WWE Monday Night Raw 1/2/2012 - The Good, The Bad And The Ugly

WWE seems to be under the impression that people boo Cena because they hate him, and I'm not totally sure that's actually the case. Some maniacs probably do have a pathological hatred for the guy, but for the majority of WWE's audience, I think the explanation is even simpler than that: they're bored.

This week, Cena opened Monday Night Raw. In an ideal world, that slot would be inhabited by, I don't know, maybe your WWE Champion CM Punk, but in and of itself Cena being in the first segment isn't the worst thing in the world. What was so grating about the segment, however, was that it was just more of the same from Cena, as he promised to stay true to his somewhat puzzling though I guess kind of admirable credo of "Hustle, Loyalty, Respect." I'm all for WWE trying to stoke the fires of anti-Cena sentiment while maintaining his current fanbase, but the last thing a promotion should ever want is people booing because they're bored.

After sitting through Cena's non-confrontation with his pyrokinetic therapist, Kane, patient viewers were rewarded with a pretty fantastic opening match: World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan vs. Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes. These are definitely two of my favorite guys currently working in WWE, and I'm having a blast watching them grow and develop - especially Rhodes, who if you had asked me months ago, I would have bet on him sinking without the mask gimmick.

The Champion vs. Champion match-up was an extremely solid bit of actual wrestling, with Rhodes repeatedly working over Bryan's left shoulder. Nothing groundbreaking, just the kind of well-thought-out, psychological performance that we should expect every time any wrestler on television gets into the ring. If I was being picky, I'd want Bryan to get a better win than a roll-up over Rhodes, especially going into his first Championship defense against Big Show on Friday, but the silver lining is that the finish kept Rhodes looking like a real threat as he continues to elevate the IC Title.

What initially turned me into an R-Truther (Is that a thing? Can we get that going?) was his absolutely psychotic heel turn. His crazy faces, bugged out eyes and jarring cadence all made him a believably terrifying presence, even when he wasn't wearing a CSA uniform. But now, since his return from a drug-related suspension, Truth has developed into a face and I'm becoming less and less thrilled about it.

There were a couple ways WWE could have gone with Truth's face turn. They could have kept him legitimately crazy - more a tweener than a full on face - and retained much of what made his character successful. Instead, they appear to be turning him into a comedy face, complete with knowing glances at the camera, animal impressions and fun interactions with kids in the crowd. I like comedy faces as much as (maybe more) than the next guy, but do we really need another Santino? Worst of all, I worry that this character development will result in a fast track to the promotion's purgatory, AKA WWE Superstars.

On a separate, but related note: How absolutely nutso is it that R-Truth's signature foreign object is an empty water bottle? The first time he used it I thought it was odd, seeing as it wouldn't, you know, really hurt anyone, but now that it's become part of his gimmick, I find it increasingly irritating. Is this a result of WWE's PG rating, a joke for someone in the back or just an amazing example of wrongheadedness?

Ever since he first debuted on WWE NXT I've dug Wade Barrett, and it's been upsetting to watch his potential get squandered in the fizzling out of the Nexus angle and the completely forgettable CORRE storyline. Even in his recent feud with Orton, which should have been elevating Barrett into a true main event talent, the wrestler has struggled to get well and truly over as a threat, largely due to the fact that Orton beats him up all the time, and that no one really understands what the "Barrett Barrage" actually is.

Apparently, the "Barrett Barrage" involves throwing a guy down a flight of stone steps - crude, yet effective - as seen last week on SmackDown during Barrett's match against Orton. With Orton out of the picture due to a real life injury, Barrett gets the heat for injuring him, and as a special bonus, even got to beat the holy hell out of Santino Marella - the traditional privilege of a rising heel. But as much as we dig the move, is there a worse finisher name in WWE than "The Winds of Change"?