LIVE Raw thoughts - January 20, 2014

11:11 - The crowd was overall good, and they HAVE to realize that the enthusiasm for Bryan was greater than anything else.  More than Batista.  More than Orton.  More than Cena.  More than Punk.  The go-home should not be whether Cena can take home the gold.  It should be if Bryan can overcome Wyatt, and then go on to win the Rumble.

11:05 - Briefly lost power and my TV is rebooting.  Possibly missed the end of Raw.  Last thing I saw was Cena re-entering the building.

11:02 - While WWE is thrilled that Daniel Bryan's concussion won't keep him off the Rumble card, John Cena's cold will.

11:01 - Between the Usos, Bryan, and Cena, what is with this trend of keeping towels and rags in your pocket?

10:59 - Ugh, the only thing worse than Cena showing up at 11:00 pm is the fact that he shwos up in his full gear -- including kneepads and wrist bands.  What's the harm of him dressing like a human being for once?

10:52 - Hate when Kofi wears the bandanna.  Especially when the color scheme doesn't match his tights.

10:47 - Not to sound like a fanboy, but Daniel Bryan has OWNED this audience.  It's funny hearing the commentators go on and on about the ovation Batista received, when Bryan has dwarfed him.  I also hope we get a segment -- even if it's an app exclusive -- where Bryan at least apologizes to the Usos.

10:34 - Neat variation on the Wyatt entrance.  I'm also wondering if they'll bring attention to the fact that Bryan spent the past couple weeks attacking the Usos.  Will Usos have anything about that?  Will the announcers even speculate?

10:26 - Wow, they updated John Cena's graphic with his new neon gear before he even appeared in it.  That was fast.

10:15 - Yeah, you all know how I feel about that whole "champion gets pinned to create a new #1 contender" thing.

10:11 - Oh man, the best part of Bad News Barrett is when he rises in his podium.  Backstage segments don't work!  And how many times will we see this damn match?  Call up JoJo from NXT and have him fight AJ already!

10:05 - This Brock/Big Show feud is just strange to me.  First off, they seem to be ignoring their storied history together.  Big Show was the first person to defeat Lesnar via pinfall.  And it was after Heyman turned on him.  How could you ignore THAT?  And they've fought each other since numerous times.  They've even aligned with each other since then.  And Big Show was the person who symbolically turned on Lesnar after Lesnar decided to leave WWE.  You're only getting so many matches out of Brock -- it seems like a complete waste to not even put any effort into building a story for one of them.

Additionally, why have Big Show dominate all of their confrontations?  He's the good guy.  We're supposed to want to see him get his revenge.

9:55 - Wait, this is now a Martin Luther King Edition of Monday Night Raw?  No, it's just a Raw that's on when it's Martin Luther King Day.

9:49 - Batista's outfit matches Del Rio's attire.

9:47 - There's literally nothing about Alberto Del Rio that interests me.

9:38 - Awfully rough and physical match for two guys who seem to get injured a lot lately.

9:35 - Rey Mysterio looks like he got his attire from the new John Cena neon clothing line.

9:29 - Really nice tribute to Mae Young.  She seems to be a universally loved and respected person in the industry, which is a rare thing.  I enjoy the fact that her career has spanned such a long period of time and that there was always something for her to do.  Seemed to have a genuinely close relationship with the McMahon family.

9:23 - I've always loved these By the Number Royal Rumble videos.  Always fun.

9:13 - I'll admit that I haven't caught Smackdown, but have they brought up the obvious relationship between the New Age Outlaws and Triple H yet?  Amazingly, Triple H has alliances right now with the original DX (HBK), his DX (New Age Outlaws), and Evolution (Orton and Batista).

9:05 - How lame do Billy Gunn and Road Dogg look in the DX t-shirts?  It really accentuates how old and out of place they are.  Why not wear a classic New Age Outlaws t-shirt?  Or even a t-shirt commemorating the next PPV.  I don't know....it just seems lame that they wear a t-shirt for a faction that doesn't even exist anymore.

9:02 - Kane's hair confuses me.  Almost as much as Punk's sideburns.

8:48 - Effective and satisfactory enough explanation.  My one qualm:  Daniel Bryan looked like a MASSIVE star when he had the crowd chanting in unison his catchphrase simply by raising his hands.  You truly saw how much control he has over the live audience.  It doesn't have quite the kick ass impact when he's yelling in the mic along with him.  I'm fine with Bryan going up against Wyatt at the Rumble, but he most certainly better be IN the Rumble as well.  They'd be crazy to keep him out of that.  Even if he doesn't win, it's the perfect opportunity to make an even bigger star out of him.

8:40 - I am interested in seeing how they explain themselves out of Bryan's alliance with the Wyatts.  Even if he says that he did it as a ploy, he did attack (out of the context of a wrestling match) "good" people like the Usos and Rey Mysterio.  I wonder if they'll bring attention to that or just ignore it.

8:35 - Fun match.  And despite the fact that Langston, Goldust, and Cody are all champions, I was glad to see the Shield get the win.

8:24 - I like how the members of the Shield are slowly creating their own identity.  Ambrose has ditched the vest and now wears a hoodie on the way to the ring.  Rollins now wears a long sleeved shirt.  They're all evolving as individual characters.

8:17 - Good enough opening and I did enjoy the passion from Batista, but do we need to see ANOTHER retread of Orton being in despair, blaming the Authority, only for the Authority to put him in a precarious situation that he must overcome "on his own," only to see him succeed and evidently be back in the Authority's good graces?

8:12 - I have to say, the fact that we very rarely seem to see pyro any more really did make Batista's entrance seem more epic.  However, his face looks a little bloated without the scruff/beard.  He should grow it back.

8:04 - Okay....so THIS week there's tension between Orton and the Authority.  Okay, great.  By Smackdown, we'll be back to them supporting each other.

8:01 - Last Raw before the Royal Rumble and I'm actually looking really forward to tonight's show.  Will they acknowledge Daniel Bryan's concussion?  And, plus, there's the return of Batista!  And an appearance of Brock.  A lot going on.