Hot off the heels of the raucus post-Wrestlemania 29 RAW, this week's show couldn't hold a candle to the energy that the crowd brought at the IZOD Center last week. With that said, we still need to take a look at 5 Things we learned from RAW this past Monday night!
5. CM Punk Walks Out
Probably the most engaging storyline of the week saw CM Punk walk out on the broadcast, mid-promo. This happened for a number of reasons, most likely of which is that the man is just beat up physically and needs some time off, so they have him seem distraught with his loss to The Undertaker, so much so that he chooses to leave. However, it's also been noted that he and WWE Creative have had some differences over the past month or so, so much so that he nearly did not perform at Wrestlemania 29. But in the end, whatever the case, the man deserves some time off. While it's certainly not in the best interest of the WWE product, it should pay off long-term when he returns sometime prior to SummerSlam.
4. Ryback Begins To Turn Heel
In a well produced, pre-taped backstage segment, Ryback laid out all the reasons why he has turned his back on John Cena. His story was actually fairly compelling, and it laid the groundwork for a match at Extreme Rules. While it's probably too soon to have Ryback take a run at the WWE Championship, there's really not much else to choose from in the way of opponents for Cena right now: and therein lies a greater problem that we will address shortly.
3. Being The World Heavyweight Champion Means Nothing
So Dolph Ziggler becomes The World Heavyweight Champion last week in one of the hottest segments that WWE RAW has broadcast in months, if not years. And this week, we are back to status quo, with Ziggler taking another loss at the hands of whomever Creative sees fit to try and put over. Ultimately, and somewhat hopefully, we will see Ziggler's title run pay off, but as of now it's the same old, same old but he's got the strap around his waist. WWE would be better served to make The World Heavyweight Champion the main star on SmackDown, should they continue to keep both shows on the air. In doing so, WWE could ultimately build to a champion vs. champion match between both shows down the road and reinvest in this title.
2. Not Enough Faces and Too Many Heels
If you take a closer look at the overall WWE roster, there's a disturbing trend developing: too many bad guys and not enough good guys. On the proverbial dark side you have everyone from Ryback to Big Show, to Swagger to The Shield and all the others in between. And on the other side there's just not enough good guy power to balance it all out. Kane and Daniel Bryan are a tag team, John Cena consistently gets booed though he is technically a face, and Randy Orton just isn't the main eventer he used to be. WWE dropped the ball and should have turned Cena heel, and had Ryback be the face, but we are afraid that ship has sailed; and the rest of the would-be players right now just aren't compelling enough, no matter which side of the fence they sit on.
1. The Phenom Will Wrestle on RAW Next Week
In an unusually brilliant move, WWE has advertised that The Undertaker will not only be at RAW next week in London, but that he will also COMPETE in a 6 man tag match against The Shield while paired with his brother and Daniel Bryan. This is a smart move by WWE to advertise his return ahead of time, and one can only hope that maybe this signals a minor return to performing for The Phenom. Finally we have a great reason to look forward to a post-Wrestlemania edition of RAW next week! Let's argue and discuss! On Twitter: @davyshrader