Raw is flipped this week.  Alberto Del Rio comes out on the opposite side, the Cole mine has been flipped and the hard camera is on the other side of the ring.  Will this Bizzaro arrangement lead to a bizzaro episode?  We shall see.

Del Rio wants another shot at a world title and challenges John Cena.  Rey Mysterio has a rebuttal.  The Miz brings a third opinion with him.  Maybe Teddy Long will come out and let the fans vote on this.  R-Truth wants to be screwed out of another title shot.  Truth takes twice as long to make half the point as the others.  The GM sends two emails announcing a three way match for the number one contender spot.  R-Truth doesn’t get a spot.  Oh, I bet he attacks someone and takes their position!  Miz and Del Rio exchange punches and the assistants get into it as well.  Mysterio caps it off with an over the top rope splash onto Alberto.

Brie Bella (Divas Champion) and Nikki Bella vs. Eve Torres and Kelly Kelly

All these years later and Kelly still looks awkward running the ropes.  A Bella gets the roll up but Kelly reverses it for the pin.  Quick match.  I don’t think Eve got in the ring at all.  Its all to set up Kharma though.  The Bellas are outside the ring hiding, which might make this the first time Kharma attacks a face.  The Bellas run away.  Kharma almost gets sneak attacked but drops Eve with one swing.  Kelly runs away and that leaves Eve all alone to take the force of the Implant Buster.

Mason Ryan (with CM Punk) vs. Kane (1/2 tag team champions, with the Big Show)

After Mason’s freak level strength was shown off last week, he gets this one on one match.  Ryan hits a powerful clothesline and throws Kane over his shoulder with all the effort a towel would take a normal man.  Ryan distracts the referee for just long enough to allow Punk to kick out Kane’s leg.  Big Show doesn’t appreciate this and knocks out Punk for his troubles.  The rest of Nexus runs out to attack the tag team champions and this match is over by DQ.  Mason gets a double chokeslam and that proves to be more grip strength than he can break.

Santino Marella vs. Dolph Ziggler (with Vickie Guerrero)

I still think Dolph stood out better with the bleached blonde hair.  His skills cant be questioned though, and this looks like a match that Santino has no hope of winning.  All attention is focused on Santino setting up the camera, but all that happens is Dolph hitting one of the loudest and most picture perfect dropkicks in some time.  One Zig Zag to make sure there is no doubt over the outcome and Ziggler gets the pin.

Scott Stanford interviews R-Truth and the best way to get your new heel over is of course to make sure that even the interviewers aren’t scared of him.  John Cena is on his way to the ring but not before having a warm up fist pumping session with the biggest secret in all of television, Zack Ryder.

Miz and Alex Riley discuss the events of last week.  Wasn’t Riley drafted to Smackdown?  Anyways, A-Ri says he’ll make this up to the Miz and Alex goes walking around the backstage area.  Riley comes down to the ring to no music, because the Miz isn’t with him.  The graphic also says “Raw Zone”.  I had totally forgotten that Raw is technically, as far as ratings go, two different shows.  Riley challenges Cena to a match because the only person Alex loves is the Miz.  I’m sure that didn’t sound nearly as bad on paper.

Alex Riley vs. John Cena (WWE Champion)

Lawler says that Alex’s plan has gone “awry”.  Oh, word plays are fun!  There is never any doubt about this match.  Miz comes out to watch and thus Riley now gets two Attitude Adjustments.  But the Miz’s bitch might kick out of that!  So Cena locks on an STF for good measure and John Cena wins this difficult battle.

Michael Cole segment of the week.  Which, again, I refuse to watch.

Jack Swagger vs. Kofi Kingston (US Champion)

Its sad that Swagger is so talented and yet is tainted by his association with Cole.  Its a well wrestled match but nothing that breaks through to have that massive connection with the fans.  Kofi tries to skin the cat and gets caught with an ankle lock, which was an original move.  Kingston’s legs aren’t working well for him after this and that removes the majority of Kofi’s arsenal.  Jack is about to pick up  victory when Jerry Lawler returns to ringside.  This distracts Swagger and allows Kofi to hit Trouble in Paradise for the win.  Lawler comes down and attacks Michael Cole as best he can through the Cole Mine.  Jerry grabs hold of Cole’s tie and runs his face into the Plexiglass.  I couldn’t wish more that I had skipped that entire segment.  Poor Kofi for  being brought down by association.

Alberto Del Rio vs. Rey Mysterio vs. The Miz.  Number One Contenders Match.

Everyone is expecting something to happen in this match to make it irrelevant.  Mostly waiting for R-Truth to come out and screw things up.  A good ten minutes or so into the match and the fans realize that Truth isn’t coming and this match will actually matter.  The crowd comes alive when it looks like Rey Mysterio might win it.  As Rey has Del Rio pinned Riley pulls ADR out from the ring.  Mysterio is upset and focuses all his attention on the Alex Riley, forgetting that where there is Riley there is also Miz.  The Miz sneaks in and rolls up Rey for the pin.  The Miz is the new number one contender.

John Cena comes out to break up Miz’s celebration.  Cena announces that their match will be an “I Quit” match.  John said their match wont have any submissions.  Well, a submission is a good way to get a guy to say they quit, but I think I understand where he was coming from.

Everyone forgets that Rey is still in the ring, except for R-Truth, who sneaks in through the crowd and lays out Mysterio.

That’s where Raw ends.  Heavy on the wrestling this week.  But only one, maybe two, more episodes before a PPV and only one match announced.