What's poppin folks, RatedATB back at it again. I apologize to those that continually read this blog for not doing last weeks Raw but I didn't pay a whole lot of attention to it and didn't feel like rewatching it, but I'm back this week so without further ado...

Opening Segment
Not really what I would say the strongest way to open Raw. I think there is interest in a Punk/Laurinaitis match but at the same point Laurinaitis sucks on the mic. I don't mind the idea of a gauntlet match but I have a feeling Punk's going to be screwed and then be forced to drop the belt on next weeks Raw, especially with rumors suggesting the powers that be want the belt off Punk, which I feel is a mistake. The WWE hasn't really let his title run play out well enough to determine if he is in fact the reason the ratings have slumped. I think they just need to give him time, especially considering that all of the crowds seem to really be into him, especially Chicago.

Match #1 - Cody Rhodes vs. Booker T
Not too bad of a match in my opinion. Nothing to write home about but it it got enough time to actually be entertaining, and that's all you can ask for. I think these matches have done well for Rhodes seeing as they're a way to get him and the fans familiar with him being in the ring with top guys and I think Booker is the perfect guy to do it. Even if he lost tonight you know the feud isn't over and I'll be interested to see where it goes. I hope 2012 is an awesome year for Rhodes and a world title run would be great in my opinion. 2.5/5 for the match

Match #2 - Eve/Zack Ryder vs. Tyson Kidd/Natalya
Tyson Kidd on Raw?!? WOO WOO WOO! YOU KNOW IT! Wish this would be a weekly thing. Maybe he can get back together with Natalya, she'd be a good manager for him and vice versa, plus he'd be on Raw haha. Predictable end, kinda sad to see Kidd job like he did but this is where Ryder was this time last year so you never know. Same thing with Natalya, I'm curious why Beth wasn't there but it is weird not seeing them together. Oh well. 1/5 for the match.

Cena Calls out Kane
Well kinda. Instead we get Miz and Cena in a match. Well kinda. Instead we got a waste of time. Well kinda. Instead we got a really awesome return from Truth and a bad ass beat down. Funny how that works haha. Talk about a great way to return. Idk if they turned him face or what but I definitely liked what we got. And that's the truth!

Match #3 - Big Show vs Otunga
Now I've always hated Otunga, mainly because he is horrible on the mic and does not deserve the spot he has considering he's as green as he is. However these backstage segments have helped him and his mic skills and they have improved imo. I still don't like the guy, he doesn't deserve the spot he has, at least not this point in time, but as of right now I don't think he's ready. As for the match...what else did you honestly expect. I'm surprised they're continuing the feud with Show/Henry but I'm assuming it'll end at the Rumble and we'll get that triple threat that people have been expecting.

Del Rio's promo was ok, didn't think the Bella's really added anything but they never do so whatever. Kinda surprised they had him come out and say he was injured but I liked that they did. I also thought it was funny he said he was gonna be more "aggressive" but it's a good way for him to do so without it coming out of the blue so no complaints, hopefully he has a good year next year because I've really started to like ADR these last few months, he's definitely really good.

Match #4 - Gauntlet Match
Not too bad of a gauntlet match to be honest. Both matches were definitely fun to watch and I'm so glad Ziggler's getting a match next week for the belt. I even like the way they did it, it adds heat to Punk/Laurinaitis and I think they're doing well in the Rebel vs. Suit feud. 2/5 and 3/5 for the matches, they were definitely entertaining to watch.

Final Segment
Why people think Undertaker is playing Kane I'll never know. The face looks different, the body is bigger, there's no freaking tattoos and now we hear his voice...so stop saying it's Undertaker because it's not. That aside I think this was a very strong segment and an awesome way to end Raw. I read a blog a while back saying this storyline wasn't going to turn Cena heel but alter his character, and I agree. I think WWE realizes they don't have to turn him heel, he can stay face but cater to more than just kids just like he used to but still be the face of the company. Think about it, especially those who grew up in the attitude era, we grew up watching Austin and Rock as children, who were in no way pg, but we loved them as if we we're our age now. Wrestlers, and wrestling in general don't have to be child friendly in order to be PG. But that's just my two cents on the matter, as I've said before I love Cena's work ethic and him as a wrestler but I hate his character and it's more than stale.

Overall I'd say this was a really good Raw. Some great matches and decent promos always make for an entertaining Raw. I was hoping we'd get more of Barrett/Orton but oh well. I was also hoping they'd build just a little bit towards the Rumble but we still have like 4 weeks so hopefully we'll get some good build and we can finally get going on the most exciting time of the year. Also the it begins thing will be resolved and we have an awesome title match to look forward to, I'd say this weeks Raw did exactly what it needed to do and heightened interest into next week. So until next time it's been real, it's been fun, but it hasn't been real fun. Deuces.

P.S. I've got 5 bucks on Clay not debuting next week, who's in on that?