-- 7/27 WWE Raw Reax

Bill Sartori of Windsor Locks, Conn. (4.5): At least Shaq actually was involved in last night's show, unlike ZZ Top, who clearly mailed it in. I think WWE needs to lose the Beat the Clock gimmick since we know that Swagger or MVP wasn't getting the chance. But Cena, why? How many times do we need to see another PPV with Cena-Orton or Cena-HHH? Henry-Orton may not be a money-maker, but it has some upside to it. Also, note to Chavo: Leave now for TNA or ROH. I agree with thoughts that Chavo jobbing to Hornswoggle four weeks in a row is killing one of the premier names in pro wrestling. Also, Santino is amusing to a point, but his role with Shaq was just embarrassing!

Mike Swindley of Kingston, Ontario, Canada (3.5): Best match: Swagger vs. Bourne. Worst match: Henry vs. Carlito. Some observations ... (1) Character continuity -- Jack Swagger's only been on Raw for a couple of weeks and the writers have already managed to bungle him up to the point that his character doesn't even know which direction he's going in. On his debut to Raw, Swagger declined to wrestle Randy Orton, citing the immense respect he had for WWE Champion. Yet, that respect seemed to have all but disappeared after last night's backstage promo between the two. C'mon Raw writers - let's pay attention to these little details. Also - what ever happened to the Big Show-Kofi Kingston-Evan Bourne storyline? (2) Mark Henry's crowd reaction -- Speaking of disappearing ... no matter how much time and effort WWE pours into Mark Henry, he's not going to get over with the fans. No amount of charisma can make up for his lack of wrestling skill. I understand that WWE is stuck paying out his 100-year contract, but maybe it'd be best to just have the big guy sit at home and collect a check instead of taking valuable TV time away from other talent. (3) Elevating Talent -- This ties into my next thought regarding the stale main-event picture on Raw. With Batista and Edge on the shelf, and Jericho and Big Show entrenched in their tag team storyline, there is no time like the present to be elevating one or two top faces and at least two top heels to semi-main event status. However, the WWE has continued to tow the short-sighted company line, with Cena, Orton, and Triple H firmly cemented as main event "superstars." While WWE has gone the right route on Smackdown by showcasing the likes of John Morrison wrestling both C.M. Punk and Jeff Hardy, Raw is stuck with the same main event talent that we've grown to "love" over the past five (and in some cases, ten or more) years. This is further compounded by placing guest hosts into the main event picture. Instead of elevating talent that is on the "cusp" of main-eventing, WWE is catering not only to the old guardians in the dressing room, but also to potential guest hosts. In other words, WWE is advertising to potential guest hosts by placing them into main events on a weekly basis desperately hoping to pick up some mainstream coverage. However, WWE is sacrificing long-term benefits of creating new superstars for these short-term gains. As far as I'm concerned, the best way to create a bigger fan base is to put on a product that people want to watch. People don't want to watch ZZ Top and Seth Green in the Raw main events - they want to watch a great wrestling match. Unless WWE expands its main-event base by elevating some deserving Superstars (read: The Miz, Kofi Kingston, Christian), us well-paying fans are going to tune out from watching these carbon-copy main events that we're been forced to endure for the last calendar year.

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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