This is an example of a frequent VIP feature - the Roundtable Reviews feature - where PWTorch staffers present their score and review of a TV show or PPV. This covers last night's Raw. VIP members have access to these Roundtables at the ad-free VIP version of PWTorch.com, plus it's sent out via email to all members...
Sean Radican, Torch columnist (7.0)
I can't recall any time in the last five years when I've been less excited about a WrestleMania. Tonight, WWE pulled things together and hyped the show the way they should have all along. There were great video packages, in-ring segments, backstage promos, and a main event that delivered what it needed to, but I'm predicting a lower buyrate for WrestleMania, as compared to the edition WWE delivered last year.
Big Show is so underrated right now, it's ridiculous. He's really good on the mic and carries himself in a totally different manner than he ever has. I can't even believe it's the same guy sometimes. That being said, the build for the biggest match of his career has been so lackluster, he won't get the credit he deserves unless his match with Mayweather is an incredible spectacle and people talk about it for years to come.
Ric Flair and HBK had a great in-ring segment and I can't wait to see their match now, but it's a shame the build for their match was a slap in the face to Flair the entire time up until last night. Flair's in-ring promo and then seeing him stand tall at the end of Raw after submitting the WWE Champion to his signature hold was a great pre-WrestleMania moment.
It's too bad that the rest of the hype for the HBK-Flair match didn't match up to what was accomplished on Raw this week. A really good build for that match would have added a lot of buys to WWE's annual big show.
I'm just not excited for any of the title matches at WrestleMania this year. Edge and Randy Orton have been almost an afterthought in the build towards WrestleMania. The matches should deliver from an in-ring standpoint, but I'm dissapointed that both men didn't get a chance to shine on WWE's flagship program leading into their respective matches. Orton was coming across so well up until he got swallowed into a black hole during the build to WrestleMania.
This was a thumbs up show. All of the matches seem important now. I liked the segement at the beginning of the show with all of the wrestlers trying to establish that their match was the one that was going to steal the show. I'm still looking forward to the show on Sunday, but I wish WWE had done more this year to make WrestleMania feel special.
Bruce Mitchell, Torch columnist (6.0)
I know, the score's a cheat, but for me there were two parts of this show - the build-up for WrestleMania and what happened for Ric Flair one last night in the Township of Columbia, South Carolina. The most I hoped for was that Ric Flair would be allowed to give a Ric Flair promo one last time. Instead, he and Shawn Michaels came up with another great Ric Flair moment for the ages, and, something I didn't even consider; he got put over right in the middle of the ring in the Raw main event before WrestleMania.
The rest? It jammed in an awful lot of Mania hype in a clumsy way, but it hits the major points over and over. I wish Triple H and John Cena, our heroes, didn't whine so much about past injuries, but instead put over how strong and ready they are for their title match now.
Pat McNeill, Torch columnist (7.5)
It was the Monday before WrestleMania, so it was time for one final "go home" program before the Citrus Bowl. The good news about this show is that did a great job of driving home the main match for WrestleMania. The Mayweather and Big Show hype was a direct ripoff from HBO's excellent series of "24/7" interviews they use to build up Mayweather's boxing matches. Neither Mayweather nor show came off particularly sympathetic, but you do want to see how the fight turns out, and that's what matters.
The title match received a good amount of air time, and Cena, Orton, and Hunter delivered their lines well, but there wasn't anything to distinguish the WrestleMania title match from the title matches at the other thirteen pay-per-views of the year. The real winner on this show was the buildup between Ric Flair and Randy Orton, ending with Flair scoring the victory on what could be the final televised match of his career. Flair sounded a lot more like the man whose keynote promos are all over WWE 24/7 every couple weeks, and Michaels didn't have to break character. Fantastic.
The rest of the show wasn't very interesting, unless you care about the women's match or the hunt for the ECW Title. Unfortunately, the Money in the Bank crew is saving its best work for Sunday, when they'll be at greater risk for potential career-ending injuries. Thumbs up overall.
Greg Parks, PWTorch.com contributor (6.0)
If you tuned in looking for some quality in-ring action, you were sorely disappointed. But this show was all about hyping WrestleMania, which they've done a mixed-bag job of up to this point. They put the hype into over-drive tonight, as every segment had something to do with WrestleMania, and there were plenty of video packages to go around. And that's the way it should be.
The thing that stuck out to me was the lack of Floyd Mayweather. After coming out of the chute hot, that angle really lost steam quickly. I figure'd they'd try one last-ditch effort to make everyone care about that match. Instead, they must've been happy enough with what they did last - Show throwing Mayweather over his head to the floor and his cronies having a pull-apart with the sports-entertainers.
Everyone in the opening segment played their parts well, but - and this is a minor quibble - I think the "everyone follows each other out interview segment" is kind of lazy booking. Instead of finding a unique way to hype each match, they just threw each participant out there in the opening segment to fight over who's going to be the MVP of WrestleMania, I guess.
The Flair-HBK segment was very intense, but I don't get how things went from "I"m going to bring my best out in you/that's all I expect" to "I'm going to take you out behind the barn and put you out of your misery." As Wade would say, they seemed to miss a chapter somewhere in between.
The women's stuff was a mess. I don't know why they didn't just save the six-person match for WrestleMania. That would give Jerry Lawler the WrestleMania spotlight he's been wanting. And it would probably raise the match quality too, and definitely the entertainment quality with Santino out there.
The main event had a happy ending, and they finally put Flair over relatively strong. But how will that make the fans view Orton? As if most people weren't certain of a title change before....
James Caldwell, Torch columnist (6.5)
Six days before WrestleMania, this certainly felt like a lead-in show to WrestleMania. The opening segment conveyed the importance of Mania. The final segment conveyed the importance of Ric Flair. But, there was a strange vibe on this show where it felt like WWE was almost trying too hard to hammer home all of the key points before Mania.
I heard this line during the NCAA tournament coverage this past weekend that some teams want to win so bad that they end up trying too hard and start turning the ball over, committing silly fouls, and rushing jump shots. WWE was definitely on target with most of the points going into Mania, but there was just a little too much effort to reinforce everything before Mania. The best example I can think of is the promo exchange between John Cena and Hunter backstage in the middle of the second hour. The intent was good, but it wasn't necessary.
Based on how the show unfolded, it's tough to tell what the headline match is. Is it Flair vs. Michaels? The Raw three-way title match? Show vs. Mayweather? It's not a bad thing to have an unclear "main event match," but it's certainly interesting to see how WWE tried to weave all of the major feuds into the book-end segments to give equal treatment and keep everyone relevant.
The interaction between Flair and Michaels was spot-on. The only issue for people will be the Old Yeller line from Michaels, but there's a plausible explanation that it was simply part of Michaels's head games going into Mania. He knew he could rile up Flair some more by saying he's going to put him out, and he knew Flair would respond because he stood ready for that slap, but he also knew Flair wasn't going to do anything about it on Monday, March 24. Very strong segment depending on your view of the Old Yeller line.
Conspicuous by his absence was Floyd Mayweather. And it's probably a good thing. I don't think Mayweather could have added anything more to the build-up to his match against Big Show. WWE has effectively presented Show as a big monster that you either cheer or boo, but you fear. There was no sense in muddying the waters by bringing Mayweather back on the show to have a mixed reaction that will give casual viewers mixed feelings about whether to order Mania.
Wade Keller, Torch editor (7.5)
WWE not only drove home their key singles matches at Sunday's WrestleMania, but added a new layer of intrigue: Who is going to have the best night? Who's going to steal the show? Having a parade of various wrestlers from different matches each stake their claim to wanting to have the biggest impact at the show - with a cameo later from Mr. Kennedy predicting the same for himself - it gave fans something else to look for. Instead of just looking at each match individually and rooting for someone, the next layer to watch for is who stands out as having that best WrestleMania Moment. People also probably paid more attention to some of the mid-card matches because JBL and Umaga were in the mix with the top stars at the same time in the same ring. So I liked the opening parade segment. You can't do that too often without it becoming cliche, but this was the right time to do it.
Umaga talking was noteworthy. John Cena (who returned to his rapping days, which has been rare the past year or two) "interpreting" what Umaga said had good humor potential, but he returned to his cheap suggestive gay-bashing that he should be above at this point. With WWE overtly marketing to kids now with the WWE magazine for kids, they need to be more sensitive about the messages their role models send. No kid on a playground with same-sex parents deserves to be picked on because Cena made it seem okay, if not cool. Triple H plugging his t-shirt as usual seems a little desperate, but he moved past it quickly at least. Big Show came across as someone ready to headline PPVs against Cena or Hunter in coming months.
The story of the show was that Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair actually came across as the main event of the entire show. Or at least co-main event with Orton vs. Cena vs. Triple H. Flair got to be his best self. Michaels played off of him perfectly. They did a good job giving fans full on "permission" to root for Flair and against Michaels for one night.
Jerry Lawler is really over. They need to do more with him. Not too much, but the crowds love everything he does. He could be utilized in the ring more. His promos are so good, he can sell anything.
It did feel odd that Floyd Mayweather was not there. It's as if WWE felt it was such a mess, they're just ready to move past it as they can't really trust Mayweather to do much live on the mic. Plus, it seems they're determined to keep Show heel after WM, but are willing to let him get cheered on Sunday against the "outsider." Should be interesting.
Good final show. Not great (that women's match was really bad and knocked a half point off the score right there), but a really good final show which forwarded some issues, intensified others, and drove home the overall main reasons to order the show.
