By Jason Powell

The following is our live coverage of the WWE Raw pre-show that is being broadcast on the WWE Network. Refresh the page for the latest updates if you are reading this prior to Raw.

Josh Mathews served as host and welcomed viewers to the first live broadcast on the WWE Network. He was joined by Ric Flair, Booker T, and Alex Riley. Booker hyped the return of Hulk Hogan as "breaking news." A graphic touted Hogan's appearance on Raw. They also hyped that Hogan will host WrestleMania and appear on WWE Raw Backstage Pass (available on the WWE Network after Raw).

Kofi Kingston's pyro went off and he headed to the ring in the background. The pyro threw off the panel for a moment. A countdown clock appeared in the corner to countdown the minutes and seconds until Raw. The panel discussed what they were looking forward to seeing on Raw coming out of the Elimination Chamber. Flair said he wanted to see John Cena get revenge on The Wyatt Family, and Riley said he wanted to see followup to the Daniel Bryan and Kane saga...

A commercial aired for WWE Raw Backstage Pass (the post game show)... They cut to the ring for the Kofi Kingston vs. Damien Sandow match that was joined in progress. They cut back to the panel and said they would keep an eye on the match, which was being taped for WWE Superstars.

Powell's POV: I'm not a fan of cutting to the middle of the match and then cutting away from it, as doing so makes the matches feel unimportant.

Still shots from the Elimination Chamber were shown. The panel spoke about the Chamber. There was a minor pause, which could have been a WWE problem or could have been a hiccup with my own internet. The cut back to the Kingston vs. Sandow match. Kingston ended up pinning Sandow just after they cut back to the match...

Powell's POV: They are hyping that the match was the first taped for WWE Superstars on the WWE Network. It's kind of hard to get excited about that when it's (A) WWE Superstars (B) only being shown in clips.

Jerry Lawler interviewed Kofi Kingston on a platform set up on the side of the stage. There were a couple of hiccups... The panel spoke about Kingston's interview. Flair said that if he wants to go all the way to WrestleMania he better by a jet. He added that Kingston is a good kid...

A commercial aired for WrestleMania Rewind (also available on WWE Network)...

Powell's POV: I'm not going to criticize WWE for airing commercials for the network on the actual network. After all, this is a seven-day free preview window, so it's logical for them to sell the network as much as possible with the goal of converting the free previewers on purchasing the network. Meanwhile, I will continue to criticize them for airing pay-per-view commercials during the pay-per-view Kickoff show matches since the entire show is an infomercial and everyone watching is well aware of the pay-per-view. Got all that?

The panel spoke and then Booker set up a poll asking for the match of the night at Elimination Chamber. Only three options were listed... Los Matadores could be heard making their entrance in the background... A WWE Countdown television show commercial aired...

Mathews said there's a rumor that Brock Lesnar was in Green Bay. Footage aired of Brock Lesnar hitting Big Show with repeated chairshots and the F5 at the Royal Rumble...

Powell's POV: Considering he's advertised on the WWE Events page, I'd say it's more than a rumor. Oh, and they left out the part about Big Show's next appearance after being hit with all those chairshots saw him smiling while walking Betty White onto the Raw stage.

The announcers questioned who should be worried if Brock Lesnar is headed to Raw. Flair said everyone in the building. Booker said it's WrestleMania season and he smells fear in the locker room...

Renee Young interviewed Brad Maddox, who is still the general manager of Raw. She asked him about the Lesnar "rumors." He was about to blow them off when Sheamus and Christian could be heard and then seen bickering about their recent storyline developments. Maddox interrupted and booked them in a match for Raw... A commercial aired for "Beyond The Ring" featuring Steve Austin for Saturday on WWE Network...

Powell's POV: I like the developing Christian vs. Sheamus feud, and I especially like the way they set it up on the pre-show. It already feels more relevant than the pay-per-view Kickoff shows.

More still shots aired from Elimination Chamber of the actual Elimination Chamber match... Booker and Riley bickered about whether Daniel Bryan had a chance to win the match had it not been for Kane's involvement. Booker and Flair sided with Orton, while Riley sided for Bryan. Riley pointed out that Orton was the sixth entrant in the match. Booker claimed it was the luck of the draw...

Still shots were shown of John Cena being eliminated from the main event thanks to The Wyatt Family interference. Flair said he told Cena that when the lights go out, go stand in the corner of the ring and hide. Funny.

The broadcast team could be seen making their entrances in the background. Michael Cole still gets booed, whereas the fans still love JBL and Jerry Lawler... The panel went back and forth to close the show, and Flair made a comment about how "you're only as good as your last quarter-hour"...

Powell's POV: The first live broadcast on WWE Network went smoothly. I doubt they're getting WrestleMania 30 traffic, but it's still an encouraging first step. Stick around for my WWE Raw live coverage review.

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