James Caldwell, Torch Assistant Editor (5.5)

It will take a few weeks for the new characters on Raw to settle in and find their niche on the show while mixing with the recurring characters, but the show just lacked something tonight. Randy Orton was strong as the "leader" of the show, but Chris Jericho was missed. MVP and Batista were strong as the default top babyfaces, but someone like Shawn Michaels or John Cena were missed until Cena's last-second appearance on the show.

Once the Raw writing team gets a feel for the players they have at their disposal, the show should feel a bit more uniform rather than a hodge-podge of small, medium, and large storylines. Randy Orton is a good foundation to build from and his character will help create consistency to the show.

Orton vs. MVP was a really nice TV semi-main event match. MVP had a strong showing on his first official night on the brand, even helping push along the opening segment that was stretched out to 18 minutes. WWE easily could have cut three minutes off that segment and given it to TBK vs. Kofi Kingston, unless the players in the opening segment just happened to go too long.

Matt Hardy's cast gimmick will work for a few weeks until he's healed and WWE figures out his place on the show. ... The Miz had a very strong second-half to his promo after the initial set-up. Cena vs. Miz feels like a "one week and it's done" feud for Cena to blast through an opponent in preparation for Big Show, but I'd like to see an extended feud between Cena and Miz at some point. ... Tag title situation looks very dreary if Colons vs. Ted Dibiase & Cody Rhodes doesn't happen. Colons vs. anybody else looks dreadful on paper after WWE ripped apart the tag division.

Brian Hoops, PWTorch.com Contributor (6.0)

Thought this show was pretty effective at trying to inject some fresh acts to Raw. Allowing MVP to interact with Randy Orton on the mic was a simple, but effective way to give the appearance (which means EVERYTHING) that he is on the same level with Legacy. Its too bad they didn't at least give The Brian Kendrick the same chance. The Miz did a great job of elevating himself with his in ring promo on Cena and it was the right call not to have Cena on the show as he needs to sell his injuries from Backlash.

Was it just me, or was that one boring main event? I guess I spoke too soon as Cena was on the ramp at the end of the main event to give Batista a count-out win without Show doing the job. There are only two more Raw shows until the next PPV, Judgement Day, and only one match has been hyped or announced, Batista vs. Orton. I guess we can pencil in Cena vs. Big Show as well as that seems to be the obvious direction.

Shawn Valentino, PWTorch.com Contributor (5.5)

This show was a mixed bag. I felt Randy Orton started off the show strong with a really good promo. I am sure he hit home with many viewers when he flaunted how much he has accomplished at a young age compared to them. Although he gets his share of cheers, it would be a mistake for WWE to turn him face because the reason he gets applause is that he is an intense, arrogant badass. The qualities that make him a terrific heel will not translate as well if they turn him, unless it is really well done and I do not have faith in WWE Creative to do it properly. It was good to see Triple H off of the show and hopefully he is gone for awhile to recharge the batteries. Unfortunately, they brought John Cena back a little too soon as he should be selling the effects of the devastating chokeslam into the spotlight at Backlash.

The matches were all filler on this program, although The Brian Kendrick and Kofi Kingston showed signs of being able to have a great match if given the television time. The real highlight of the show was that some younger stars were given opportunity to shine. MVP did a good job on his promo on Legacy and it was good to see him challenging the World Champion. It was also nice to see Miz call Cena out. This could lead to an interesting program if done properly. They should stretch it out for a few weeks as Miz wins some midcard matches until Cena answers the challenge. His statement about being tired of the same main eventers on top echoes the sentiments of many fans. This is how you lay the groundwork to elevate talent, and hopefully WWE continues this push throughout the year.

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