By Jon Mezzera, Torch Specialist

RAW HITS

Cena-Triple H: After John Cena started Raw off with a lame speech about how great WWE is, and how his match vs. Triple H in two weeks will join a list of the great moments in WWE history (I seriously doubt it), things picked up very nicely with Triple H’s interruption. I didn’t like Cena’s promo, but I did like the verbal exchange between the two. I like the notion that this feud is turning personal as it goes forward. It had been just about the WWE Title, but it has grown beyond that. Both guys got in some good lines. I was amazed at the strength of Cena’s line about Triple H no longer being the measuring stick in WWE. I also laughed at Triple H’s line about Cena’s fans not being able to stay up to watch them wrestle at the PPV. This was definitely a better way to build to Night of Champions than what they did last week.

Cena vs. Umaga: Cena and Umaga tend to have good brawling matches, and that was the case here. I like when wrestlers change up their routines, and even a slight change like Umaga going for his butt charge on the outside of the ring is a nice change from his typical matches. Cena’s head plant into the mat when collapsing during an FU attempt looked brutal. The match wasn’t great as it had some flaws. But, we didn’t have to sit through the “you can’t see me” bit, and they managed to make a street fight interesting without chair shots to the head which is good.

Flair’s Surprise Appearance: After a good promo from Chris Jericho (Hit-worthy itself), we got the genuine surprise appearance by Ric Flair. It was a good idea to put him on right before a commercial, so fans would want to stick around and to see him after the break. Both guys played their parts very well. Flair showed great intensity throughout the encounter. Jericho looked bewildered at Flair’s presence. I was thoroughly entertained watching them walk through he building to have a fight in the parking lot. I have mixed feelings about Triple H’s interruption. It was also a nice surprise. Triple H cut a nice promo on Jericho. But, it did make Flair look a little weak in having Triple H fighting his battle for him. But, after the next break, Flair got to look good again in being upset at Triple H for stepping in and stating that he really wanted a piece of Jericho. All in all, this was a good way to use Flair.

Main Event (the good): The good part of Triple H vs. Jericho was the last 3 minutes or so of the match, before the DQ finish. That was a showcase of how good this match could be in the future. There were multiple counters that worked really well. Neither wrestler had control of the match for very long before the other was able to get control. The match didn’t drag or get boring. They played around with some of Triple H’s usual moves, having Jericho escape two Pedigree attempts as well as his signature face buster. I don’t recall seeing that before. I had issues with the match, but they did put on a good match, particularly at the end with the very strong series of moves and counters.

Money Mania (the good): Well, week 2 of McMahon’s Million Dollar Mania was better than week 1. For one thing, the technical issues were not as bad as last week. Also, WWE seemed to address some of the criticisms of how it was produced last week. They actually aired the reactions of the winners instead of cutting them off right away. Vince McMahon seemed more comfortable in the role than last week. I like the idea that if you are going to do this, that you make it at least somewhat entertaining by having McMahon interact with the winners. Some of the questions were pretty funny. McMahon had some nice ad libs about them, like the guy who sang worse than Jillian Hall. Of course, it wasn’t all good (more later).

RAW MISSES

Bikini Beach Blowout: This was a waste of time. I was glad to see Charlie Haas getting more air time after last week. Also, the Jillian Hall bit where she tried to sing was funny. However, this didn’t accomplish anything other than getting the Divas on t.v., which can be done in a more significant way. What really upset me about it is the use of Melina. She has been on fire lately trying to destroy Beth Phoenix. This week that angle was put on hold in favor of this. She has been so focused on Phoenix that it would have made more sense if she had refused to participate. We could have given an inset promo as the other Divas made their way to the ring saying that she wasn’t taking part in the Bikini competition because she is too busy looking to get her hands on Phoenix. As it was, it interrupted a good storyline for some lame t.v.

Holly & Rhodes vs. Cryme Tyme: Just when you think the Tag Team Champions’ matches can’t possibly get any shorter, Hardcore Holly & Cody Rhodes have a three second match. Now I’m sure they can’t get any shorter. Despite the short matches as of late, WWE has done a pretty good job of building up Ted DiBiase Jr. and his challenge for the Tag Titles. That went away this week. This match was a waste of time, as it didn’t advance the storyline. The Champs have been on a losing streak, but that came to an end. DiBiase actually helped them win by (seemingly) inadvertently distracting Cryme Tyme. What was the point of that? This was the third “match” of the night, and came very late in a show that had until then featured a good 10 minute match, and a fun but too short 4 minute match (Jeff Hardy vs. Carlito). After so much time with no wrestling, WWE finally has a third match and it lasted three seconds. What a joke.

Main Event (the bad): The bad part about the Main Event was that there was no need to have this match on Raw. The scene between Triple H and Jericho earlier was a nice tease of what could be a very good feud down the line. It should have just been setting up what might happen in the future. WWE made a mistake in giving away this match for free with little build and no advance announcement. Also, I’m not thrilled with the interjection of Lance Cade into the mix. I am happy WWE is trying to move a mid carder up the ladder, but I don’t know if Cade is the one I would pick. They tried to elevate Paul Burchill, but that hasn’t worked. Maybe Cade will, but he has been around for a long time (remember when he was Garrison Cade? Remember when he teamed with Mark Gindrak?). He hasn’t shown much in multiple stints in WWE to deserve getting a push. I hope he proves me wrong, and he does have a chance to do so. I also don’t like Cena coming to Triple H’s aid. Their feud turned personal, and it is a mistake to have Cena coming to Triple H’s aid just because they are both babyfaces. That was dumb.

Money Mania (the bad): As much as they improved this concept from last week, it is still several minutes of t.v. on Raw that I would rather see devoted to wrestling action or developing storylines. While some of McMahon’s requests of the winners were good, some of them were terrible like asking the guy to bark like a dog. There were also awkward moments like when one winner wanted to ask McMahon a question. Having more interaction with the winners is a good idea, but it can lead to bad moments like that. The booby prize is still weak. If the point is to create good will with the fans, giving one such a low amount isn't going to help. In the end, it was more enjoyable than last week, but still not good wrestling or sports entertainment.

Jon Mezzera is PWTorch.com's Hits & Misses Specialist, providing his point of view for Raw, Smackdown, ECW, and TNA Impact each week. Email him at jmezz-torch@sbcglobal.net.

For another view from the original Hitlist author, compare Jason Powell's views to mine by visiting prowrestling.NET's "Hitlist" section here.

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