Email This Article - Contact Us - VIP Sign-Up - Back to Home Page

|

Jerry Tkachuk of Piper City, Ill. (0.0): To paraphrase what must have been creative's thought process for the week; "Matches? We don't need no stinking matches!" Either that or they want to remind everyone to turn back the clocks this weekend. They won't push talent like Mr. Kennedy, London & Kendrick, or even Cade & Murdoch, but they will push Cody (son of Dusty, remember him?) Rhodes and Dee Aitch (son of the British Bulldog, remember him?) Smith. Jonathan Coachman is in a handicap match with Dink and Doink. Stone Cold is back?!? Hardcore Holly is stuck in this mess too; he doesn't know he is only one "H" short of destroying everyone on the roster. DX is back?!? Who wanted to see that? Your "Main Event" took place five weeks ago. Oh well, get out there and give them a lame, unsatisfying five minutes! And now we will move forward with... the return of Y2J?!? I own enough DVDs to watch these matches when the talent was younger, more athletic, and far more fun to watch.

A.A Norman of Tulsa, Okla. (0.0): The WWE has lately been trying to dangle a carrot just out of reach of the fans, trying to build suspense, hype, and of course, ratings. As a frustrated WWE fan (and almost an ex-fan), I can honestly say that I am not taking the bait. I watched more Monday Night Football than Monday Night Raw last night. A non-scripted football game had more suspense and passion than a pre-planned, pre-worked television show. Both were live and one had the benefit of being shorter to retain the audience's attention for less time. Now is not the time to think, "Well, they'll stay around for weeks just to see this happen," or "let's hold it off another week so they'll come back again for another show!" Rather, now is the time to look at declining ratings, declining buyrates on PPVs, and, likely, declining merchandise and DVD sales. Now is the time to say "we are going to give these fans a reason right now to keep watching." When interest is on the decline, you can't raise interest without delivery. Anticipation only goes so far and with a declining interest, it's obviously not working. Wake up, WWE. Listen to your own message: Your program is crying "SAVE US."

Kevin of Connecticut (6.5): Best Match: Hype Surrounding SaveUS_222/Jericho. Worst Match: Diva Search. Let's face it, Vince McMahon is a genius. He puts on a killer show last Monday night, one of the best in recent memory, puts on probably the best pay-per-view of the year and gets viewers to tune in the night after. Raw has been decent since the return of HBK; WWE needs more big surprises like that. If Jericho is going to return anytime soon, he will be back next week. The reasons are simple. Stone Cold and DX will be featured on the card, two of the biggest professional wrestling acts in the past decade, so when they've got a higher percentage of viewers by hyping the still and forever popular DX and Stone Cold, WWE will utilize Jericho and hopefully rope in new and older viewers. I won't lie; last night's Raw was great TV, including because the hype around SaveUS_222 and setting up next week's show. The first hour was a bit rough, especially the Hornswaggle/Vince scene, but the second hour was decent. I'm becoming a huge fan of Cody Rhodes; I think he's got the temperament, developing skill, and the look to be the next big star. He doesn't look roided up, he's the son of Dusty Rhodes, and he has the potential to be a great babyface. The Diva Battle Royal was absolutely hysterical; I'm very happy it wasn't over-exploitation and when Victoria came out in the sumo suit, I was hooked. No need for the re-playing of Candice Michelle's injury in slow motion 40 times, but great for Chyna... I mean Beth Phoenix as a heel. D.H. Smith needs a heel turn; he's decent, but he seems so over the top. Hopefully, Teddy Hart can clean up his act. HBK should be champ; he may be an older veteran, but he is still better than most people in the ring. Randy Orton's sudden turn as a "weak" champion is justified by the unparalleled in-ring ability of HBK. This show was a great set-up for next week's BIG show which features DX, Stone Cold, and (I assume) Jericho. If Vince could pull off a few more surprises next week, I think he'll quell any distaste fans have of not seeing Jericho this past Monday.

Want your voice to be heard inside of WWE headquarters tomorrow morning? Or in TNA headquarters? This is the independent site many people in both groups read to gauge fan feedback. We still welcome your 1-10 score and comments. To contribute your thoughts on Raw, click here. Please keep your thoughts to around 10-15 lines if possible to increase your odds of being published.

For more BREAKING NEWS on WWE, TNA!
VISIT OUR AFFILIATE - PROWRESTLING.NET

For UFC & MMA NEWS & BLOGS:
VISIT OUR SISTER SITE - MMATORCH.COM

Upgrade to PWTORCH VIP: DETAILS & SIGN-UP INFO

(c) 1999-2009 TDH Communications Inc. - All rights reserved.