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HJF of Kansas City, Mo. (6.0): Best Match: Uh... none... not much wrestling on this show. Worst Match: Hornswoggle vs. Coach and Carlito. This just felt like a filler episode of Raw until the big 15th Anniversary Extravaganza. First, why show anything to do with Ric Flair if he isn't there? Where are the tag team champs? Why bring back the APA at all? On the flipside, Jericho's work was much stronger here. He needs to be more serious in his promos and confrontations with Randy Orton; if he's coming to "save us," he needs to take his job seriously. I also like the Triple H-Regal bit because at least they are making an attempt to explain Regal's motivation for making that match. The Kennedy segment was funny, and the line "Thanks for showing up, by the way" was classic. I half expected Scott Hall to actually show up (since he no-showed the TNA PPV last night) and was a little let down that he didn't. Oh well, another missed opportunity. By far the worst segment was the last one, though. Here's how next week is going to go: Eric Bischoff goes on about how he made the Monday Night Wars, followed by Vince McMahon beating him up and proclaiming himself the "greatest superstar in the history of Raw," followed by a Stone Cold Steve Austin appearance and a stunner, a Mr. Socko claw from Mick Foley, and possibly a Hulk Hogan legdrop. Does anyone see anything else happening?
Michael KopStick - Torch Team Alumnus (5.5): I liked seeing the APA. I like the "stable" of fake wrestlers, I always think JR should have made one when he was doing that angle. I liked Kennedy's crack to Razor Ramon, "Thanks for showing up." I like how JR, Keller and Caldwell all called Jericho's move the Liontamer, with everyone forgetting that WWE renamed it the Walls of Jericho. I like Shawn Michaels's own homage to the New Generation when he superkicked the timekeeper in reminiscence of doing the same thing at Wrestlemania 12. I like Stephanie's shrug at the end. I like the anticipation of seeing Hogan possibly in a ring with Austin for the first time. All this though, doesn't make up for a bland show with no Flair, no Santino, no real storylines, and um, sorry, Jericho unfortunately got old fast.
Alfonso A. Sanchez of Central Islip, N.Y. (6.0): Best Match: HBK vs. Orton, Worst Match: Hornswaggle debacle. This was a really weird episode of Raw. First of all, the crowd was absolutely abysmal. What has been with these crowds the past three weeks? I can't think of one segment tonight that had any heat at all. The lack of an acknowledgment of Ric Flair's presence on the show was weird. If they're moving him back to Smackdown where he was drafted before his hiatus, then good for them, but acknowledge it so that the fans don't feel as if their emotional investment in the storyline last week was in vain! The opening promo between Jericho and Orton was good, albeit, again, weird. Jericho looked a lot like Eddie Guerrero with what he was wearing, it was kind of odd to see. The actual promo, however, was intense and a step in the right direction for Y2J's character. He needs to be serious while retaining a bit of his comedic persona when necessary. I don't think we can judge as to whether or not Y2J is over or not until they go to a venue with a real crowd, because so far, they've been relatively quiet for everyone, not just Jericho. The Triple H/Hardy dynamic is somewhat interesting, but if the storyline is ending at Armageddon with a Triple H win, then it could be even more interesting depending on where they take it from there. Either Hardy goes over somehow, Triple H can't handle the loss and turns heel by destroying him, or Triple H wins by turning heel on Hardy as he can't seem to win fairly. They have to protect Hardy in this feud, as it would be cheap to Hardy and how over he's become and would just serve as another reason to give Triple H a title match, this time at Royal Rumble. Speaking of which, where does that leave Y2J after Armageddon if someone else is granted number one contender status? You know he's not going over Orton in his first PPV match back. The return of the APA was weird. JBL makes a random appearance on Raw in a random segment that probably has no consequences as far as storylines go, and we're just supposed to accept it without asking "Huh?" Kennedy's segment was again, weird. It was strange to see the crowd not react to something HBK is involved in, but I don't completely blame them for that as it's getting a little played out to have a heel opponent bring out reject dopplegangers of their opponent and make fun of them. The hype for next week was kind of weak, but it probably is a bit difficult balancing promotion for an upcoming PPV and promotion for a huge event on free television with both happening within a week of each other. And finally, the final segment was again, weird. It did nothing to make me want to see next week's show and just ended it flat. The McMahon family saga is fun in doses, but when it steps on the toes of other storylines that should really be the centerpiece of the show, it gets annoying. Here's hoping next week's crowd is LOUD, and react to what's put in front of them.
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