-- 5/15 WWE Raw Reax

Bill Chappo of Washington, Pa. (7.0): Best: Edge-Christian. Worst: Divas. While I'm all for keeping Virgil off the streets, can't we at least give him a shirt that isn't a Haynes Cotton Tee? Am I the only one on the planet that thinks Santino would be DiBiase's ideal henchmen? Okay, the Edge-Christian match was well done and told a good story. And the U.S. Title win by The Hitman made me smile. And the WWE.com spots were fun (well, the Khali spot anyway). I will admit to be a few thousand years older than the key demo, but two out of my three cats suspected that Batista would interfere in the main event. Seriously, I think a double switch with Sheamus and Cena would do wonders. Why wouldn't Sheamus take issue with Batista "costing" him a win to end the show? I know that isn't the plan. But it sure would be interesting, something Raw has not been in some time. On the other side of the coin, Randy Orton is neither fish nor fowl at this point, and is losing steam fast.

John of Cocoa Beach, Fla. (5.0): Best Match: Hart(s) vs. Miz. Worst Match: Buzz Aldrin promo. Last night with Buzz Aldrin as guest host, Raw appeared to be "Lost in Space" in the place Jerry the King Lawler has often called Bizzaroland. With this being the PPV lead-in show, I expected more emphasis on reinforcing the storylines and less on comedy spots. Khali/Hornswoggle's rental car spot and Santino's Most Irritating Man commercial were funny. But, wait. Isn't Matt Striker WWE's most irritating man? With the appearances of several Smackdown stars, if asked, Jim Mora might yell, "Brand split, what are you kidding me? Brand split...BRAND SPLIT?" The booking was good in spots, specifically the Edge vs. Christian match and Randy Orton explaining to Edge that he didn't know why Christian was there and his real Pick Your Poison opponent was The Undertaker. The other part I'll give good booking medals to was the Miz vs. Bret Hart match, as the heel Miz got outfoxed by Bret and Hart Dynasty, despite Miz and Chris Jericho's taunting to get Bret to accept the match. ... We got a surprise appearance by the "Vintage" Virgil, and it appears to me Michael Cole has no knowledge of WWE history stating that Virgil was always loyal to the Million Dollar Man. Remember in the 1991 Royal Rumble, after being humiliated more so than ever by DiBiase, Virgil finally had enough, knocked out DiBiase with the belt, and later on that year actually captured the Million Dollar Belt? So, look for Virgil to likely help R-Truth this Sunday beat the Fortunate Son. ... It kind of bothered me that Jack Swagger was RKO'ed by Randy Orton - the Smackdown champion not getting the win against a Raw Superstar. It just shows that Raw is the "A" show and Smackdown, for the most part, is officially the "B" show again. ... Somewhere backstage at the Gorilla Position, Vince McMahon must have had a fit hearing the Canadians boo John Cena. It was great booking to have Batista act like Hacksaw Duggan on Mark Henry, then wrap up John Cena in the new modified STF trying to get Cena to tap out. Needless to say, WWE Productions had a giant omelet on its face when you could hear the referee yell "Five Seconds!" before the show went off the air. This wasn't a great Raw, but we've had worse leading into a PPV. If this was intended to be a Supershow, instead of the Divas, they should have had time for Rey Mysterio, Drew McIntyre, and the Straight Edge Society along with Big Show.

-- 5/14 WWE Smackdown Reax

Terrie Neilson of Las Vegas, Nev. (7.0): Best: Christian vs. Kofi; Swagger promo. Worst: Kane vs. Chavo. Smackdown may not have as much star power due to the Draft, but you can't dispute the effort being shown by those still there. Beth's injury situation was handled well, and in a way that created a payback storyline when she comes back. I'm also glad that Layla got the pin. Michelle has had the title too many times and for far too long. Here's to hoping a Flawless split is coming, as there aren't nearly as many women or either brand to justify factions and teams. I didn't think Drew McIntyre was completely gone, but WWE has yet to tie together this storyline with Teddy Long's probation. Christian vs. Kofi was a decent match; too bad it was booked to mean little to nothing afterwards. Swagger stepped up his braggadocio by bringing in his trophies and memorabilia. He got in some really good barbs with this promo; a lot better than the first bragging promo where he let the audience get to him. Straight Edge Society got a needed chapter in their story, with Punk showing his dominance as leader by intimidation and fear-mongering. The DQ finish made sense to show that the intimidation worked. But, it is about time for the masked member to be fully introduced so that his story - as member or saboteur - can be told. Kane vs. Chavo was an interesting story in 2008. What are they now? And Hawkins and Archer showed up on Superstars, but didn't mention which brand they're on. I think they're a better fit on Smackdown where they would be less likely to be lost in the shuffle.

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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