By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

Before we get into Raw, I need to shoot down what I feel is a huge misperception. A few of the internet commentators/columnists that I follow have been crying foul over Daniel Bryan and Kane winning the tag team titles. Their mindset is that their comedy skits are the equivalent of “wiping your ass with the belts.”

Oh, you mean the belts that have been virtually meaningless for at least the last five years?

Alright, that’s a little harsh. For about a year now, WWE has been making an obvious effort to revitalize their tag team division. Teams like Primo & Epico, the Prime Time Players, and Kofi Kingston & R-Truth have been trying hard to make tag team wrestling a vital part of the weekly shows again. Their efforts certainly haven’t gone unnoticed or unappreciated as far as I’m concerned. But from where I sit, this stuff with Daniel Bryan and Kane is simply taking what those other teams have done and elevating it to the next level. For the first time in years, the tag team champions have main event caliber star power. They’re not there because a promotion is obligated to have tag champs, and they’re not there as part of a week-long stunt or something. The tag team titles are now more important and more brightly spotlighted than they’ve been in years, because Daniel Bryan and Kane have them. The same principle was in effect when The Rock and Mankind wore the belts in 1999. And what’s more, their skits are actually funny! Plus, in theory, the team that takes the belts off Daniel Bryan and Kane will have more momentum on their side because they beat “Team Hell No.” Okay…I’ll admit, that is a really stupid name.

In short, these comedy skits are simply the next step in the re-emergence of tag team wrestling in WWE. Or at least that’s what they could be. God knows, WWE could always screw it up…

Thoughts From Raw: 

- It’s always awesome to see Mick Foley. He’s one of my favorite promo guys of all time, and it was great to see him in the ring with another one of my favorite promo guys, CM Punk. In terms of his mic work, Mick is undoubtedly one of the most versatile wrestlers I’ve ever seen. He can make you laugh, he can make you cry, he can rev you up, he can make you love him or hate him. He’s not always as loud and boisterous as somebody like The Rock or Ric Flair, but that’s one of the things I like about him. As great a promo guy as Flair was, he always did more or less the same thing. Ditto for Rocky. With Foley, you were never quite sure what you’d get. And that’s one of a great many reasons why we love him.

- My buddy Adam Testa, who co-operates All American Pro Wrestling in southern Illinois, had this to say about John Cena’s new pink wardrobe last night: “WWE forces CM Punk to stop wearing his pink trunks so John Cena can wear pink gear to support cancer research. One week later, they have Cena say ‘Real men wear pink.’ Maybe real men wear it the other 11 months of the year, too, Mr. Cena.”

- I really wish Punk had taken a shot at Cena for that “monkey frankin’ ship sinkin’ son of a bee sting” line. No matter how tough your tough guy voice is, that one’s just not going to work out.

- I’m liking what I’ve been seeing from Wade Barrett since his return, especially since he got rid of that awful “I don’t care what you think of me!” theme music. Playing up his bare knuckle fighting background will work to his advantage. That being said, contrary to what some fans are chanting, I’m NOT hoping for a Nexus reunion.

- How amazing was that somersault over the top rope by Kofi Kingston? He landed on his FEET! I’m tellin’ ya, Kofi could be such a star if he could just make the right connection with the crowd on the microphone. He came so close a few years ago when he worked with Randy Orton, but it just wasn’t his time. But as long as he keeps having great matches like the one he had with Dolph Ziggler tonight, he’ll always be in the hunt to reach up and grab that brass ring as a singles wrestler.

- Miz and Ryback did a nice job of playing up the latter’s amazing strength. It was short, but sweet. I’m a bit disappointed they had Ryback pin Miz cleanly. I’d have liked to see Miz get the crap kicked out of him, and then run away. In any event, this is likely leading up to an Intercontinental Title match at Hell in a Cell, which would be difficult to predict.

 Hey! How about that! We actually got to see a Tensai and Brodus Clay mix it up a little bit! They kept it short and sweet, as they likely needed to, and put together a pretty solid outing until the returning Big Show ruined things.

Front page image from ringsidenews.com. All other images from WWE.com.