he gets are beginning to wear thin. Either feud him with a credible opponent or turn him heel again.

- Crowd reaction: I was expecting more from the Philly crowd. I guess it was just me. 

The Bad

- Fox vs. Phoenix: So Beth destroyed Kelly Kelly last night. Her reward? Jobbing to Fox. The post-match promo served no point either. It was just an awful waste of time and Beth has lost all credibility.

- Epico and Primo vs. The Usos: A standard tag match between these four men. The catch is that they did this last week with the same result in even less time.

I like The Usos for a number of reasons. It's a pity they keep jobbing to whatever random teams the WWE throws at them. For the record, Epico and Primo were given the "jobber entrance" tonight.

- Lack of PPV sell: The WWE labels the Royal Rumble as the official start on the road to WrestleMania. The lack of mention for the upcoming PPV was odd. They still have time I suppose, but I would have launched it Monday night.

- Michael Cole: I'm not really sure what Michael Cole's deal is. He did a good job calling TLC last night. He was extra annoying Monday, particularly during the main event.

I don't mind babyface or heel commentators—provided they add to the program. He and Lawler were a massive distraction tonight. 

Miscellaneous Thoughts

Punk couldn't make the ROH/ECW mentions more overt without shooting.

Orton has no variation in his "Five Moves of Doom."  Give Cena some credit in that he varies it up a bit. There is no deviation for The Viper.

Alicia Fox = Foxxy Love from Drawn Together.

So, was there any point to Mahal vs. Sheamus?

"What I'm about to say maybe shocking. Some people don't like me."  No, really?

I hope the "Sexual Chocolate" was trending. I doubt the WWE would mention that though.

The Usos have the most expensive jobber entrance in the WWE.

A silent Hornswoggle is better than an "Ebonicking" Hornswoggle.

Bryan getting Del Rio to tap out was, somehow, poetic.

Overall Grade:  B-

The "Hey! This is D-Bry!" edition of Raw was an alright show. The creativity—by pushing Daniel Bryan and Zack Ryder—was a nice twist on the usual booking in these situations. Big Show teasing a heel turn, two solid matches with Barrett vs. Orton and the main event helped matters as well.

The Divas division is largely a waste of time and the squash matches for Sheamus are getting tedious. The tag match never really connected with me for some reason. This wasn't as strong a show as it could have been, but it was a passable affair.

Check out Kaleb Kelchner's live blog for the run down on the action.