LIVE Raw thoughts - May 28, 2012

11:09 - I was actually really impressed with that show ending beat down.  Initially, I had wished Big Show did something cheap to get such an immediate upper hand on Brodus, but since he did essentially blindside him and he did use the table pretty early on, I was okay with it.  And using that plank of table -- instead of, say, a chair -- made for a great visual and really did look brutal.  The addition of Kofi and Truth worked as well.  While it was risky having one guy single-handedly dominate your tag champs, they both went down fighting so it worked.  And, again, Show throwing Kofi through the barricade looked painful.

I was REALLY glad that John Cena didn't show up, though.  So much damage had been done that if he had shown up, he would've looked like a massive jerk for not coming to their aid earlier.  Plus, Lawler going out of his way to tell viewers that his comments were "pre-recorded" now make sense.

This episode of Raw was a big improvement over the past few weeks.  Great job.

10:58 - Add Brodus Clay, Naomi, and Cameron to the list of people who get a special introduction.  And I said it before, but I hate that Brodus now introduces Naomi and Cameron.  It kills the momentum and build to HIS entrance.

10:49 - By the way, a pet peeve of mine is after each patriotic occasion, when WWE puts together one of their great pieces on the military, and there are cynical fans out there who go off on how self serving it is.  WWE goes above and beyond what they need to do in order to achieve good PR.  I legitimately believe that Vince McMahon has an extremely appreciative sense of respect for the military and that these packages come from the right place.  Not everything is so devious.

10:42 - That Memorial Day piece is another example of the great value John Cena -- the face -- brings to WWE.  He'd be a tough person to replace should they ever take him out of that role.

10:37 - What, did the writers read a psych book on logical motivations or something?  Miz bringing up the fact that he won Johnny control of both shows, yet everybody else seems to be benefiting from it.  Excellent point.

10:31 - To be fair, Eve did say "coffee" and not "iced coffee."  And you gave it to her in a coffee cup, not an iced coffee cup.  Sorry Teddy, but you were wrong.

10:24 - When they initially announced Jericho's suspension I thought nothing of it.  However, it did strike me as odd that Jericho was conveniently absent from the Smackdown tapings (which occurred before the suspension) and they just announced the suspension on-air in a rather awkward fashion.

By the way, Christian vs. Miz would've been an awesome feud when they were both being pushed as main eventers.  Not so much when Miz is on jobber duty.

10:19 - I have to say, overall, this Punk/Bryan/Kane/AJ thing is pretty interesting.  A LOT more interesting than Cena/Ace/Big Show.  Or even Lesnar/Triple H.  I don't have any issue with special attraction matches, and I'm not saying this as an Internet fanboy, but I really think the right decision here would be to close the PPV with Punk's match.  It's got intrigue, the fans are into it, something big is sure to happen, and it'll deliver....big time.

10:17 - Great use of AJ here, as it creates a sense of wonder about whether she meant to distract the ref for Punk or if she just messed up.  Plus, her giving Punk the chair not only ensured that Punk would remain safe, but it also allowed him to fight off Kane while he was beating on Bryan.

10:06 - Oh, and there's AJ's involvement!  This match just went from "like" to "LOVE!"

10:02 - By the way, I do have to admit that I do think that Kane's involvement in this feud has added a new layer of complexity.  And I do think that Kane is a relatively capable performer and potentially interesting character.  I don't mind him being inserted in the story -- BUT, I would like to see Punk vs. Bryan one-on-one at No Way Out (perhaps a submission match), before moving on to a three way feud with Kane.

9:59 - So what are the chances that Sheamus/ADR actually happens at No Way Out?  Hasn't this one-on-one match been canceled from the last two PPVs?  And rightfully so -- it's a dull match!

9:53 - I love that Punk's crazy beard is back.  And that he's on the cover of WWE 13.  But it seems like he's being used to shill the Cena/Ace storyline more than his own.

9:51 - "This game is gonna be bigger than Pac-Man!"  Awesome line.

9:41 - I actually like Brodus in this role.  His undefeated streak has to come to an end at some point, and the real challenge for him as a character will be how his career responds after that (I actually thought it would be cool if Brodus, Ryback, and Tensai's streaks culminated with the three facing each other), and here he gets to lose (I assume) and still look good by standing up to the challenge.  As long as it's not a squash -- and I highly doubt it will be -- I see this as a good thing.

9:31 - You know, I just noticed that we have quire a few Superstars who have somebody introduced just to introduce them.  Alberto Del Rio.  Dolph Ziggler.  Jack Swagger.  Anyone else?

9:24 - I don't know what it is, but Santino just bores me so much.  The US title is being wasted on him.  Why not give it to anyone else?

9:11 - While Big Show kicking off the show initially made me sigh with disappointment, I actually thought it did an effective job of explaining his motives.  He's right.  He did JUST get fired and suddenly Brodus and Kofi and Truth are dancing around celebrating.  And Cena did essentially ignore what happened to him.  Surprisingly effective promo.

8:16 - I hope everybody has had a safe and fun Memorial Day Weekend.  We really lucked out with the weather, huh?  Let's just hope the nice weather is here to stay!  Anyway, before getting to Raw, I thought we'd begin with a pre-show discussion.

You frequently hear from fans on Twitter, message boards, and other blogs that the WWE Championship needs to be re-established and "saved."  But my question is, does it really need to be saved?  I mean, sure, as "savvy" viewers we recognize that CM Punk and the Championship isn't closing the show, but does your typical fan see it that way?  The Internet Wrestling Community is constantly reminded that we're a small portion of the audience, which may be true, but we may also want to step back and recognize that our particular mindset is probably in the great minority as well.  I remember thinking back to when I was younger, and when Bret Hart won the Championship.  I didn't think to myself, "why are they giving this midcarder the championship?"  I just thought, "Bret's the champion now and he's a big deal."  Yes, there's the big difference here that Bret was then TREATED like a big deal.  But CM Punk has as well.  He's cleanly beat each person he's faced.  Has he wrestled in the last match of the night?  No.  But to be perfectly honest, I'm not sure a lot of fans make that connection.

Could they be doing more to make the championship seem more special?  Yes, of course.  But I also wouldn't say that what they're doing "isn't working" or that it doesn't hold any value.  I honestly do believe that your typical fan sees the belt as a big deal.  What are your thoughts?