LIVE Raw thoughts

11:16 - That was a really, really compelling segment. After Punk's promo two weeks ago, people were heralding him as the next Stone Cold Steve Austin. As much as I love Punk, I just couldn't ever see him achieving that level of success. Throughout this segment, I felt it. I felt it a lot. He had the confidence, the attitude, and the fans were eating out of the palm of his hands. And through this storyline, he's made this dynamic between John Cena and Vince McMahon exceptionally interesting. Here you have a top heel -- Mr. McMahon -- openly referred to as a fan of John Cena, their top face. And then you have Punk (the top heel) and Cena interacting not as enemies, but as respected individuals who have philosophical differences. I could see Punk making an Austin-esque face turn, and Cena accepting him. Or I could see a switch. There really are a lot of possibilities.

The thing is, though, that they BETTER have resigned Punk to some extent. He has brought in so much interest and appeal that they'd be foolish not to give in (even if that means bringing back the ice cream bars). I don't know what's going to happen Sunday, but I'm intrigued again.

10:54 - Ahhhhh! McMahon's reference to him never kissing Punk's ass, and Punk dropping his trousers.....now the shorts make sense!

10:51 - I'm curious to see how this contract negotiation plays out. If Punk resigns, it takes away from the allure of the match this Sunday. But if he's still with the company, this is their "out." Unfortunately, McMahon is in full, exaggerated character.

10:45 - Say what you will about the irresponsible nature of these matches, but when you look at some of the stuff these Superstars have done....well, it takes balls. Serious balls.

10:39 - Why do I have a feeling that Drew McIntyre had a rougher landing than Big Show and Mark Henry? And even in the context of the storyline, what benefit did this attack serve Mark Henry?

10:27 - I'm not as turned off by this episode as much as many people on Twitter, but I do wonder if they're making a mistake by not featuring Punk more. I'm sure his show closing discussion with McMahon will be epic, but it might be fun seeing Punk walk through the backstage area going off on various people with his megaphone.

10:13 - Geez, Alberto Del Rio (who came to the ring in a suit) sure is lucky that Rey Mysterio decided not to come down to the ring, or else he might have had to wrestle. This promo did show, though, that there are some fresh match ups within these six (or eight) individuals. Rey vs. Bourne? Rey vs. Kofi? Kofi vs. R-Truth? There are a lot of fun possibilities.

9:59 - Is it me or have almost everybody who has been given the mic tonight slipped up in some way? Punk, the Bellas, and the Miz have all stumbled on their words.

9:51 - The treatment of Melina over the past few months only reminds me of how schizophrenic WWE is with their Divas. One second a Diva is the top contender or champion. Then she's being squashed in obscurity. It's happened with Mickie, it's happened with Victoria, it's happened with Gail, it's happened with Maryse, it's happened with Candice, and it'll probably happen with Eve.

9:43 - I love Kelly Kelly, but how awkward and uncomfortable did she look walking down the hallway with that Divas Belt?

9:28 - I will say this -- for all the criticism Cole and Lawler get (the vast majority deserved), they're doing a fantastic job of building up the importance of this match between Punk and Cena.

9:25 - I'm not thrilled with the fact that Cena is against the tag champs. The only ending that makes sense is for Cena to win, both to make him look strong and to reiterate the fact that he can handle himself as a wrestler. But the New Nexus constantly look like losers, and whenever they win a match (like last week), they're back to square one.

9:15 - So, what did everybody think of that opening promo? It wasn't QUITE as crisp and razor sharp as two weeks ago (there were a few moments where Punk seemed to stumble on his words) but it was still the most exciting thing we've seen in a LONG time. Who would have guessed, in this ultra PG era, that we'd hear the word "balls" uttered so many times? And Punk touched upon some taboo stuff as well, like how wrestling is only mentioned when somebody dies. John Cena's appearance made a lot of people cringe, I'm sure, but to his credit Cena did an excellent job with his portion. I was glad he wasn't too "in character," as he didn't do his usual routine when he entered the ring. He was pretty much all business, but stayed true to his established persona. If anything, I was more bothered by the Raw GM interruption. But it was still a great segment.

I was a bit surprised we didn't see Punk do a "Hi Kurt Angle" when he said he was the best wrestler in the world, though.

9:01 - So, do you think that disruption with the opening signature was purposeful?

Punk with a megaphone in case his mic goes off = brilliant

Punk with a pedophile mustache = slightly creepy

Also, I'm wondering what sort of trunks Punk is wearing. Whenever he wears more than his usual t-shirt and trunks, it means he's got a surprise (the Macho Man trunks, the harness, etc.)

8:54 - There's a lot riding on this show -- Punk set the wrestling world on fire two weeks ago with his show closing promo, and I'd like to think that last week's taped show (without Punk) was actually a lot better than people expected. Somehow, some way, they made Money in the Bank into a must see show, and I'm legitimately curious to see what the buyrate for this show will be. The story has been interesting, and there are so many different ways that it can play out. I'll be ordering the show.

Also, later this week, I'll be posting a story on my blog about the "runner ups" of each Money in the Bank match (as in, the person who got knocked off the ladder so the eventual winner could grab the briefcase). Be sure to check it out. And now....onto Raw....