LIVE Raw thoughts - December 10, 2012

11:03 - A fun enough ending to the show, actually.  They continue to do a great job with the Shield and thus far have avoided making the same mistakes they made with Nexus.  Most importantly, they haven't had Ryback come in and completely dominate all three members of the Shield yet.  And their seemingly random attacks, followed by flawed but believable explanations, have been a great way to keep people guessing.

10:31 - I love the fact that Cody's mustache has a chant.

10:24 - Great showing by both guys.  They've actually done a wonderful job of pushing Cesaro over the past couple of months.  And him catching Kofi ON HIS SHOULDER following that body press was mighty impressive.

10:10 - Yeah, I've always argued the benefits of the brand extension, but it hasn't truly existed in over a year now.  With the US and Intercontinental Championship feuds so closely aligned, I wish they had the foresight to just make this a four way unification ladder match at TLC.

10:03 - I have to admit, AJ stopping her rampage for a moment of silence before slapping an innocent Justin Roberts made me laugh.  I'm guessing that Vickie will now give Maddox that contract he wants, in return for his work as referee in that match.

9:58 - Gotta admit, I'm digging this Brad Maddox character.

9:56 - After all these years, how does Vickie not have a theme music?

9:50 - Don't get me wrong, I'm glad Ryder got so much offense and that it wasn't a total squash....but just imagine that Del Rio got the reactions that Ryder got.  I honestly believe that somebody like Mick Foley wouldn't have a shot in the world of becoming the legend he became if this mentality existed during the Attitude Era.

9:37 - I can't stand them, but do Alberto Del Rio and Randy Orton even have matches?  And they're hardly feuding with each other, so throwing them in a match against each other just reeks of "we got nothin'."

9:27 - That was a really fun match with a really exciting finishing sequence, but it was a lose/lose situation.  I sorta hate when they put the competitors in the various main event matches against each other, because at worst somebody looks weak, and at best you screw the fans with a non-finish.  Instead, why not put each guy in a match with somebody not on the PPV, where they could both win a competitive match?  Of course, only the guys who appear on PPV are ever made to look good, so getting a win over, say, Santino and Tensai doesn't exactly make you look impressive.

9:14 - By the way, I have the WWE App on m iPhone 4S.  There are no updates available, yet I do not have that second screen thingie they keep talking about.  Truth be told, I find the App a little tough to navigate.  I see all of these Poll results, but never find the polls themselves.  And I still can't find the nominees for the Slammy Awards.  Anybody else have issues with the WWE App?

8:58 - I love when Punk wears the championship (because he actually wears it around his waist), but Heyman holding it during promos and matches is great as well.  I love when he just holds the title up in the air while Punk speaks.  Or when he hugs it with all his might throughout the match.  Just awesome.

8:40 - Truthfully, Rhodes Scholars were probably the right team to win, but I'm glad the Usos got that push throughout the match.  I say this often, but I hope this isn't a stop/start thing.  I'd really like to see what sort of attention they get going forward.

8:32 - I'm a bit surprised that the Usos don't get more attention.  They seem to get a reaction (or have the potential for getting a greater reaction than they get), they're talented, they have an actual tag team move set, and they have the family lineage.  What are they missing?  Particularly since WWE has a history of pushing Samoan wrestlers.

8:28 - The irony, of course, is that a towel would cover far more than actual wrestling attire does.8:

8:15 - So the Slammy Awards are next week, and while I don't want to give away my own Year-End Awards, here are the categories.  And I'll include who I think should win.  Who do you think?

- Superstar of the Year - CM PUNK
- Breakout Star of the Year - AJ LEE
- Trending Now Award – (Hashtag of the Year) - No, not answering this one
- Comeback of the Year - BROCK LESNAR (has there been any other comeback?)
- Kiss of the Year - AJ JUMPS INTO KANE'S ARMS AND KISSES HIM (close second, AJ kisses Punk and pushes him through a table)
- "Tell me I did NOT just see that" – (The Most Shocking Moment of the Year) - JERRY LAWLER HAS A HEART ATTACK DURING RAW
- LOL Moment of the Year - AJ SKIPS DOWN TO THE RING DRESSED AS KANE
- Match of the Year - CM PUNK VS. DANIEL BRYAN, MONEY IN THE BANK

8:12 - I enjoyed Ziggler's opening (and a great opportunity for him, too).  I liked how he brought up the fact that Cena already won a Money in the Bank briefcase, but he cashed it in and lost.  And yet, despite that, he received countless other title shots (meanwhile, Dolph has not received any, to my knowledge, which I wish he brought up) and now he's getting a shot at HIS briefcase.  I have no interest in seeing Dolph lose to Sheamus tonight, so I was slightly turned off by the Sheamus/Big Show takeover.  But at least it reminds everybody (and HOPEFULLY former WWE writers) that the blue briefcase is for the World Heavyweight Championship.

7:57 - We're just a few minutes away from a new Raw, and a lot has happened in the past week.  Most importantly, CM Punk is out of TLC and the new main event is now Team Hell No and Ryback vs. The Shield in a TLC match, which is going to be decided by pinfall or submission.  Um....what?  Don't get me wrong, I love the new match, but why do a TLC match when there's nothing to climb up the ladder for?  The MO of the Shield is putting people through tables....why not do the obvious thing and make it a Tables Match?  That way, everybody is protected and nobody needs to suffer a pinfall loss (primarily Ryback, who is in the WWE Championship scene, and the Shield, who are just debuting)?

Further, you can seamlessly shift the Ziggler/Cena match into a TLC match (since it's essentially the same as a Ladder Match), so your featured stipulation still remains on the card.  Having a TLC match that ends in pinfall or submission -- rendering the ladder itself useless -- is just lame.