On Monday Night Raw: January 23, 2012

I know it's very late, but here goes the Raw review for the January 23rd show:

In the ring                     12.5/20
CM Punk and John Cena vs. Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger:
Ziggler's in-ring charisma is impressive and I think his showing off really brings him to the next level. Cena mocking him was also a nice touch. The match was a good length and had all the usual tag team conventions (pin break ups and crawling to the corner for a tag). I like how once again Ziggler rolled Punk up with the help of Johnny Ace. It gives Ziggler momentum going into the Rumble.

Zack Ryder vs. Kane:
Kane destroyed Ryder again, making Ryder look extremely weak. I don't like Ryder getting little-to-no offence and being used as a pawn to further the Cena-Kane storyline. Terrible match that lacked balance. The only redeeming quality was chokeslamming Ryder through the stage. That was a cool spot.

Jinder Mahal vs. Sheamus:
Another week, another tussle between these two. Same moves in the ring. Same result. Sheamus gets 95% of the offense and wins with the brogue kick. Please WWE creative, think of new rivals for these two.

Brodus "Funkasaurus" Clay vs. Heath Slater:
A third straight one-sided match. No creativity here. Clay showed his limited in-ring skills and didn't even get to show any charisma or dance moves during the match, as it was less than 2 minutes long. Didn't help anyone or help to further build up Clay. Waste of time.

The Miz vs. R-Truth:
Finally, a match worthy of the viewer's time. both competitors got some offense and looked strong. They also got enough time to actually tell a story in the ring. Truth won with the "Little Jimmy (?)" move, knocking Miz out. Good match that was the right length for both competitors to get some shots in.

John Laurinitis vs. CM Punk:
The match didn't really happen, as Laurinitis said he couldn't wrestle. Punk then took out David Otunga, followed by a GTS to Laurinitis.


On the mic:                    8.5/10
I liked CM Punk's Steve Austin-esque promo to start the show. He used strong language to get his point across, but he doesn't have as much fire as Austin and he does ramble a bit too long all the time. His promo after the tag match was a lot better, though.

John Cena's interruption was short and sweet and he is showing that he is turning edgier and becoming a no BS competitor. It's a nice turn to not see him smile or play to the crowd.

John Laurinitis is also showing more skill on the mic. He is sounding more emotional and serious and he is making less verbal mistakes. Nice.

Jericho's Highlight Reel was absolutely perfect. It keeps the silent troll character going and drew more heat, but he gave the fans a bit of a tease by uttering one sentence: "This Sunday at the Royal Rumble, it's gonna be the end of the world as you know it." Ooooohhhh...cryptic. What's going to happen? And he brought out a t-shirt cannon!! Who doesn't want to see what his bizarre character does next?

Cena's mad face after Ryder got massacred was laughable. It was like a 6 year-old trying to look angry.

Miz showed some fire in his promo before his match with R-Truth. He's still got it, but Truth really outshone him with survey results. Classic! Truth is going to be champ one day.

Good little verbal battle between Punk and Laurinitis at the end of the show. I especially liked Punk's Vince MacMahon immitation.

Storylines:                    8/10
Ziggler's win over Punk with the help of Laurinitis again makes people really feel that Ziggler has a good shot at defeating Punk at the Royal Rumble, especially considering Laurinitis will be the ref. He looked even more like the imminent champion when he knocked out and stood over Punk at the end of the show.

Ryder being destroyed by Kane and Eve blaming John Cena help push Cena closer to a possible heel turn and I like the direction this storyline is going. Kane and Cena are going somewhere, but I will repeat that I don't like that it's at Zack Ryder's expense. Ryder is looking soft and people are quickly forgetting he was US Champion a few short weeks ago.

Why does Sheamus keep getting into the ring with Mahal when they are trying to build the Barrett-Sheamus feud? Put them in the ring together already!!

I liked how Miz became the #1 entrant in the Rumble by losing to R-Truth. Now the "awesome one" can go on a long run, only to be thrown out near the end of the Rumble match, thus elevating his character back to main-event status.

Finally, Laurinitis being forced to call the Punk-Ziggler title match at the Royal Rumble down the middle by HHH was an excellent twist, as it makes people wonder if Mr. Ace will be honest or still try to screw the champion. I can't wait to see Hunter and Laurinitis go at it next week. I am hoping they have secretly been in cahoots from the beginning.

Commentary:                    3/5
Same as every week. Some match calling. Some arguing and yelling. Nothing new or special.

Crowd:                     3/5
Not much fire in the crowd on this night. No sustained cheers really, until the end of the show.

Overall:                     35.5/50
This was a show with a few good promos, but the in-ring action left a lot to be desired. Too many short, one-sided non-matches. this was not a super get-ready-for-the-Royal-Rumbe-on-Sunday show, but it added some heat to the Cena-Kane and Punk-Ziggler-Laurinitis feud. Again I wish there was more build towards the Royal Rumble match itself and more promos and matches with Rumble implications. Finally, the crowd reaction was somewhat appropriate. A mild crowd for a mild show.