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

|

Scot P. of Toronto, Ontario (10.0): Best Match: Flair vs. Orton. Worst Match: Divas. Fantastic Raw tonight; there have been two great ones in the last four weeks, which gives me hope for the present roster. For the last couple of years, I have generally TIVO'd Raw and fast forward through two thirds of it, and sometimes spend more time reading the reports on PWTorch than actually watching the matches. However, I watched most of Raw tonight. I liked the opening match (Memo to WWE writers: Snitsky will never be Kane, or even the Shockmaster for that matter. He needs to go.) I wasn't thrilled with Jericho's new "smiley rock star" persona, and was hoping he'd get a little more edgy tonight. He didn't really deliver. I have always liked him better as a heel. I expected more than name calling between him and Santino, but they had a decent exchange, and a solid match for someone who hasn't wrestled live in years. I kind of like his new finisher, but Ross and Lawler did not do a good job of calling it in the ring. Personally, I thought the Hornswoggle-Carlito segment was actually pretty funny... suspending disbelief, c'mon, he's a leprechaun! Now to the reason for the very high rating. I thought the "send off" for Flair was classy and genuine. As far as the main event, I had not read the internet for the last couple of weeks so I did not know if Flair was actually going to be sent off tonight. Although Ross and Lawler blew the two count call after the RKO (when was the last time someone kicked out of the RKO, even after a delay). I popped like a school girl Flair mark when Ric got the three count (I actually woke my dog up I wooooed so loud). He still knows how to tell a story in the ring better than just about anyone. I am hoping that the cobweb shaking out at the end of the match was more selling a kayfabe injury as opposed to an actual one.

Damian Hospital of Coral Springs, Fla. (9.0): Best Match: Flair vs. Orton. Worst Match: Kennedy vs. Kendrick. Starting off with the "main event" instead of a McMahon monologue got and kept my attention, so I actually sat through two hours, and was not disappointed. (Did you notice Triple H's body is beginning to sag a bit?) Vince's role as an authority figure works best in small segments. One can nitpick at this show or its star, but it was a great Flair tribute show, and probably had the most male drama on TV in a while. The only truly bad segment was Hornswoggle - not only did it once again kill the sense of reality, but it's degrading for Vince to treat a small person like that. Mr. Kennedy had a great rip on Shawn. I loved Shawn's cowboy look, and especially when Flair rambled away that he's going out in a "blaze of glory!" Reminded me of an awesome Western movie. Anyway, looks like the Jericho Curse applies for Second Comings, too. The reason the Carolina fans turned against Jericho was because the Flair-Orton match was not announced as "non-title" at the beginning. So here's Jericho, who the fans know is feuding with Randy, saying he wanted the title from Randy. It totally killed his heat, and had the fans booing, because it killed the main event's drama. Although Y2J did get a good Flair rub at the end by helping him, I can't help but think Jericho is better as a heel. Not a whole lot of athleticism Monday night, but a whole lot of drama; great show to have every once in a while. No Diva contests, Triple H-love fest, or Vinnie-Mac attacking the feds or media. The angles were straightforward and simple. Probably would have been at 10.0 this week if Hornswagle wasn't on, and if the main event was a title match, which would have added to the "no-win" situation for Flair.

Mark DiNatale of Los Angeles, Calif. (6.0): Best Match: Jeff Hardy & Triple H vs. Umaga & Snitskey, and the Ric Flair promo with Vince. Worst: Kendrick vs. Kennedy and the Eight-Man Tag. Well this is the second week I basically watched an entire episode of Raw. Orton as a heel has me hooked. I think he's the best heel to come down the road in a long time since The Triple H vs. Austin feud back in 2000. I also enjoyed the Kenndey promo on HBK. The rest was okay, but with the focus on a big program to make all of Flair's matches mean something is a great angle. I'm guessing it ends at WM, but the set up was nice. The match with Orton was okay, but not great. I am a Ric Flair fan and I know it does not last forever. I think it will be special to see a legend actually get treated like a legend. Here's hoping they do this right. I am also liking Jericho better this week than last. I wanted to see the "lionsault" and "Walls of Jericho" instead of "The Codebreaker," but whatever. Shouldn't Jericho win some matches before being granted a shot at Orton? Triple H vs. Jeff Hardy should be an excellent match; make it mean something and put the IC Title on the line. All in all, it sold me to watch another week. Am I back to being a fan? Could be.

We welcome your 1-10 score and comments on this show for a "Raw Reax" feature in the Torch Feedback section of PWTorch.com. Just to add a twist to this feature, include not just your hometown, but also your occupation (mechanic, lawyer, stay-at-home-dad, college student, etc.) so readers get a flavor for what everyone does as "day jobs." To contribute your thoughts on Raw, click here.

Comment on this Article Below

(CLICK FOR COMMENTS RULES OR TO REPORT ABUSE) [an error occurred while processing this directive]

(CLICK FOR COMMENTS RULES OR TO REPORT ABUSE)

ALSO DISCUSS MORE SUBJECTS IN OUR PWTORCH FREE FORUM

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

For UFC 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.