Bob Malachowski of Whitesboro, N.Y.: (2.0): I had the chance to attend this show live, but I passed and boy am I glad I saved the money. The two points are for the storyline advancements in the main event of Backlash. But really, what a lackluster show. How many botched or clunky moves were there in the ring tonight? The two handicap matches were okay, but nothing special, just a means to get Triple H and Cena into the next PPV main event. Val Venis on the live Raw? What, no Heat match for Val tonight? And didn't we just see HBK and Batista talk over the Ric Flair situation on Smackdown? The only thing different was the presence of the ridiculously expensive Jeri-tron 6000. Pretty mundane show all around.
Brian Jaffe of Iowa City, Iowa (2.0): Best Match: London/Kendrick vs Cade/Murdoch. Worst Match: Glamazon vs Maria. This Raw was good for about ten minutes near the end, but other than that, horrible. I was genuinely excited to see a fresh challenger (JBL) for the WWE Title, but of course, WWE had to completely screw it up. I am absolutely sick to death of Triple H and John Cena in the main event, as well as having them overcome the odds every single week. I want somebody NEW in the main event already! None of the matches excited me in any way, and there was no match that really broke above "average." The only true highlight of Raw was the Batista-HBK segment, which was incredibly intense. This is the kind of Raw where I predicted what was going to happen about a fourth of the way through the show (and was right), and I will probably not remember half the matches that happened by the time I wake up tomorrow.
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.
LATEST PRO WRESTLING TORCH NEWSLETTER #1039 (17 PAGES)
This issue begins with a cover story by Wade Keller who attended Brock Lesnar's first UFC victory on Saturday night in the semi-main event in front of a record-setting crowd in his hometown. Keller's BBL looks at Lesnar's place in MMA and in what ways he seems more comfortable than ever... Bruce Mitchell's Memo examines the dilemma of Chris Benoit and the Hall of Fame... Sean Radican reviews the two latest TNA DVD releases... In-depth coverage of the TNA Hard Justice PPV including Keller's match report with star ratings and the newsletter-exclusive Roundtable Reviews... Jason Powell's "Page 2 Buzz" with scoops and insider analysis... WWE Newswire, TNA Newswire, and ROH Newswire with insider news, big story analysis, and notebook tidbits... Plus Keller's reports on Raw, Smackdown, and Impact, the Top 5 Stories of the Week, and more....
