WWE Raw recap: CM Punk delivers as triple-threat match develops

• Santino Marella continued to be the butt of a very-extended bad joke, as he was once again destroyed by Alberto Del Rio. Yes, the number-one contender to the World Heavyweight championship should be able to defeat the United States champion, but a win over Marella means nothing, as he hasn't won a significant match in ages. It's been said time and time again, but the belt needs to come off him. Post-match, Del Rio cut a promo refusing to compete in any match between now and SummerSlam if the world title isn't on the line. His argument makes sense, and it will be interesting to see if he manages to make it to the pay-per-view without another televised match. I'd bet no.

• The match between Titus O'Neil and Kofi Kingston wasn't anything too special. O'Neil seems like he may be better suited for tag team competition at this stage in the game. The match was also short and ended with shenanigans with Abraham Washington, so it never got much of a chance to develop. Also, WWE was promoting video of the Prime Time Players interrupting a Rosa Mendes photo shoot, so it seems O'Neil and Darren Young are feuding simultaneously with Kingston and R-Truth and Primo and Epico. A three-way tag would have potential to be quite good if given the proper time and attention.

• Damien Sandow jumped Brodus Clay after an awful dance segment that also featured Vickie Guerrero. Sandow got more offense on Clay than anyone other than Big Show ever has. This is a program I can get invested in, so long as it doesn't result in quick squash victory for Clay. Their characters make sense to pair against each other, and this could be a good rivalry for both men, at least for the short term.

• Tensai defeated Tyson Kidd to avenge a loss very few people probably even remembered happened. The match was quick and saw Tensai dominate, but he didn't stop the assault afterward, forcing the referee to reverse the decision. He then took it out on Sakamoto. These would be fine storyline advancements, except for the fact it's been several weeks since any of this story has played out on television. But if it gets Kidd on television, it at least has a silver lining.

• Daniel Bryan punting Little Jimmy from the ring brought back memories of Snitsky and Lita's baby. Too bad Bryan's breakdown led to the nice men in white suits coming to take him away -- at AJ's request. The backstage segments with Bryan and the therapist were entertaining, and continued to hint at some kind of tension brewing between the superstar and Charlie Sheen.

• Randy Orton returned from his suspension to squash Heath Slater. He's now in the elite company of Lita, Bob Backlund and Diamond Dallas Page. It's almost a shame to know Orton will get pushed almost immediately, as it kind of lessens the gravity of his suspension.

• A new Smackdown general manager will be named on Friday's show. Please not Teddy Long; please not Teddy Long; please not Teddy Long...

Match Rundown

Alberto Del Rio d. Santino Marella Sheamus d. Daniel Bryan in a street fight Titus O'Neil d. Kofi Kingston Randy Orton d. Heath Slater Chris Jericho and Christian d. The Miz and Dolph Ziggler Tensai d. Tyson Kidd John Cena and the Big Show wrestled to a double victory

My Take

Tonight's episode of Raw seemed to drag on. That's not to say it was bad by any means. There were many positives on the show, but there was also room for improvement. Many people were expecting more - and longer - matches on the show, and we got that to a degree, but there's still room for more. It was also surprising to see no divas on the show, even in backstage vignettes. Overall, Raw was a solid effort, but WWE needs to focus on keeping the show engaging for its new full three-hour duration.

Ring Posts' Adam Testa has teamed up with My 1-2-3 Cents (www.my123cents.com) and All American Pro Wrestling (www.aapwrestling.com) to bring you From the Rafters Radio,(www.facebook.com/RaftersRadio) a weekly pro wrestling talk radio show airing from 8-10 EST every Thursday on Monster Radio 1150 AM in Southern Illinois and streaming worldwide on wggh.net (www.wggh.net).