LIVE Raw thoughts

11:03 - Well, I was close!

11:00 - Prediction: Miz sneaks in the ring, thinking he won. Then Edge runs in and wins it for Smackdown.

10:59 - Why is it that the Raw t-shirts are ripping so much easier than the Smackdown ones?

10:54 - How's this for another Bragging Rights prize? The winning brand gets a "free pick" from the losing brand? Or the winning brand gets to reneg on one of their traded guys during the WWE Draft?

10:47 - Didn't some online report say that CM Punk bleached his hair? It's looking awfully dark right now...

10:45 - Do you think WWE said, "Well, Matt Hardy bitched and complained online and got his way" and then decided to launch the Stand Up for WWE campaign?

10:22 - Daniel Bryan is not so unlucky. Although the Raw and Smackdown Divas seem to get along just fine. Wait, is Kelly Kelly the only face Smackdown Diva left? I miss Tiffany.

10:16 - That is NOT all. Loved the Lance Storm reference.

10:15 - Daniel Bryan looks cooler with the beard. That is all.

10:07 - The inherent flaw of the Cena storyline is that Cena isn't entirely sympathetic. I mean, he's basically saying that HIS job is more important than the health and welfare of others, in this case Orton. In same cases it's excusable (like when he helps Barrett win a Battle Royal). In other instances, it makes Cena rather unlikable (like with the gang beat downs after a match).

10:03 - You know, in fairness, how many times did Orton run out and save Cena when he was getting attacked? Like once?

10:02 - Anybody else worried that Heath Slater actually hurt himself? ANOTHER Nexus guy out of it?

9:52 - It's too bad, because the Nexus storyline was the perfect moment to get rid of these ridiculous NXT season two names.

9:48 - Speaking of t-shirts, why is Edge the only one who seems to wear his Top Rope t-shirt? They look pretty bad ass, but none of the guys seem to wear them. Like, the super awesome Nexus Top Rope shirt:

http://www.wweshop.com/item/nexus-top-rope-t-shirt//01-12574

Or hell, even Cena's Top Rope shirt isn't bad:

http://www.wweshop.com/item/john-cena-cenation-top-rope-t-shirt/JohnCena/01-12194

9:45 - I think we all realized now that John Cena isn't slowly going to start wearing the Nexus clothing. He's just going to wear the armband (annoyingly on his elbow). He's not going to don the hat and shirt. This is too bad, because a chance in physical appearance might help rejuvenate Cena.

9:35 - Nice to see Goldust getting some attention and appreciation. Regarding Bragging Rights, I really wish they put something more substantial on the line than a trophy and, literally, bragging rights. How about the winning brand gets to main event WrestleMania? Or the winning brand gets the coveted #30 spot in the Royal Rumble? Something along those lines...

9:26 - Randy Orton looks a lot cooler with the shaved head. I'm glad they allowed Cena a little edge following Randy's threat.

9:21 - I have a feeling we're going to see the end of the Hart Dynasty tonight.

9:16 - As a side note, I never really minded the Raw Guest Host routine, but man, how much smoother does the show run without it?

9:10 - Everybody on Team Raw, aside from Santino, either debuted on or had a career rebirth on ECW. But it's hard to feel like this is about brand pride -- Big Show, Kofi, and Swagger were all on Team Raw just last year.

9:07 - Love that Miz has the "C" on his shirt.

9:05 - When Theodore Long announced he was taking over Raw, I was going to make the joke that he would just have to unplug the computer. Who knew I'd be so on the mark?

9:00 - For the first time I noticed the addition of Nexus, with the yellow and black "N" in the sky, during the Raw intro. Neat.

Check back at 9:00 for my LIVE Raw thoughts, but until then, check this out:

http://www.wwe.com/inside/standupforwwe/

If nothing else, it's an interesting read. Sure, it's spun to put WWE in a positive light, but that's no excuse to overlook some of the things they're saying. The "Setting the Record Straight" section is particularly worth reading.