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WWE Raw Reax #4: "What took the cake for me is when Hunter destroyed the tag division."
Sep 19, 2007 - 1:01:30 PM


Mike Power of Daytona Beach, Fla. (3.0): Best Match: Jeff Hardy vs. Sisqo Benjamin. Worst Match: Daivari vs. Hasbeen Jim Duggan. Two-and-a-half of my three points go to the opening match. No wonder Raw's ratings have dropped. It's not because of the constant media coverage over the death of you-know-who, but awful shows like this one. We need more quality wrestling like Hardy-Benjamin on the show and less overkill from McMahon and Triple H. Isn't it obvious that no one cares about Cena when the fans start chanting "You can't wrestle" to Cena's dad? When you have me turning to a football game involving two teams I care nothing about, you know Raw was bad this week. Despite that, I did enjoy the Vince-Hornswoggle storyline. That's where my other half a point goes. I didn't really mind Triple H telling the same old stale jokes to Vince McMahon, but what took the cake for me is when Hunter destroyed the tag division (or lack thereof). Just when I thought they were setting up for a six-man tag next week, Triple H inexplicably gives Pedigrees to London and Kendrick. I love those guys, but they've been consistently buried on Raw; so has plenty of other talent. Unless your name is Randy, John, or Hunter, you're a nobody on Raw.

Em Smith of Redding, Calif. (3.0): Best Match: (Surprise, surprise) Benjamin vs. Hardy. Worst Match:...do I really need to repeat everyone else? Okay, I will. Everything else! I've been a long time fan of pro wrestling, but there are times where I've had enough of what the WWE (and when it was F) offers. I stop watching for a good half year or even longer and just read results online, if even that, then cleanse myself by watching indies or Japanese wrestling. I'm tired of the B.S. Tired of the egos. Tired of the hypocrites. Tired of the lame storytelling and bad frat jokes told by 40 year old men that abuse their power (which I believe they shouldn't even have while being active in a roster). Tired of the 50 punches and five moves of death style of wrestling. I'm tired of it. Last night's Raw was the final straw. I might turn in on Smackdown and ECW to see C.M. Punk or MVP and Hardy and some others, but as far as sitting through two hours of crap, I'm done. I'm done supporting a product that doesn't deserve my time or money. I'll keep reading results and when/if WWE can get its butt back in gear, then I'll watch them again.

Terrie Neilson of Las Vegas, Nev. (5.0): Best: Benjamin vs. Hardy Worst: Triple H shrugging off and Pedigreeing London and Kendrick. Tonight's Raw was all over the place. Hardy vs. Shelton was a very good match. Some people may cite the seemingly sloppy looking finish as a downturn, but Ross and Lawler kept at selling the effects of Khali-Hardy last week long before getting there. With that, the match told the story that was intended and very well as well as being a good, athletic match. Santino and Jillian make a good comedy team of sorts and their segment was very entertaining. The flag match wasn't much as matches go, but the hot crowd made it more. Daivari was never given a country designation before (he's been billed as being from Detroit that I understood it), though I think the crowd would have been even hotter had he been from Iraq instead of Iran. I'm assuming that the way Triple H was booked tonight, along with the Triple H-Carlito cage match next week, that he's done where he's been and is looking to go back where he was. Fine, but his apparent departure left a bad taste in my mouth. There could have been a six-man match next week with the cage match the week after, and then he could depart. Unless this turns London & Kendrick heel, which I'm not expecting, I was left dumbfounded. Also, Murdoch took two nasty spills to the outside; hopefully he's okay. I'm still waiting to see how and if Finlay and Jamie Noble play in this whole Hornswoggle Is Son business before I pass major judgment. What was seen, though, was fine, except one thing: How old is Hornswoggle? His age could easily poke holes in the logic of adoption papers. An interesting observation about Unforgiven and tonight: I saw in multiple places that the best finish for Cena-Orton put an L in Cena's column, whether it was a clean loss or a DQ. The DQ happens, and there is all kinds of outrage. To an extent, I agree as the match should have been longer before getting the DQ. As for tonight, the Cena-Orton feud took a major step backward courtesy of Coach. Coach, past the logical comment that Cena could have been harshly punished for his and his father's behavior, was Eric Bischoff tonight, and I didn't like his constantly changing rules during his WWE tenure. Then I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the crowd cheering Orton for the RKO on Cena's father - particularly a gentleman in the front row who seemed about Cena's father's age clapping this moment. The moment was well done performance-wise, but this was not the heat Randy Orton was expecting, I'm sure.

Jay Povo of Sturbridge, Mass. (2.0): I wasn't going to write in a Reax until next month when the suspended wrestlers come back, but after reading some of the others, I thought I'd throw my two cents in. Raw was terrible. However, I don't really mind and I think they're doing the best they can. They have to put on a show every week with the guys they have, and for now this is the best we're going to get. I'm sure they think that with the depleted roster, more Trips is a good thing. The way the fans pop for him isn't going to change their minds either, no matter how bad the smarks are sick of the same old crap. Chris Benoit killed wrestling in the short term, and will probably have saved it in the long run. With that in mind, everyone should just keep cool until the Congress stuff blows over and until the injured wrestlers come back, then complain if the product still sucks. Right now the only thing Vince has in his control that he needs to get right is everything involving John Cena. I'm hoping Orton gets the strap at No Mercy, and Cena turns heel by the time the heat on the WWE cools and everyones back. Don't fret, wrestling fans, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

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MORE "Torch Feedback" ARTICLES
Smackdown TV Reax #1: "Fresh match-ups, superstars, and storylines just create great TV"
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ECW/Smackdown Reax #1: "The door was open to turn C.M. Punk heel, but something key was missing..."
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TORCH READERS WRITE BACK: Why was Kozlov smiling on the ECW TV broadcast?
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