-- WWE Raw Reax 3/5

Chris Tyler, student (6.5): Best Match: Punk/Sheamus vs. Bryan/Jericho. Worst Match: Divas, by default. I was impressed this week. Not only was there a break in a long string of non-title matches, but there was a U.S. Title change and a clean victory by a heel (Jericho) over a top guy. I don't get why this doesn't happen more often. It tells a better story if the face comes in as an legitimate underdog, rather than just at risk of being screwed... The Rock-Cena thing is making me hate them both. Too. Many. Promos. They're both right. Cena is a fake, lame, corporate merch monkey. And, Rock is an arrogant interloper coasting off past glory. I wish they'd just fight and get it over with. On the bright side, Santino may return the Honky Tonk-o-meter again. Good times.

MFR, PWTorch reader: I believe the Rock-Cena angle has been botched so badly. By not giving them a personal issue, they've turned it into a matter of who's more popular at a given arena. There's no emotional investment for either character at this point, and the audience has little reason to care. Rock spends 90 percent of his time talking about Twitter and making jokes. Cena just keeps repeating the same "Rock is part-time" rhetoric. And, they ALMOST got to something good Monday night, but the exchange was hurt by Cena's smug smiling and poor writing for Rock's big response. The idea of Cena feeling like he NEEDS this win in order to validate his run at the top? Cool! But, not emphasized nearly enough. If Cena could show that level of intensity when Rock is in his face, it'd be golden. But, all the smiling and giggling totally makes this all seem meaningly for him. And, Rock could've totally done something special tonight. But, I thought the writing fell flat. To me, no personal issue equals no one really cares. Nothing is at stake.

Sean Green of Derry, Pa., Firefighter (3.5): Best: HBK-Triple H promo. Worst: any time a Rock-Cena promo aired. I thought the matches were mediocre. I'm really, really, really tired of listening to Cena, and I'm not convinced The Rock still has anything left in the promo tank. As for Triple H and Shawn Michaels, they showed they still got it. I'm really looking forward to the Taker-Hunter match at Mania now. This week's show was an illustration of the talent problems WWE is going through.

***

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.

[Torch art credit Grant Gould (c) PWTorch.com]

We suggest these recent related articles...

WWE PPV REAX #1: "I wanted the biggest event of the summer to end with an exclamation point; it ended with a semicolon and a question"

WWE PPV REAX #1: Battleground finish generates mixed reactions...

WWE PPV REAX #2: In-Person Battleground Report on overall show, reactions, more