By Jon Mezzera, Torch Specialist

RAW HITS

Orton - Triple H: With one exception, this was a very good verbal exchange between Randy Orton and Triple H. I like that Orton wanted to duck Triple H and challenge either Edge or John Cena instead. I didn't like his threat to arrest Triple H, and I believe the segment would have been better if Orton had some other reason why he wasn't going to face him. But, it was a good set up for Triple H having to convince Orton to face him at WrestleMania. Hunter was good on the mic bringing up their history going back to Evolution. He was very intense. Orton was good in his facial reactions listening to the taunting. I liked how he tried to provoke Triple H after their agreement had been reached by talking about how he enjoyed what he did to Vince, Shane and Stephanie McMahon. Hunter was even more intense in his threat at the end.

HBK Wins: Shawn Michaels vs. Vladimir Kozlov was ok. It was too one sided with Kozlov dominating most of the match to be more than just ok, but it wasn't bad. In then end, I was thrilled (though not surprised) that Michaels won. Many of us have been waiting two years to see a one on one match between him and Undertaker. It has been a long time since they've faced each other outside of the Royal Rumble. A case can be made that what Michaels told Todd Grisham is true, that he has stolen the show at every WrestleMania since his return (with the exception of when he faced Vince McMahon). It would be hard to argue that he wasn't in the best match in three of the six WrestleManias, and an argument could be made that he was in the best in five of the six. With an epic dream match against Undertaker this year, he certainly has a strong chance to do it again.

Edge vs. Cena: I didn't understand giving away this match for free with no advanced hype. I also wasn't thrilled with the idea that this would not be at WrestleMania. However, Edge and John Cena worked well together and put on a good 15 minute match. They always do. It had some very dramatic moments, like the Sharpshooter, the STF, and a few other close near falls. I was expecting some type of outside interference, but it never happened. I didn't expect Edge to lose, but in the back of my mind I kept wondering if there had been a Wellness Policy violation that had forced WWE to go to this match so soon. Therefore, I really didn't know the outcome which helped. Of course, if the match was this good, imagine how good it would have been at WrestleMania when they would presumably have another 10 minutes or so to work.

RAW MISSES

Vickie Still GM: The RKO is a good finishing move, and I know that Stephanie McMahon is a woman who is not trained to be a wrestler (although let the record show that she is a former Women's Champion). But, I find it hard to believe that one RKO two weeks ago would keep her from being able to do her job as the General Manager of Raw. She hasn't recovered yet? I don't buy it. Even if she's not healthy enough to be in the building, can't she make the matches from home? Can't she run the show from home? If they stretch this out with Vickie Guerrero still as interim GM until WrestleMania it is going to be ridiculous. I understand that they want to sell the fact that Orton took out the entire McMahon family and having Stephanie back on would undercut that fact. But, it wouldn't be so bad if she were running the show from home. Teddy Long isn't on ECW half the time (at least not the last two weeks), so WWE has set a precedent for a GM to not actually appear on a show.

No Mysterio in MIB: The Money in the Bank qualifier, Rey Mysterio vs. Kane vs. Mike Knox was a solid triple threat match. It wasn't as good as last week's, and not quite good enough to get a Hit. But, it wasn't bad. I was disappointed with the outcome. I've been saying for some time that I hope Mysterio is in MIB. I hoped that John Morrison and The Miz would be too, but they lost their qualifier last week. CM Punk can do great things in a ladder match, but I still say I would rather see him defend the Intercontinental Championship than appear in his third MIB (seriously, three WrestleManias and three MIBs!). So now we have Kane who has been in MIB before and Punk. There are still six to go, so hopefully I will be more excited about those entrants. And often, WWE will do a last chance battle royale or something for those who lost qualifiers to get the final spot. If that is the case, then maybe Mysterio will still get in.

Orton Threatens to Arrest Triple H: If I were supreme commander of the universe, I would do away with wrestlers being arrested and threatening other wrestlers to have them arrested. It has been done so many times and it is always so cheesy. The problem is that wrestlers do things all the time that would potentially have them arrested in the real world, yet they aren't. Last year, John Bradshaw Layfield tried to kill John Cena by running him over with a car. That seems like a bigger deal that Triple H attacking three men with a sledgehammer. So, there is a real consistency issue. It is also such cheap heat. Every time WWE goes to this idea, I think "that's the best they could come up with?" As I said above, I liked the verbal exchange between them. But, the whole segment would have been better if the cops weren't involved.

Giving Away WrestleMania Main Event: It is not like we haven't seen Edge vs. Cena multiple times before. That is why after the Royal Rumble I was hoping for Edge vs. Triple H and Orton vs. Cena. But, those will have to wait. However, there is enough history between Edge and Cena, and they do work very well together, that putting them against each other feels WrestleMania worthy. WWE is going in a different direction which might be fine, but from a business standpoint, having this match unannounced on Raw is a mistake. Even announcing it a week in advance would have been better. As far as the Big Show is concerned, I am a fan, but I don't know about him getting a WrestleMania main event at this point. WWE has done a good job of keeping him involved with Edge and Vickie on Smackdown, so it makes some sense. I assume it will turn into a triple threat with Cena. I'm not sure how I feel about that possibility.

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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