-- 5/10 WWE Raw Reax

Adam Riemer of New York, N.Y. (6.5): Best: William Regal's rap/interaction with Flavor Flav. Worst: No Miz/Jericho combined promo. Monday's Raw was not bad, but it wasn't great either. Let me just say that I am thrilled that Vickie Guerrero is not going to be Raw GM after all. I know people love her as a heel, but I find her just so annoying and I was not looking forward to another Edge/Vickie reign. The Mark Henry stuff just needs to stop, especially when he couldn't even get over for saving John Cena, of all people. The worst part of Raw for me had to be no Miz and Jericho moment in the ring together. I wanted a full-blown promo from both men wearing suits just running down the Harts. I don't mind Miz challenging Bret; I just hope we get some crazy swerve here. I also have to say that I love Ted DiBiase's character right now. I know he is just a re-hash of his pops, but he plays it to perfection. Primo looks good as a heel too. ... The best part of Raw, for me, had to be William Regal and his comment to Flav when he said "My, aren't you ridiculous." I want Regal back as the Raw GM if they are going that route. His rap was brilliant and, for once, WWE had me actually laughing and enjoying the guest host comedy bit. Speaking of comedy, Santino doing his trombone dance during Morrison's slow-motion intro was brilliant. It also seems like maybe WWE is going to test the waters with tag teams again. WWE now has the Colons, the Harts, Mizicho, and a potentially entertaining duo of Koslov and Santino, which is something I wouldn't mind seeing. The last thing I will comment on is that Randy Orton's movements towards Vickie made me remember the angle with Stephanie McMahon. This guy is over like Cena right now, and it's evident that WWE realizes this by making him vs. Edge the marquee event on Raw leading to their next PPV.

John of Cocoa Beach, Fla. (5.0): Best Match: Jericho vs. D.H. Smith. Worst "Match": Randy vs. Meat Loaf. Last night's Raw proved that the WWE machine is trying to re-create the Austin Era with Randy Orton's face turn. The encounter with a heel authority figure was right out of the Vince-Austin playbook, his RKO'ing Meat Loaf was "vintage," and Raw is desperately short on big-name babyfaces. To paraphrase years ago when the Boston Celtics were a losing franchise, HBK is not coming back through that door. I think. ... I noticed that Ted DiBiase came out somewhat repackaged - not as the Legacy character we've known - and the storyline about his "trust fund" is something to watch as he uses his new-found wealth to buy his way to the top. ... You just had to figure Bret Hart would be worked back into the feud between the Hart Dynasty and The Miz & Chris Jericho, but, with a match? ...There was a nice little segment to get Eve Torres over as Divas champion while showcasing Maryse as a beauty with a temper. ... Dare I say, Mark Henry and Batista's "match" proved The Animal was playing possum! The beat down on Henry was kind of hard to watch, and it was noteworthy to me how nothing was mentioned about their past history on Smackdown. In essence, WWE has done everything possible to make fans forget Batista was ever a top babyface. The "I quit" stipulation for Cena vs. Batista was not surprising. I'm not expecting a classic Ric Flair vs. Terry Funk match, but it should be worth watching. I did think it was kind of peculiar how Cena acknowledged he was "wrong" to go about duct-taping Batista to get a cheap win. ... My only question about last night: How does WWE sell itself as PG programming when the last segment had a crazed young man scaring the wits out of a middle-aged woman? Yes, the woman is "evil," but to me, two wrongs don't make a right. Too bad that WWE's last appearance in Pittsburgh's Igloo had no mention of the history of action in that famed arena, most notably, the Mick Foley fall off the cage at Hell in a Cell. Don't forget the lost legacy of Bruno Sammartino in WWE.

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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