-- 6/7 WWE Raw Reax

J. Holtsclaw of Johnson City, Tenn. (First 2:50 - 0.0; Last ten minutes - 10.0): Best: NXT attack. Worst: Khali/Hornswoggle vs. Hart Dynasty. Now that's how you get hardcore wrestling fans back. WWE can't screw this up. They need to strike today on NXT to keep the angle hot, then take Smackdown out Friday and claim responsibility for Taker's "demise." If they're going with Wade Barrett as the titleholder in the near future, use Daniel Bryan as a mouthpiece and leader that backs up the "best wrestler in the world" platform. If anybody can pull a Shawn Michaels-type match out of Taker when they build towards his eventual return, Bryan Danielson is the man to do it. I just hope Michael Cole isn't behind this group. But then again, it would make sense if he and Bryan were in on it the whole time. The Jim Ross suggestion that Keller had would be perfect as well. I'd love to see him come back and steal the show with a big promo. Another surprise would be Shane McMahon given that he no longer works for the company. Lots of possibilities with this angle.

Joey B. of N.J., artist (1.0): Liam Neeson and Bradley Cooper are the smartest actors in Hollywood for avoiding this train wreck. Raw played out as if there were a bunch of adults acting out (well, attempting to act out) a play written by elementary school kids. It was one of the worst Raws ever. I was so embarrassed that I couldn't watch the entire show. Turns out I missed what sounds like a great angle at the end with the NXT crew, which annoys me even more.

Sam Weiss of San Diego, Calif. (3.0): Best: Wade Barrett promo. Worst Match: too many to list. Never before have I given a Raw episode this low of rating. What a waste of talent and TV time. Of the three points I am giving, one is for the Barrett (solo) promo, one is for Mean Gene, and one is for Eve who looks as though she is actually trying, as compared to the rest of the Divas who look like they are only showing up. As for the NXT gang mauling the Raw set and talent, the ending of the show left me discouraged. Why? I think only Barrett and Daniel Bryan are worth watching and WWE pushing all eight as a unit minimizes the two that actually deserve the attention.

Kayden Malik of Austin Tex. (2.5): Best: Divas Battle Royale and NXT ambush of Cena. Worst: Everything else. I was looking forward to this week's Raw, but it was disappointing on so many levels. So disappointing in fact that I thought the Divas match was the best match of the night. The Big Show and Jericho match was just plain awful. Of course Show was going to win in a Bodyslam Challenge. The Great Khali and Hornswoggle against Hart Dynasty? That match was also plain awful. Santino and Vladimir was just sad. Matt Hardy and Drew McInytre was forgettable. Kane and Sheamus was all right. Edge and Orton was an awful attempt at a gimmick match. Cena and C.M. Punk was fine, but then the NXT Rookies destroyed everything and put John Cena on a stretcher. They're all heel now? I don't get the point of the show if the potential babyface characters went heel (Gabriel, Slater, Bryan). Also of note was Michael Cole running from the announce table as the heat got turned up. What's up with that?

Aaron Jumper of Harrisburg, Pa. (7.5): Best: NXT Invasion. Worst: A-Team. Wow. The ending saved this Raw by a big margin. The NXT invasion reminded me of something we would have seen ten years ago in WWE's prime. This is something WWE does every June during their three-hour specials. ('07-McMahon explosion, '08-Stage collapse on McMahon, '09-Trump buys Raw.) On paper, NXT destroying John Cena sounds like the least shocking, but was probably the best of the angles. The shot of Michael Tarver behind the barrier with the cloth over his mouth about to hunt John Cena should be giving little kids nightmares for weeks. The attacks on Striker and Lawler made the angle better, then Justin Roberts strangled with his tie was brilliant. Before the angle, I thought about the possibility of the NXT guys being the ones who injured The Undertaker, but it seems like that would have happened before the finale. If Cena makes it to Fatal Four-Way, I see Barrett "cashing in" his PPV match, hence the reason they've never announced where Barrett would "cash in" his title match. For the first time since Week 1 of NXT, I'm wondering what's actually next for the stars of the show. Other than the ending, the rest of the show wasn't good. I've always thought the Taboo Tuesday concept would work better for a three-hour Raw, but the matches on this show didn't have any punch. Meanwhile, the A-Team drama was unbelievably lame. I liked the twist with Piper, but it was just awful writing. Why didn't Bradley Cooper take part in the night more? On a final note, I didn't have a huge problem with Kozlov's dance-off since he hasn't been presented as a monster since feuding with Triple H in 2008.

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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