WWE Raw SuperShow came live from Portland, Oregon. As always, check out Blake Campbell's recap for the run down.

Five weeks away from the "Showcase of the Immortals", Raw sought to build on last week's marginal gains while the locamotive that is the WWE's hype machine began to gather steam towards Miami. Several angles needed to be addressed while another "Champion vs. Champion" match was promised.

In addition, the WWE heavily hinted that The Rock would be on Raw for the first time since Surivivor Series to answer Cena's scathing promo last week. Also the feud between Laurinaitis and Long promised to pick up some time as well.

Shall we?

The Good

Opening Segment. Jericho hinted at the "generational" aspect that WrestleMania 28 is taking on. It's nice to see both men finally get some promo time on the stick. Good play with the crowd during the opening moments as well.

The promo took on a "worked shoot" feeling, which is something both men needed and was entirely appropriate for this crowd. Both men also had some good chemistry with demonstrating their similarities while highlighting their differences. Punk had a nice riff on Jeircho with the "dances with stars" comment. Jericho had nice intensity when he talked about why he came back to the WWE, which Punk returned with equal verve. Both men had a few stumbles, but a good sell for Miami and worth the time it was given.

Punk vs. Bryan. The match started during the break? The commentary was distracting rather then enhancing as wass the breaking in the action to view the Announcers Table cadre. The action was alright in spots, particularly when it got outside. The second break during the action kind of hurt the flow of the match.

With all that said, both men put on a good show once the announcers actually began to call the action. And it detracted once again when the GMs got involved. Jericho beating down Punk to lock in the Liontamer version of the Walls of Jericho was nicely done. The WWE really can't give these two a clean finish, but it felt like the GM feud was more important then the World Titles, which isn't good. There was just enough action to keep it from total failure. *1/4

Video Package. The 'E did a good job with the recap video from last year's Triple H vs. Undertaker match. Getting The Rock, Edge, Punk and Cena commenting as well helped to sell the storyling importance of the match. Nice job.

Miz Promo. Miz brought some good intensity and build during the opening moments. Pity this segment might get a drop due to the fires at the Daytona 500. Anyway, Miz did some nice interaction with the crowd. Part of the promo felt like he was venting some legitimate frustrations. Good line blurring by him.

Miz vs. Cena. Standard action for these two. Miz got enough offense to keep this entertaining. It served it's purpose and I gotta admit, I dug it. *1/4

Triple Threat Tag Team Match. Admittedly, you don't see this match type much in the WWE. Dolph getting the lift from Kofi was a nice spot. Going to break while the ring was clear was a good spot to do it. Truth had a nice spot nailing the double move on Ziggler and Epico(?). Good flow to match as well with nice use of the rules to the match. Nice drama towards the close as well. *1/2

Rock Promo. It was interesting to see Rocky seemingly acknowledge the rumors about the heat on him from the lower card rabble in the locker room. He started off a bit slower then I would have expected before he got rolling. He touched on a few "kayfabe" subjects as well which was interesting.

The segment switched gears in the second half once he got into the flow. The playing with the crowd was a fun portion. Cena coming out kind of hurt for a moment until Cena picked up the intensity. Cena got a nice riff on Rock with the "continue trending." Good closing segment.

The Meh

Eve Promo. Well, it solidified her heel turn at least. Good use of the "natural allure" line of reasoning, but it was too short to do much. Kelly didn't help matters much during the backstage segment, but it gives a possible second feud for the Divas. That's something at least.

Laurinaitis vs. Long. They did some minor advancement tonight, but I dislike this feud overshadowing the match that it did.

The Bad

Kelly vs. Bella. Both women got a jobber entrance. The action actually went longer then most Divas matches, and Kelly got a nice looking bridge pin after the roll through. That said, not nearly enough time to do anything 1/4*

Show and Sheamus vs. Rhodes and Henry. Rhodes little riff video on Show as worth the time it took. Not much else to it. 1/4*

Random Thoughts

Jericho's shooting?

I wonder if Jericho's jacket has a fuse box?

"Did you invent Canada?"

Ok, that's a sell. Nice job by Jericho and Punk.

"Screw your Lite Brite Jacket!"

Could the commentary be any more annoying tonight?

Using Punk vs. Bryan to fuel the Laurinaitis vs. Long feud once is ok. Twice feels like abuse.

Punk got 30 minutes of the show? Thanks WWE!

Age in a Cage?

Both women getting a jobber entrance to due to Triple H's video package is symbolic of a lot of things.

For the record, Wikipedia lists one of Kelly Kelly's finishers as a roll up. You know those instances where people say Wikipedia isn't accurate? This is one of those times. I don't care how many times they throw it out there, a roll up is NOT a finisher.

Seeing a car and a truck go up in flames vs. seeing The Miz's career go up in flames? Tough choice.

The Rock has to warm up for a promo?

Wait? Did Kofi get a pop? Good crowd tonight.

Yes, I can't tell Epico and Primo apart. Shoot me.

Anyone remember when Tag Teams used to nail double team moves on monsters like Kane?

"Hoe-ski! Hoe-ski!"

I swear The Rock's chest gains an inch everytime he appears on Raw.

It took him 10 minutes before he got to his first catch phrase? He's out of practice.

Expect to see "Kung Pow B___h!" on a shirt next week.

"Miss-ing Balls! Miss-ing Balls!"

"Continue trending." Ouch.

Final Grade: A-

The show flowed fairly well tonight with hardly a wasted segment. While there wasn't a "Match of the Night", the show had some strong promo work which helped to establish the motivations of the players involved.

Punk and Bryan did well in limited time and the Tag Team match was fun to watch. Lots of "shooting" tonight which I like. The show helped to establish that feel the WWE needs for Miami.