James Caldwell, Torch Assistant Editor (2.5)

Raw gets one point for the Cena vs. Swagger match, one point for the six-man tag, and half-a-point for Jerry Lawler's cackling laughter during the Mae Young skit bringing Raw to such an absurd point in the show that I couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculousness of the show.

The problem with having six weeks in-between PPVs is that WWE gets so lazy with their booking. The writing team has very bad habits when forced to stretch out TV beyond just three weeks in-between PPV. This episode was just a holiday edition, throwaway episode with no redeeming value other than setting up Sheamus vs. Cena next week, name-dropping Bret Hart again, and giving Kofi Kingston a chance to step back into the spotlight.

Nothing else on the show merits evaluation, as it was bad comedy and silly skits written for kids who probably didn't even think this was cool, bad Tiger Woods skit and all.

Tony Donofrio, PWTorch.com Contributor (4.5)

I have a confession to make. I believe that I am the biggest optimist of all the contributors we have here at The Torch. I try to put a positive spin on anything I can and look for the best of things, even when there's something that I don't like. With that said, Vince McMahon is making it harder for me to do this with Raw as each week goes by!

The first hour of Raw was hard to watch and the second hour was solid until the overrun segment. The DX/Hornswoggle skits were ridiculous. I understand that WWE is PG, but don't insult my intelligence, please. The 6-man tag was decent and it was nice to see Evan Bourne get in as much offense as he did. The win will help Kofi Kingston regain some of his steam, but he really needs another big win to help get most of it back. John Cena and Jack Swagger was easily the match of the night. This is the second time that these two have had a good match on Raw in the past 6 months. Here's hoping that the creative team will finally wake up and take notice. Sheamus and MVP wasn't what I
hoped it was going to be. I want to see Sheamus get over, but certainly not at MVP's expense. This could and should be a potential WWE Title feud in the future and this loss made MVP look weak.

As far as next week goes, my biggest wish is that Cena doesn't exit 2009 as WWE Champion. I'm also hoping that we will see a WWE confirmation that Bret Hart will be hosting Raw on January 4. Also, a final note, the dolt that works for USA Network that approved the Spike TV/TNA advertisement for January 4 should have been fired less than 30 seconds after that ad aired.

Greg Parks, PWTorch.com Contributor (3.0)

I get that WWE is geared towards kids now and not necessarily the demographic I'm in. However, shows like Spongebob Squarepants and other kid-oriented programs still have humor and storylines in them that appeal to adults as well, as I've heard many 20-somethings who say they watch Spongebob, for example. WWE hasn't learned that balance yet, and it makes for messes of shows like this one.

I think the main problem is, WWE has no idea what kids want, other than as much John Cena as they can handle. Pretty much everything that wasn't bell-to-bell action on this show sucked. The in-ring stuff, like the six-man tag and Cena vs. Swagger, was pretty darn good. I also liked how they gave some younger talent time to shine, even if it wasn't in the longer matches. I'm talking of MVP, Sheamus, Carlito, Chris Masters, etc. Sheamus vs. John Cena next week should draw in fans and let WWE know how much of a ratings draw Sheamus is- he hasn't been really featured in a drawing position yet on Raw as champ.

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