Not-so-LIVE Raw thoughts - March 19, 2012

Yeah, so yesterday was an especially stressful and exhausting day, so I decided to just sit back and watch Raw in comfort rather than give my streaming thoughts. Nonetheless, here are some day-after thoughts on the show.

- I thought the Rock's promo was fantastic. Easily the best since his return. It was the perfect mix of humor and intensity, and he actually seemed to show a little respect towards Cena instead of tearing him down. And it also made me realize why I've been less than impressed with the Rock up until this point: The Rock is easily one of the most charismatic, quick witted Superstars wrestling has ever experienced. Yet throughout his entire feud with Cena, he's come across as lazy and pandering. He uses the same (somewhat lame) insults over and over again, and only seems to say things that'll get the crowd chanting. The promos have been shallow and repetitive. But this promo was great and really reminded me of the classic Rock.

- Last week, I questioned whether it was smart to have Jericho mention Punk's alcoholic father (I assume this to be true, I don't know). But Punk and Jericho both turned that around this past week with an awesome opening promo. Punk hit ALL the right notes. He didn't come across as judgmental towards people who have substance abuse problems. On the contrary, he came across as sympathetic and understanding. And his response that his father cleaned himself up provided some hope to that story. Jericho's rebuttal, where he deviously mentioned Punk's sister, was utterly fantastic. Brilliant stuff from these two. And I love the twist on the Straight Edge aspect of Punk's character.

- The Undertaker/Shawn Michaels/Triple H stuff was fine. Not quite SO thrilling that it should have ended the show, but it didn't bother me. And I am intrigued by the fact that Undertaker is playing mind games with Shawn and Triple H, creating a rift between them. Good stuff.

The rest of the show was mostly "meh." Which is understandable. Right now, they're 100% devoted to building the stories that are already established.

My guess for the remaining members of Team Teddy vs. Team Johnny? Alberto Del Rio is the final announcement for Team Johnny. Ryder gets added to Team Teddy. That leaves two spots, yes? Honestly, I'm not quite sure. Brodus Clay would fit the bill, but he's been on Raw so inconsistently that it's hard to imagine him getting a spot on the Mania card. Evan Bourne would fit as well, but again, due to his problems I don't know if they'd give him a spot either.

What do you guys think?