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WWE'S LOGIC HAS HURT INTEREST IN CM PUNK AND WADE BARRETT BOTH AND MORE

With the continued mishandling of the Nexus, it is somewhat amazing that they continue to maintain some relevancy on WWE television after all these months. Whenever it seems that the Nexus is dead and buried, something happens that makes you think that WWE is finally going to do something meaningful - only for such hopes to be dashed by the following week.

Following Wade Barrett’s defeat by John Cena at the Tables Ladders and Chairs pay-per-view, it seemed that all of the momentum for Barrett and the Nexus was dead once and for all. The only thing missing was John Cena packing the remaining members to OVW, just as Shawn Michaels and Triple H did a few years back to the Spirit Squad. To the surprise of myself and others, last week’s Raw finished with a shell shocker as CM Punk’s had aligned with the Nexus, with the assumption that he was indeed their new leader. Once again, the Nexus had me intrigued.

Unfortunately, that ended last night thanks to WWE’s inconsistent use of logic – or lack thereof – and overall flawed portrayal of characters.

I felt that things were going alright while CM Punk was delivering his promo about how the Nexus begged for his leadership, and how he would rule Monday Night Raw. CM Punk came across as a guy who is for real! When Wade Barrett's music hit and he came out, the only thing missing the classic ” business is about to pick up" line from Jim Ross. As a viewer, I'm expecting a confrontation between Barrett and Punk, though I am also wondering if there might be a swerve of some kind. Considering that Punk was wrestling John Cena at the moment the Nexus made their Raw debut back in June, you have to consider that maybe, just maybe, WWE is incorporating some use of long-term booking and that Punk was the one behind Nexus all along.

The excitement unfortunately did not last for long. The rest of Nexus came out, David Otunga began speaking, the annoying General Manager chimes in and we are left with a cluster of a mess. We were left with a situation where both Barrett and Punk think they are the rightful leaders, and instead of fighting for the opportunity to compete in that night's triple threat cage match to become the number one contender or the WWE Heavyweight Title, Punk opts to throw the opportunity away for the sake of not having to fight Barrett.

This had me absolutely livid. Why on earth would a wrestler forgo an opportunity to compete for the WWE Title? Vince Russo was correct when he once stated that titles in professional wrestling are just props. Nevertheless, these props play a significant role as they are supposed to be the ends to a means that is our competitive allusion – all of which makes pro wrestling what it is.

By the end of the night, Punk got the last laugh over Barret by costing him the title opportunity, and now Barrett is out of the Nexus. Punk is now the undisputed leader of the group, but at the expense of a world title opportunity. Is being the leader of the Nexus really more important than being WWE Champion?

If the Nexus truly is behind Punk and over Barrett, why would they all agree to let Barrett compete in the triple threat match in the first place? After the General Manager makes his announcement, why doesn't Nexus take out of Barrett, thus ensuring Punk competes in the number one contender's match that night?  Apparently, the WWE Title is only important to the Nexus when Barrett is their leader.

Any hope of WWE creative thinking outside the box was put to rest when they chose to ignore the convenient fact that Nexus made their Raw debut during a CM Punk match with Cena. Again, a missed opportunity to use freedom of creativity to their benefit!

The hope and optimism that I felt at the end of last week’s Raw is gone. What WWE essentially told us last night was that CM Punk himself is a boob because he cares more about going after John Cena – while having Nexus as his backup – than chasing the WWE Title.
Punk’s character looked like a joke, the Nexus have looked like one huge joke for months - they make a perfect fit! When booked against the company’s number one star who always comes on top, you have no reason to believe Punk has a legitimate chance at coming out ahead.

Other Observations from Raw...

• I really enjoyed Michael Cole and Josh Matthews together last night on commentary. However, the combination of a serious Cole morphing in and out of heel mode continues to be awkward. If WWE insists on having a heel presence in their commentary, why not utilize Jerry Lawler to the max and turn him heel again? He knows how to portray himself as a heel announcer. I ultimately don't think having your nerdy play-by-play guy act as a part-time heel is going to be groundbreaking.
• While I enjoyed the Miz and John Morrison WWE Title match last night, I was really hoping that it would not be a one and done act for their feud. WWE can do so much more with these two, and instead, they are absolutely afraid to give the ball to two young guys and let them run with it. Especially considering that the Royal Rumble match sells itself for the pay-per-view, why not build a solid feud around the two young guys and have the match at the PPV? 
• With Morrison's loss last night, I hope this doesn't mean he is back to being a midcard guy. I was disappointed that WWE did not at least follow through after the match with a backstage segment or an interview with him - anything that would indicate that he is important and that the fans should care about him. Right now, my impression is that WWE creative or Vince McMahon don't have confidence in him yet. That would be a shame.
• When I see that Santino Marella is going to wrestle, that is my cue to change the channel. Santino Marella and Vladimir Kozlov as tag team champions is just plain sad - for tag team wrestling and those watching.
• I continue to wonder how and when WWE will bring Triple H back. You know his return will somehow revolve around "King Sheamus." I was thinking during last night's cage match that it would had been cool to have Triple H do an Undertaker like vignette via the Titantron in order to scare Sheamus. As he is climbing the cage, the lights go dark for several seconds, followed by some evil laughter, and maybe a "Behold.... the King of Kings" line from Triple H's Kind of Kings theme song, then followed by more laughter until the lights suddenly go back on. On the screen, is a message stating that Triple H returns next week, in two weeks or at the Royal Rumble. The look on Sheamus' face would say it all. Regardless, Triple H's return will be a big deal and it is something WWE must use to their full advantage. If they announce his return for the Royal Rumble, that will help spike the buy rate. If they announce it for an upcoming Raw, it will spike that night's rating. Either way, WWE needs a spike in both areas, and I would argue more for pay-per-view.