1/26 WWE Raw Reax

James from Fort Walton Beach, Fla. (5.0): Best Match: Cena -Micheals. Worst Match: All others sucked equally as bad. Tonight's Raw was an average Raw broadcast. They've only got three weeks to build to No Way Out, so they rushed/forced the qualifying matches. Kofi over Kane was the biggest surprise outcome of a match since Shelton Benjamin beat the Game some years ago. Why do people say Cena sucks in the ring? I use to be anti-Cena, but I've seen his motivation, dedication, and serious progression. No one goes like Cena goes right now. They need to figure something out soon with JBL and Michaels. The ending with Shane punching like a three-year-old was ecstatically humorous. I still believe Orton is in cahoots with Steph and they are just baiting Shane into some sort of a gimmick match, but we'll see. I'm still laughing at Shane. In closing, we have Cena, Jericho, Mysterio, and Kingston in the Chamber match so far. We all know Jericho is wrestling Rourke, so he won't win. Mysterio, haha. Kingston, haha. They better add some stars to the Raw Chamber match or no one is going to order the PPV.

Adam Reifman of New York, N.Y. (1.0): Best Match: Cena-Michaels. Worst Match: Divas. Before I tear this episode to shreds, let's focus on the positives, what few there were. Some good stiff moments tonight: I think Punk may have legitimately chipped a tooth on the codebreaker, and the crossface HBK put Cena in looked gnarly. Kofi Kingston stealing a Chamber spot is nice, but I can't help but think that maybe the spot should have gone to Morrison or Punk instead. But I cannot accept what WWE has done to the Royal Rumble winner, Randy Orton. I didn't watch the Rumble, but I knew going in that no one had the level of character momentum that Orton had, and winning the Rumble should have been the catalyst for a transcendent performance tonight. Orton tried his best, but the writing team absolutely obliterated Randy's potential tonight. This is not Law & Order, and even if it were, the "insanity plea" is always the most annoying and overdone defense. Randy needed to shine alone tonight, utilizing his guaranteed WrestleMania spot as the only legal leverage he needs. Weak excuses and poor judgment is not the way to give a character momentum, it's the way to turn Orton back into the chicken---- heel he was two years ago. The final segment was pathetic. It was not a cliffhanger but it didn't solve anything either; there was lots of action but it wasn't an exciting moment. Randy again did his best with his script, and his rant at the end was pretty intense, but why can't three big men handle Shane? Why does Shane punch like geriatric Rock'em Sock'em Robots? Why does the whole roster come out if they're not going to do anything until the end when they let Orton escape and hold Shane back with the rest of Legacy? It didn't make any sense! I've been fighting an inner battle with a part of myself that tells me that the recent WWE is catering to a much younger, softer, childish audience, and that for some reason they force their characters to be one-dimensional and limit their complexities, the extraordinary human attributes that supposedly helped these athletes excel in the ring. WWE doesn't write compelling characters anymore; they draw caricatures, limited exaggerations without depth or anything worth more than a fleeting glance. Tonight's Raw had a chance to truly elevate a star after what should be a very special week of circumstances (the Punt leading up to the Rumble win) and they completely failed.

We welcome your 0-10 score and comments on this show for a "WWE 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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