By Jon Mezzera, Torch Specialist

RAW HITS

Jeff Hardy Video Package: I would vote for every Raw to feature a video package on a different Superstar each week. This was a very well produced and entertaining video. For older fans it was nice to be reminded of some of Jeff Hardy’s accomplishments in his first WWE run. For newer fans it was a chance to see him before he became the “Rainbow Haired Warrior.” What happened to the rainbow hair? Of course, this was filler material and there was a lot of filler on this show (more later). But unlike most of the filler, this was fun to watch and made him seem like a big star. I can see them doing the same thing for some of the other talent as well.

Kennedy & Finlay vs. Hardy & Mysterio: I was a bit disappointed in this match as I was enthused when they first plugged it. It suffered from the typical WWE formula for a tag match with Mr. Kennedy and Finlay working on Rey Mysterio’s knee. I cringe when Rey’s opponent works on his knee. WWE has to remember that, while it makes sense from a storyline point of view to have a heel work on Rey’s knee, it doesn’t make for a great match as it hampers his ability to fly around the ring, which is why he is fun to watch. That being said, it was still a good match. The tease of tension between Kennedy and Finlay was good, although there was no follow up. Mysterio did a good job selling, and Kennedy and Finlay made the beating interesting. Hardy was good once he got the hot tag. He was a bit off last week, but not this week. The ending was very strong with Mysterio taking out Finlay leaving Hardy free to pin Kennedy.

Santino and Austin (the good): On the whole, Santino Marella and Stone Cold Steve Austin should not appear on my hitlist, as their segment was in between a Hit and a Miss. But it was a big part of Raw, so I am breaking it down into the good and bad to comment on it here. Santino got in some funny lines. His taunting of “The Condemned” director was amusing. The interplay between Marella and Austin was fun. It was great how Austin corrected Marella’s misquotes, while Marella tried to explain why he says it the way that he does (sometimes he has more than one bottom line). There were definitely some good laughs during that segment.

Fabulous Moolah Video: Every once in a while, WWE shows that they can be a classy organization when the want to be. The video tribute to the Fabulous Moolah was one of those moments. It gave her entire career retrospective, while also focusing on her as a person. It was very moving and well done.

Main Event: Say what you want about DX, but it makes sense that Triple H and Shawn Michaels would be teaming up to face Randy Orton and Umaga. If WWE had let them team up as often happens in these situations for their tag match without the DX shtick, Raw would have been better. They did deliver a good Main Event tag match. Orton and Umaga got in plenty of offense to seem like the top heels that they are. Triple H and Michaels got to to their signature crowd pleasing spots. The match built nicely to the quick Super Kick ending. It was a good hype for Orton vs. Michaels at Survivor Series and continued the Umaga vs. Triple H feud.

RAW MISSES

Opening Segment: This was bizarre. The interaction between DX and Hornswoggle was funny as was The Boogeyman’s declaration that he was coming to join DX. But, the Great Khali’s presence made no sense at all. I can accept Hornswoggle’s attempt to be in DX, maybe even Boogeyman’s, but not Khali’s. The segment continued to go downhill with Triple H’s bad Indian impression. Coach came out and spoke for me when he said that the fans wanted to see action not juvenile antics. Unfortunately, the Staples Center fans booed him, reinforcing WWE’s booking decisions. Thanks a lot L.A. The line about Michaels not being able to tell a lie was good, but in the midst of interaction between Khali and Coach, who cares? Suddenly, with no explanation, Hornswoggle and Boogeyman disappeared. Michaels was right to point out the bad writing, but just because you admit to something being bad doesn’t turn it into something good. This left me thanking WWE that this is a one night only reunion, but there was nothing about it that forces DX to never team up again. So exactly how is this just for one night only?

Santino and Austin (the bad): The problem is that in bringing in stars of the past, WWE should be using them to help the stars of today. But, Austin doesn’t do that. He makes today’s stars look bad when he easily opens up a can of whoop ass with a quick Stunner. Yes, Santino was funny, but this doesn’t help his career, and his major program is over. Austin needs to do something new, and bringing back the beer truck segment (one of the most popular in Raw history) is a mistake. It makes the fans focus on the past when you bring up such a popular moment. This reminds the fans that Raw used to be very good on a consistent basis, unlike now.

Khali vs. Hornswoggle Announcement: Having Hornswoggle vs. The Great Khali announced for Survivor Series is just stupid. It is supposed to make Vince McMahon look like an asshole, and make the fans feel sad for Hornswoggle. I guess it does that. But mostly it makes me feel like not ordering the PPV.

Meaningless Filler: As mentioned above, there was a ton of filler this week, starting with Beth Phoenix vs. Kelly Kelly. If Kelly was so frightened of Phoenix, why did she ask for the match? It makes no sense. It does make sense to have Phoenix squash Kelly, but she is the Women's Champion, so she is already established as the top Diva, and squashes don’t add much to her at this point. I don’t understand the point of Snitsky vs. Joey. Why was Carlito ducking a nobody? Why is WWE still pushing Snitsky? Will this lead to a Snitsky vs. Carlito feud? And if so, will anyone care? The answer to that last one is no. DX had a lame skit to admittedly fill time. Then, Supercrazy & Hacksaw Jim Duggan vs. The World’s Greatest Tag Team was the very definition of filler. I felt bad for Duggan after all these years of cheap pops, and he kept trying all match long to get a “U-S-A” chant going and the fans were not responding at all. That was a short match where the wrong team won. I asked myself too many times during Raw, “what was that supposed to accomplish?”

Brand Intermingling: I gave a Miss last week on ECW to the ECW and Smackdown alliance. I am tired of the constant roster intermingling. We got a lot of it this week on Raw and it is disappointing. It makes sense to have Rey Mysterio and Finlay from Smackdown on as they are building towards an inner-brand Survivor Series elimination tag match. But that is where the intermingling of the rosters should have ended. There was no reason to have the Boogeyman on. There was no reason to have Great Khali on. There was no reason to have Kelly Kelly on. If WWE were to ever keep these inner-brand interactions to a minimum, they would actually feel special when they occurred.

Jon Mezzera is PWTorch.com's Hitlist Specialist, providing his point of view in the Torch's hitlist format for Raw, Smackdown, ECW, and TNA Impact each week. Email him at jmezz-torch@sbcglobal.net.

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