-- 2/27 WWE Raw Reax

Benjamin Rash of Portland, Ore., bar owner (3.5): Best: Jericho-Punk segment. Worst: Everything (Miz's burial extra bad). I attended the show lives as I seem to do every time WWE graces us with their presence in Portland. Oh my, has the crowd changed. What used to be one of the most intelligent fan bases for wrestling is now, well, young and a product of the current demographic. I was very disappointed that Jericho was booed so heavily, as I feel he's on the Triple H/HBK/Taker level as far as a "do no wrong/iconic" persona. Smart fans see that and respect his ability. By the end of the show, it seemed like I was forced to an opera. Big Show and Sheamus burying Mark Henry, with Rhodes retreating? The IC champ now has no merit and Henry now seems to be back in purgatory after months of persona development. As for Miz, how does WWE just have no place for him? I long for the days of mid-card storylines. Overall, I thought the show was a mess from start to finish, unorganized, with no direction, and just trying to piece together something until The Rock saved the night. I'm at the point where I believe I'm going to follow the Deadman and finish my career with WrestleMania this year.

Richard H. of Wilmington, Ohio (4.0): Raw did nothing to sell me further on Mania. It opened and closed with extended verbal battles that ate up precious air time. The only decent match of the night was yet another match between two of WWE's most talented wrestlers that WWE soiled by going to yet another non-finish... Eve brought any momentum to a screeching halt with her useless and unnecessary "explanation, Vickie just screeched, and Rock is out-pacing even Mick Foley for the sheer amount of cheap pops he goes for. Yes, Cena can be tiring and is definitely over-exposed. But, if WWE fans had to put up with Dwayne's self-promotion and "all-talk, little action" on a regular basis, he would be just as polarizing as Cena... Pushing the tag division once every blue moon does not help promote that division's appearance at Mania. Same with the Divas... I suspect Raw's director was trying to be edgy with the ridiculous number of camera cuts during Jericho and Punk's debate, as I counted no less than 116 such cuts in less than a ten-minute span. Then, the Bryan-Punk "match" involved no fewer than a dozen people... Lastly, I personally do not care about the paper general manager of the shows, as everyone know the real Wizard of Oz behind the curtain is still VKM. And, Vince will do whatever he pleases. I give Raw a poor 4.0 for some good promos, but there was no best match and the continued burying of Henry goes to worst.

Max Eggeling of Lueneburg, Germany (6.5): Best Match: C.M. Punk vs. Daniel Bryan. Worst Match: Sheamus/Big Show vs. Mark Henry/Cody Rhodes. The show started out hot, but I thought the end was a mess. The exchange between Jericho and Punk was great. I think they still have a lot more to offer, but this promo was hot and it made me want to see them at Mania... The Punk-Bryan match was very good. They click and I liked the action. However, the constant talking about stuff unrelated to the action, as the camera cuts to the announce table, was very distracting. This was not necessary. I agree with James Caldwell when he stated that there was too much going on... After the great opening, the show started to slow down and hit a low point with Sheamus/Big Show vs. Henry/Rhodes. Less than a minute?! I don't know what Mark Henry did, but a few months ago, he was a World Heavyweight champ (and a good one)... What really sucked was The Rock's promo. The man was out there for more than 20 minutes and simply said nothing. The whole time I was under the impression that this man was not The Rock, but Dwayne Johnson. He can claim as much as he wants that he is both: He is not. The Rock is a different character. The promo was bad, he did not even speak in third-person, which is a trademark of Rock's character. I am not a big Cena fan, but after John came out and made his point in about 90 seconds, I was at the point where I wanted to see Rock get beaten by Cena at Mania. When Cena left, Rock was pathetic, but he finally got a hold of himself and put some energy in the whole thing in the end. (I SO hope they planned The Rock to suck...)

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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 or email us at pwtorch@gmail.com.

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