-- 4/19 WWE Raw Reax

Terrie Neilson of Las Vegas, Nev. (5.0): Best: main event. Worst: Kozlov vs. Grubers. Even with the whole MacGruber thing, this show could have been so much more. The Raw roster was stuck overseas, but WWE was able to do some quick satellite promos so they could keep the PPV combatants visible. I was fine with that, but where was Batista? The PPV received a pretty superficial once-over, but circumstances weren't ideal for a final PPV sell. The Draft received decent attention since Smackdown was, by circumstance, featured prominently. The cast of MacGruber going tongue-in-cheek as their characters as opposed to as the actual actors fit the Kozlov segments to a point, but ruined everything else. Kane ended up involved in a stupid segment about pee-pee pants and R-Truth was eternally future endeavored. Has R-Truth been released? If not, how is he going to be explained the very next appearance he makes? Khali didn't take long to regroup, did he? None of the matches were really that good. Moves were botched or looked sloppy. Swagger-Undertaker moved at a snail's pace and there was an over-riding question of what did Taker need the win for? He s not on the PPV, like Swagger. It's almost as if Undertaker has gone from otherworldly to mortal in less than a month. Meanwhile, Swagger's title push is getting punked. Finally, there was so much potential in taking the odd circumstances and really playing up the Smackdown invasion. The wrestlers could have been shown contemplating what the Draft would mean to them in the new surroundings and there could have been some teases of fresh matchups created by the Draft. Just curious: was the Raw creative team stuck in Europe, too? It would definitely explain why this episode was full of lost opportunities.

-- 4/19 Raw & Impact Reax

John Dupont of Plaquemine, La. (9.0 Impact & 6.0 Raw): A very interesting night, to say the least. Impact put forth probably its best effort ever on Spike by simplifying the formula. They used fewer wrestlers, and focused on fewer angles. Titles meant something for a change and (almost) all of the booking seemed to have a newfound sense of logic. Maybe it was "hotshot" booking, but it was very effective. Less certainly yielded more. As for Raw, it was by no means a great show, but the fact that they were able to even pull off the show in spite of the circumstances spoke volumes. Considering my cable system doesn't offer MyNetworkTV, it gave me a chance to see some of the Smackdown talent I otherwise don't get to see. They also did a nice job incorporating the traditional Raw wrestlers via remote hookup. I would've liked less MacGruger, but this is WWE, after all.

-- 4/19 TNA Impact Reax

Jeff of Newton, Torch VIP subscriber (10.0): Best Match: RVD vs. Hardy. This was the best Impact ever, seriously. This show had everything. Big matches, the focus on the title, the right guys as the centerpiece, perfectly executed angles like the opening segment, a surprise return, a major title change, Hogan in his ideal role as the GM and no more, and great attention to the details (like the PPV results crawl, the replay commentary during post-match interview, and a return to a reason for cameras being backstage). This wasn't a hot-shotted show - it was a measured, high energy, perfectly-booked program. WWE could learn something from this TNA show.

Darvio Morrow of Cleveland, Ohio. (9.0): Best Match: A.J. vs. RVD. Worst: Knockouts Tag Title match (by default, but it really wasn't that bad). Three words describe this episode: "Best. Impact. Ever." TNA really hit their stride with this episode. Tonight is a night that will either fizzle out or be remembered as the night that TNA matured and took its place as a major league promotion. The crowd was on fire all night and A.J. has legit heel heat. The matches were all decent-to-excellent, and I think the title change was the right decision. TNA needed that "John Cena" figure to center their promotion around, and I think Rob Van Dam can be it. He hasn't been overexposed, he seems to be recognizable to casual fans (who are TNA's real target demographic), and he's a credible champion. He probably won't have the belt long this time around, as there's a bigger payoff in having him chase it, but RVD being World Champion elevates the credibility of the belt among the casuals. RVD-Hardy was good. The Lethal Lockdown re-match was good, and the Knockout Tag Title match was decent. All in all, a very good show that could represent a pivotal moment in TNA history. Only time will tell.

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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