-- 8/24 WWE Raw Reax

Jonathan Element of Manchester, England: Best match: Miz vs. Santino because at least they were both on the card. Worst segment: everything else. I really have lost patience with WWE. I've watched since WrestleMania 4 and the last two years have really been the worst ever....even worse than the Invasion angle. No fresh new top stars, same old main eventers, and the worst part of all is the one star they have recently elevated (Cena) happens to be the most boring guy to watch on the entire show to anyone over 12. If Vince is targeting under 12's then fine, but come on! Bourne, Swagger, Henry, MVP, Carlito, Santino, Chavo, Regal, Christian, DiBiase, Rhodes...these guys should be used meaningfully! I'm not even talking about DX because it makes me ashamed to be a wrestling fan on every level. Let's hope Danielson is used properly. Come on guys. You've got the talent there. Start using it! Who wants to see Orton getting pinned by McMahon other than a McMahon?

Terrie Neilson of Las Vegas, Nev. (9.0): Best: Jericho/Show vs. MVP/Henry (with unaired Jericho promo); DX/Vince vs. Legacy. Worst: Chavo vs. Hornswoggle (hopefully for last time). The overall score has an admittedly biased lean to it being live in the building for Raw. When Smackdown was at the Thomas And Mack back in October, what was live and what was "Memorex" didn't mesh one bit. Live without editing is definitely better. The crowd was on its feet for a major portion of this show. The show had been plugged like crazy since tickets went on sale in June, and Vince had to start the show staring at noticeable spots of empty seats. He couldn't have been too pleased at that sight (even though they were the cheaper seats). My markish friend was getting a big kick out of the opening birthday segment. She thought Mae Young was going to be popping out of the cake as opposed to "BDJ." (For the record nothing was going to drop on Vince when Legacy crashed the party.) A very smarky person was seated next to me, ripping the opening segment. Did it run long? Yeah, a little, and the Cirque guys weren't all that impressive, but tucked into it was a little gem. Shawn's had the time and experience to deliver good promos. In that time, more often than not, Shawn's learned a key rule in promos: like comedy monologues, it's all about phrases and pauses. Randy's phrasing has backslid somewhat lately, leaving awkward pauses. Santino is being allowed to be more serious in the ring, even with his comedic character. Nice touch. Miz getting the win made sense as he's making the run at the U.S. Title, and Santino is Teflon when it comes to losses right now. The divas boxing-themed match was a fun little match. I was nicely surprised that Alicia Fox got the duke for that; could be interesting to see what a James-Fox feud could do if WWE bothers to try. The TV crowd missed not only a good chunk of the Jeri-Show vs. MVP/Henry match, but also the very heel promo by Jericho. He was really ripping at the crowd--unleashing a barrage of those "16-syllable words"--which would have helped MVP's "shut up" promo make more sense. Little funky start, though, trying to tie him to Mayweather where there really isn't a connection. The match itself was a very good one from unseen start to finish. Even the very smarky fan next to me had to reluctantly admit that "the Power Ranger" can be involved in quality matches. Chavo's shifting to Bourne, I hope? Please, please, please! The problem then becomes...who gets Hornswoggle next? (Carlito, after tonight?) The only reason the main event was No DQ was to include Cena in the finish. It was understandable for storyline purposes, yet Cena's inclusion actually took away from a very good match. It had been booked in the TV plugs as recently as Friday night to be Cena/Triple H vs. Legacy (probably as spoiler deterrent).

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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