3/30 WWE Raw TV Reax

Eric Gall of Bridgeport, Conn. (5.0): High Point: Jericho. Low Point: Cena Boy, those forced giggles by Michael Cole and Lawler really suck. I kept holding out hope that there would be some big revelation for Jericho's real opponent at WrestleMania; alas, it was not meant to be, as nothing more than a forgettable match with Lawler set up Jericho's match with the Three Amigos. How does the WWE Superstar of the Year get a match with three 50-and-60-something guys who haven't wrestled in years? John Cena's character has become extremely simplistic and totally unlikable; his "Hustle Loyalty Respect" mantra is just another "Eat your vitamins and say your prayers" line of baloney that kids and soccer moms think is cool. Raw was interesting tonight only because an old friend of mine who hasn't watched Raw in over a year dropped by to watch it with me; he was mentioned that the only thing that was at all different was Kofi Kingston. Can we please have one NFL team not do the "fake punching and elbow drops" crap when they get put on camera? In all, Raw has become something of a chore to watch, and it certainly hasn't drawn my undivided attention in quite some time. It's not a good sign with the last Raw going into the biggest PPV of the year, but this is what happens when diminishing returns catches up with you. I've seen it all before so many times, and when the best guy on the show can't get enough support for a decent WrestleMania match, it wouldn't surprise me that the PPV buy numbers are lower than last year.

Terrie Neilson, Las Vegas, Nev. (8.0): Best: Michaels promo; Orton promo. Worst: multi-person matches (though they weren't bad). The thing that sticks out about the Last-Chance Workout on "The Biggest Loser" is the that the trainers drive home the importance of both the short-term goal (losing enough weight to stave elimination) and long-term goal (personal health in the long run.) WWE got it half right. The short-term goal, WrestleMania, was well-focused on Raw. The multi-person matches were a little weak as the total sum of the competitors got lost in the woodwork. In the case of MITB and the Divas battle royal we still don't know why their matches are that important to them. (The MITB promo on ECW didn't last long enough to really get a feel of the competitors's wants for that briefcase.) While Santino was fun to watch, again the women don't have enough singular identities to elevate the importance of the battle royal. Maybe a title shot could have been a booking idea instead of bringing in past divas? The 3-on-1 elimination stip against Jericho almost seems insulting and lazy as far as booking goes. Is it me or is Jericho getting down-pushed? I've been worried about Edge's knee for weeks, and now a lingering worry about Cena has cropped up. Has anyone noticed how red his face gets during chinlocks and other head-focused holds. It never was like this before his neck surgery. With one, maybe two more chances to build toward WrestleMania, Michaels-Taker is worrying me. Shawn's promo skills are priming at the right time to counter for Taker going back to a more silent mode (less exposing to his mystical character). Considering that Shawn has gotten the better of Undertaker during most of the build, Reverse Wrestling Psychology would think that Undertaker goes 17-0 come Sunday. But the crowd reaction almost makes me think different. Shawn's brash actions should be considered heelish, and thus Undertaker would be in the right for wanting payback. The problem is that during the brief segment where Shawn emerged from the casket in the hearse and his audio wasn't heard, boos could be heard. Undertaker appearing from the darkness didn't garner the usual "wow" reaction, and two Sweet Chins in less than a month have met with a more positive than negative response. Not a good sign, which has me worried about the crowd response to the match quality. Anything less than perfect between these two, and I fear them getting boed at WrestleMania. As far as the Hunter-Orton build goes, I'm still standing by a Steph turn, especially with deck-stacking stips against Triple H. And does WWE know where it's going after Sunday? Besides a possible Legacy vs. Hunter/McMahons six-man, the long-term seems unclear. Also not a good sign.

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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