Hey, change is good. The bar has been raised. Or, insert whatever other cliché you'd like to describe the new improved "Monday Night Raw" we've all been seeing.

Something has happened during the past two weeks that has really elevated the show close to the same level it reached back in the late 1990s/early 2000s heyday. Three things actually:

-The talent picture has been pleasantly mixed up

-The story segments now take interesting unpredictable turns.

-And the entire show tells a complete interwoven story with a real beginning, middle, and end.

For the past two weeks at least, we may be in the midst of a renaissance of WWE wrestling.

Sure, Monday night had it's share of low points. Vicki Guererro's piece at the beginning rather squelched what should have been a CM Punk victory march. But Punk made up for it with some burgeoning mic skill in the main event picture.

The women's match was flat, although Kelly Kelly seems to have learned a few wrestling moves.

The matches were a bit of a snooze, but the show itself made up for that.

The bottom line is that things are moving in the right direction.

John Cena finally has some direction of his own. He works as the trickster instead of the unstoppable warrior. His role mentoring Cryme Tyme is a refreshing turn. I'm hoping to see them work together some more and vandalize some more property.

The only thing burning in the back of my head is that there are precious few performers in the Raw main event picture I'd actually like to see in the ring. There's CM Punk, maybe Kane, and that's it.

Raw does, of course, have Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels, but they seem relegated to the mid-card. Maybe that will change, as I wouldn't mind seeing a Jericho/Punk program. And I'm hoping Punk keeps that World Heavyweight Championship through the fall because I'm waiting with bated breath for the inevitable Randy Orton challenge.

And last night reminds us that if John Bradshaw Layfield were as good in the ring as he is on the mic, he'd be a heel juggernaut in WWE.

We get to the end and the climax seems like another boring number one contenders match. But we have a twist. Sure, Dave Batista went over, and it was a little unexpected yet plausible in hindsight.

Then we get a Kane rampage (or perhaps temper tantrum might be more accurate).

Finally, we're back to the infinitely more interesting evil, big red monster Kane. We get announcers manhandled and Jerry Lawler, of all people, making the save.

It's fresh, it's different, and it's welcome. I mean, how long has it been since Kane was the guy who ended the show?

And who is he talking about when he screams, "Is he alive or dead"

Undertaker? Vince McMahon? Paul Bearer? A third brother of destruction we've yet to see? Jim Ross? Ron Paul?

We'll have to wait and see next week. I know I'm excited.


Other notes:

No DiBiase/Rhodes this week. Disappointing...I loved that dude who randomly marked out for Batista...It may be a bit hackneyed, but I like this chaos storyline. My fingers are crossed that it doesn't get beaten into the ground...While the HBK/Y2J storyline is still hobbling along, it still works to a degree and promises the best ppv matches...Melina Perez's absence is felt in the Raw Diva division...ouch Snitsky's nose, maybe he'll go away now...Anyone else thing Kofi Kingston's push has come too early? He was taken out of the oven undercooked...