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WWE Raw Reax #1: "Was it worth risking the title match at the Rumble to pull off that highspot?" Jan 14, 2008 - 11:26:43 PM
Bob Malachowski of Whitesboro, N.Y.: I just have questions about this show: What is the point of JBL having so much pyro that the rest of the show is almost ruined because it is so hard to see anything in the ring? Boy, can't wait to see all that pyro smoke in high def next week. If Triple H can just start going nuts to get a chance to get back in the Rumble, can everybody who isn't in the Rumble do the same thing? And also, wasn't the Jeff Hardy-Randy Orton feud going along well without the huge highspot? Didn't Jeff have the logic backwards? Shouldn't he want to get the belt first, and take Orton out after that? Was it worth risking the title match at the Rumble to pull off that highspot?
Michael Moore of Casper, Wy. (n/a): It's hard to rate this show because it all built up to the final angle. The other matches were short and meaningless, and the backstage skits were the usual Raw fare. The big angle will get people talking, and in the right context, it would have been tremendous. But the spot should have been saved for the Rumble, or for the Raw after, to build up to a rematch at the next PPV. After a spot like that, both guys should be off TV for a month selling the importance and impact of it. Instead, they'll both be back on Raw next week. We all know they're wrestling in less than two weeks, so nobody buys for a minute that either guy is hurt. One other complaint I have: when Tomko and Abyss pulled a similar spot a few months back, the Torch staff and some readers called it "amateur hour." True, it was obvious then that Tomko crashed through cardboard boxes. But tonight, the styrofoam was flying when Hardy hit, and the "EMTs" were shown breaking it away afterward, yet people will rave about this one.
Robert Komisar: I hardly ever watch Raw, or any other WWE-prodced programming anymore, but I did watch parts of Raw tonight. All that I will say is that Vince & Co. would be foolish to NOT capitalize on the current swell of fan support for Jeff Hardy by giving him the win over Randy Orton for the belt at either RR or WrestleMania. Sometimes the plans that have been put into place a half-year beforehand must give way to what actually makes sense given the context of current trends. The fanbase is really emotionally invested in the Hardy-Orton dynamic right now, and a big blowoff at 'Mania with Hardy going over would blow the roof off the place. Whatever the original plan was... SCRAP IT.
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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