-- 7/6 WWE Raw Reax

Brad Meyer of Missouri (6.0): Best: DiBiase Sr., VIP Lounge. Worst: Carlito Turn, Mizzing star? Best: This was a decent night of Raw that kept the train moving. Clearly, we're at least getting attempts at creativity. I've said for months that DiBiase Sr. should be on the show in a GM capacity with the plethora of opportunities his character presents. We got all this character development within Legacy...and Ted Sr. didn't even have to bribe anyone. Vince is really missing an opportunity if he doesn't make this happen at some point. Young Ted is far from ready to not be under Orton's wing, but hopefully this will begin to make him known as a character and not just a Legacy member. Cody Rhodes will be interesting to follow when this all happens. MVP's segment with Swagger was fantastic. Both guys were able to let their characters shine and this looks like a feud that can benefit them both. If Swagger stays out of trouble off camera and stays healthy, he'll be a mega-star. Did anyone else feel like the VIP Lounge and the Abraham Washington Show are way too similar? Triple H and Cena was exactly what I expected. I love hearing the crowd go back and forth and being able to easily tell which demographic is cheering and booing. This was probably the best way for the match to end, as you really can't give away that finish on free TV. Worst: I can't believe they are pulling the trigger on the Carlito-Primo feud already. Can we please establish a tag team for once? These guys were better off together than alone. Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart would have had a harder time getting over these days with tag teams getting split up so easily. Furthermore, teams like the Road Warriors would have been split up before they cemented their legacies. Each week, I look forward most to a Miz promo. The guy is super creative. So he loses twice to Cena, the first a burial and the second to cover up the mistake, then vanishes for the following episode. Unless this was for personal reasons, I really hope they refocus this guy quickly. All those weeks with Cena could go to waste at the expense of advertising for another hotshot-booked pay-per-view. Couldn't we have at least seen him bump into Maryse for a ten second spot? Here's to better days for the former reality star and author.

Terrie Neilson of Las Vegas, Nev. (8.0): Best: Orton vs. DiBiase; VIP Lounge. Worst: Big Show destroys Bourne and Kingston. This was one of the better Raws in quite some time. Did the trade help? In terms of those traded, it's a mixed bag. Mark Henry gets a visual squash at the expense of Legacy's Cody Rhodes. The tag match ended Primo and Carlito's partnership, though maybe prematurely with Edge's injury happening (to go with the one he was having a harder time hiding). Next week will give a better sense of whether dismantling another tag team was a good idea. There is still a chance to keep hotheaded Carlito face with contrition next week. Raw was a fresh start for Gail Kim, and definitely a better first start than her Smackdown debut. I was more expecting Mickie to win for the strong showing. But Gail winning served the dual purpose of giving Mickie another win while subtly putting Maryse's hold on the title in more jeopardy. Alicia, meanwhile, did the job but looked fine before she did. It's still early yet for her. The VIP Lounge was a very good segment. I was wondering when WWE would eventually get around to using MVP's real-life past for storyline. Swagger and MVP were both very strong on the mic and the crowd sounded into it (though it's always hard to tell when reviewing taped episodes). This "I won't fight criminals" story was tried recently with Truth-Benjamin, but MVP-Swagger is off to a much better start. Even Bourne-Kingston was a rehash of Bourne-Mysterio. The match ends with sportsmanship before the monster involved with Evan's opponent (Kane with Rey, Show with Kofi) crashes the party. Orton-DiBiase, Jr. was a good match. Randy winning made sense going into Night of Champions, but it was far from a squash. What further elevated this match was Randy Orton. Five years ago, he was in Ted's place as the protege being put in his place by the mentor. But Randy was almost, dare I say, compassionate to a degree. Some of it was from being forced into a match neither wanted to be in. There were the expressions of "this will hurt me more than it will you" all during the match, as well as the small props salute at the end. This makes Randy different from his previous mentor--that and the fact that there is a certain empathy as a generational wrestler. While I'm curious to see who else will be Guest GM (still going with that term), Ted DiBiase would be prime candidate for the job should it become permanent again. Unlike Teddy Long, who will book heels in matches to serve their comeuppance "just because," DiBiase, Sr. booked with more substantial motives. He booked Rhodes-Henry after suckering Cody into trashing Henry for disrespecting Randy. The story in that moment was putting someone in their place...but who really? Then there was more reason later when Senior fessed to still holding a grudge over Cody's father Dusty. Senior was also there to facilitate Junior's face turn by trying to open his eyes and see reality. Son slapping father's face is self-conflict that needs to be seen for the turn to be bought completely when it finally does happen. It looks like WWE is learning from the mistakes of Orton's sudden face turn five years ago. So far, so good. Cena-Miz seems over and done already without even giving Miz a chance. Whatever (resigned shrug).

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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