LIVE Raw thoughts - April 7, 2014

11:09 - I am absolutely loving the Shield right now.  Overall, fantastic Raw that set things in motion for the weeks and months to come.  Some very fresh feuds and faces.  Quite pleased with the show.

10:54 - Considering the time, I'm guessing we don't see a full blown match.  The addition of the Shield into the mix is quite intriguing, though.

10:32 - Intriguing.  Does this mean Cesaro isn't going to be a face now?

10:19 - Paige is as good a candidate as any (praise the lord it wasn't one of the Bellas) and I kinda like the idea of her being the WWE Divas Champion AND the NXT Women's Champion.  My only disappointment is that it was kinda a sloppy match, and I don't think it was properly presented that she powered out of the Black Widow to hit the Paige Turner.

10:17 - It is somewhat ridiculous to say you're not "ready for a match" when you come out in full gear.

10:14 - This girl, on the other hand, might be the right person to end this reign.

10:13 - Hehe, methinks she's teasing us with that "Best Diva in the World" line.

10:11 - The storyline is clearly leading towards a Tamina face turn.  But is she really the right person to end this reign?

10:05 - I am utterly shocked by the complete lack of promo interruptions.

10:00 - Ultimate Warrior, you're doing it wrong.  Where's the facepaint and sprint?

9:54 - I love how they managed to find the ONE sentence where Mr. T actually mentions wrestling and the Hall of Fame for this video.

9:48 - I am so not into this Lana and Rusev thing.

9:41 - As Kevin Sullivan noted on Twitter, between making Rey #30 in the Rumble and putting him up against Bad News Barrett in his in-ring return, WWE is doing Rey no favors.

9:30 - Not even sure I see the point in RVD returning if it's anything like his last run.  And man, has Damien Sandow fallen or what?  Stands by my assessment that switching it up your colorful character to be more "serious" isn't necessarily a good thing.  When he was wearing a bathrobe and sporting pink and purple trunks, he at least stood out.  Now he's just angry heel #30 who wears black trunks.

9:23 - Perfectly acceptable continuation of the story, in my mind.  I sorta see Batista and Orton as the modern day version of the Attitude Era Undertaker and Kane.  They just go out and kick ass until they get what they want.

9:17 - Wondering if they'll put the tag titles on Batista and Orton.  It would certainly give them something to do outside of the title scene.

9:10 - Not surprisingly, an incredible promo from Paul Heyman.  But I do have to wonder if they missed out on an opportunity to ride the momentum by not moving onto a new feud right away.  That seems to be the struggle with Lesnar and his schedule.  He comes off of a big win and then disappears for so long that the, well, momentum of his victory is all but gone and forgotten.

9:06 - "Brock Lesnar doesn't respect anybody.  He barely tolerates me."  Great line.

8:43 - I was not surprised to see the fans so solidly behind the Wyatts, nor was I surprised to see the Wyatts win.  What I was surprised about, however, was that the Wyatts wrestled such a babyface style at the conclusion of the match.

8:33 - The post-WrestleMania Raw must be Sheamus' least favorite show of the year.

8:22 - I don't remember if I mentioned this last week, but I don't like how expressive Bray Wyatt gets when he blows out the lantern during his introduction.  It seems to contradict with his overall demeanor.

8:08 - I noted this a couple months ago, but one of the charming things about Bryan is the fact that he eats up the fans chanting for him.  He doesn't have to be cooler than the room like Punk or Rock or Austin, and he doesn't have to be overly sentimental like Hogan.  He can just smile and enjoy it.

I also appreciate that the opening video focused on Bryan, when the temptation would have been to focus on Taker.

8:05 - I wonder how he decides which title to wear and which title to hold.  But yet another reason why they need to ditch one of the belts.  And hey, no more Bruiser Brody fur boots!!

7:49 - Additional pre-Raw comment:  This voodoo WrestleMania t-shirt is kinda the coolest thing ever:

http://shop.wwe.com/WrestleMania-30-Voodoo-Dolls-T-Shirt/W07275,default,pd.html?dwvar_W07275_color=Brown&start=1&cgid=New

7:29 - After what I consider the strongest WrestleMania in years, I'm actually looking really forward to Raw tonight.  Over the past two or three years, the Raw after WrestleMania has turned into quite a major event in and of itself.  What happens next with Daniel Bryan?  Who challenges him next?  What's the next step with Antonio Cesaro?  What happens with John Cena?  Bray Wyatt?  What does the Ultimate Warrior do?  Is Hulk Hogan going to appear again?  Also, what happens with the Undertaker?  Does he retire?  And, most importantly, does WWE ride the momentum of a great WrestleMania with another great Raw?

Check back in a half hour to follow my LIVE thoughts.