This is the first time I've watched since the Punk/Cena stuff last year and there is a marked difference in the presentation. It really is, like you say, an incredibly polished marketing machine set to the backdrop of the pro wrestling.
The only thing that has struck me as really poor was the Brock/HHH segment; the wedding was kinda terribly executed but going with AJ as GM could be fun. What was the deal with Bryan and the dudes in white shirts though?