WWE Raw Review: 10 Random Thoughts About Last Night's Episode

This week's episode of Monday Night Raw has come and gone, and the trip to WrestleMania 28 is coming to an end. 

We're now just 12 days away from the WWE's biggest pay-per-view of the year, and last night's Raw was one of the last chances the company had to make us want to watch it.

So, did the creative team deliver a solid show and give us a reason to have more interest in WrestleMania?

While I wouldn't say that this was the best episode of Raw we've seen on the road to WrestleMania, there are plenty of things of note that happened...and perhaps a few new reasons why we should watch what happens on the grandest stage of them all.

Here are 10 random thoughts on what went down on the March 19 edition of Monday Night Raw.

10. The Rock Killed That Promo

What a phenomenal promo from The Rock.

I don't care what anyone says. I don't care if you think The Rock has "lost it" when it comes to promos. I don't care if you say that John Cena has owned The Rock on the mic.

"The People's Champ" delivered a fantastic promo on last night's Raw, and it wasn't just something that was meant to get a reaction, either.

The Rock stressed the importance of this match and gave major props to Cena by comparing him to two of the biggest names in wrestling history, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and Hulk Hogan.

This promo did it all, and it was wildly entertaining. Now, can we please cut The Rock some slack? He's still gold every time he cuts a promo.

9. The Big Show's No-Selling Hurt His Segment with Cody Rhodes

Cody Rhodes did an excellent job of turning up the intensity on his feud with The Big Show last night, when he handcuffed Show to the ropes and pummeled him with a bunch of big punches.

But Big Show almost completely killed the segment with his horrible no-selling.

I get that Show is this giant dude and it's supposed to take a lot to take him down. But he didn't sell the Disaster Kick at all, and instead of getting hurt when Rhodes was laying into him with those punches, he just got angry.

This was ridiculous.

Rhodes beat the living crap out of Big Show, but when it was over, Show looked like he had just taken a walk in the park. He must have been channeling his inner John Cena.

8. The United States Championship Is at Its Lowest Point in Recent Memory

Alright, so United States Champion Santino Marella has now taken the pin on two straight Raws.

Why? What's the point of it?

Although Santino is almost purely a comedic character, the WWE made the decision to put the US title on him a couple of weeks ago. But if you're going to do that, at least try to make him a credible champion.

But no. Santino lost in a couple of minutes to David Otunga last night. Yes, the same David Otunga who makes throwing clotheslines look like rocket science.

I feared that the US Championship would become even more of a  joke with Santino holding it, and lo and behold, it looks even worse now than it did during the short-lived reigns of Zack Ryder and Jack Swagger.

I can't recall a time over the last few years when the belt meant less than it does now.

7. I Couldn't Care Less About Team Teddy vs. Team Johnny

One of the biggest problems I have with the WWE is when it puts on feuds that center around two guys who don't even wrestle. 

A prime example: Teddy Long vs. John Laurinaitis.

The WWE could have held Money in the Bank at WrestleMania 28, but instead, we're getting a 6-on-6 match with control of both Raw and Smackdown on the line, even though I'd say there's only about a .07 percent chance that Team Teddy wins.

This feud is doing absolutely nothing for me, and to be honest, I don't think it's doing much for any of the wrestlers involved either.

Overall, I'd say that the interest in Team Teddy vs. Team Johnny is minimal, which certainly isn't something you want to hear about a WrestleMania feud.

6. The Miz Might Be Turning Baby Face

The Miz lost on Raw. Again.

I believe that means that the former WWE Champion is at 11 straight TV losses now, and with the way his losing streak is being treated on TV, I have to think that this is part of a storyline and not the result of some sort of backstage heat.

But what exactly is it leading to? Well, like many others, I think he's going to end up turning baby face.

The Miz has tried for two straight weeks now to get on Team Johnny at WrestleMania 28, and he's failed both times. So if he can't get on Team Johnny, then maybe he gets on Team Teddy and becomes a fan favorite.

I really have no idea, but I think fans are starting to feel sorry for The Miz for losing so much, and now might be the best chance the WWE will ever have to pull the trigger on a Miz face turn. 

5. The Build to Sheamus/Bryan Has Been Pretty Terrible

Both Sheamus and Daniel Bryan appeared on last night's Raw, yet they didn't cross paths.

Bryan beat Zack Ryder, but there was no appearance by Sheamus. Sheamus beat The Miz, but there was no appearance by Bryan.

For some reason, the WWE just hasn't done a very good job of building up the World Heavyweight Championship feud between these two. Other than Bryan interfering in Sheamus' match on last week's Smackdown, the interaction between the two has been virtually nonexistent.

I know that there's only a certain amount of time on Raw every week, but this is supposed to be one of the top four WrestleMania feuds.

How about treating it like one?

4. Heat on Zack Ryder?

I can't tell if I'm overreacting here or if there really is more to Zack Ryder seemingly being buried on WWE TV.

Ever since he crossed paths with Kane, Ryder has been booked like an absolute loser. He's fallen for the skank juice-drinking Eve, he's served as Kane's personal jobber and he's lost the United States Championship that took him months upon months to win.

But it only got worse on last night's Raw, when Ryder got squashed by Daniel Bryan in about 60 seconds.

There are literally dozens of other guys who could have done the job to Bryan, but it was Ryder that wound up in that spot. I know it can't just be me who thinks that's weird.

There's definitely something fishy going on with Ryder, and if I had to speculate, I'd guess that he's got himself some heat backstage for some reason or another.

3. Lord Tensai Should Be an Interesting Addition to Raw

Last night, the WWE ran a vignette promoting the debut of "Lord Tensai," and according to WrestlingNewsWorld.com, the man behind this new character is none other than former WWE star Matthew Bloom (a.k.a. Albert, Prince Albert, A-Train, Giant Bernard, etc.)

There are all kinds of rumors about what Lord Tensai's role on WWE TV will be, but regardless of exactly what role he will slide into, I'm excited to see what the future holds for the Lord Tensai character.

A-Train was always a guy I liked watching while I was growing up (though I can't pinpoint why), and he's made perhaps an even bigger name for himself while competing in Japan over the last several years.

It should be interesting to see whether he's face or heel (likely heel), who he aligns himself with, who he feuds with and whether or not he gets pushed as a main eventer.  

2. The Undertaker Gained the Psychological Edge on Triple H

Last night's show-ending promo featured a lot of the same jibber jabber we've already seen before, but in the end, one thing stood out about it: "You remember when I said Shawn was better than you? He is."

When The Undertaker said that to Triple H, you could see the toll that it took on the Game. No one wants to hear that their best friend is better than them, and that's exactly what Taker told Triple H again.

The great part wasn't necessarily that Undertaker repeated the same thing he said a few weeks ago. It was that up until this point, Shawn Michaels seemed to hint that he would screw Undertaker over at WrestleMania, but when Taker said that about HBK, Michaels had a big smile on his face to end the show.

Instantly, Triple H went from thinking he had Michaels in his back pocket to being the one who is unsure of what will go down at WrestleMania 28.

Great storytelling here from some of the best storytellers in the business.

1. Of All the Main Events, I'm Most Interested in Punk/Jericho

The last three episodes of WWE TV (last week's Raw and Smackdown and this week's Raw) have made Chris Jericho vs. CM Punk the most entertaining WrestleMania feud.

Maybe it's because Triple H/Undertaker and The Rock/Cena are face/face feuds or because Daniel Bryan/Sheamus hasn't had great build, I don't know. But Jericho's phenomenal promos, combined with Punk's great response on last night's Raw, have made this the WWE's must-see rivalry.

Jericho vs. Punk feels real. It feels genuine. It feels like Jericho is the biggest asshole on the planet and Punk wants to rip his head off on the grandest stage of them all.

Although this feud is for the WWE Championship, it's about much more than seeing who is "the best in the world." It's an awesome story about Punk looking to triumph, much like his father did in his battle with alcoholism, over Jericho's antagonistic ways.

And it's made for what is, at least in my view, the WWE's best main event feud as we head to WrestleMania.

Note: As part of the new WWE blog, I'll be asking all of the B/R wrestling readers for questions for a new mailbag that I will post on Fridays. It will be a slideshow featuring 10-20 questions and answers on a wide range of topics. You can submit questions either through Formspring orTwitter, and the best ones will be answered in the B/R mailbag.