James Caldwell, Torch Assistant Editor (8.0)

This was an excellent edition of Raw TV in my estimation. The John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels match certainly stands out as the reason for my high score on this show, as I felt it outweighed the poor moments on the show. Cena and Michaels have this incredible chemistry in the ring that's either there or it's not. Throw JBL's great non-reactions into the mix and WWE delivered another classic in this series of matches between two of WWE's top stars.

The Chris Jericho firing was a surprise way to start the show. Barring this being one of the "write 'em off TV for a while" storylines for Jericho, it should be very interesting to see how he's brought back on TV next week when Vince McMahon returns. Jericho's promo on Stephanie was great, tense, and really set the tone for a hard-hitting rest of the show.

Ted DiBiase's return was inevitable and it was obvious once he walked out on stage that a heel re-turn was coming. Unless this is another complete write-off for Sim and Manu, they really need someone to help boost their credibility in a Legacy vs. SiManu program because no one cares about that team right now. Meanwhile, Orton's victory over Kane that preceded the DiBiase return looked very questionable. Props to Torch reader Art Blarr for pointing out that ref Scott Armstrong is a second-generation himself. Perhaps a heel ref angle in the works, or just complete WWE ref incompetence?

I despised the IC Title finish for the second week in a row, but I enjoyed the follow-up for Punk vs. Regal next week with one of those old-school storylines where you add another layer to the gimmickry/stipulations in smart fashion. DQ to save the belt? React with lose the belt on a DQ. Ref blows the DQ on the babyface? Make it no DQ next week. Good set-up for next week.

Bruce Mitchell, Torch Columnist (7.0)

The Legacy and Shawn Michaels/JBL intrigue carried the show. The Michaels/JBL stuff, with its subtleties between boss and employee were particularly well done. Chris Jericho, more than anyone else, knows how to play off Stephanie McMahon. The C.M. Punk-William Regal program over the IC belt has the right idea, but the wrong execution.

Greg Parks, PWTorch.com Contributor (5.5)

I could go as high as 6.0 for this show, especially with the main event getting four stars. The bookends of Raw (the Jericho segment and the main event) were awesome, but the rest was just there and didn't really work for me.

It's rare these days in wrestling when something really surprises you, but Jericho's firing did. I can't wait to see where it goes next week. Miz vs. Mysterio was fine, but too short, and Miz's second loss in a row. Morrison & Miz have fallen off the map in the last week or so. The Mike Knox attack was predictable (and made Rey look stupid for not knowing it was coming), but hopefully the end is in sight with next week's match. Punk vs. Regal was a disappointment again, but if it leads to a hot no-DQ match next week, I'll be fine with it.

Kane vs. Orton was really sub-par, not to mention the storyline that brought them to the match (Kelly Kelly) wasn't mentioned; instead, the focus was on The Legacy. And I was really digging the Kelly storyline too. I expected Dibiase to re-join Orton's stable, but they didn't have to make Manu and Snuka look even more like chumps while doing it. They're going to need to be majorly re-built if the plan is to feud them with The Legacy. The Women's thing was just kind of there. The main event though was great, and I liked the subtlety JBL displayed at ringside. Well done.

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