LIVE Raw thoughts - July 7, 2014

11:08 - Once again, the final segment of the show was (in my opinion) red hot.  They've got great stuff going on now with Cena, the Authority, and the former Shield.  Love the stuff with Ambrose and Rollins, especially.  I think they made a huge mistake in ending the show with Reigns and Cena repeatedly raising each other's hands instead of them staring each other down.  People who are drawn to Reigns probably don't like Cena....and as a result, having him pal up to him will only turn away the fans' support of him.  They like the Reigns who said that Cena DOES suck.  Does he need to be an outright jerk and spear Cena when Cena had done nothing to him?  No.  But at least tease it and entice the audience.  Other than that, the ending was great but the show, overall, seemed to drag a bit.  Or maybe I'm still not feeling well.

10:52 - I wasn't blown away by that Monday Night War preview.  It didn't show us anything that we wouldn't have otherwise seen on countless DVD's related to that era.  If it is something different -- and I sure hope it is, since it has been anticipated since the announcement of the Network -- then show us HOW it is different.

10:34 - Trust me, I love seeing Kofi win but I hate these victories.  They make Cesaro look bad without making Kofi look good.

10:31 - It's a strange pet peeve of mine that Cesaro doesn't complete shave his head anymore.  The horseshoe look isn't a good one.

10:25 - That was already more intensity than we saw from Tons of Funk.

10:19 - Paige and AJ Lee together?!?!  I'm down with that!  Also, which of these two teams do you see turning against each other first?

10:11 - REALLY love the visual of the audience turning on their cell phones for Wyatt.  It is an AWESOME shot....why are they just doing gilmpses of it?  USE THAT SHOT!

10:03 - LOVE the new Miz entrance.  Obvious allusions to Hollywood Rock, but that's a good thing!  But why on EARTH is the heel commentator (JBL) badmouthing him and the face commentator (Lawler) defending him?

10:02 - I'm kinda over Jericho in the trunks.  Wish he'd go back to his long tights.

9:55 - Eck, didn't care for Sandow/Sheamus.  One character is beyond bland and the other is just frustrating to watch.  I did enjoy that Miz promo, though....and it was the first time I enjoyed him in years.  THIS is exactly the character he should be playing.  And not to toot my own horn, but I was firmly in belief that he never should have turned face to begin with.

9:30 - Ziggler:  "Okay, so how does the match end?"  WWE:  "Well, you lose.  After getting distracted by a man dancing."  Man, way to make him look like a schmuck.

9:28 - How many times do we need to see these two wrestle, also?  And I certainly hope it's not for us JUST to see Ziggler tap to Del Rio again.

9:19 - Don't love the fact that Ambrose lost that one (and that top turnbuckle spot was a bit odd), but I get it.  One's in the title match and the other isn't.  Still, disappointing, despite being a strong match.

9:01 - Still not completely sold on this Dean Ambrose gear.  I like the jacket/vest thing he wears.  I don't mind the jeans (it's close enough to his Shield gear while also being distinctly different).  I think my main issue is the wife beater.  First off, it's so close to what Luke Harper wears (just cleaner).  Why not a sleeveless athletic shirt like he wore with the Shield?  Or even a black wife beater (which I know he's worn on occasion).

8:51 - Acting as fodder on Raw for a Jack Swagger PPV match....why does RVD even continue to return?

8:38 - What in the blue hell was Jerry Lawler babbling about just then?  With the hand tied behind their back thing?  Jesus, this guy is awful.

8:31 - I'm so tired of this whole "challengers win a non-title match to become #1 contenders" thing.

I did really enjoy that Kane, Orton, Rollins segment, though.

8:15 - Still think it was a massive mistake changing the Wyatts' music.  And haven't we seen this match enough times?

8:03 - It is extremely easy to bring up instances in which an association with Triple H has slowed down, halted, or completely killed somebody's momentum or even career.  But I cannot say this enough:  An alliance with Triple H ABSOLUTELY meant gold for all three members of the Shield.  It is very easy to forget that the Shield was losing traction before the creation of the Authority.  People were already writing them off, saying that the Wyatts would be the new favored three man team.  But simply standing in front of the ring during each and every Authority promo and segment meant that they were a fixture in the main event scene.  And throughout the entire Authority storyline, they remained strong.  And just take a look at the end of last week's show.  Who were the exciting parts?  Rollins with the cash in, Ambrose with the interception, and Reigns with the save.

7:22 - Yes, I do plan on doing some LIVE Raw thoughts after last night's spectacular show (from what I've seen, anyway).  However, I'm not feeling great and I have to go away Thursday, so if I'm really struggling I'm going to call it a night.  But here's hoping WWE rides their momentum from last week.