By Ryan Kester

John Cena, Zack Ryder, Eve, and Kane soap opera

WWE is obviously considering the Kane and John Cena saga to be the main selling point for the Elimination Chamber PPV. I can't say I completely agree with that decision, but I can understand the drive to feature Cena prominently with his WrestleMania main event right around the corner. I'm simply not that hot on this storyline.

That being said, the San Diego crowd was white hot for what WWE gave them and they made what would have been cringe-worthy television somewhat entertaining. The addition of a "We all hate you" chant could not have come at a better time for the WWE.

It will be interesting to see where Zack Ryder and Eve go from here. Eve certainly seems to be on the verge of a heel turn, and Zack Ryder has an almost cartoonish level of sympathy. While I am not a fan of how dramatic some aspects of this story have become, I cannot deny that last night made for some interesting television.

Opening Segment and Elimination Chamber hype

The various matches throughout the evening did a good job of giving the wrestlers involved in the Elimination Chamber matches some exposure without trying to focus too much on them individually.

I am of two minds when it comes to the faux debate in the opening segment. On one, that is not how I would have gone about hyping one of WWE's most brutal matches. However, it provided a very solid hook for the rest of the show, and it gave each man in the Raw Chamber a chance to say their peace. Again, the live crowd made this segment work because of their enthusiasm; a dead or even normal crowd would have made the segment come across much worse.

Shawn Michaels, Triple H, and The Undertaker

I absolutely loved this segment. Shawn Michaels and Triple H put on a great performance that built up well from a casual exchange between friends to a heated discussion to just short of an outright fight. It worked very well for me and the live crowd once again bought right into what was happening.

Undertaker's latest video was about as good as I could have imagined it being. WWE's production team stepped up their game and the visual of Undertaker cutting his hair was intriguing. I know an obsessed Undertaker pursued Ric Flair for WrestleMania 18, but that was as his American Badass character and this is ten years later with Undertaker as The Phenom. It feels fresh, and the build this far has been pitch-perfect for this viewer. WWE has a lot of time to screw something up along the way, but this is currently the most compelling story in WWE.

Overall Show

Drama was in full force on last night's Raw, and it made for some interesting TV. The actual wrestling, albeit short, provided some solid action to break up the several lengthy sport entertainment segments, and the liv crowd's enthusiasm enhanced almost every aspect of the show. The San Diego crowd's participation made last night's Raw entertaining, but I question if WWE did enough in their go home show to sell viewers on ordering the Elimination Chamber PPV.

If you have any questions or comments or just wish to chat with a fellow wrestling fan about whatever, then feel free to email me at ryan.kester@gmail.com, or follow me on Twitter at @TheRyanKester.

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