LIVE Old School Raw thoughts....

11:14 - Now that was a fantastic conclusion to the show. It provided some legitimate intrigue, with people making logical arguments to support their positions. Piper correctly pointed out that Cena claims to respect those that came before him, but by simply handing the title over to Barrett, he's spitting in the faces of all of those Legends who never achieved the grand prize. Cena relented and admitted that even if he is "freed," he's not going to be the person he always claimed and strived to be, so it's not worth it. And Barrett FINALLY had Cena wear the shirt, and rightly brought up the fact that Nexus will negate any attack Cena makes post-match. And finally Orton realized that he can take out Barrett if he can't take out Cena.

In the end, all of the characters looked strong and/or intriguing. And, again, Cena was able to show a little edge. Bravo!

10:58 - Odd that they ended the Legends line up with two of the only ones that played heels tonight.

10:49 - Wow, how did Chris Masters sneak onto a PPV?

10:44 - I always find it awkward when the commentators are talking about a wrestler when he's standing inches away from the announce table.

10:38 - JR still has it. Boy does he still have it. These three could be a great commentating team. Allowing JR to call the match can let Cole just play his character.

10:34 - JR on Raw....this is a genuinely grand surprise. It'll be fun seeing JR commentating against this new Michael Cole character.

10:26 - Truth be told, Mae Young has played a bigger part in Raw's history than most of these Legends. It's nice that she gets this recognition. It still amazes me that she took that powerbomb off the stage from Bubba Ray when she was in her 70's. Apparently nobody told her it's PG now, though.

10:17 - Gotta say, Slaughter still moves pretty well considering his age.

9:47 - Okay, THAT Legends segment ruled!!

9:40 - A few months ago, Nexus was ruthlessly destroying Legends. Now they just stare at them with confused looks on their faces.

9:21 - By the way, odd that they didn't get Rikishi to appear. Unless he'll be a surprise post-match.

9:17 - That was another rough segment. And, shockingly, it revolved around a couple of Legends. It's possible to pull off the old school feel while still focusing on your current crop of Superstars. At the end of this episode, people will be talking about how cool it was seeing the blue ring apron and the classic logo. They won't be talking about how great it was to see Bob Orton again.

9:06 - I'm glad they allowed Cena to show a little edge by throwing a mostly unprovoked punch at Orton, but did anybody else think their exchange looked really, really weak? It barely looked like they were even hitting each other. It looked like they kept grazing each other until the officials ran in (the parade of refs and officials was a throwback in and of itself). I almost expected it to be revealed as a ruse.

8:58 - Wow, that briefcase is beat up, huh?

8:56 - Is Survivor Series really this Sunday? And they haven't announced any matches but the title matches? Have they not learned from December to Dismember?

Oh, and the wigs are a bit overkill. The point is to be old school, not cartoonish.

8:49 - Oh man, they REALLY missed out on comedy gold by not using the classic AOL "You've Got Mail" as the Anonymous Raw GM alert.

8:41 - Why has Michael Cole twice said it's 2011?

8:32 - That R-Truth is a bit of a shit stirrer, isn't he?

8:26 - Methinks this is when they'll finally pull the trigger on the Hart Dynasty split. And wouldn't the retro Survivor Series shirts be a little more appropriate?

8:22 - Imagine masked Kane? Yeah, that's a pipe dream. Anyway, why does the Hart Dynasty continue to get tag team title shots when they continuously lose? Also -- anybody else a little disappointed they're not whipping out the classic championship belts?

8:17 - What other Old School personalities of current WWE Superstars do you think we'll see tonight?

8:14 - LOVE that the refs are wearing the bowties!!!! Love the inset pre-recorded interviews. And Sexual Chocolate is back!!!

8:09 - I have to say, I was a bit disappointed with the opening segment. And it actually brings up one issue I have with this special show in general: The Legends. The fact of the matter is, I think the concept of an Old School Raw -- with the classic visual look -- is enough to sell the show. I think THAT is enough to bring back some casual fans. The truth is, Legends like Jimmy Snuka, Roddy Piper, Dusty Rhodes, Sgt. Slaughter, and the like appear frequently enough that their presence is not enough of a selling point. Further, guys like that -- and Cowboy Bob Orton -- aren't really from the Raw era. Which made Cole's Jesse Ventura reference even the stranger -- Ventura never commentated for Raw. Why not reference the much beloved Bobby Heenan? And really, this was the one night where they should have brought back the three man announce team, which was featured for much of the early Monday Night Raw days.

8:05 - Quick thoughts: I saw the photos on Facebook, so I wasn't surprised by the WWF block logo banners or the red, white, and blue ring ropes. Or the RAW lettered entrance. But they look really, really cool. I also got a kick out of the way they crossed the "Federation" out and replaced it with "Entertainment" with the classic open. And finally, I'm glad they opted to use present-day Superstars in the classic Raw video opening. And I love the fact that King is wearing his old school, classic outfit, with the ring jacket. And yay, he's actually wearing the crown!!

Check back here at 8:00 for my live ongoing thoughts for the highly anticipated 3-hour Old School Raw!