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WWE Raw Reax #2: "This show was everything a 15th Anniversary show should be." Dec 12, 2007 - 1:42:40 PM
Mark DiNatale of Los Angeles, Calif. (10.0): Best: Jeff Hardy vs. Carlito & McMahon family portrait. Worst: NOTHING. This show was everything a 15th Anniversary show should be. Sure beats the 10 year anniversary show. The Family Portrait segment was a Raw classic. Finally, Triple H and Steph are out of the closet. Seeing Trish and Lita again was very cool. Wow, I did not think Trish could be any hotter, but she manages. RVD was an excellent surprise. All the legends were well used. Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, and Sunny were all great in their respective roles. All the Raw flashbacks were perfect. Randy Orton refusing to reunite with Evolution was great, and seeing him and Edge together again was fun. The whole show was pitch perfect in its execution. WWE (for now) is in my good graces. I have been watching regularly (except for last week). I'm even looking forward to Armageddon this Sunday. They are writing better and the feuds are getting better. They are giving this fan of 20 years a reason to watch again, especially after taking almost two years off. Thanks Vince and the WWE for giving this fan a show he wanted to see.
Matt Farmer of St. Louis, Mo. (8.0): Best Match: The Nostalgia and Returns. Worst Match: Still not enough surprise returns or cameos. The 15th Anniversary Raw was pretty spectacular for the most part. I went in with fairly high hopes for an exciting show with the idea that I might be let down, but after watching the whole three hours, I can honestly say I was entertained throughout and think they did a good job. However I was really hoping for some surprises such as appearances by guys like The Big Show, Paul Heyman, Brock Lesner with Sable, the other Foley personas, Psycho Sid, Randy Savage, X-Pac, and even Ken Shamrock. Also, where was John Cena at tonight? Raw's top star the last three years and he doesn't show up for even a video tribute? I also wish the live crowd hadn't of burned out towards the end. Nontheless, the returns of RVD, Hogan, Bishoff, Lita, and Trish along with the Evolution "reunion," video clips, and the ending were all great to see and made this a momentous show. Overall, Raw had a nice combination of nostalgia and current storylines that kept things entertaining.
Mike of Virginia, Minn. (8.5): Best Match: Carlito vs. Jeff Hardy. Worst Match: Marty Jannetty vs. Kennedy. Like most, I was disappointed by the absence of a certain wrestler turned movie star. I figured we might at least get a videotaped promo, but nope. I was also a little let down by the final segment. Creative went the predictable route with Raw's greatest superstar and followed up with Mick Foley, who's act is just stale; Taker, who we see on Smackdown every week; and Stone Cold, who we just saw a few weeks ago beating up on Santino. As big of a reaction as Hulk Hogan got earlier, The Rock would have blown the roof off the place to end the show. But with all that said, I thought the show was well done and struck a nice balance of looking back on the show's history while also furthering current feuds and promoting Armageddon. It was great to see some old faces, from the divas to guys such as Steve Blackman and IRS, and I was legitimately surprised by the Hogan and RVD appearances. All in all, a great broadcast.
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.
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