LIVE Raw thoughts - June 18, 2012

11:09 - Okay, now let's do something interesting with Cena, shall we?

10:44 - So it appears that Zack Ryder wrestled for Superstars this week.  There's still a chance he'll be used for Raw, but it seems unlikely.  What's the sense in that?  I mean, what wrestling fans are going to watch because Wendi Richter is on?  And what cultural relevance does Cyndi Lauper have at this point?  They couldn't have cut that segment in half and featured some sort of Ryder appearance?

10:35 - Good thing we did this segment instead of using Zack Ryder in his hometown.  Yeah, I know the show isn't over yet, but that was time that could have been devoted to a hometown favorite.  The only guy on your roster that entire segment was used as the foil.

10:32 - I kinda love the fact that Cole is blatantly laughing at what appears to be a legitimate emotional moment.

10:18 - What great use of our United States Champion!!!

10:09 - SORRY!  My Internet went out.  But here's my brief update on the show so far.  I LOVED the ending of the Punk/Sheamus/Kane/Bryan match.  AJ coming out in Kane gear and prancing around the ring -- all while her music played -- was awesome.  And I should also note that Punk is playing his role to perfection:  He's humored by AJ, but he's not necessarily falling for anything she's doing.  So if AJ does turn on him for Bryan, he doesn't look like a chump.

The Swagger/Ziggler segment was good, with the right ending.  Ziggler rightfully won -- and cleanly -- and it was smart to keep him with Vickie.  The pair works.  And while Ziggler fought as a face in the match (which was interesting), it's smart keeping him a heel.  He's not going to top Cena, Punk, Sheamus, and Orton anytime soon, so he has a better shot as a heel.

The Triple H/Heyman promo was good, but I think it would've been better if they didn't have Triple H get the upper hand at the end.  Right now we're right where we left off, with Triple H issuing a challenge.  There would have been a bit more intrigue if they left things with Heyman saying they don't have anything for Triple H, but do for Stephanie, and then left there.  Triple H doesn't ALWAYS need to get the upper hand.

9:19 - With a kick ass jacket like that, why does Daniel Bryan EVER come to the ring in a t-shirt?

9:13 - The opening segment just accentuated how this Johnny Ace/GM story is moving at such an accelerated rate.  Two things struck me:  For one, the insane amount of heat Ace gets.  It's almost Vickie level.  So I can't help but feel like it's too soon to take him out of this role (although I don't think he'll be removed from television completely).  And second, seeing Ace hobble down the aisle as he was confronted by two guys he butted heads with was a cool visual.  It would have meant a lot more if Ace had spent a year or so in that role, instead of just a couple months.

9:04 - I think the idea of rotating the GM's with former GM's could be interesting.  Excluding the Guest GM's and Bischoff, you've got Foley, Long, Vickie, Austin, Stephanie, the Anonymous Raw GM, and who else?  Could be interesting.

9:03 - Well isn't it quite fitting that Mick Foley appears just after the story broke that Triple H was keepinng him off TV.

8:27 - Well, my softball team suffered the first loss of the season.  Devastating news, to be sure.  While our undefeated streak is now over (sadness), I THINK we're still in first place, now tied with the team that beat us.  While this is all unfortunate, it does mean that I'm back in time for Raw.....so my Raw thoughts are back on!

Anyway, I'm fairly optimistic about tonight's Raw, because it's about this time that they start getting on track for a hot summer.  Let's see what they have in store.