By Jon Mezzera, Torch Specialist

RAW HITS

Opening Segment: Raw got off to a good start with Chris Jericho complaining to Mike Ademle about the Cyber Sunday situation. Ademle didn't mess up, so that was good. Jericho was his usual great self both in talking to Ademle, and after coming to the ring to complain about the fans having a say in his Title match. Shawn Michaels was good in his performance as well. The opening segment was entertaining, and it set up the theme for the night, that Jericho and Batista get to pick each other's opponent. We got the announced Batista vs. Michaels match, and a mystery as to who Batista would pick to face Jericho. It was a good way to build anticipation for the rest of the show. I know that Batista vs. Michaels is a big match that could have been saved for a PPV, or even announced a week ahead of time, but in this case, they have had recent PPV matches against each other and it will likely be awhile before they have another PPV feud.

Mysterio & Hardy vs. Kane & Henry: This was the second week in a row that these two teams put on a good match against each other. It wasn't great, but it was good with a few very nice spots. They did a nice job of playing off of previous matches, like when Mark Henry caught Matt Hardy on the outside, only to be knocked over by a flying Rey Mysterio. The match had a sudden and impactful ending with Kane kicking Mysterio out of the air to get the win. I like when endings come without a traditional finishing move. It helps future matches whenever Kane goes for a pin without using the chokeslam, as the fans will be more likely to buy into the possible three count.

Batista vs. Michaels: This was a good match, the best of the night, but it wasn't great. It was slow at times and there were a few sloppy spots, but over all it was a good match. WWE did a good job of playing into the past feud between these two, as Batista mentioned it in an earlier interview, and Michael Cole discussed it early in the match. They also did a good job of playing into the lumber jack stipulation (not sure how Jericho got the power to make that stipulation - more later). There were several nice teases on the outside of the lumberjacks trying to get involved, like when Michaels skinned the cat back into the ring to avoid them, and when Batista moved just in time to avoid a legend killer punt from Randy Orton. The ending was to be expected. Afterwards, the quick super kick and spear just past each other was really well done.

Main Event: Again, this was far from a great match. It wasn't very long. It was less about a wrestling match than an angle. And, I'm not totally sure how Batista got the power to name himself guest referee (more later). But, I still enjoyed the match. I like CM Punk as the mystery opponent. That raises his status as being the one that Batista would pick to help soften up Jericho before the PPV. It was a nice surprise. There was some good wrestling action in the match. Batista played his part as referee very well. I liked that he didn't try to do fast counts on Jericho, as having Jericho lose wasn't as important as having Jericho take a beating. It was all well executed and planned out. It wasn't a great ending, but it was still a fun match to watch.

RAW MISSES

Haas Hogan: This is the first time I'm giving Charlie Haas' imitation gimmick a Miss. It has been entertaining for the most part, but all along I've said that eventually some type of explanation would have to be given as to why he is doing it. We are getting very close to that point (if we haven't already reached it). Also, most of his imitations have had a purpose. This one was just too random. It is a matter of the writers working backwards instead of forwards. They wanted Haas to do a Hogan impersonation, but couldn't come up with any reason, other than the fact that John Bradhshaw Layfield called himself a real American. Did Haas plan on doing Hogan, just in case JBL used that phrase? It is just too coincidental. What if JBL had said that he is a real hot rod? Would Haas have quickly changed into a kilt?

Jackass Segment: If Todd "Why am I still on Raw" Grisham's interview with Johnny Knoxville wasn't bad enough (and it was bad!), we got one of the all time worst wrestling segments later in the show. I think the only reason I'm not calling it the very worst segment in wrestling history is that it started off really well with Glamarella. It was good to see Santino Marella going away from the cheap regional humor he used last week. He had some great lines about his three possible opponents at Cyber Sunday. Then things went downhill after he called Knoxville into the ring. Beth Phoenix slapped him very softly, and then executed a terrible looking power slam. The scene turned totally random with a tadpole splash from Hornswoggle (just to make Knoxville happy as he wanted to see midgets). Then to keep up the random appearances, we got the first in a (thankfully) long time appearance by Big Dick Johnson, the return after a (thankfully) long absence by The Boogeyman, and the expected attack by The Great Khali. That was a lot of crap just to plug a website.

Bonus Powers: Did I miss something? I heard Mike Ademle tell Chris Jericho that he got to pick an opponent to face Batista. I didn't hear him say that he got to make the match and add stipulations as well. So how did Jericho get the bonus power to make Michaels vs. Batista a lumberjack match? Later in the show, how did Batista get the power to name himself the special guest referee for Jericho vs. Punk? Those unexplained gaps in logic take away from the quality of the show. Maybe they will explain it next week with Ademle admonishing them for abusing their power or something, but I doubt it.

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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