By Jon Mezzera, Torch Specialist

RAW HITS

Undertaker - Michaels: Once again, I enjoyed the progression of the Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker feud. With Michaels' surprise Super Kick on the Dead Man, I think we can call it a feud, where before it was just a match. What I liked is that last week, they played up the fact that each is trying to one up the other in terms of mind games. That is how I look at Michaels' stealing of Undertaker's thunder during their tag match against John Bradshaw Layfield and Vladimir Kozlov. The match itself was solid, not quite good enough to get a Hit, but fine. I don't see how JBL taking a loss one week after winning the Intercontinental Championship helps him or the Title, but I guess they had to keep Kozlov from having three losses in as many matches. I did enjoy seeing Michaels steal the spotlight and Undertaker's angry response. The kick at the very end was well done too. I look forward to seeing what Undertaker will do in response.

Triple H Traps Rhodes: This is a marginal Hit as it was pretty original. This is a case where I don't mind Triple H getting the better of Legacy as he out smarted them. It was interesting to see him jump Cody Rhodes before the match even started and finish him off with the Pedigree. This doesn't help Rhodes' credibility, part of why it is only a marginal Hit. I liked the cage gimmick. As I said, it was original. It made sense that it, along with the sledgehammer, would keep Randy Orton and Ted DiBiase out of the ring. It was clever how the Game used Rhodes to knock Orton and DiBiase off the cage as they tried to climb in. As I watched I didn't understand how Triple H got the cage set up in the first place, or why the referee went along with it. WWE actually presented a logical answer to that question when it was revealed later that Stephanie McMahon had been in the arena.

Christian Speaks on Raw: This is another marginal Hit (two out of three Hits being marginal, and five Misses makes for a bad show). I was pleased to hear Christian getting mic time on Raw. As long as the brand split is going to be nonexistent, it is good to have Christian making appearances on Raw. He hasn't gotten a lot of mic time since his return. I liked how he said he came back to WWE to win a Title. He rambled a bit and wasn't as focused as he could have been, but it was a step in the right direction. I have to believe that hyping Christian on ECW, along with the two videos for the returning Evan Bourne will help ECW's ratings.

RAW MISSES

Vickie, Edge, Big Show, Cena: I'm not digging this storyline and the prospects for the World Title match at WrestleMania. Some of the moments were ok, like the early scene between Edge and Vickie Guerrero, but on the whole I haven't enjoyed it. John Cena didn't come off like a babyface last week after revealing Vickie's secret even though she gave him what he wanted. The reveal should have been saved for after WrestleMania. I can't feel sorry for Edge, since he cheated first. I can't feel sorry for Big Show or Vickie either. I'm not getting behind any of these guys, and I doubt they will end up putting on a good triple threat match. I hope I am wrong.

Orton's Law: This is bad story telling. A few weeks ago, Orton announced that he would challenge either Cena or Edge for the World Title. Then, after some taunting from Triple H, he changed his mind. He was going to have Triple H arrested for attacking him, DiBiase and Rhodes with a sledgehammer the week before. Then he said that he would hold off on pressing charges, as long as Triple H didn't attack him unless physically provoked. But, he said that if Triple H did attack him before WrestleMania, he would press charges and Trips would find himself in jail for the biggest PPV of the year. Fast forward to this week, after Triple H not only attacked Randy Orton, but committed trespassing, breaking and entering, destruction of private property, etc., and instead of pressing charges, Orton decided to face him in a match? He was going to press charges based on the previous attack, but now he won't. How about some consistency? And, the whole "Orton's Law" phrase sounds so cheesy. It was bad enough when Orton said it the first time, but to hear Michael Cole repeat it numerous times throughout the broadcast was even worse. As I said, I liked what Triple H did later in the show, but Orton's explanation for not pressing charges and his lame "Orton's Law" line were terrible.

Replays: I'm used to ECW and Smackdown having too many replay videos (usually from content from Raw), and I'm used to the "moments ago..." videos on all WWE programming. I don't like it, but I'm used to it. However, Raw was worse than usual. It started off with a long replay of the Cena, Edge, Vickie, Big Show saga from the week before. After the first break, they replayed what had just happened between Michaels and Undertaker. Shortly thereafter, they played the same overly long video highlight of Triple H's home invasion and arrest that we saw on ECW and Smackdown, plus when we saw it originally on Raw last week. Later, they showed more replays of the opening with Michaels kicking Undertaker and Triple H trapping Rhodes in the cage. Throw in two different videos on "12 Rounds" (isn't one more than enough?) and the WrestleMania 15 video, and you get too many videos which hurt the quality of the show.

Mysterio "Challenges" JBL: Having Rey Mysterio challenge JBL for the IC Title by way of the announcers is weak. How about a promo from Rey where he actually challenges JBL? How about mentioning the challenge during JBL's tag match, then have Mysterio confirm the challenge and talk about wanting a shot at the Title later in the show? I'm not thrilled with Mysterio vs. JBL. It seems like WWE is throwing some leftovers into a pot and calling it a match. That might work for a regular PPV, but not for WrestleMania. Sure, Mysterio and JBL deserve to be in a match, but this doesn't work well. Having Mysterio in Money in the Bank and JBL challenging CM Punk for the IC Title after several weeks of build would have been better.

Jericho's Challenge: After all the build (most of which was great), what are we going to end up with at WrestleMania? Chris Jericho vs. Jimmy Snuka, Ricky Steamboat, and Roddy Piper, with Ric Flair and Mickey Rourke ringside. It will be interesting to see Jericho get what's coming to him, but it won't be a good match. None of these guys belong in the ring. A case could have been made for Jerry Lawler. Hulk Hogan or Steve Austin would have excited the crowd, but they weren't real options. I would've loved to see WWE go 180 degrees in the opposite direction. Have the legends prove Jericho wrong by stepping aside, and refusing to wrestle. Show him that they aren't trying to hog the spot light. They should hand pick a young up and comer (Evan Bourne would be great, assuming he won't be facing Jack Swagger) to wrestle Jericho instead. That would have given a better match, and they would have been at ring side to still get their WrestleMania appearance. And they would be able to cost Jerico the match, giving a rub to the young wrestler while giving the audience what they want, a chance to see Jericho humiliated. I suppose this could still happen. The legends haven't yet accepted the challenge.

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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