-- 4/2 WWE Raw Reax

Ryan, PWTorch reader: Every year since WM14, I have hoped for an explosive Raw following WrestleMania, always to be disappointed. That Raw after WM14 was the beginning of an amazing era for WWE. This Raw has the same feeling to me. I hope that it's a sign of great things to come.

Keith Wiltse of Chanute, Ks. (6.0): Best: Lesnar-Cena. Worst Match: Rhodes vs. Kingston. I thought it was impossible for me to actually get behind Raw tonight. But, I did. The opening segment with The Rock was awesome - since now I won't have to listen to him for at least 11 months. The Santino match was funny, as always. Dolph Ziggler just needs the green light to do the unthinkable. I see HBK in him when I see him enter the ring. I was not a fan of A-Train in his former days and I doubt I will care much today. Unless they pit him against an angry Funkasaurus. That smells like money to me... I may be the only one admitting this, but I love Chris Jericho has right now. His emotional mutilation of C.M. Punk reminds me of yester-year. Remember when Mr. Perfect and Ric Flair had the "steamy" photos of Liz prior to that WrestleMania match-up? That just made you hate those two in a way not easily accomplished. And, if I am supposed to hate Y2J it's working perfectly... No mention of Hunter-Taker tonight was okay... The Miz must be on the rebound, as he dispatched Ryder quickly. I never got bored of Miz vs. Cena, and I would much rather see them do business than Superstars from the past... I wonder who else they can bring back to further murder the Cena character. Back in his heyday, Rock lost a huge number of high-profile matches, but this thing with Cena is starting to bug me. The look in his face is starting to show it, too. That little smirk is beginning to resemble more of a pissed-off frown. I never wanted to see anyone turn against the crowd more than Cena. Bret Hart did the unthinkable being a hero in every other country but the U.S. We did not deserve to have him as a hero and now we don't deserve Cena to be one either. We will get exactly what we deserve.

Darren of Roseville, Calif.: Eh. Okay Raw. Nothing special, nothing spectacular. Good to see JBL, Jr., I mean, Alberto Del Rio back. Good to finally see Brodus Clay climb up to the mid-card. Ziggler knows how to sell moves like a champ. Did you see how he sold that headbutt? The samurai master debut was okay for what it was. But, Lesnar's entrance music was crazy. It was the biggest pop of the night by far! The best part of the show was the crowd. It looks like "Yes! Yes! Yes!" will become the "What?" chant. I also loved how they chanted, "Si! Si! Si!" for Del Rio. This is how the Raw after WrestleMania should be with new feuds!

Adam Riemer of Rochester, N.Y. (20.0 out of 10) Best: I'll go with Lesnar's return. Worst: Laurinaitis. He's terrible. There, that's it, the rest of the show was a home run. Brodus Clay could be a big, big face. I loved his interaction with Santino and I can see his combination of dominance and comedy could make him a lot like Rikishi's very successful face run when he first started his accent up the ladder... Lord Tensai is here and I'll reserve judgement, but I think that having him squash guys like Ryder is better than having him squash a bigger star... The Rock's speech was awesome. It was the first time since he's been back that I was actually enthralled by what he was saying. I don't mind that he's going after the title, and since it's over between him and Cena, then I am all for it. A heel Randy Orton champion vs. The Rock could be awesome. Now, while the big return was the best part of the show, I have to give the utmost props to the live crowd. They were awesome tonight - the best crowd since the night Stone Cold returned during Mankind's first title win. The "Yes" chants are awesome. Sure they could end up being like "What?" but for now, they are awesome. When Sheamus was face-to-face with Alberto Del Rio and the crowd was chanting "Si," I was dying. This crowd made this new era feel even more special than they did with Punk months ago. Now, to the best part of the night, Eve. Wait, no, that was part of the bad 1 percent. No, the return of Brock Lesnar was maybe the best return I've ever seen. That crowd again was so hot for him that when his music hit, I got goosebumps. Cena smiled and acted like a doofus and then got F5'd - awesome. I can honestly say that I care more about Brock Lesnar vs. Cena than I did the Rock vs. Cena.

***

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 Travis Beaven (c) PWTorch.com]

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