-- 5/25 WWE NXT Reax

Rob Walden of Charleston, S.C. (5.5): Best Match: Barrett vs. Gabriel. Worst Match: Tag Match. Even when WWE's product is bad, I rarely think that I could do a better job than the folks booking the show. That's really not the case with NXT; everything is so formulaic, and there are very few interesting scenarios that require any real skill to write. This week's show was more of the same: introduce the Pros and Rookies, rehash the Rookie segment from Monday where they said who should go home, two consequence-free matches, the obligatory Bryan-Cole brawl, and an elimination. I do not care for WWE making an effort to talk about the "in-ring skills" and "mic work" of the Rookies, especially Otunga. Not that the comments aren't accurate, but trying to interject occasional moments of "real" talk diminishes the overall product, which, as a scripted television show, is overwhelmingly "fake." No one talks about the in-ring ability and promo skills of a new wrestler on the main roster, and they shouldn't do it on this show either. In the context of the show being broadcast, the only thing that should matter is whether the Rookies can win matches. The whole argument that Bryan is actually the best wrestler but was being held down annoys me equally. Even though it is true, I don't want to hear the fact that matches are booked with a predetermined winner talked about on the actual show. ... Having said that, there were some positives to the show. I might not like the vibe of the overall angle, but the Bryan-Cole interaction was all right, and I am interested to see how it progresses (although it needs to progress beyond the "argument followed by a brawl" phase soon if it's going to hold my interest). Barrett continues to be awesome on the mic, and his match with Gabriel was one of the most entertaining the show has featured. And, of course, Jericho was a stud again; his yelling at the announcers during Barrett's match had me laughing out loud, and his promo on Barrett at the end of the show was one of the highlights of the Rookie/Pro interaction. Overall, a typical NXT episode with enough quality pieces to keep me watching during a slow TV night, but plenty of frustrating segments as well. And obviously, the show needs some retooling if they bring it back for another season.

-- 5/24 WWE Raw Reax

Matt Micucci of Ireland, college student (4.0): Best Match: The Miz vs. Truth. Worst Match: Divas tag. So, a lot of questions were answered. Bret Hart is the new general manager, and as a result, the U.S. Title became vacant. It did annoy me that the title match was just randomly called out by the announcers during the show. It was a "TNA thing" to do and just made the U.S. Title look like a title no one cares about. The title match was good, though. The Sheamus vs. Mark Henry match was predictable, but at least it was fast-paced and enjoyable. The main event triple threat was weak because Edge, Cena, and Jericho appeared to be exhausted from the night before. And the four-way way match for Cena's championship will be Cena vs. Sheamus vs. Edge vs. ...Orton? WWE is apparently trying to say that his injury wasn't as bad as it looked. I personally would have liked to see John Morrison get the spot. After all, he's been doing nothing lately. Oh, and the Jon Lovitz skit was almost as embarrassingly bad as the MacGruber one. I hope Raw will ease up on guest host involvement now that Raw has a new GM.

John of Cocoa Beach, Fla. (5.0): Best Match: Cena vs. Jericho vs. Edge. Worst Match: Khali singing. Raw proved to me that simply WWE does not have enough Superstars for a hard brand split. There is plenty of mid-card talent out there waiting to be elevated like an Evan Bourne or Chris Masters on Smackdown, but there are just not enough huge names. It was a fabulous choice to name Bret Hart the new General Manager; he can be GM in name without having to be present each week. Although the Batista send-off was entertaining and convincing, I doubt very much we will see Dave in the Impact Zone. I was swerved to see R-Truth win the United States title from The Miz, but it seems likely that he's a transitional titleholder for Ted DiBiase. ... Good booking to see Maryse get some heat back after losing the pay-per-view title match to Eve, and good storytelling by The King noting Alicia Fox did the cheating for Maryse. The talent contest by John Lovitz with the Great Khali and Jillian was, in a word...sorry Charles Barkley...terrible. It gave me awful flashbacks to that infamous '70s television series, The Gong Show. Thank God the Unknown Comic wasn't there! Speaking of game shows, too bad Deal or No Deal is no longer on prime time. That's where the Bella Twins belong... Nice timing to bring in a new tag team who look like the old Three-Minute Warning tag team to jump the Hart Dynasty. Too bad it couldn't have a major surprise, like Beer Money jumping unexpectedly to WWE. ... What does Primo Colon think now that Carlito has been released? "I'm going back to Superstars purgatory." Did you notice how unscathed John Cena appeared to be after the pay-per-view? ... I liked the ending shot of Randy Orton, Sheamus, Edge, and John Cena standing in line on the ramp. It was also good to work in the remaining NXT guys, and the continuation of the Michael Cole-Daniel Bryan storyline. I think it's going to lead to a match with The Miz (with Michael Cole in his corner) vs. Daniel Bryan on PPV.

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 NXT, click here.

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