LIVE Raw thoughts

11:19 - I have to say, tonight was a damn near perfect "go home" show for Raw. My introduction discussed how flawed the build has been, but tonight was thrilling and focused. Everything seemed to mean something, and it was intriguing and compelling. Surprise appearances were made, and it didn't feel like anything was being held back. But at the same time, they left just enough to keep you interested in the event itself.

And that final segment was fantastic. I was nervous at first, as I thought we might just see Cena kiss up to Rock and just act like it was tough love. But Cena turned the tone around pretty effectively, continuing to call out the Rock on his not too rational criticisms of Cena the individual. I also loved the fact that he didn't come to Rock's aid when he was getting double teamed -- why would he? Nor did he stop him when he was attacking Miz (again, why would he?) And the final scene, with him laying out Rock, set the scene for WrestleMania. And no, I didn't find Miz to be an afterthought either.

10:48 - The Road Warriors are a great, deserving addition to the Hall of Fame. Paul Ellering's inclusion is a bit surprising, but I'm sure deserving as well.

10:39 - I don't know, considering how much Sheamus has dominated this feud, maybe Daniel Bryan WILL win the title back at WrestleMania. I could see it as the opening match -- the guaranteed good match with the happy ending.

10:22 - I love how the Cole Mine is, like, 4 feet tall, yet everybody acts like he's in this impenetrable fortress.

10:20 - What the hell music is King coming out to?

10:16 - And just like that, HBK instantly makes the Triple H/Undertaker feud more interesting. It's rather incredible how much WWE has relied on him to build this match. Between this appearance and the video interviews, HBK has done more for this feud than either competitor. What I found surprising, though, was how heelish both Taker and Triple H were acting towards Michaels. If he were to get involved in the match, I honestly don't know if I expect him to super kick Undertaker because he's so desperate to see the streak end, or if he kicks Triple H because he can't stand anybody else having that achievement. Both would make sense.

10:00 - As is HBK's surprise appearance!

9:59 - Okay, Undertaker's bell salute interrupting Triple H's water spit was kinda super awesome.

9:46 - See, the Corre vs. Big Show, Kane, Kozlov, and Santino makes FAR more sense. Although taking the title off of Kofi is a bit of a headscratcher.

9:41 - So my TV is a bit on the fritz so I couldn't see for myself, but can anybody confirm whether or not there was any reference whatsoever to Undertaker and Triple H's prior WrestleMania match in that montage?

9:26 - Del Rio's relationship with Brodus Clay is "strictly business" -- what the hell did they think we assumed?

9:20 - Thank God Edge's pyro is back! But who else was hoping we'd see either the return of their "You think you know me" theme music, or perhaps an amalgamation of their two current themes?

9:12 - An unexpected but effective beginning to Raw. With Triple H, Undertaker, Cena, Miz, and Rock all being hyped on the show, it was a bit surprising to see Raw kick off with CM Punk sitting in the ring. But, it made sense. By having him already in the ring, they avoided showing the huge pop he'd get from the Chicago crowd once his music hit. And for the first time in this entire feud, they've given us a reason to think Punk has a fighting chance. I still think we see some interference from a new addition to Nexus, perhaps Michael Tarver.

8:49 - Alright, I'm cracking open a beer -- which I'll probably need to get through tonight's show -- as I prepare to watch the last Raw before WrestleMania. Now, you all know I like keeping things positive, but even I have to admit that the build for WrestleMania has been weaker than any year in recent history. Literally every single feud has either felt thrown together or has been booked extremely curiously.

You have Undertaker vs. Triple H, which is all fine and good except for the fact that the entire feud focuses on Undertaker's streak. So, one would think they'd want us to be invested in the streak and its history, yet they seemingly don't want us to remember that Triple H is a victim of the streak. It's not even so much that I'm bothered that they're ignoring this fact -- but why base the feud on the streak if they don't want to bring up that very obvious facet?

Then you have John Cena vs. The Miz, which, again, is fine. And the build has actually been pretty good, except virtually the entire audience cares more about Cena/Rock. Again, they could use this to their advantage, except that the Rock appeared once, proudly proclaiming that he's back, only to appear via satellite for the next seven or so weeks. So even Cena/Rock has lost a lot of its luster as a result.

Then we have Edge vs. Alberto Del Rio, which has focused more on Del Rio vs. Christian and the Edge and Christian reunion. In the end, there's very little emotional investment in the two guys actually wrestling each other.

And rumors are swirling that Corre will fight Big Show, Kane, Kofi, and Christian. This seems more thrown together than anything else on the card. How has Christian been even remotely involved in this storyline? Why devote the past month and a half to the Edge/Del Rio feud if he's just going to be thrown into this match?

Anyway, let's see how they throw everything together tonight.