CM Punk still cannot muster up any respect from an injured John Cena, Daniel Bryan & Kane got a team name which was the best a bad trio, and WWE’s tag team division is finally becoming relevant again.

Last night’s Raw was just as engaging as last week, and once again it was all down to CM Punk and Paul Heyman. That’s not to say the likes of AJ and Mick Foley weren’t key, but once again John Cena ruined things for me with another lazy promo. Also, Daniel Bryan and Kane were made to be hilarious again (although the When Harry Met Sally homage was just too weird for this fan), and their reward was a team name as poor as Air Boom was. On the bright side, WWE now has a plethora of decent tag teams that I actually care about.

"They care about the moments that define us, and in my estimation... you need one more."

These are the words of Mick Foley towards 310 day (at the time of writing) WWE Champion CM Punk. Not only was it a damn good sound bite in an even better promo, but the ultimate statement that makes yet another John Cena versus CM Punk match a good idea. I said at the start of this review that Punk made Raw watchable this week and has done for months now.

Furthermore, I’m a huge CM Punk fan and I have no desire to hide that fact. I do, however, agree that Punk needs more than his impressive title run in order to cement himself as a WWE Legend for generations to come. We all know Punk has no desire to stick around for the length of time that Triple H, the Undertaker, and Ric Flair did. Also, he’s not the youngest superstar on the roster. I’m not at all implying that Punk is in his final run; rather I am making the point that a Hell in a Cell match could solidify Punk as WWE’s constant main event star in place of Cena.

I know what you’re thinking. Hell in a Cell isn’t the iconic match it once was, and the days of superstars free-falling from its roof are long gone. You’re right on both points, but a decisive win for Punk inside of Hell in a Cell against Cena might get John-boy to finally admit that Punk is better than him and step aside for the younger stars.

I’ve read things on websites such as this (if you’re reading this on www.ewrestlingnews.com) that Cena wants to change his gimmick (I’m not sure how drastic a change these reports reference, and as ever I take them with a pinch of salt), and I honestly think he has gotten lazy in the build to his matches as the year has gone on. You just have to look at the last month or so to see that Cena has started to simply tell lies in his promos (calling Punk a phony, stating that he stole the Macho Man elbow, and calling Punk’s title run an afterthought all spring to mind).

*I can only mark two times where Cena’s involvement in the WWE Championship picture was truly memorable. His rivalry with Edge was his best, whilst his feud with Orton was memorable for their Iron Man match.

My point is that whilst WWE is trying to paint the picture that Punk is the bad guy in this rivalry and he is now selling that to great effect, Cena should really be playing the heel role. Punk said it himself on Raw, Cena gets countless title shots and it is unfair on those in the back looking for their chance. The way I see it, this rivalry about respect is just a cleverly disguised way for Punk to take Cena’s spot without damaging the legacy of John-boy.

The inevitable Hell in a Cell match between the two will almost certainly not make Punk a legend, but it could (and should) spell the end of Cena’s main event status for the time being. I just hope WWE doesn’t put the title back into a standstill on the shoulder of the leader of the Cenation.

Team Hell No… My thoughts exactly

So this is what WWE have decided to name their newly-crowned, charismatic, and hilarious Tag Team Champions? I know it was better than the other two options and fitting for a tag team that clearly will not last whilst providing comedy, but I still don’t like it. This isn’t the main focus of this section, but I thought it would be a good place to start.

Whilst Kane and Daniel Bryan spent the night being shown on the big screen making the fans laugh, the WWE Universe was left all of five minutes to name the “most bipolar” tag team in WWE. It could have been better, but at least WWE are putting some real emphasis on their tag team division.

Last night we were given two potential tag teams for Team Hell No to defend against, in the form of The Prime Time Players and the newly-formed Rhode Scholars (consisting of Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow.

I like the way that the PTP are going about their return to being number one contenders (having been robbed of it to begin with), whilst the Rhode Scholars seem to be there to turn the champions into a truly babyface tag team.

I think there is more to come before HiaC, due to the epic (and awesome) abuse Kane and Bryan delivered to pretty much every tag team (which I coincidentally listed in last week’s blog) on SmackDown. I personally haven’t paid so much attention to the tag team division since DX and JeriShow were at its forefront.

In other news…

Dolph Ziggler def. Kofi Kingston – I’m still not sure what WWE is hoping to accomplish by having Ziggler face countless mid-carders early in the show, but at least it was a fast-paced and entertaining match.

The Prime Time Players def. Santino Marella & Zack Ryder – I’m glad the PTP dominated this match.

Ryback def. The Miz – I was hoping for more of a contest here, but I’m more interested in why Ryback gave Punk the stare at the close of the night. Biting off more than he can chew?

Wade Barrett def. Tyson Kidd – I expected the result, but I like the name ‘Souvenir’ for that elbow.

Michael Cole interviewed a recovering Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler – It’s good to see Lawler getting better.

Sin Cara, World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus & Rey Mysterio def. Ricardo Rodriguez, Alberto Del Rio & David Otunga – It was a good match, but I’m pretty sick of the Sheamus/ADR saga now.

Divas Champion Eve & Beth Phoenix def. Layla & Alicia Fox, a blonde was named by Kaitlin as her attacker – Expect to find out that Eve was wearing a wig in the weeks to come…

Tensai def. Brodus Clay via DQ, Big Show attacked both – I’m not sure what Big Show’s aim here is, but hopefully it’s more interesting than what he’s been doing all year long.

Another enjoyable episode of Raw, and another ending which left me wondering what to expect next week. Punk once again stole the headlines, and the tag team division is looking better than it has for years.

I have no real complaints about this week, just questions…

Why is Big Show targeting two mid-carders? What will make CM Punk take Cena up on his challenge? And why is Ryback so interested in Punk?

I hope you enjoyed this week’s review, and until next week follow me on Twitter (@SpringerAJ) and use #YYYTRR.