LIVE Raw thoughts - March 16, 2015

10:18 - I find R-Truth's inclusion in this whole thing really unusual.  He hasn't been in a storyline or consistently won matches in ages, and he's not even formally involved in all of the multi-person matches that are leading up to the title match.

And why is Stardust wearing black/red/gold attire with silver/black/red facepaint?

9:58 - OH!  And not to mention that they paid off Axel being eliminated!  How did they waste that moment in this forgettable segment?

9:54 - Not for nothing, but didn't they just give away practically half of the competitors in the WrestleMania Battle Royal?  Wouldn't this have been just as effective if the had Kane come out and cut a promo about how he's going to win the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal and then have Henry interrupt, enter the contest himself, and then walk into the ring and throw Kane out of it?  Why throw 15 of the competitors in and make all of them, but two, look like complete chumps?

9:44 - Has there EVER been a confrontation between Erick Rowan and Big Show that worked out well for Rowan?

9:39 - Fun and effective interview.  Not sure I would call it controversial, though.

9:25 - Does the black lining around the eye holes of Los Matadores' masks indicate that they're evil now?

9:14 - Again, they've done a good job of getting the fans solidly with Cena and against Rusev.  Bravo.

9:05 - Gotta give it to Cena, he got the entire audience behind him there.

8:49 - Miz and Mizdow is one of the few stories that the fans actually react to.  One that arguably saved both men's careers.  And the payoff isn't even happening at WrestleMania.  I'm sure something will finally happen, but it should payoff there, not start there.  Imagine if Virgil/DiBiase was paid off in a 30 man battle royal.

8:41 - I don't get it.  Are we supposed to care about this Big Show/Kane miff?  Are we supposed to be rooting for either of them here?

8:39 - "Six hours of WrestleMania" sounds like a threat.

8:33 - I admire the fact that they gave this match so much time but it also did a lot to expose the weaknesses of Nikki as a performer.  Also, with all the discussion on the fact that AJ and Paige had recently feuded, why wasn't more attention given to the fact that Nikki and Brie were at each other's throats not too long ago?

8:16 - There were more things in that promo that I liked than that I didn't like.  Really, my only major complaint is that they're giving away Orton vs. Rollins tonight when people actually DO care about that match.  Now, I recognize that it's likely a bait and switch -- which I actually hope it is -- but even so, why even tease it?  Why not just continue to build the tension?  Put Randy in a different "trap" (like J & J Security tonight, and Big Show and Kane next week).  What I liked, though, is that Rollins actually accepted the challenge.  It feels like all of our major storylines had weeks of build not for the match, but for whether one of the contestants would even accept the challenge for the match.  It's bad when they do more to build up the acceptance than the match itself.  I also thought Rollins did an awesome job in his promo.  The guy has come a HUGE way this past year.  He truly does carry himself like a star.

Oh, and I love that AJ is back.

7:56 - So here we are.  How many days until WrestleMania?  I honestly don't know.  The only frame of reference I have is knowing how many episodes of The Walking Dead are left.  I'm not breaking any new ground here, but has there EVER been a more uninspired WrestleMania?  I honestly don't have an emotional investment in a single match.  Pretty much every single guy I care about is in the Intercontinental Championship....which means all but all -- and potentially all -- will lose.  And what makes matters worse is that there isn't even an actual story there.  Like, storyline was, is there a difference between Bryan winning and Ziggler winning?  I can love both Shawn Michaels and the Undertaker, but the result of that match dramatically impacts both characters and the direction of the company.  Here, it's just a guy I like losing a match at WrestleMania.  And that's kinda sad.  The rest of the matches, I really honestly don't even care about.

I really have no problem missing an hour and a half of WrestleMania so that I can watch the Walking Dead finale.