By Jon Mezzera, Torch Specialist

RAW HITS

Opening Segment: Raw got off to a good start on the night after The Great American Bash. They focused on the World Title situation, with the video footage from the PPV, Batista’s reaction to watching that footage, and the good in ring segment involving Batista, John Bradshaw Layfield, and CM Punk. All three played their parts well. I question the lack of a McMahon on the show (more later), and I question giving away the PPV Main Event rematch (more later), but it was still a good way to start the show. Batista gave a good promo, setting up his desire for a rematch and his anger towards Kane. JBL was good in questioning Batista’s authority, while playing up his win over John Cena and his desire for a Title shot. It was good to see Punk take control and dictate who he would face. I like the idea that he is trying to prove himself. I am worried that his Championship run will end up like Rey Masterio’s, but hopefully it won’t.

Generation Rescue: This is a very good cause, and WWE should be applauded for getting involved with it. They made a big deal out of it, with Jenny McCarthy’s address to the fans early in the show, followed by a very good video about the organization and Maria’s involvement with it (plus a few major celebrities as well), and then the Toby Keith address to the fans. I don’t know if this will help Saturday Night’s Main Event or not, but that isn’t the point. The point is that WWE deserves credit for helping out a very good cause.

Cade and Jericho: When I write that Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels is the feud of the year, it is largely because each and every week, one or the other, or someone else involved in part of the storyline (like Batista at one point), or all of the above gives a great performance on Raw. This week that performance was from Chris Jericho, but his understudy Lance Cade was good as well. Cade sounded more confident on the mic than I remember him sounding. His pre-match promo to Shawn Michaels was strong. I liked the ending when he said he had words for Michaels that he should have said years ago. I am intrigued by the possibility of Paul London being more heavily involved in the angle, but time will tell if that happens. Again, the real highlight was Jericho’s cold promo about the fans and Michaels. He once again gave a great heel promo. He seems to be really embracing this role. When he talks about the fans not embracing him, it sounds like he means it (maybe he does). The realism of his promos is very impactfull.

Return of D-Lo Brown: I for one was always “down with the Brown” so it was good to see D-Lo Brown returning after 5 years out of WWE. The announcers did a nice job of reintroducing him to the fans. Having been gone for so long, a better job of introducing him could have been done, but it was good to put him in the ring with Santino Marella. Marella is over with the fans who love to see him get beat, so they likely took an instant liking to Brown.

Santino and Beth: After Beth Phoenix defeated Santino Marella last week, I assumed that it would be the end of their interaction. I am happy to report that I was wrong. I was curious to know why Phoenix had come out during the match. It was interesting to watch the uncomfortable moment play out. She wanted to fight, but why? He wasn’t fighting back, but why? It was a very amusing scene, leading up to the awkward embrace and quick kiss. What really sold the moment was their reactions afterwards. We all know that Santino is great on the mic and has great facial reactions and does humor very well. But, Phoenix was really good also. She had a great look of confusion on her face. I can’t wait to see this develop.

Overall Show: This was a good Raw. In addition to the really good moments that stand out as Hits, there was quite a lot to like on the show. Kelly Kelly vs. Beth Phoenix was a good, but short match. Kelly looked better in the ring than ever as far as I’m concerned. The in ring scene with Jim Duggan, Jerry Lawler plus Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase Jr. was solid. They played their parts well as it was a nice tease to a possible future match. The mixed tag match was solid and it was good to see Paul Burchill getting momentum back by getting the win. There were little things to like, such as the brief backstage scene with Jamie Noble and Layla before they were interrupted by Batista. That was a simple way to keep a new angle in the minds of the fans. There were some problems with the show, but on the whole it was a good Raw.

RAW MISSES

Still No McMahons: I have enjoyed the “anything can happen” feel to Raw the past few weeks, but have felt all along that the show shouldn’t go on too long without an authority figure. After what Shane and Stephanie McMahon said last week, and after all the carnage that occurred, I was assuming they would show up this week. I like the idea that the announcers said that Shane and Stephanie were looking for a new General Manager, as that could build some anticipation among the fans and an interview process for the job could be fun. However, there still has to be someone in control of the show in the mean time. The fact that the McMahons gave an ultimatum to the roster last week, and that was obviously not followed, meant that they should have been on this week. The fact that they weren’t undercuts their authority.

Minimizing the PPV: As I said above, giving away the rematch for one of the Main Events at a PPV, the night after the PPV is a bad idea. It is a slap in the face to those who just bought the PPV in part to see that match. Now everyone who didn’t see the PPV gets to see the same match (with a similar ending) for free. That hurts WWE’s ability to sell future PPVs. To tie this in with the previous Miss, I was hoping that the McMahons would eventually show up and change the Main Event to something with more star power (to make the bait and switch more acceptable), to establish their authority and to stay away from Batista vs. Punk. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. WWE also undercut the parking lot brawl between Cena and JBL from the night before. Yes, JBL and Cena acted like they were sore from their brawl. But, that was a viscous brawl. Neither of them should have been in any kind of shape to fight the next night. It was o.k. that they were on the show, but not in a match. Cena briefly sold the injury before the match, but once the bell sounded it was like nothing had happened to him. His power show at the end of the match was ridiculous in the context of being thrown through a windshield the night before. Again this hurts WWE’s ability to sell future PPVs. If they build a PPV around another hardcore type brawl, why should I care? I know the brawl won’t mean anything and that the participants will be back on Raw the next night. WWE did a great job following up on Michaels’ condition, but the rest of the PPV follow up really minimized the importance of the show.

Show’s Ending: After the PPV, I was expecting a triple threat match at SummerSlam, Batista vs. Kane vs. Punk. Now I don’t know what to think. Having some ambiguity can be good. Having multiple wrestlers wanting a Title shot can be good. But, when there is too much going on, it can be bad. The Main Event failed to deliver. It wasn’t a bad match. In fact, it was good until the ending. But, that ending was another non-finish. This is getting too much like TNA. In addition to the three men listed above, now JBL and John Cena are involved too. There are some intriguing possibilities for SummerSlam. We don’t know what direction WWE will go with these five wrestlers, which is o.k. for now. But, the real problem is that Punk still hasn’t proven himself, WWE repeated the same finish to the same match, and Punk was shoved aside for two more established top stars. It wasn’t a good ending to an otherwise pretty good show.

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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