LIVE Raw thoughts - November 12, 2012

11:07 - That was an enjoyable match, as it always is with Punk and Cena, and I loved the fact that Punk didn't tap to the STF.  I hate when guys turn heel and inexplicably they begin tapping immediately when they're put in a submission hold.  I do hope, though, that they're not going to start turning Punk into the type of champion that, because they don't want to end his reign, they just keep having him get pinned in situations where he won't lose the title (non-title matches, tag matches, etc.)  Just keep him strong all around and keep those losses a rare thing.

10:45 - Love Bryan's transition from hating Kane to getting jealous over him teaming with somebody else.

10:38 - By the way, I've really enjoyed WWE's handling of Veteran's Day.  Instead of going over the top with their patriotism (which I do believe is legitimate), they're instead putting the focus on some of the ways people can help Veterans when they return home.  There are struggles -- both physical and emotional -- and WWE is helping in making people aware of that.  While still doing it in a positive light.

10:34 - Wow, Miz dominated there.  Worth noting is that Santino got 6% to Ryder's 34%.  Maybe that'll show 'WWE whose theme music to play when CoBro come out.

10:31 - I say this every week....but Daniel Bryan needs to get a haircut.  The crazy beard looks a lot cooler when contrasted with a really short haircut.

10:14 - Worth noting:  Brad Maddox has AWESOME ring gear.  Love the "Punch" on his arm band and "Kick" and "Jump" on his boots.

10:10 - I do not miss Lawler's one liners.

10:06 - I worry that the stretcher might be a little overboard.  Sometimes less is more.

10:03 - Lawler saying "Uh oh, my ride's here" upon hearing the ambulance siren was actually pretty funny.  I also like the idea of an ambulance preemptively arriving on the scene because of the epic ass kicking that is about to happen.

9:52 - R-Truth was one of the Superstars in Tensai's path of destruction when he returned earlier this year.  My, how much things have changed in just a matter of months.

9:42 - If they're going to turn Miz face, this seems like a pretty risky way to do it.  I mean, getting the endorsement of somebody like Mick Foley would go further than hoping that the fans vote him in.  And even if they do vote him in, it's not as if the Miz did anything particularly heroic.  Having said that, I do commend them for not making the voting a throwaway so that Miz would win.  Ryder and Santino both have a good chance of beating him.  I'm going with Ryder, by the way.

9:35 - Loved Paul Heyman interrupting the lead into the commercial break.  Little things that interrupt the routine of the show, such as that, forces your audience to pay attention just a little more.

9:31 - Am I wrong that none of these eight guys are on the PPV yet?  And the Tag Champs are already in a match.  Why not do an elimination match with these eight?  Or add a singles wrestler to each team and make it a 10-man tag match.

9:19 - I'm sure that'll be a very polarizing segment, but truth be told I still have more of an issue with them giving the minute-by-minute rundown of Lawler's heart attack than them having a heel use it to get a rise out of the audience.  One is clearly being portrayed as part of the show with people playing characters.  The other is supposed to be real.

9:06 - I love how Punk referred to Lawler's heart attack as a "stunt."  Also, am I mistaken that JR left the announce table?  Personally, I like the idea of going back to doing what they did during Nitro.  One announce team for the first hour and a half, and a new announce team for the second (with one constant).  Why not do JR/Cole for the first half, and King/Cole for the second?  Yes, I know those aren't ideal combinations, but it keeps JR on the table.

9:02 - Punk's shin guards are back!!!

9:01 - I have to say, Lawler does look great, though.

8:53 - Like I've said last week, the emotion regarding Lawler's return is already there.  There is no need to give us a minute-by-minute recall of what happened, including uncomfortable footage of him getting CPR.  WWE has done so much right regarding this whole Lawler situation....but knowing that somebody was standing there filming while Lawler was at death's door just makes them look bad.  It's an unnecessary step to take.  Like I said, the emotion is already there -- giving such a close look at it just risks turning people off.

8:51 - Am I wrong that during that sponsored message, they were playing Eve's music but showing Kaitlyn's entrance video?

8:46 - Awesome shot of Regal's chest after Big Show's chops.  Ouch!

8:42 - So since Vickie used the backstage hug between AJ and Cena as evidence against them, within the context of this storyline the backstage camera filming them exists as something the characters are aware of (as in, it's not just for the sake of the audience).  Considering that, why are AJ and Cena blatantly flirting with each other in front of that very camera?

8:36 - Another reason why this Vickie/AJ/Cena feud isn't gelling with me is that AJ and Cena are doing such a terrible job defending themselves.  To the point that they just seem obnoxious when they tell Vickie she's wrong.  I have no doubt we'll discover there is a reasonable excuse for all of this evidence, but they're not having Cena or AJ explain that.  They just come in acting smug, and then they're all baffled and unclear when the evidence is shown.

8:32 - I constantly defend WWE for their be a STAR campaign, arguing that people playing characters and doing less than chivalrous things and then having those PEOPLE tell children that it's wrong to bully is acceptable.  But I do hate when they have babyfaces get in on the negative attacks, because it's not presented as something that's wrong.  AJ telling Vickie that her weight is "considerable" is unnecessary and sends an extremely poor message.  Especially after a month of talking about how they reach out to their female audience.

8:28 - I'm pretty surprised that Cena agreed to do this "affair" storyline considering his recent divorce and the rumors surrounding his philandering.

8:24 - Actually, I don't think that's my bias speaking.  Or it is, but it's deeper and more important than that.  The two guys that got pins -- Randy Orton and Alberto Del Rio -- are already established main eventers and, in my personal opinion, mind numbingly boring.  And the two guys that got pinned -- Dolph Ziggler and Kofi Kingston -- are guys that really need that big break, and are consistently going out there and doing and exciting things.  It's sad and disappointing.  And frustrating.

8:19 - This is probably my anti-ADR bias speaking, but why exactly did Dolph have to get pinned by Orton, only for ADR to get to pin Kofi?

8:12 - Wait, what did Teddy Long just announce?
http://www.turnbuckletees.com/shop/new/tag-team-match-tee/

8:09 - Honestly, they couldn't have found anybody BUT the team captain to get pinned by Orton?  How about Sandow?  Or Rhodes?  Did it need to be Ziggler?

8:04 - I made it back in time for Raw!  Anyway, as I noted last week, I really enjoy the new introduction they do to Raw, where a narrator takes you through what happened last week and what to expect tonight.  It adds some structure to the show.  Also, I'm positively SHOCKED that the show didn't kick off with the announcer introducing Jerry Lawler back to the announce team.  They really missed out on a big pop to kick off the show (and an emotional beginning, as well).