LIVE Raw Thoughts!

11:12 - Okay, so in WWF Attitude fashion, the big attack concludes with some attempted vehicular manslaughter (which, if you're keeping score, is less violent than using a tie as a weapon). I actually did like how it worked out, with the entire roster out on the stage, leaving the backstage area unprotected. And with the power outage, the Superstars out front had no way of knowing what was happening in the back. Now, where do they go from here? I actually hope they don't get their contracts yet, because then they're just ordinary wrestlers and their "outsiders" mystique is gone.

Oh, and I'm sure we'll learn that Chris Jericho (who was oddly absent from the Raw stage) was the limo driver.

And hey, that was a pretty snazzy main event too.

11:04 - "The Master Psychologist"???? Is that even a nickname????

10:57 - Just a random observation, but Orton's shoulder is looking awfully good. No sign of injury at all.

10:45 - I have to admit, when Bret Hart came out after a screwy finish and promised not to let history repeat itself, I had fears that we were going to have Montreal brought up AGAIN. Over a Santino/Kozlov storyline, no less!

But I'll repeat what I said earlier - sure, seeing the NXT rookies bested immediately was irksome, but once again, they're the center of the show right now. They have the entire Raw roster out there to act as muscle in case these eight rookies show up. That's a pretty big deal. Although I do have to wonder, why are they on the stage? Their two attacks happened with an attack from the crowd...

10:08 - So things are getting frustratingly negative over on Scott Keith's blog. This entire angle has gone from the greatest thing in the history of mankind to utter crap and a complete waste of time. Forget the fact that these eight....er, seven rookies are now the centerpiece of the flagship program, getting even more attention than the WWE Championship match at the upcoming PPV. Nope, it's an utter failure.

People have been equating this angle with the nWo, and this was a pretty accurate retelling. You had heels and faces -- rivals -- teaming up to take out a common evil. You had Edge, Cena, Orton, and Sheamus....who are fighting in a few nights, teaming up to take out these rookies. They may not have gotten the upper hand (night's not over yet), but they ARE being portrayed as a legitimate threat.

9:53 - I gotta say, Evan Bourne's Shooting Star Press really is pretty damn picture perfect. Also, I tend to hate losing streak angles, as they rarely if ever actually help the Superstar. It's actually almost always an excuse to keep somebody on television when you have no idea what to do with them. Keep in mind that Chris Jericho was the World Champion on Smackdown. Since moving to Raw, he's been in a throwaway tag title match and appears to be completely left off of this PPV card.

9:41 - I have to ask, why does Ted DiBiase even want to co-host Raw? The host no longer has any power or clout. I actually never used to mind the Raw host gimmick, because it was relatively harmless and it changed things up a bit. But now that the host doesn't have any power, it comes off as completely pointless and a real waste of time. We already have to sit through 4 minutes of commercials every 15 minutes or so, do we really need to see advertisements during the show as well?

9:32 - I kinda suspected that we'd see a new US Champion (75% of me believed it would happen), if only to show us the likelihood of the champ dropping the title. But I have to be honest, yes, he's a super hot heel....but part of me is just sorta tired of the Miz's act. I would've liked to have seen Morrison take the gold, so that he could get back on course.

9:20 - Just a random pet peeve, but I hate when announcers constantly say stuff like, "Cena only has a 25% of retaining the title." Yes, I know what they're trying to accomplish -- they just want to accentuate how a champion can lose the title without even being involved in the decision -- but it's just a silly comment. That's like saying every single match the champion participates in, they only have a 50% chance of retaining, whether he's facing the Big Show or Funaki.

9:14 - Pretty good opening segment. I was really, really glad they didn't just sign the NXT rookies to a contract. It may sound silly, but it would have really damaged the credibility of the competition they are running right now on Tuesday nights. It also made sense to "fire" Wade Barrett, as now they are complete outsiders (although, at the very least, having Barrett on contract did allow them to make sense of how all the rookies would get into the building).

And yes, they did mention Daniel Bryan, and basically set up a nice little story arc for his eventual return. And while they may not have done it on purpose, they did create the precedent of "if you're not with us, you're against us." Still interested in seeing how this plays out. Oh, and incredible touch having everybody empty the ringside area.

9:04 - Like most others, I made it a point to see who and what they showed during the opening video. I was glad to see they didn't completely gloss over Daniel Bryan. And I was glad they gave him a fairly positive edit. The real question is if they mention him in this opening promo.

Been a while since I've done this, but check out the blog at 9:00 for my streaming LIVE Raw thoughts. I know the blog has been a little wrestling-heavy for the past couple of weeks, but at the very least it's allowed an open discussion with some blog mainstays like Kyle and Javier. So I'm inclined to ask: DaBooty, what sort of entertainment is catching your eye this summer? Perhaps there's something you're watching that I am as well. Hate to lose you just cuz Lost is gone!

Anyway, check back in a few for my Raw thoughts.