-- 12/14 WWE Raw Reax

Mario Robles of New York, N.Y., actor (1.0): Best Match: Cena vs. Orton. Worst Match: Everything else. I know I'm late to the dance for this Raw, but this short rant has been brewing for a while. Batista has become the latest example of how WWE makes all of their top-tier heels into whiny, cowardly characters who usually have to cheat to win. Every one of them, from Orton to Punk, from Edge to Jericho, and now Dave, is turned into some variation of a cowardly, complaining cheater. They either avoid confrontations or hide behind teammates. A guy Batista's size, who can portray such outward intensity, could easily be an arrogant character who utterly dominates his opponents; the kind of guy who takes pleasure in dismantling foes and laughs in the faces of smaller guys. But there is one exception to the rule that I'm sure shocks no one: Triple H. Why is Trips the only heel who's ever allowed to win clean and dominate? Maybe it's part of his stale act, but when he's a face it's Kick, Wham, Pedigree. When he's a heel it's Kick, Wham, Pedigree. It's infuriating how much the WWE blatantly favors Triple H. Would he ever be used as a riff on Kanye West? Nope.

Justin Shook, Student (6.0): Best Match: Orton vs. Cena. Worst Match: Take Your Pick. I found Monday's Raw to be "interesting." I waited to write this so I could better digest everything that happened. It was strong at various points, but subsequently weak at others. Lets go with the good first. HBK vs. Taker II tease. Not much to say except epic. Bret Hart tease. This is an event that's over a decade in the making! If advertised and promoted properly, this could be a gigantic night for Raw and WWE. Sheamus keeps the WWE Title. I agreed with many readers that Cena would use his re-match clause on Raw and crush Sheamus. It was a pleasant surprise not to see that happen. Now then, lets look at the bad. Another weak guest host and DX comedy - although I did chuckle a few times - was far too prevalent in this show. The Slammys were boring and didn't really make sense. Who decides who wins and who loses? John Cena is the Superstar of the Year - hahahaha. Enough said. He beat C.M. Punk in two minutes? What? Punk should have won Superstar of the Year. Kofi lost clean in a tag match to Legacy, so I guess his push is done because WWE effectively killed off his momentum. With some huge announcements made on Raw, I give this show a 6.0. I feel like they are in the baby stages of changing things up. More and more young stars are getting airtime, but the show doesn't have direction anymore. If they can find that, then I think Raw can get back to being the A-show. January 4 is fast approaching. They had better hurry!

MS from Los Angeles, Calif. (1.0): Best Match: There was a match? Worst: Dennis Miller. Dennis Miller was so bad that I almost stopped watching before the second hour began. It took more than 18 minutes before the first "match" started. I don't see the reason they teamed Khali with Kane. I wasn't in front of the TV when they made their entrance and when I heard the audience and Lawler suddenly get excited with Kane's music playing, I thought Kane was wearing his old mask and would become a good character again. C.M. Punk is no longer a credible contender for a top title after his burial against John Cena. Carlito should pack his bags to save his career. We also didn't see the WM26 setup for Cena-Taker that I was hoping for when I saw the mini-tournament matches. Batista's credibility as a heel was lowered by his pink shirt and bad parody, and even Chris Jericho wasn't able to save this show. Y2J has been the only thing that's kept me interested in watching every Raw and SD. He made the IC Title valuable until they ruined it, he lifted the tag titles to new heights, and he gives solid performances every time he appears. Please unify the World Titles and make Jericho the Undisputed Champion. I have only seen one TNA show in my life and wasn't very impressed. Now I'm actually going to watch them on January 4. I feel very sorry for Jericho, HBK, Ziggler, Bourne, Primo, Swagger, and all the others who deserve to appear weekly in singles matches and know how to wrestle and entertain.

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.

[Shawn Michaels art credit Grant Gould (c) PWTorch]

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