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Torch Feedback
WWE Raw Reax #1: "I completely lost interest with the Mayweather-Show angle."
Mar 4, 2008 - 12:50:28 AM


David Zgurski of Lethbridge, Alberta (2.0): Best match: Cena-Kennedy. Worst match: WWE vs. "MMA." I have no idea what to think of today's debacle involving Vince's idea of "MMA." Doesn't he have enough MMA fans on the roster (The Undertaker, Batista, etc.) to help him understand what MMA is and how it should be presented? Without a marquee special attraction, WrestleMania is just another monthly PPV, and not a very good one this year since most of the results seem set in stone (i.e. Hardy winning MITB, Triple H winning the WWE Title, Undertaker continuing the streak, Batista beating Umaga, and Ric Flair retiring.) This year should have been the anointing of Jeff Hardy as World Champion; it would have made WM 24 extra special. I have no interest in losing $55 bucks just to watch business as usual.

Shane McKinley of Danville, Calif. (7.5): Best Match: Cena vs. Kennedy. Worst Match: The Epic Fight of Carlito vs. A Pigeon. Brandon Hill was entertaining. His music was bumpin. Mayweather's promos: And people thought Bobby Lashley was bad on the mic. Yikes. Strong moment during HBK/Flair vs. Cade/Murdoch: "Great way to see how Cade and Murdoch progressed." The double submit was a great finish. Like the fact that Raw will usually have a big three hour show. Too often wrestling shows are just filler until PPVs. Regal announcing and talking about Undertaker vs. Batista made the Umaga squash work. The Jericho-Hardy bit was good as they showed that last week's match was an important (and good) match, and it gave Hardy an edge. Worst moment of the night was when Carlito beat up a piegon. Seriously, so far these "WrestleMania Post Cards" ads have been stupid. I'm sure PETA and animal rights activists were happy to see that. Playboy bit was great! Usually these bits are boring and contrived, but the use of Santino was great once again, although Maria looks like a demon. Look out for her right hand. Jeesh. Is it wrong that I watch wrestling but I don't watch NASCAR? I guess it is. Nice little match with Carlito vs. Rhodes. The Finlay bit... just disappointing. Fans don't know what to make of it. On one hand, you've got evil daddy Vince, but on the other, the story is being played out that Finlay made a secret deal with the other McMachons and used his son (who didn't know at the time) to gain money and power. They've got to make this thing clearer because the emotional involvement is just not there. Finlay staying in the ring made him look weak. Cena was good in putting opponents over while offering interesting comments. I can see why wrestling companies look down on wrestling fans; all we seem to do is complain and whine. Nothing seemingly is ever good enough.

Leonard Tripodi, Kenilworth, N.J. (5.5): Best: Maria, Maria. Worst: Mayweather-Show angle. This edition of Raw was a mixed bag for me again. Maria gets top honors for both the Mania commercial spot with Carlito and the Playboy cover segment with Santino. She was more charismatic and feisty than ever before. I also enjoyed watching her attempt to be a tough girl, ruined only because she couldn't keep a straight face. Otherwise, she was smoking hot and over with the live crowd. Speaking of which, Santino played the jealous boyfriend to perfection and had some funny lines before Lawler slugged him. Maria broke character and laughed because of his delivery at least once during the segment. Carlito struggled but pounded that seagull to look strong (lol) Loved that commercial spot. Hope they do a few more like it. I completely lost interest with the Mayweather-Show angle. It's one thing to pay him an insurmountable figure to be on a wrestling PPV, but Mayweather repeatedly referring to himself as money doesn't do him any justice or win any points with the fans, many of whom are going to shell out their hard earned money for Mania. Show came back for this? Jericho-Hardy is intriguing, even though they are just two of the six men in the MITB. The other guys are just in there for minor spoils. Cena-Kennedy was predictable, but did absolutely nothing for Kennedy. And why does Michaels always have to be the heel in these big PPV matches? Didn't he also turn heel and job for Hogan? WWE fails when they over-think stuff like this. A simple Flair-Michaels retirement match at Mania is a spectacle in and of itself. The weekly triple threat triangle debacle that is Cena-Orton-Triple H is becoming tedious, but they seem to have just enough tension between them to build this straight to Mania. I have to agree with Caldwell about how the new entrance music sucks. Most of it lacks originality or attitude. Why does WWE have to mess with a good thing? The old themes were instantly recognizable and the live crowd responded strongly for the wrestlers. I really don't care much about a JBL-Finlay grudge match at Mania, nor did I feel bad about Hornswoggle getting a so-called beating in a dark hospital room. The whole segment seemed forced and awkward. It made me recall a better time when Steve Austin beat the crap out of Vince in the hospital bed. With a special three hour timeslot next week, WWE better put on a really strong show.

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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MORE "Torch Feedback" ARTICLES
WWE PPV Price Increase Reax #1: Outrage expressed over WWE's latest PPV price raise - could the backlash cause WWE to second-guess decision?
TNA Impact Reax #3: "The build for the PPV matches somehow featured Hulk Hogan despite him yet to show up on TV"
TNA Impact Reax #2: "I'm tired of non-stop talking. This isn't a Broadway play; it's professional wrestling and the best stories are told in the ring"
Thursday Night TV Reax #1: "I feel anything TNA does right is inevitably drowned out by what they fail at"
ECW TV Reax #1: "William Regal has stepped up big time since coming to ECW and he deserves a World Title run"
WWE Raw Reax #2: "The major flaw of this show was the real lack of hype for Survivor Series"
WWE Raw Reax #1: "The main event commentary was hilarious with Triple H and HBK making fun of Vince, but DX has run its course..."
WWE Smackdown Reax #1: "Batista plays the perfect bully and Rey plays the perfect hero; this is a chance to make Batista the lead heel on Smackdown"
TNA Impact Reax #2: "Hogan, as great as he was, is 15 years beyond his prime and he signed with a company touting their so-called youth movement"
WWE Superstars Reax #1: "It's time for Cryme Tyme or The Hart Dynasty to go after that tag team championship, and please stop feuding"
TNA Impact Reax #1: "The episode-long Hogan build-up made me think that I shouldn't care about anything else on the show"
TORCH READER ALERT: Did you watch TNA Impact featuring Hulk Hogan? Send your feedback on the show
ECW TV Reax #1: "William Regal is as good as it gets whether he's portraying comedy, disgust, pompousness, or pure insanity!"
WWE Raw Reax #3: "Does Randy Orton's car now qualify WWE to get a Cash for Clunkers rebate?"
WWE Raw Reax #2: "Just like TNA, we have the same problem of a three-way title match where the two opponents didn't earn a title shot"
WWE Raw Reax #1: "Finally, a noteworthy episode of Raw with actual storyline progression – a rare treat!"
WWE Bragging Rights PPV Reax #3: "Obviously the Big Show doesn't care about brand supremacy any more than I do"
WWE Bragging Rights PPV Reax #2: "The image of Orton hunched over a control panel with an evil glare on his face and his finger on the big red button was priceless"
WWE Bragging Rights PPV Reax #1: "The show wasn't really bad, just didn't seem important. It didn't feel like a special show..."
WWE Smackdown Reax #1: "The opening promo was good to introduce the Smackdown 7 ... only to kill momentum by having the entire non-captain group switched"

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UPCOMING EVENTS LISTING

Articles Grouped by Category
Torch Today
TORCH MONTHLY AWARDS: List of the 2009 Torch Monthly Award winners through October
TORCH MONTHLY AWARD VOTING: Results for Best/Worst in pro wrestling for October
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10/25 WWE Bragging Rights Results: KELLER'S detailed match-by-match PPV report - Cena vs. Orton Iron Man match
CALDWELL'S WWE BRAGGING RIGHTS PPV REPORT 10/25: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of Cena vs. Orton, Team Raw vs. Team Smackdown
TV Reports
WWE SMACKDOWN ROUNDTABLE REVIEWS 11/6: Donofrio, Mezzera, Parks rate and review
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PARKS' WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT 11/6: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of the show, including Batista vs. Hardy
Arena Reports
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10/30 Dragon Gate in Germany: Young Bucks, CIMA vs. Mike Quackenbush, El Generico
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Strikeforce News: Fedor vs. Rogers Fight Results - Exciting fight lives up to expectations live on CBS
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KELLER'S TAKE
KELLER BLOG: WrestleMania goes up to $55, all other PPVs $45 - let the pirate feed frenzy begin
KELLER BLOG: Dixie Carter asks wrestlers to step it up, but what does that mean? Shouldn't their goal to be winning matches and nothing else?
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CALDWELL FLASHBACK: TNA Year-End Review 2005 - Must-read flashback to when TNA became a choice for wrestlers in an era very, very similar to 2009
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Torch Feedback
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TNA Impact Reax #3: "The build for the PPV matches somehow featured Hulk Hogan despite him yet to show up on TV"
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Ask the Editor
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Torch Instant Polls
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