Monday Night Raw Warm Up for October 24th, 2011

Last night, WWE Vengeance took over screens around the world via pay-per-view. A card stacked with championship matches surprisingly didn’t see any titles change hands. This doesn’t mean there isn’t anything to talk about heading into tonight’s edition of Monday Night Raw as tensions will be running high among John Cena, C.M. Punk, Triple H, The Miz, R-Truth and the returning Kevin Nash.

PTB: It’s a bit unfair to judge this show without having seen the matches, but the only result that really stands out on paper is the no-contest finish between Mark Henry and The Big Show. It’s a good way to keep Henry as champion without immediately handing Big Show a loss upon his return.

Brian: So happy to see no titles changed hands.  The last few months have been ridiculous.

PTB: The superplex to destroy the ring looked fun, but it’s hard not to think of the fact that we’ve seen this happen before with The Big Show and Brock Lesnar. Doesn’t make it bad though. I also can’t help but wonder if Big Show was going for the missile dropkick we’ve heard about him hitting in the past. It would fit with his W.M.D. gimmick.

Brian: I was starting to write how it annoyed me that they pulled the exact same stunt, but you have to put it into perspective.  The last time that happened was well over 7 years ago.  Could they have done it differently?  Absolutely.  Both men could have gone through the mat.  Would the affect been the same?  Probably not.

PTB: While the other results didn’t really change the status quo or see any titles change hands, there were some interesting outcomes. Obviously the return of Kevin Nash and his attack on Triple H is the most significant. This isn’t exactly an unexpected appearance, but I am really happy that they waited a while before pulling Nash back in. I’m sure he’ll appear by John Laurinaitis’ side tonight on Raw.

Brian: Thank goodness they waited.  They really rushed the C.M. Punk anti-establishment angle and blew what could have been months of good TV.

PTB: Much like Nash affected the outcome of Triple H and C.M. Punk’s tag team match, their opponents, The Miz and R-Truth, had an impact on John Cena’s WWE title match with Alberto Del Rio. The Last Man Standing stipulation accommodated this outcome, but it muddies the rivalry waters among the main eventers.

Brian: I thought that everything would be pretty clear for the next couple of months, but I don’t even think WWE creative has any idea what to do until hours before the show.

PTB: I was a little surprised to see Dolph Ziggler booked in two matches on the card. It’s a real vote of confidence from WWE management. His Twitter war with Zach Ryder (@ZackRyder versus @HEELZiggler) is a good example of WWE exploration into social media.

Brian: Apparently, they’ve been high on him for a while. I think he’s just starting to hit his stride. I’ve been enjoying him, minus the name.

PTB: I was expecting a heel turn from Kelly Kelly last night as Eve took on Beth Phoenix. It didn’t happen but Kelly was unable to accompany Eve to the ring after an earlier attack by Beth and Natalia. I still think this is a step in that direction.

Brian: I’m hoping this leads to more wrestling lessons for KK!

PTB: Before we wrap up, I didn’t have a chance to hear your thoughts about either of the Mexico City shows last week. The crowds seemed really into what they were seeing and I think that always makes the show better.

Brian: Having a red hot crowd always makes anything look good.  I was really impressed by the Miz/CM Punk match on Raw.  It’s amazing what can happen when you give 2 guys more than 5 minutes in the ring.

PTB: Smackdown featured a mask versus mask match between the two Sin Caras that I was surprised didn’t make it to the pay-per-view. I’m actually glad they put something special on the card given the rich history of masked wrestling in Mexico, but it could have had more attention.

Brian: I’m glad you asked about this.  I was totally against the mask vs mask match.  I get that they wanted to do something big in Mexico and the mask vs mask match is the ultimate culmination of a feud.  To me, the angle was poorly written up until that week and this special match seemed rushed.

If they would have come out with the explanation that they gave on Smackdown about the “long standing” feud between these two guys a week or two after Sin Cara “Negro” appeared, the buildup would have been so much better.  Then, they simply announced on Monday that the match would happen.  Why not have Sin Cara “Azul” lay down the challenge and make it exciting? Poor execution on something that could have been really amazing.

Below is a complete run down of results from last night’s WWE Vengeance. All photos courtesy of WWE.com.

• Alberto Del Rio defeated John Cena in a Last Man Standing match to retain the WWE Championship
• Randy Orton defeated Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes
• The Miz & R-Truth defeated Triple H & CM Punk
• Sheamus defeated Christian
• Beth Phoenix defeated Eve retaining WWE Divas Championship
• Dolph Ziggler defeated Zach Ryder to remain the WWE U.S. Champion
• Mark Henry remains World Heavyweight Champion after a no-contest with The Big Show
• Air Boom (Evan Bourne and Kofi Kingston) defeated Jack Swagger and Dolph Ziggler to remain WWE Tag Team Champions