PWTorch is customized for your mobile phone such as your Blackberry. Just enter www.pwtorch.com on your phone's browser and choose the "Mobile" option. Samsung Omnia II users, download our free Widget. Apple iPhone users, download our free PWTorch App (search "pwtorch")
Jon Bain of London, England (8.5) Best Match: JBL vs. C.M. Punk. Worst Match: Mickie vs. Jillian, although that wasn't too bad anyway. I thought this show was great and I gave such a high score for the fact that it felt so much like the beginning of a new, better Raw with a very interesting roster. The only thing stopping it from getting a higher score was that there was lots of talking and it forced the matches to be quite short, though the matches all advanced storylines which is good. Raw got off to a fantastic start with the Jim Ross-Edge promo exchange. Edge was outstanding on the mic as usual, Batista's involvement made so much sense and was good to help him start off his second Raw run looking strong. Despite the fact that I'm a huge fan of Edge's, it's great to see C.M. Punk as the World Heavyweight Champion and the Money in the Bank briefcase made for yet another pretty historic moment. Mickie James vs. Jillian Hall was fine just to keep Mickie strong. Santino Marella was brilliant in his segment with Rey Mysterio, who was good himself, and it really is refreshing to see Rey on Raw. JBL proved why he's such a valuable heel on Raw tonight with his challenge to Punk and his abuse of Cena, I think his "personal security" gimmick is great and I would love to see him continue using his money to effectively "run" the show. Cody Rhodes looked like he felt more comfortable as a heel and he actually delivered a very good promo after the match. I'm really looking forward to seeing him and Ted DiBiase each week. I would have liked to see Chris Jericho vs. Kofi Kingston go longer, but I paid to see it last night so I'm not too upset about that. I didn't like the referee calling for the DQ on Jericho just for pulling Kofi's trunks, though. Why not just warn him and not count? Punk and JBL did the best with the time they were given in the main event and Cena and Cryme Tyme's run in was great to get the crowd on their feet for a hot ending to the show. All in all, I really enjoyed tonight's Raw, the draft has made a huge difference and everything feels fresh, great to see the young guys getting to hold championships!
Dan Strauss of Goodhue, Minn. (9.0): Best: Entire opening segment. Worst: Seeing Cryme Tyme in a main event atmosphere. The opening segment was the best I've seen in a long time. Glad to see J.R. get a great ovation, and give props to King as well; those two don't get enough credit for the entertainment they provide. Also glad to see him "pass the torch" to Michael Cole, who needed that endorsement. Edge cut a GREAT promo; good to see him get mad heel heat without the addition of Vickie. Some might have seen Punk's match coming, but it sure surprised me, as I had no idea how they'd get a world title back on Raw. Great segment. Will be interesting to see if Punk can have a productive title reign, but it's something new so I'm all for it. It was also great to see a major title change on Raw for the first time in too long; they haven't done that much at all since the Attitude Era. I hate watching JBL wrestle, I can't stand has flab, but damn the guy can cut one of the best heel promos in the biz. Main event was decent enough. The finish was chaotic but kind of fun. WWE really went all in on C.M. Punk tonight, featuring him in three huge segments, so they won't have to wait long to find out if someone new can carry the load at the top. Too bad it took Triple H leaving Raw to finally see someone else in the main event. Overall, this was probably one of the better Raw's in awhile and a streak of two good shows in a row.
Mark Swiderski (9.5): Best Match: Opening Segment. Worst Match: Y2J vs. Kofi ending. I felt like I was watching old Monday Night Raw tapes from 1998 again. Every, let me type that out again, EVERY segment had a purpose on the show. When a two hour show goes by in what seems like 30 minutes, you know it's a great show. J.R.'s opening segment didn't seem as genuine as I thought it would, but the following segment was amazing. How scary and much of a badass did Batista look at the top of that ramp when he came out. Great surprise to see C.M. Punk win the title. As for the tag match later, it seemed like everyone was lost but Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase are perfect for each other. Ted DiBiase just looks like a natural heel and, if it wasn't for Cody Rhodes awful lisp, that would have been an even better promo he cut. I don't watch ECW, so seeing Kofi was interesting. He reminds me of a African American version of RVD. As for their match, we weren't given enough time to get into it. Plus the lame DQ ending didn't help either. As for the main event, as good as it looked having Cena bring out Cryme Tyme, I think it took the spotlight off of C.M. Punk's win. All in all, this was a great episode of Raw. All the new draftees were introduced very well and they got new characters into the main event scene. *Side note* Anyone who actually bitches about this episode should never watch wrestling again.
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. Send feedback on this article to pwtorch@gmail.com and we'll regularly publish reader feedback in the "Torch Feedback" category on the Main Listing.
Let your voice be heard. PWTorch.com readers are encouraged to participate in our regular polls where you can vote for the option of your choice and also see how other readers are voting. Be sure to vote in today's polls on the first two rounds of the Monday Night Wars II, and 3/15 Raw & Impact MVP...
VOTE IN OR SEE RESULTS OF PREVIOUS POLLS
