Torch Feedback WWE Raw Reax #2: "The Jericho-Vince-Cryme Tyme skit was awkward, but the less said about that, the better."
May 27, 2008 - 12:40:16 PM
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Mark Swiderski (7.0): Best match: HBK vs Y2J. Worst Match: Tag team championship match. After all these years of watching wrestling, one thing I never understand about WWF (yes, I said it) is that why do they put on such good shows when they know their viewing audience is lower than normal due to the holidays? I am not sure if its just a coincidence, but they just always seem to put on much better shows when their is a holiday. Anyways, another pretty good verbal exchange between Triple H and Orton. Orton seems more confident than ever on the mic. Let's just hope that this is their FINAL match for a long time. Again, I am not sure what Hardcore Holly is doing on my television set. Even after all these years, its amazing to see how much he still sucks. Pretty good promo for Ted DiBiase's son. If he really wanted to make a impact, he would have said he wanted the IC Title and not the tag team titles. I mean, look who is holding those titles. As for the loaded tag match, the crowd reaction to Jeff Hardy and John Cena coming out is what I was most excited about seeing. It is fair to say that at times Hardy got a louder reaction then Cena did and vice versa. That will be a huge dream match up between those two sometime. Two things need to change real fast for Mr. Kennedy vs. Paul Burchill to be a good feud. First, Kennedy needs to really go back to his old music. The second is, Burchill who reminds me of a young Triple H, needs a better finishing move. A Curb Stomp? Are you frieken' kidding me?!?! I can totally picture him in the WrestleMania main event with that finishing move. As for the rest of the show, it is stupid to give away another HBK vs Y2J match without any good build up, but I can watch that match every week. As for Vince's announcement, the only thing that I enjoyed yet got nervous about was the announcement of the Draft Lottery. Let's hope they get Edge and Batista back on Raw and give Smackdown: Holly, Rodes, Carlito.
Wayne Maye of Richmond, VA. (7.5): Best Match: Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho. Worst Segment: The Piper-Sal-Kimmel skit. I have quite a bit of feedback from last night's show. For starters, I knew something was in order when Vince started the show (more on that later). The opening segment with Triple H and Randy Orton was quite the intense interview. Great hype for their match this Sunday. They still got their issues across without having to come to blows. The addition of Beth Phoenix vs. Melina for One Night Stand was surprising. And now when I think about it, even though there was a three-way match at Judgment Day, I feel that Mickie James was kind of a non-factor looking back on it (being that she's the Women's Champion and all), as the real issue was between Beth and Melina. Which brings me to the next match: Jilian had no chance in defeating Melina with ONS coming up. The match was short and to the point, nothing more. The Jericho-Vince-Cryme Tyme skit was awkward, but the less said about that, the better. The WWE Tag Team Title match was decent, but nothing memorable by the end of the evening. I liked DiBiase Jr's promo at the end. He's much better on the mic than Cody. I can't wait to see who his partner is going to be. The skit with Piper, Cousin Sal, and Kimmel was a complete waste of time. This has disaster written all over it, and it seems that WWE doesn't want this atrocity of a match to air on Raw, so Smackdown ends up with it. All I know is that if Santino loses to Cousin Sal, even if it is a comedy match, well, that's hurt Santino's credibility if he has any. After a heel promo by JBL on Mickie James, we come to the match I thought was going to end the show, but I was wrong. The Cena & Hardy vs. JBL & Umaga match was very good, giving the heels the win going into ONS. I think Cena & Hardy make a damn good team. Kennedy vs. Carlito could've been more, but it was merely average. Kennedy is okay, but I wish they would do more with Carlito. In the ring, I think he's better than Kennedy and he could do great things if pushed right. The post-match activities were interesting, but I don't see Kennedy vs. Burchill having a spot on any PPV. HBK vs. Jericho, again, was the match of the night, even with a finish I generally do not care for, referencing the double count out. And of course, the final segment of the night, Vince's announcement. I was not surprised about the announcement of the Draft Lottery, and even with that, I don't think there's going to be much of a shake-up (I don't want to say that, but it's true right now). I think it's going to be much of the same, but I'll wait and see. It doesn't matter which superstars switch brands, as I'll still continue to watch no matter what show they're on, as long as it's not ECW. And I don't know what to say about Vince giving away $1 million. I think this announcement should've been done in the beginning of the show, and HBK-Y2J possibly could've had a clean finish in the main event. Desperation? I hope not. Overall, I think this was a decent Raw, but not the great go home show I was hoping for leading into ONS.
Zach Madel (Age 13) of Waseca, Minn. (4.5): Best Match: Hardcore Holly/Cody Rhodes vs. Brian Kendrick/Paul London. Worst Match: Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels. This was an average event. It's the same thing every week, so it's hard to write a different review weekly. The Vince McMahon possibly turning babyface angle is good. After all, he's been a heel for the longest time and it just seemed to be the same every week. Brian Kendrick and Paul London had some good moves for WWE. In TNA, what they did is expected of almost everyone. I thought the Chris Jericho-Shawn Michaels match was the worst because of one reason - how many times can we see the same two guys fight? Usually, we see Triple H and Randy Orton every week in the main event slot, but it was nice to have a change. However, you can only have a good match so many times. Vince McMahon's announcement at the end wasn't all that it was hyped up to be. It was meant to be something huge and exciting, but I think it just seemed to be a letdown. It advances his turn to even more of a babyface, but it really didn't get me excited.
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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