LIVE Raw thoughts - November 7, 2011

11:08 - That was the right ending but an incredibly lame one as well. The kick looked weak, the camera barely caught it, and Truth holding down Cena's leg really shouldn't have had any impact on Cena lifting his shoulder. I didn't expect it to be clean, but it shouldn't have been THAT fluke-ish. I still don't feel like they've presented a story that leads us to think Cena truly needs Rock -- to the extent that they're putting their rivalry on hold.

11:02 - I hope Ryder doesn't eat the pin tonight. Again, it won't create suspense that Cena needs help.

10:47 - Gotta admit, that was pretty cool how they filmed the Rock/Cena teaming up Survivor Series bus, and then panned up to the Rock/Cena opponents against each other at WrestleMania banner.

10:41 - So are they ever going to mention that Punk and Otunga were both in the Nexus? And another bait and switch by putting off Brodus' debut?

10:37 - So why isn't Punk coming out? Shouldn't he still want to take out Nash?

10:35 - Further, why are people surprised that Nash attacked Triple H? Why wouldn't he? In storyline terms, Triple H sided with Punk over him, punched him in the face, and then fired him.

10:34 - No matter how many times you show me the replay of the Nash/Triple H attack, I still won't care.

10:25 - I wouldn't mind the Divas of Destruction retreating so often if they at least won most of their matches. Natalya almost always jobs and Beth loses just as much as she wins. Let these girls kick a little ass, so that the fans can rally behind a babyface Diva to take them down. I just don't see them as much of a threat at the moment.

10:17 - Why was AJ's music playing as Kelly Kelly was walking through the hallway?

10:14 - Is it me or does Jack Swagger look exceptionally tan tonight?

10:04 - Great segment with Punk. It occurs to me that, aside from that brief interaction with Nash, this is really the first time since Punk's face turn that we've seen him let loose on the mic against a heel. Think about it -- his victims up until now have primarily been Cena and Triple H, both babyfaces. It's refreshing seeing him against somebody where a segment of the audience doesn't have to wonder whether or not it's okay to cheer. Oh, and is it me, or does ADR have the worst looking beatdowns out of anybody in the main event/upper midcard scene? His attacks look awful.

9:51 - Over on Twitter, Gregory Helms just called the heel announcer routine "old" and I'm inclined to agree with him. One of my favorite commentating teams of the modern era was Michael Cole and Tazz, and neither of them explicitly played a heel or face. They were just two guys who sometimes agreed and sometimes didn't, and their views always seemed consistent and real. It's a routine that works and doesn't annoy or insult your audience.

9:42 - Still wondering why Wade Barrett is the captain of his team.

9:30 - Granted....my contacts dried out so I had to switch to my glasses, but I'm PRETTY sure I just saw John Morrison win a match! Wow! Let's hope this is a turning point for Morrison. I've been saying it all year, but John Morrison is a truly unique talent and unlike anybody else they have. Backstage politics aside, they're wasted a special talent.

9:15 - WWE gets a lot of criticism -- and trust me, it's well deserved -- but in the past year guys like Dolph Ziggler and Zack Ryder have really made a name for themselves. And guys like CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, and Christian have had incredible years -- probably the best of their careers. That doesn't excuse their mistakes, but still...

By the way, we now have Morrison against Ziggler. A year or so ago Morrison was beating Ziggler consistently in their feud. Let's see how long he lasts before losing clean to Ziggler this match.

9:10 - A year ago -- hell, even a couple months ago -- would you have imagined Zack Ryder getting the hot save (with theme music) for John Cena in the opening segment of Raw? Great moment for Ryder and you can't help but be happy for him.

9:07 - I admire the fact that they're digging themselves out of their own grave regarding Cena beating Miz and Truth last week, but I can't help but wonder why they didn't just avoid that altogether when they had the chance.

9:01 (seconds later) - Yep, there it is.

9:01 - They're in England? Guess we'll be seeing the old school phone booth.

8:22 - Raw starts in less than an hour. I haven't read the spoilers -- nor do I plan to -- but I thought we might jump into a Pre-Raw discussion. WWE.com recently announced that a traditional 5-on-5 Survivor Series match would happen at the upcoming PPV. Hopefully this isn't the only one. Anyway, it'll be Team Orton (Randy Orton, Sheamus, Sin Cara, Kofi Kingston, and Mason Ryan) vs. Team Barrett (Wade Barrett, Christian, Cody Rhodes, Hunico, and Jack Swagger). Aside from the fact that they need to bring back those goofy team names (I hate these "Team Enter Last Name" names), I can't help but be surprised that Wade Barrett is considered the captain of his team. His push isn't even that strong, and up until a few weeks ago he was getting his ass handed to him by John Cena. As this alliance emerged, it seemed like Christian was the mastermind/instigator. Plus he's a former World Champion. And then there's Cody Rhodes. He's getting a pretty strong push as well, and he's the one who's feuding with Orton (the other team's captain). Barrett just seemed like a really strange choice, given the options. What do you all think?