Tha Raw Report

Before I get into WWE, I have to give credit where credit is due. Huge O to Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints for breaking the record for passing yards in a season. For a guy whose career was seriously in question following a torn rotator cuff and a kick out the door from the San Diego Chargers, it's nice to see him thrive like this. As big as that O is, an even bigger No goes out to all the analysts who want to shortchange Brees' record, citing how passing is so much easier in today's NFL. I know there have been major changes to the game since 1984, but if passing is that much easier, why did it still take 27 years for someone to break the record?

Now on to "Raw". For starters, I'm not buying into Laurinaitis as the GM. As much as I enjoyed making CM Funk jokes when he ripped off Punk's entrance to begin "Raw", I can't help but be bored when he's on my TV. He gets so much heat without even trying. Normally, that's a good thing, because if you get heat without even trying, you tend to make a great heel. But that's the problem. He genuinely does not appear to be trying. For a guy who is as hated by WWE crowds as Johnny Ace, he should absolutely be an over-the-top tyrant on a total power trip. But I don't get that vibe from him. Instead, I get the vibe of a clueless schmuck who kind of wants to abuse his power but doesn't have the balls to go all out. I can't help but wonder if that's by design, given his reputation backstage, but if that's the case, it's a stupid idea. Let him become a tyrant and it will add a lot to the product, as well as to Punk's character.

Speaking of Punk, it's hard to imagine a better way for a heel to get heat than to pin Punk in Chicago. I'm one of many people who believe Ziggler is a big part of the future of WWE, and while I don't think his time has come to be the WWE Champion, I think it's smart to at least have him in a title match every now and then until he is ready. If he looks good, even in losses, that will help elevate him and make him look more legit when he finally does win. And we've all seen what happens when WWE puts the title on someone with no build-up beforehand (see: The Miz).

Speaking of The Miz, he was assaulted by a returning R-Truth tonight. Truth continued to play up the psychotic gimmick. I don't know how well that will work with him as a face, but I'm at least interested in seeing where it goes, because I was actually pretty entertained by his rant last night. Maybe it's because I'm a terrible person, but to me there's entertainment value in a character who just acts batshit crazy all the time. His Little Jimmy rants started to grow on me after a while when he turned heel earlier this year.

Kane cut one of the better promos of his career last night. However, following the Kane/Cena confrontation, I'm convinced that Cena will not turn heel. I know it's another golden opportunity, and it would make sense and would make money, but it seems like we say that at least once per year ever since 2006. There have been too many chances to do it, and it's now to the point where WWE can tease a Cena heel turn all they want, but I don't buy into it anymore. Of course, the irony of this is that the booking on Cena has become heel booking anyway. He never loses, to the point where it's a huge deal and the crowd comes unglued when he does lose. Sounds like how a heel gets booked, doesn't it?

I'm sure that ultimately, Cena will choose to "rise above hate" and bury Kane in a feud. Would I like to be wrong? Of course. There's so much money to be made and so many new programs to be created by turning Cena heel, just like when Batista finally turned heel in late 2009. It's just that I've seen this kind of situation enough times before to feel like WWE will, once again, fail to pull the trigger.

Lastly, some quick hits. Booker T looked impressive in the ring last night. He's still got a ton o gas left in the tank. Also, there was a Tyson Kidd sighting on "Raw" last night. Here's hoping this means a feud with Zack Ryder in the near future.

Raw Results:
*Booker T def. Cody Rhodes
*Zack Ryder & Eve def. Tyson Kidd and Natalya
*Big Show def. David Otunga by DQ
*John Cena def. The Miz by count-out
*CM Punk def. Jack Swagger
*Dolph Ziggler def. CM Punk; Ziggler is #1 Contender for WWE Championship

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