10 Live Observations From WWE Raw Live From Detroit

Tonight marked the fifth city that I've seen Raw live, and let me tell you, Detroit does not disappoint. There are probably a handful or so cities where you know the crowd will bring it. Detroit is in that list.

Yes, it's a smark-heavy crowd, which is to say there's a lot of smarter fans--the ones who buy the network and read the dirt sheets. Nothing wrong with being a wrestling nerd. I count myself among them. But it's always fun to go to a Raw in a new town.

Tonight, I crossed Detroit off that list.

Before we get to my ten observations from attending this show live, let me first say the obvious, and something I don't get to ever say: If you get a chance to go to a Raw, do it. No questions, no debating, just do it. The experience is completely different from watching it on television. It's an engaging, engrossing, mesmerizing thing to behold. And loud. It's really, really loud.

So go. Go to a show and thank me later, because even if it's not the best show, it's still a great time. Lucky for me, though, tonight was a solid episode of Raw.

I won't be reviewing every match and/or segment. Rather, I'll focus on the ten things that caught my eye the most.

Let's dive into my 10 observations from tonight's Raw in Detroit!

Raw kicked off with a battle royal to find a number one contender for Miz to fight at Battleground. Before the show came on the air, the contestants entered the ring, and then the Miz came out and said some stuff. Blah. But the only wrestler who got a proper introduction was Apollo Crews, which I thought was strange. Also, this place is packed. I don't see any open seats. Detroit brings it.

The match itself was solid, all things considered. It's sad to see Ziggler relegated to this, though. He's such a good worker, and I don't think he's ever been given a proper push. I don't know how much talent the WWE thinks they have, but when it comes to in-ring and on the mic, few are better than Ziggler.

There's no question Del Rio caught Goldust SOLID on the kick to the head that eliminated him. Jimmy and Jey went flying out. Crews and Baron Corbin over at the same time, and Darren Young wins it without having to do a thing. Weird ending. Side note: Could this be WWE's way of getting a major title on the first openly gay wrestler in history? It's absolutely news if it happens.