-- 7/26 WWE Night of Champions PPV Reax

Phil S. in Arizona, Torch reader (7.0): Best: Hardy vs. Punk. Worst: Maryse vs. Mickie James. Nothing was really bad on this show, but nothing was stand-out great either. At least Big Show is now in a tag team with a great worker. This will be way better for him. This match never really got out of first gear, though. Melina and McCool had a tough crowd, but worked pretty well tonight. The six-pack challenge was a lot of fun. Good match with a lot of future stars. Swagger rules, and Primo is standing out from the rest more and more. Nothing against Kingston winning though. This man also has a bright future. Dreamer and Christian delivered in their spot on the card. Dreamer can now work a pretty good little match with no gimmicks. He's come a long way since all the garbage can matches. But it's obvious Christian is the star. Poor Mickie. Yes, a title win, but carrying Maryse could not be done tonight. Mysterio however did a pretty good job with Ziggler. Dolph's character is there, but the in-ring is still developing. This wasn't a break-out performance for Ziggler. But it was a positive step. Triple H, Cena, and Orton delivered another good match. The belt is still on the right guy. I really enjoyed Punk and Hardy. Punk is really getting confident. His facials are great. He seems in his element as a heel. But Jeff truly deserved one more run.

Jon Gargis of Cartersville, Ga. (5.0): Best match: Triple Threat for WWE Championship. Worst match: None really come to mind as the worst. I may be in the minority, but I thought the Orton tap-out sequence was clever. I've been a wrestling fan for less than a decade, but I don't remember a PPV or event that featured such a finish, even though it didn't finish the match. I actually thought Cena and Triple H would be declared co-winners instead of the match continuing, but it went on and went downhill from there. Shouldn't general managers (oh wait, we have a new one every week) or the Chairman of the Board punish those who interfere in title matches, especially PPV semi-main events? Raw's top tier needs a fresh face (or heel) and fast. I liked seeing C.M. Punk's facial expressions, but making him look like a coward by walking away was not the right move, even though the "eye injury" angle also plays into characterizing Punk as such. At least he hasn't looked as weak on his show as Orton has on his. Dreamer may be an ECW Original, but the belt belongs on Christian or someone else with a better upside and more years left in the tank. Kofi's U.S. Title retention tonight doesn't really elevate his status, and it hurts his five opponents when none of them are pushed as strong contenders. The strongest contender for that title, Big Show, is now a tag champion, and what a letdown his announcement as Jericho's partner was. Meanwhile, Mysterio-Ziggler seemingly elevated both men. The women's matches were fine. Here's to hoping at least one fan favorite will return to the ring as we head to Summerslam.

We welcome your 0-10 score and comments on this show for a "WWE PPV 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 the PPV, click here.

We suggest these recent related articles...

WWE PPV REAX #1: "I wanted the biggest event of the summer to end with an exclamation point; it ended with a semicolon and a question"

WWE PPV REAX #1: Battleground finish generates mixed reactions...

WWE PPV REAX #2: In-Person Battleground Report on overall show, reactions, more