-- 3/8 WWE Raw Reax

Terrie Neilson of Las Vegas, Nev. (7.0): Best: Michaels-Taker confrontation. Worst: divas tag match; Bourne vs. Regal; Criss Angel. He was okay as a host, I suppose; I've seen worse. I would take in his Vegas show, but his nosebleed seats cost the same as the ringside seats for the post-WrestleMania Smackdown show I'm going to. As for the show, it was wise not to give away too much on the ShowMiz-Morrison/Truth match, but it didn't seem to be executed very well. And why are the Money in the Bank qualifiers glorified squashes? I bet Regal's recent losses aren't going to be explored on NXT despite Sheffield being present. There seems to be serious 20/20 hindsight debate among my friends on whether the WWE Title should have been Triple H's coming out of the Chamber PPV. The title is getting buried alive in both the Cena-Batista and Vince-Bret storylines. Why wasn't Batista holding up the belt at the end? Did he even have it with him, since the main event was No DQ? Meanwhile, the title is why Sheamus is hunting Hunter. But again it (title importance) gets buried to an extent under a veiled reference to the MSG Incident. The opening segment was a nice counter to what was the opening on Impact. There is enough to differentiate the two matches with the added stipulations, but I don't want bells and whistles; I want reasonable doubt that WrestleMania 26 isn't Shawn's last match. Triple H could still get involved, but I'm not expecting it since there was zero interaction and follow-up this week between Triple H and Shawn with the tag title loss last week. So, DX is effectively done without flourish. And I'm still dealing with that ever-present bitter taste that a 25-year outstanding career is being overridden by one match. Care to do anything to sweeten it, Stamford?

-- 3/8 Raw & Impact Reax

John of Cocoa Beach, Fla., writer (8.0 overall night): Best Match: Kazarian vs. Daniels vs. Williams. Worst: Anything with Criss Angel. TNA hit a three-run home run last night with the heel turn of Sting, the heel return of Beer Money, and the appearance of RVD. The ending with Jeff Hardy's run-in was a long flyball caught at the warning track, for me. Goldberg would have been the Grand Slam. I'm so amazed at the in-ring ability of Doug Williams; I'm glad he's getting the push with the X Division Title. Eric Bischoff also surprised me with his heelish attitude towards Mick Foley and Jeff Jarrett. I thought he would have announced the elimination of the X Division. My thought on all the blood shed by Flair and Hogan was that they wanted to out-do the amount shed in Australia! Liked Abyss's new in-ring attire, keep the mask on. I like how much more human Abyss is being portrayed, but wouldn't it be a coup if Ric Flair brought back James Mitchell? This show really had a lot of energy to it, and I stuck with TNA for the most part. ... Once again, great chemistry between Kurt Angle and Mr. Anderson. If Kurt keeps this up, we will see him carrying a 2x4 and yelling HOOOO! Let's hope TNA pairs Beer Money with A.J. Styles and Flair to create a 2010 version of the Horsemen with Robert Roode as the smooth operator Tully Blanchard and James Storm be the enforcer Arn Anderson. Despite Bubba Love Sponge's over-acting and no Samoa Joe, all in all, a good start to Impact on Mondays. But, to be perceived as a true second sports-entertainment major league like WWE, TNA needs to get out of the Impact Zone sometimes and step it up with the production values. What little of Raw I saw included Criss Angel and Santino Marella playing with knives? Santino must have given Angel some of that tainted Lucky Charms from last week. Good to see Evan Bourne get a push at last, but there is a zero percent chance he wins the Money in the Bank. I'll most likely watch Raw next week for Stone Cold Steve Austin's appearance as GM and his history with Bret Hart hopefully will not be swept under the rug.

-- 3/8 TNA Impact Reax

Rob Masterson of Olympia, Wash. (10.0): What an awesome show. TNA came to Monday night armed for battle and it showed. It felt like a really great Clash of the Champions or PPV instead of weekly crash TV. There wasn't a dull moment. Before TNA started, I thought I might be switching channels back and forth to see what was happening on Raw, but after the opening segment on TNA, I felt no need to change the channel. Instead, I read the Raw report and realized I missed nothing. After an initial doubt, I saw the brilliance in starting the show with the main event match. Hogan bleeding was a sight for sore eyes as it made the heel's offense seem brutal and showed the babyfaces in serious jeopardy. When the lights went out, I expected RVD, but I was surprised by Sting and loved his unpredictable heel turn. Dixie Carter's involvement brought a sense of realism to the angle that made me suspend my disbelief. Isn't that was good booking is supposed to do? I loved Sting's beat down on RVD. I would have only changed it by having Sting take the mic and mockingly welcome a prone Mr. Monday Night to TNA. Further, I might have added Sting and RVD to the main event making it a six-man match, but perhaps they are saving that for down the road. TNA and the fans in attendance made the Impact Zone seem alive. I kept thinking to myself that TNA needs to be live every Monday night to capture the feel that only a live broadcast has. I normally hate patriotic angles, as they bring up bad memories of Ranger Ross in WCW, but I actually enjoyed Kurt Angle's entrance and the active involvement of the soldiers serving as lumberjacks. The X Division seemed important again as three top stars battled it out and Shannon Moore made a meaningful debut. Eric Bischoff was money in every segment by elevating the X Division and giving Eric Young and Sean Waltman a chance to turn up the intensity. The new interview set is great for TV, and the fact that Kurt Angle broke the "wall" and went from the ring to the interview set to sneak attack Mr. Anderson showed someone was thinking about how to use it effectively. The bloodbath main event was everything you could ask for from both the veterans and the young stars. Flair and Hogan bleeding added intensity to the match and kept Hogan's promise that blood would flow like wine. Both A.J. Styles and Abyss were elevated in stature by being part of such a hot angle. For those bemoaning that RVD didn't get enough in his debut, he has an instant feud with the icon Sting. What more could you ask for? Oh, yeah, Jeff Hardy made his return as well. Kudos to TNA for keeping his status in the air as his legal troubles play out, but still keep him relevant. If he needs a short-term feud, he can instantly be paired off with Desmond Wolfe.

We welcome your 0-10 score and comments on these shows for a "TV 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 and Impact, click here.

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